Are you fed up with big-name game publishers suddenly shutting down servers and making it impossible to continue playing your favorite games? Then you should add your name to the Stop Destroying Videogames petition, which is now open and ready for your signature.
The idea is that the initiative will get the EU to pass a law on server closures, meaning expensive purchased games can no longer be used as intended. The recent shutdown of The Crew servers was the last straw. Click here for the petition!
Stop destroying video games:
“The aim of the initiative is to oblige game publishers that sell or license computer games (or related features and assets sold for those computer games) to consumers in the European Union to keep the computer games in a functional (playable) state. In particular, the initiative aims to prevent game publishers from remotely activating computer games so that they can no longer be used without the involvement of the game publisher. The initiative is not about ownership of the computer games or the associated intellectual property rights or revenues, nor is it about game publishers providing resources for expired but still playable computer games.
“Computer games have become a multi-billion dollar industry and a specific business practice has emerged that not only violates the basic rights of consumers but also destroys the medium itself. More and more game publishers are selling computer games that only work with an Internet connection or “call home”. This is not a problem in itself, but game publishers often turn off the connection when game support stops, destroy all working copies of the game and take extensive measures to prevent the user from restoring the computer game in any way.
“The business method cancels consumer purchases and makes it impossible to restore computer games. Aside from the fact that the business method deprives consumers of their rights, computer games are inherently unique creations. Like movies or music, one game cannot simply replace another. When video games are destroyed, creativity is lost for everyone involved and gaming history is erased in a way not possible in other media. Current laws and consumer organizations lack the tools to protect consumers from this business practice. In most other industries, companies have no way to destroy a product long after it has been purchased. When licensing agreements are required just to run the game, many existing consumer rights are circumvented. This business practice undermines the concept of ownership because the consumer is left empty-handed after ‘buying’ a game.”
