PC gamers get bill of rights

The Bill of Rights, original flavor.

(Credit: The National Archives)

Edge Online had an interesting post Thursday in which it reported that PC game developers Gas Powered Games and Stardock have collaborated on a PC Gamers' Bill of Rights. The full 10-point list below:

1. Gamers shall have the right to return games that don't work with their computers for a full refund.
2. Gamers shall have the right to demand that games be released in a finished state.
3. Gamers shall have the right to expect meaningful updates after a game's release.
4. Gamers shall have the right to demand that download managers and updaters not force themselves to run or be forced to load in order to play a game.
5. Gamers shall have the right to expect that the minimum requirements for a game will mean that the game will adequately play on that computer.
6. Gamers shall have the right to expect that games won't install hidden drivers or other potentially harmful software without their express consent.
7. Gamers shall have the right to re-download the latest versions of the games they own at any time.
8. Gamers shall have the right to not be treated as potential criminals by developers or publishers.
9. Gamers shall have the right to demand that a single-player game not force them to be connected to the Internet every time they wish to play.
10. Gamers shall have the right that games which are installed to the hard drive shall not require a CD/DVD to remain in the drive to play.

All of these ideas sound great, but we're not sure how realistic that first one is. How would you return a downloaded game for a full refund?

A line in the Edge post states "our goal, if we get enough industry support on this, is to create a consortium that upholds the following basic standards for PC games." We cringe at the idea of yet another PC game-focused industry group on top of the PC Gaming Alliance. It's also unlikely that the industry at large would adopt this list in its current state, but we give all involved credit for making the attempt. Let's hope that these ideas at least give PC game developers and publishers something to think about.

[inetlady]

High 5 on # 10!!!!!!

[dude7895]

I love #6!

[JohnLudlow]

I like all of them. However, I think there's another thing I'd like to see, perhaps in seperate legislation. This would look a lot like the cigarette health warnings we have in the UK (I think you also have them in the US?):

WARNING: THIS ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE CONTAINS COPY PROTECTION TECHNOLOGY. Such technology may cause unwanted, harmful side effects including but not limited to: a) degradation in computer performance and reliability, b) failure to load the enclosed software, c) increased vulnerability to malware such as viruses, and d) transmission of personal data to third parties.

This would be in big black-on-white letters on the *front* of the box, with penalties if it's not displayed correctly. What d'you think?

[ajkalan]

Count me in a a co-signer! It makes the process transparent - companies can load their software with as much crapware as they want, and consumers get to know that they did so.

[umbrae]

This is a great list, and if followed would help re-energize PC gaming. Many of these items are reason I pay $10-20 more for a console version than a PC version. I buy every Stardock game I can JUST BECAUSE they have been following these rules since the beginning!

[mmntech]

100% true and it's about time someone in the industry started saying it. On #1, most games can be pirated from the internet. Nobody burns and returns boxed copies anymore. #2, I've bought quite a few games that were severely crippled by bugs, which I find inexcusable. That's what turned me off PC gaming all together. #5, reminds me of trying to get Lock-On: Modern Air Combat to run at more than slideshow speeds despite exceeding the recommended (not just the minimum) requirements. #6, one word, Starforce. SecuROM does this too. Its supposed to be illegal to install software on someone's computer without their knowledge. Publishers should be made to disclose the DRM methods used right on the box. #8 and 9, look at the fiasco we went through trying to get Big Brother EA to stop spying on people who bought Mass Effect. Why does it need to check for piracy more than once, let alone once a week?!

I really have to applaud Stardock for trying to make PC gaming user friendly again. Sins of a Solar Empire has been one of the best PC gaming experiences I've had in ages. It just works, no DRM, and it sold very well despite what the naysayers in the industry claimed. It's definitely worth more than the $40 they charge for it. It brought me back to PC gaming's golden age in the 1990s before publishers began declaring war on their own legitimate customers.

[kingrah1]

11. gamers shall have the right to have game play time limited by the government...

[stdo57]

I have a few games I purchesed online and have found that you cant update a online purchased game.
call of duty 4 being the worst so far.
wont ever purchase online again if the game doesnt come with what a cd-dvd version will do.
I feel ripped off and from what I can tell, if me, an individual, was to practice this kind of buissnes, I would go to jail or at least be sued.
when I try to update cod4 I get " cant upgrade or add-on due to the purchase made online.
Bad buissness if you want continued sales.

[bus]

I have not bought any games online myself. Thanks for the heads up on the updating problem.

[ywkhgqo]

what are you talking about? That's complete bull. I bought CoD 4 on steam and it updates itself perfectly and automatically. I highly highly highly doubt you got on error that claimed it couldn't update because you bought it online

[gjl229]

Gamers have the inalienable right to expect and demand all those things. No problem.

It's a good thing we're used to a fantasy world. Actually getting them will continue to be just another fantasy.

[flyingfieryfox]

These are all good things but seem more like guidelines for companies to follow in order to please customers. I agree especially with 2, 6, and 10. For example, Battlefield 2 in my opinion is a great game but constantly crashes and freezes.

[noahjwhite]

I wish this could happen but it never will. PC gaming is all but dead except for RTS and MMO's. BTW... it's not piracy that's killing pc gaming. I won't go into detail here. Enough said!

[SeizeCTRL]

This is why I absolutely love Sins of a Solar Empire. Stardock/IronClad are fantastic at support for this game, plus no copy protection means I can store the DVD in it's case and back on my shelf where it belongs.

Excellent list and I agree wholeheartedly with it.

[J-Cam]

I agree with the concepts in this list overall.
I do see people abusing number 1 though - people playing through the game in a few days, then returning it to the store because it 'didn't work'.
Looking at the list, it seems like the two companies involved are trying to win over gamers with policies counter those of some bigger developers. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, they just need to practice what they preach.

[Lerianis]

Too bad.... so people will abuse number 1. That doesn't mean that all people will abuse it, so it's still a very good idea.

Frankly, there have been MANY times where I have bought a piece of software, only to have it not work correctly on the latest operating system or a small flavor change to the operating system. I'm still going to return it, and I have ******* enough and threatened to call the Attorney General's office and report the company if they won't take the software back... works every time, because here in Maryland.... customers are allowed to return ANYTHING, including software, within 7 days if it doesn't work or doesn't work correctly.

[DarkHawke]

"Bill of Rights," my ample tuckus! Folks throw around that phrase so often as to destroy its original meaning. We're not talking about telling a government what it cannot do to its citizenry here! This is a business situation, where the CONSUMER, not the corporation, has ultimate control. You don't like how a game company does business? DON'T FRAKKIN' BUY FROM 'EM! Yes, even if the game's effin' amazing! Or if you do accept, say, an effed-up control scheme or onerous/invasive copy protection, understand the trade-off you're making and quit yer complainin'!

[Lerianis]

No, we will not 'quit our complaining', DarkHawke. If people 'quit their complaining'.... we would still be in the SLAVE TIMES! Frankly, if I buy something and it doesn't work correclty, even though I have done EVERYTHING RIGHT and EXCEEDED the game requirements or program requirements..... I AM DAMN WELL GOING TO ***** ABOUT IT TIL THE COMPANY IN QUESTION DOES SOMETHING! And I do not mean just ignore me, because then.... lawsuit time!

[DarkHawke]

@Lerianis: In so many ways, you are everything that's wrong with America in this day and age. Seriously.

[Dragon_Myr]

I think this is a great idea and would love to see it implemented across the board for all PC games. However, I have little faith in that since Stardock has already violated their own bill of rights by requiring people to have Impulse to be able to play online. The updates to get your game version to the server version are only through Impulse thus requiring its use. However, Impulse does not work with all OS's and configurations so you're stuck if you have a particular setup the game supports but Impulse won't. I'm quite skeptical here that we're dealing with a Microsoft wannabe who wants to grow through goodwill and then shut the door on people once they're big enough.

[nukeemusn]

Win for #9!
I've been in the navy for almost a decade. Though I'll soon be leaving the service, and thus never agian being deployed at sea, I rember the days from 2001-2005 when I'd bring my laptop on board for entertainment while underway, only to find that the games I wanted to play required an internet connection, even though they were single-player RPG's. It broke my heart.

[ScaryMonkey69]

I agree with all of them so far! As an Avid PC Gamer who just bought a PS2 this year (my fiancee wanted one), I realized I'm sticking with the PC for gaming. My biggest reason: Mods. Battlefield 2 was "ok" and so was Half-Life 2, but the Mod community has done MORE IMO than any company. I support PC Gaming as well as the Mod community. As I mentioned to a Console-loving friend, he pays $60 for a new game. I download a new one for free, one that a team or single person worked hard to develop with what they had. Lets see the console fans make a Mod. ;)

[smokified]

Your an avid gamer that JUST bought a PS2?

[CEB1970]

These are great ideas, but these aren't "RIGHTS". Geez, what a way to cheapen the Bill of Rights!! Suddenly the right to vote is on equal footing with the right to not be forced to connect to the internet to play a single player game.

How about this one: the consumer shall have the right to not buy a game which doesn't offer all the protections listed above. Oh, wait... you as the consumer already have that right!

[4schler]

sounds more like a gamer's bill of anti-steam expectations.

not that there's a problem with that, but it seems a little immediately over-ambitious.

[ranger1966]

I love the idea, for to long gamers have had to suffer in silence because we are treated unfairly. With the release of Vista, a lot of the games for XP and below will not play due to compatability problems. I personally have purchased a game, discovered this , went to return the game to the store I purchased it from and was told that I could not return it because it was opened. If it would have been a movie or a music cd there would not have been a problem. It is about time that gamers stand up for their rights as consumers.

[jabailo]

You don't need a consortium to do this -- just one really well run company.