Petition to Ban Making Multiplayer Games Unplayable
There is a growing concern in the gaming community about the trend of multiplayer games becoming unplayable once their servers or online support is cut off. In response, a new petition has been launched to push for laws that would prevent game developers from rendering their products unusable.
Over the past year, numerous games have been discontinued or made unplayable due to their reliance on online connections. Ross Scott, a popular YouTuber and advocate for game preservation, has taken the initiative to address this issue.
Scott, known for his webseries Freeman’s Mind, is leading an effort to gather 1 million signatures in the European Union for a proposed law that aims to:
- Ensure that games sold to consumers remain functional until the end of support
- Prohibit mandatory online connections after support ends
- Extend these requirements to games with microtransactions
The goal of this initiative is to protect consumers from losing access to games they have purchased, particularly in the digital age where physical media ownership is no longer the norm.
Furthermore, the proposal includes provisions for allowing fans to host their own servers for online multiplayer games that have been discontinued. This would prevent situations where games like Babylon’s Fall become unplayable shortly after release.
Notably, the petition also addresses the issue of free-to-play games with microtransactions, emphasizing that players should retain access to purchased content indefinitely.
Scott’s campaign, Stop Killing Games, seeks to challenge the practice of making games unplayable and highlights the importance of preserving digital media for future generations.
While the petition is specific to the European Union, its impact could extend to other regions and set a precedent for consumer rights in the gaming industry.
The ultimate goal is to prevent game developers from rendering their products useless once support is discontinued, ensuring that consumers retain ownership of their purchases.
