- US House of Representatives member Ritchie Torres has announced a new act to protect gamers.
- The Power To The Players Act aims to affirm the rights of players to sell, own, and play video games.
- Under the bill, game publishers will need to create an offline mode for online games.
Ever since Sony announced its divisive mandate to end physical disc production, the conversation around game ownership has grown even more heated. Last year, the Stop Killing Games movement finally brought this issue into the mainstream spotlight, challenging video game publishers and amassing support from over 1 million people.
However, despite earning the approval of the European Parliament initially, the organization has so far failed to bring any material change in the gaming world. Now, a US politician is trying to pick up some of the movement’s workload, announcing an act to protect gamer rights in the United States.
Why it matters: For better or worse, Sony’s decision to go all-digital has only increased awareness of the important issue of game ownership and licensing.
Ritchie Torres, a member of the US House of Representatives, has announced an act to protect the ability of consumers to own and play the video games they purchase. Titled “The Power To The Players Act,” this bill will give players complete ownership of the title instead of a license to play it.
The Power To The Players Act ensures consumers own what they buy and can keep playing long after a company moves on.
Moreover, under this legislation, online video games will be required to provide an offline mode for the player base before their servers are shut down. In his statement, Representative Torres emphasized that consumers have the right to own the titles they buy, transfer them, and to keep playing after the publisher moves on.
The politician further bashed companies, saying that if a game can be taken away from a consumer who paid full price based on nothing but an arbitrary timeline, it’s a rental disguised as a sale.
Therefore, the Power To The Players Act will work to preserve the consumer’s ability to own and resell games, while making sure the titles they have purchased can be played with friends and family for years to come.
Do you think this bill will be approved by the Senate? Is video game ownership one of the biggest problems players are facing right now? Tell us in the comments below or head to the Tech4Gamers forum for discussion.
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Shameer Sarfaraz has previously worked for eXputer as a Senior News Writer for several years. Now with Tech4Gamers, he loves to devoutly keep up with the latest gaming and entertainment industries. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.
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