Stop Killing Games: Is The Retribution For The Industry’s Heinous Tactics At Hand?

Recently, the video game industry has started moving in a very ugly direction. Taking away game ownership rights from consumers, charging absurd amounts for DLCs and “extra stuff” that ought to be a part of the game, filling games up with ridiculous and predatory microtransactions, releasing broken games in the guise of “improving them later,” and every other company going pro-live service are just some of the examples off the top of my head.

On top of all this, the “big wigs” will kill their games and shut down servers at a moment’s notice, not caring the least about preservation and us consumers who dedicated our time and money to these projects. Video games are a visual and mechanical marvel these days, true, but all this is in no way tolerable.

If you feel the same way, I have some good news for you. You’re not alone, people are finally starting to stand up for themselves. A new campaign called “Stop Killing Games” is starting to emerge, following Ubisoft’s peculiar decision of first killing The Crew, and then even confiscating it from people who legally bought it.

Always-Online Is A Travesty

I was genuinely happy to see that resistance was emerging to all these anti-consumer tactics. I believe it has gone on long enough, and some of the practices need to be abolished permanently. The first thing to do should be the illogical need of always-online even in games where it’s in no way necessary.

Multiplayer games aside, what on Earth is the purpose of an internet connection for single-player, offline modes? As long as I’m playing the story mode in a single-player, why would I even need internet access? Does it make any sense to you? All it does is to give complete control of the game to the companies behind it. An internet requirement means they can shut down even the single-player modes when they kill the servers.

Games that require an internet connection for single player mode are bullshit.
byu/randomw0rdz ingaming

Always-Online has no place in a single-player game. Keep the internet requirement where it’s required; multiplayer modes. Let people enjoy single-player campaigns whenever they want to, even after you decide the kill the game’s servers.

Game Ownership Is A Joke These Days

Do you know why this always-online was even introduced in single-player games? It was to take away your right to own the games you purchased. The companies want to tell you “I decide when you stop playing this game, not you.”

If you have a physical cartridge of a classic game lying around, one that has long been discontinued, go ahead and pop it in your console and give it a try. Can you still run it? Of course, you can. You won’t be able to go online or play multiplayer, but that cartridge will function forever. And why shouldn’t it, you legally purchased it so it’s your possession, you can play whenever you want.

A huge reason to continue buying physical games
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This is what true ownership is. There are many games out there you can get nowhere else but the physical copies. No matter if they’re shut down, you can still run the game if it has a single-player mode. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case anymore.

Games are either going digital-only so that the companies can forever keep you in their grip, or the physical copies are being reduced to nothing more than decorations. Just look at Star Wars Outlaws. Purchase a disc or the digital version, makes no difference. Ubisoft will own the game either way. I, as a consumer, will just feed these corporations money and they’ll let me play the game as a favor apparently, not my right.

What the hell is going on at Ubisoft
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I don’t know about you, but my hatred for these blatantly anti-consumer tactics grows every day. I refuse to just take this insult like an obedient, indoctrinated puppet. I’m glad Stop Killing Games is getting attention.

Let The Fans Run Defunct Games

So, the question arises, what should be done to remedy the situation? Honestly, there’s a lot I wish to see changed, but the first thing would be to give the people back their ownership rights. If I purchased a game, I should be able to play it, regardless of the server shut down.

I’m a person who is a sucker for nostalgia. I like to revisit games I enjoy from time to time. These tactics make it impossible to achieve something which is my right. Can I go back and play Overwatch 1? No, I can’t because Blizzard will shove Overwatch 2 in my face whether I like it or not.

Is there a way to play Overwatch 1 again? I miss too much of the old game. Am I missing something on how to do this?
byu/Naeturefae inOverwatch

I understand a game can never operate forever and servers need to be shut down when its time is up. That’s very logical, yes, and I’m not demanding the opposite either. But, the single-player mode exists in that game, right? Why can’t I play that if I want to, considering I purchased the game?

There’s a solution for this. Instead of killing a game like it never existed, companies need to either implement some single-player modes in service-like games to keep them available for fans who dedicatedly supported it throughout its lifetime, or just let people create custom servers for it to keep it alive. There’s no shortage of creative and resourceful people like this who’ll uphold the game.

It’s better than losing all access to it. Custom servers can even breathe new life into the game as more people come to give it a try. Regrettably, companies operate on the mindset of “I have no use for it, but I’ll die before I let anyone else use it.” The desire for control is what instigated locking the physical copies behind the internet in the first place.

Why did games stop allowing you to run your own server?
byu/WaitForItTheMongols intruegaming

I Just Hope “Stop Killing Games” Raises Ample Awareness

This Stop Killing Games campaign allowed me to vent my own feelings, and I genuinely appreciate steps like these that safeguard gaming and consumers alike. However, the point comes down to whether will it make a difference.

‘Stop Killing Games’ is a new campaign to stop developers making games unplayable
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If you go over the points mentioned in the Stop Killing Games petition, you’ll see that they’ve raised some genuine concerns and stuff that deserves appreciation. Still, the way it’s all drafted makes me skeptical if any definite action can be taken by the authorities involved. 

Regardless, the fact that people have started raising their voices is the most favorable outcome of this campaign. It raises awareness regarding the wrongdoings of the current gaming industry. If it educates even ten people about these issues, I believe it would’ve achieved its goal then.