- cross-posted to:
- australia@aussie.zone
- australia@aussie.zone
- cross-posted to:
- australia@aussie.zone
- australia@aussie.zone
Just like the UK variant, this is an official government petition to look into the issue. Unlike the UK variant, the only signature threshold is 50 signatures - that said, more is better in this case.
Deadline: 20 May 2024
Here’s the Stop Killing Games campaign site for those unaware or not from Australia.
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For clarity I’d also like to add this post by Ross who mentioned petition being “hijacked” to increase the scope to all software instead of just games. He still asks to sign it if you’re Australian.
Additionally, few Aussie users replied that this broadening might actually be a good thing due to the Australia law. Can’t say anything about that myself but seems reasonable.
This petition is worded in such a way that it almost feels like lying.
Most games that shut down aren’t doing so because they had an arbitrary ping home that breaks them, it’s because hosting servers is fundamentally part of the game’s multiplayer-oriented experience.
You’re trying to use the former to backdoor in a way to force the latter to give you all of its server code.
Assuming this law were to go forward with even the most rigorous knowledge of the problem-space, and an intentional push to require multiplayer or server-based games to give you their server code after the game is shut down, all that will do is increase the risk involved in creating any multiplayer games.
Most likely this will reduce the quality and variety of games that get created going forward, which would ironically make preservation much easier.
This specific petition was broadened to involve all software rather than just games which is why it mentions pinging home instead of focusing on multiplayer servers.
The general idea of the campaign as a whole is to force publishers to create software with a specific end-of-life plan that would include one of the few possible options:
- relase the server software to allow players host them themselves
- patch the game to not require company’s server (even if not all features would be functional)
- allow people to create their own servers after official ones are dead (think private MMO servers)
Any of those options would come into effect only when the official support for the game were to end.
How exactly would that increase the risk of creating multiplayer games? Private server hosting was a thing for years and the only reason we’re here now is because publishers decided they should be the only ones allowed to do it.
Ah yes, Australia, a land famous for its sensible video game related legislation
On the other hand they do have a history of protecting customers (weren’t they the main reason behind Steams refund policy?) and that’s what this is about.