Call of Duty 4 piracy is rampant

Piracy has always been a big problem for computer games and, while our console brethren still have the capacity to play illegal games, the practice is radically less popular than on PCs.

According to a developer blog written by Robert Bowling, Community Relations Manager at Infinity Ward, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a game which is suffering especially at the hands of game pirates.

"On another PC related note, we pulled some disturbing numbers this past week about the amount of PC players currently playing Multiplayer (which was fantastic). What wasn't fantastic was the percentage of those numbers who were playing on stolen copies of the game on stolen / cracked CD keys of pirated copies (and that was only people playing online)," said Robert.

"[I'm] not sure if I can share the exact numbers or percentage of PC players with you, but I'll check and see; if I can I'll update with them. As the amount of people who pirate PC games is astounding. It blows me away at the amount of people willing to steal games (or anything) simply because it's not physical or it's on the safety of the internet to do."

Call of Duty 4 isn't the only game that has suffered because of pirates this year - both Crysis and Unreal Tournament 3 have had disappointing sales, which publishers chalk up to a mixture of piracy and steep system requirements.

So, in light of these comments, we put it to you; is it ever OK to pirate a game? Have you ever done it and, if so, how often? Let us know your thoughts in the forums.