As we continue our N-Gage Christmas (http://www.allaboutngage.com/features/viewarticle.php?id=131), Ewan takes a looke at the tricky issue of piracy and warez on the N-Gage (http://www.allaboutngage.com/features/viewarticle.php?id=133). There may be a lot of piracy, but he doesn't think the N-Gage is any different in this respect. Nokia could be on the right track with a lot of their ideas.

Many noble ideas there, but unfortunately unless all games twist to a point that you need some form of data access to play i.e. in the style of an MMORPG, then even remote application authentification will pose a problem as the crackers will still find a way around. A system like Valve use on Halflife 2 can delay the crackers for a long time, unfortunately requires a net connection, and on a mobile device a connection to play standalone games may prove more expensive than people will want to pay for.

The key though isn't to destroy the pirates forever (that's a Quixotic aim IMO) but to look at the problem realistically, and try to subvert the warez and use them to help the platform rather than hinder it. YEs the N-Gage has a bad rep, but Nokia are aware of it, and trying to do somethnig different. Will it work? As loong as it works enough so MMC games make a profit, then that's enough IMO.