Games@lemmy.worldbyProdigalFrog@slrpnk.net
1 year

Signatures skyrocket for Stop Killing Games campaign after big youtubers take up the cause, resulting in 100k signatures in 48 hours. (Details on how to help in text body of post)

slrpnk.net English
Map of the EU, showing the different percentages to reaching the signature threshold for each country

(Text below written by @[email protected]. Hope you don’t mind me yoinking it for here!)

The European Citizens’ Initiative ‘Stop Destroying Videogames’ is nearing its deadline on July 31st and is still missing quite a lot of signatures. To be precise, at the time of writing this post, only 560.000 of the required 1.000.000 signatures have been reached.

Another requirement has already been fulfilled: The minimum signature threshold has been reached in 10 countries, 7 were required.

If this is the first time of you hearing about this initiative, here’s a short TL;DR for you (more detailed information can be found here):

  • Publishers that sell or license videogames should have to leave their videogames in a functional (playable) state.
  • This means: Remote disabling of video games (such as live service titles) without providing means of keeping the game functional without the involvement of the publisher should be illegal.
  • This does NOT mean that publishers should support their games forever, but rather that they provide tools (such as server binaries) to enable others to keep the game playable.

The initiative is slowly picking up speed again recently after its creator published a video explaining some of the background and why he doesn’t want to continue after the initiative is over. The video has been well-received by the community and some big influencers have reported on the topic.

If you are an EU citizen and have not signed yet, THIS IS THE TIME! The month until the deadline is met will pass quickly. Use two minutes of your time to influence something that may improve your life forever!

CLICK HERE TO SIGN. (or click here for a guide on how to sign in your language)

Also, if you are a UK citizen, you can sign a different legal petition here, which also helps tremendously:

https://www.stopkillinggames.com/countries/united_kingdom

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    • cRazi_man@europe.pubEnglish
      1 year

      Don’t Give Up. You Can Cuss The Whole Time Just Don’t Give Up.

      • Nythos@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        1 year

        I watched critical’s update on him and my fucking god is piratesoftware such an arrogant twat

        • Encrypt-Keeper@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1 year

          I’ve been served PirateSoftware’s shorts long before all this controversy and it always bugged me how confidently wrong he was about systems and network things. He seems to be under the impression that he understands these things on an advanced level due to his experience as a checks notes QA tester for Blizzard, and a… indie software developer lol.

          All this backlash against him is so vindicating.

            • turmacar@lemmy.worldEnglish
              1 year

              Have also been out of the loop too but went through the know your meme page.

              Pirate Software made a video a year ago criticizing the initiative on a very surface level and has continued to do so in streams. Guy who created/sponsored/however-that-works the initiative posted a counter-argument video talking about what the initiative would actually do. Pirate Software did the ol’ Internet Doubledown and in general was kind of an ass and kind of revealed some ignorance. Cue Youtube Drama.

            • Encrypt-Keeper@lemmy.worldEnglish
              1 year

              https://youtu.be/GuTp4Am51i0

              There’s a group with a petition to “Stop Killing Games” which seeks to legally remedy the issue of game developers making games that are later turned off and left unplayable even in the case of them being single player.

              Thor of PirateSoftware owns a development outfit that makes indie games and he also does a lot of streams. He’s against Stop Killing Games, but doesn’t seem to even understand it, and has publicly spoke out against it, going so far as to spread misinformation about it.

      • NeilBrü@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1 year

        Unless someone corrects me, I think his argument boils down to, “we shouldn’t allow the release of server binaries for online-enabled games because it’s too hard for the developers”.

        Well, if that’s the case, then Thor, that’s a “you” (the company) problem. Not a “me” (the consumer) problem. And if you’re not going to release a server binary but we’re “buying” the game, purchasers have legitimate moral and legal grounds to demand that they be informed that they are buying a license, or renting, the game; they are not owning a functional copy of the game outright.

        I’m turning 42 this. I’ve been a software developer for 15 years now. I’d like to even say that a few of those years I even came across like I knew what I was talking about. But this basic issue is not about software development. This is about consumer advocacy, and it was a huge turn off to watch him perform the mental gymnastics on why people should be screwed over why false/deceptive advertising by the industry is acceptable.

      • Encrypt-Keeper@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1 year

        I mean, big YouTubers like Charlie and others covering Thor’s bullshit is what drove this huge spike in signatures so maybe we should be thanking Thor lol

        • Jax@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          1 year

          Nah, fuck Thor — he could have been the YouTuber pushing for coverage of Stop Killing Games, instead he decided to double down on his stupid bullshit.

          Reminder — he was a Blizzard employee for 7 years. I think that, plus his ‘my shit doesn’t stink and if you think it does, you’re wrong and banned’ attitude should give you all you need to know.

    • PieMePlenty@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1 year

      Drama drives these things. I totally understand Ross not wanting to engage in it 10 months ago but look at what it can do.

      • NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zipEnglish
        1 year

        Yeah. It has rapidly turned an initiative that was already unnecessarily combative toward devs (fuck the publishers though) and associated it with harassment and review bombing games that are actually Doing It Right just because they worked with the wrong third party studio. Not to mention all the “Well, we don’t agree with everything asmongold says, but let’s call a truce so long as he is gonna let us play our video games”

        And… honestly? I have disliked thor since LONG before all y’all realized he isn’t the world’s best WoW player or he has an opinion you don’t like because he was considering things from the perspective of the people who would be doing the work to enact these “simple requirements”.

        But it feels REAL fucking everyday normal to watch people immediately go from “the harassment campaign that led to the death of Mikayla Raines was horrible” to “Let’s fucking ruin Pirate Software’s life and attack him and everything he has ever associated with because we are morally righteous”

    • rustyfish@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1 year

      Fuck that. I’m sending this to everyone I know. Gamer or not. Common sense alone demands a signature.

      • ProdigalFrog@slrpnk.netEnglish
        1 year

        Helping spread the word is still an option, and would be greatly appreciated! :D

    • paraphrand@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1 year

      Well, that pirate guy didn’t do anything. (Unless he actually caused this, then… messy causality…)

      • Essence_of_Meh@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1 year

        He actively misrepresented the campaign and spread misinformation about its goals. I don’t know if he genuinely didn’t understand or if he was too embarrassed to admit to a mistake but he did a lot of damage to the momentum and perception of the whole thing.

        It sucks these big creators only now pick up the mantle but it’s better than nothing. There’s still some time left.

        • MolochAlter@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1 year

          I don’t know if he genuinely didn’t understand or if he was too embarrassed to admit to a mistake

          Worse, he actively lied. In his edited video about the petition he actively misrepresents the initiative, then goes on to edit out the the part of Ross’ video that would have contradicted his misrepresentation.

          This is not an innocent or negligent mistake on Thor’s part, it’s an active attempt at burial.

          • Derpgon@programming.devEnglish
            1 year

            Even worse, he is a narcissistic lying piece of shit with high ego. He would never admit a slight mistake, and thinks of himself as all-knowing. Think ChatGPT - confidently lying all the time, but always doubling down.

            • Chris Lowles@lemmy.zipEnglish
              1 year

              He’s like if ChatGPT hallucinations were kept in for the express purpose of profit.

    • Magnus@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      1 year

      Signed the UK parliament one, sadly drowning in those Brexit benefits when it comes to the other.

    • NeilBrü@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1 year

      I’m an American citizen living in the Netherlands; I have a renewed 5-year residency permit. Am I allowed to sign? I’m guessing no, but maybe there’s an allowance for EU residents, not just citizens?

      • ProdigalFrog@slrpnk.netEnglish
        1 year

        Pretty sure it’s just EU citizens. If you can’t vote in elections there, you probably can’t sign this.

        • NeilBrü@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1 year

          The Dutch allow me to vote for the Water Management Board of my town. Other than that, no, I can’t vote in the other elections. 😢