Stop Killing Games
Digital “ownership” vs rental
- Debate over whether “Buy” buttons are deceptive when licenses can be revoked; some want explicit “Rent/Lease license” labeling so users understand they’re getting revocable access, not property.
- Others argue the whole thing is semantic: software has long been licensed, not owned; creators should be free to distribute on whatever terms they choose, even if that means eventual destruction.
- Counterpoint: in other domains (books, DVDs), purchased copies remain usable regardless of publisher decisions; destroying access to purchased games feels like theft and cultural vandalism.
Archiving, storage, and cloud lock‑in
- Some users systematically obtain DRM‑free copies of games they buy and archive them (S3, Glacier, local NAS) to pass on like physical book collections.
- Disagreement over risk models: cloud is praised for durability and ease; others stress account lockouts, billing failures, and legal shutdowns—“you don’t own it, you have revocable access.”
- Self‑hosting advocates claim home labs are sufficiently reliable and less complex than large clouds; others point to cost, effort, and misconfiguration risk.
Stop Killing Games initiative & online services
- Supporters see the initiative as modest: if you sell a one‑off game that depends on servers, you must ship an end‑of‑life plan (offline/LAN mode, local server binaries, or clear expiry/refund terms).
- FAQ excerpts show it doesn’t demand perpetual official servers or retroactive fixes; older incompatible titles might be grandfathered.
- Critics worry about feasibility, especially for games built on non‑redistributable proprietary components, and about disproportionate burden on indie devs.
- Some fear regulation will push studios further into subscriptions/SaaS and stricter DRM, or encourage malicious compliance where “technically playable” clients are useless.
Piracy, DRM‑free platforms, and workarounds
- Many prefer GOG, itch.io, Humble, or DRM‑free Steam titles, and even use pirated or “repacked” versions of games they legally own to avoid forced updates, online checks, or shutdowns.
- A moral line appears: “If buying isn’t owning, pirating isn’t stealing” is used to justify archiving or continuing to play delisted content.
Broader analogies: appliances, right‑to‑repair, and regulation scope
- IoT‑locked appliances and EVs are cited as parallel trends: hardware that can be remotely degraded or disabled, undermining repair culture and longevity.
- Suggestions include mandatory sunset plans, open‑sourcing or escrow on EOL, or at least clear categorization (product vs time‑limited service).
- Others see this as overreach for a relatively minor issue compared to more pressing policy areas, preferring market pressure and labeling over law.