Stop Killing Games, a consumer movement designed to bring attention to the depreciation of online media, has gathered enough momentum to necessitate a response from “the voice of a responsible games ecosystem,” Video Games Europe.
“An increasing number of video games are sold effectively as goods – with no stated expiration date – but designed to be completely unplayable as soon as support from the publisher ends,” the Stop Killing Games website states (thanks, PC Gamer). “This practice is a form of planned obsolescence and is not only detrimental to customers, but makes preservation effectively impossible. Furthermore, the legality of this practice is largely untested in many countries.”
Having now amassed over one million signatures in the “European Citizens’ Initiative” – although, as PCG posits, there is some question over the validity of some signatories – Video Games Europe has provided a statement.
“We appreciate the passion of our community; however, the decision to discontinue online services is multi-faceted, never taken lightly, and must be an option for companies when an online experience is no longer commercially viable,” the organization said. “We understand that it can be disappointing for players but, when it does happen, the industry ensures that players are given fair notice of the prospective changes in compliance with local consumer protection laws.
“Private servers are not always a viable alternative option for players as the protections we put in place to secure players’ data, remove illegal content, and combat unsafe community content would not exist and would leave rights holders liable. In addition, many titles are designed from the ground-up to be online-only; in effect, these proposals would curtail developer choice by making these video games prohibitively expensive to create.
“We welcome the opportunity to discuss our position with policymakers and those who have led the European Citizens Initiative in the coming months.”
A similar UK petition hit 10,000 signatories in February, at which point the UK Government was obliged to respond. However, while the UK Government said it “recognize[d] concerns raised by video games users regarding the operability of purchased products” and “are aware of issues relating to the life-span of digital content, including video games,” it has “no plans to amend existing consumer law on digital obsolescence.” It did, however, promise to monitor the issue via the Competition and Market Authority (CMA).
Since then, however, the petition has topped 170,000 signatories. It will now be tabled for debate in the UK Parliament.