Illegal video game downloads 'up nearly 20%'

The number of video games being downloaded illegally has increased by almost 20% over the last five years, potentially posing a new threat to the industry.

According to data from research firm Envisional, the top five games from 2010 were pirated online almost a million times, reports BBC Newsbeat.

Piracy is a major problem that has blighted the music and film industries over the years, and has led to a number of often hard-line strategies to tackle the issue.

This month, BT was forced to block access to Newzbin2, a members-only website alleged to be host to hundreds of links to pirated music and film, after a campaign by the Hollywood studios.

However, the video games industry has largely stayed relatively immune to the impact of piracy, due in part to the various security measures by publishers and the cut-price pre-owned market.

> PC Gaming Alliance says PC game piracy is in decline

Some gamers claim that illegal downloading actually increases the desire to purchase legitimate copies as it offers the chance to try-before-you-buy.

Simon Kilby, the founder of games price comparison site Playr2.com, said that many gamers are turning to illegal downloads due to the high prices of blockbuster new titles.

"More and more gamers are frustrated with an industry that tends to whack enormous price tags on new releases, so just go one step further in retaliation and avoid paying altogether," said Kilby.

"The only way to avoid this problem is for the gaming industry to make games more affordable for the masses. Many simply don't have the funds to purchase games anymore, so turn to illegal downloads as a way to continue playing. It's not right, and the trend is certainly having an adverse effect on the industry. However, until games are made more affordable, this vicious cycle will continue."

However, the video games industry is taking the line that all piracy is theft, with suggestions that the crime costs publishers millions of pounds every year and puts hundreds of jobs at risk.

The industry has taken various measures to tackle online piracy, such as Sega's Football Manager 2012 requiring an activation code on the Steam distribution platform before playing.

Andy Payne, the chairman of trade body the Association for UK Interactive Entertainment (UKIE), also claimed that the industry offers good value even for the most expensive games.

"You can be playing that game every single day for a year. Look at FIFA, Modern Warfare, Black Ops, those games people are playing all the time," said Payne. "That's great value."

He added: "[Some] 200, 250 people sat in a studio for two years building the latest Modern Warfare 3. This costs real money."

Last week, security on Valve's Steam platform was compromised, after hackers got access to a database featuring various user information, including encrypted password and credit card data.