Ross Scott, who created the machine "Freeman's Mind" about Gordon Freeman from Half-Life, wants publishers to stop "killing" games. He launched a public project called Stop Killing Games.
Ross Scott
According to Scott, every year more and more games go down in history. The fact is, the activist explains, that many modern games work only on servers controlled by gaming companies, and as soon as these servers are closed, users permanently lose access to projects. The starting point for the launch of Stop Killing Games for Scott was the recent closure of the servers of the first part of The Crew.
"Video games are usually intended for entertainment and are not a big necessity. However, when a seller destroys a product that someone has already paid for, this is a radical violation of consumer rights and even the very concept of ownership," says the Stop Killing Games website. "If this practice is not stopped, it can be fixed by law and even eventually extended to other, more important things: agricultural equipment, educational products, medical devices, etc. It is important that consumers retain their basic rights and do not suffer from predatory practices. In addition, video games are unique works of art. The idea of destroying all copies of books, songs, films, etc., is seen as a cultural loss to society. Despite the fact that video games are less recognized media, they deserve basic protection from complete and deliberate destruction."
The goal of Stop Killing Games is to draw the attention of the authorities of different countries to the actions of publishers. Scott hopes that if the authorities start fining companies for destroying games, they will become more responsible.
Scott stresses that he is not asking companies to support games forever. The activist wants them to give users the opportunity to develop the game themselves after the decision to close the game. There have already been such precedents: for example, Sony unlinked some of the Gran Turismo Sport content from online, and Velan Studios allowed private servers for Knockout City.
Scott has launched a website for Stop Killing Games, translated into several languages, including Russian. Everyone who wants to participate in the campaign to save games can perform a set of specific actions, which differs depending on the user's country. In particular, they can send an official petition to government agencies.
Options for French residents who want to complain about the closure of The Crew
Earlier, a study by the American Video Game History Foundation (Video Game History Foundation) showed that 87% of classic video games are in danger of extinction. To play 9 out of 10 such games, people have to actively search for them themselves, go to special archives or resort to piracy.