Or just make a legitimate purchase superior in every way
I pay for most PC video games because it allows me to get the latest patches and the ability to request technical support if anything goes wrong. In the case of good storefronts (like Steam), it also allows me to download legitimate debug versions as well as run routines to ensure files haven't been tampered with even when games companies are tardy about signing executables and shared libraries (steamcmd is a godsend).
For example, Skullgirls was released in 2012 and still receives patches to this day, including content updates, despite only costing me pennies (if that) per hour in terms of entertainment. Even classics like Quake still receive vendor-supplied patches to this day (albeit very few) and remakes of games are supplied for free (Metro Redux and BioShock Remastered) to people who owned the originals. This kind of support means paying is worth something compared to grabbing a scene release.
However, piracy still in some cases offers a superior result compared to a legitimate copy, regardless of price. Historically, I would dual-boot (two XP installs) to pirate anything which used StarForce, because I'd rather have a system which isn't hobbled by unwanted kernel modules. Ditto for cracking SecuROM games prior to Alcohol 120% being a thing, as I really didn't want to have to fetch a CD or DVD if all the data was on my hard disk anyway!
Also, Nintendo still games come to mind as a situation where pirating is the objectively better approach; where the legitimate physical copy will eventually fail or where the digital storefront will cut off my access a decade later. When legitimate purchases come with unnecessary caveats, downloaded ROMs are superior in longevity and paying the Yuzu team for ongoing emulator improvements already gives me a better experience... then why would I want to pay Nintendo?
TL;DR: “The easiest way to stop piracy is not by putting antipiracy technology to work. It’s by giving those people a service that’s better than what they’re receiving from the pirates.” -- Gabe Newell (Valve, 2011)
Biting the hand that feeds IT
