Stop Killing Games campaign begins!

[Suzuki Stumpy]

Well, the UK Government have responded to the petition (so it's passed the 10,000 signatures mark at least):

TL;DR: There's existing consumer legislation that covers all this. You can complain to trading standards or the CMA if you believe a vendor to be in breach of the regulations.

 

Quote

Those selling games must comply with UK consumer law. They must provide clear information and allow continued access to games if sold on the understanding that they will remain playable indefinitely.

The Government recognises recent concerns raised by video games users regarding the long-term operability of purchased products.

Consumers should be aware that there is no requirement in UK law compelling software companies and providers to support older versions of their operating systems, software or connected products. There may be occasions where companies make commercial decisions based on the high running costs of maintaining older servers for video games that have declining user bases. However, video games sellers must comply with existing consumer law, including the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA) and the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs).

The CPRs require information to consumers to be clear and correct, and prohibit commercial practices which through false information or misleading omissions cause the average consumer to make a different choice, for example, to purchase goods or services they would not otherwise have purchased. The regulations prohibit commercial practices which omit or hide information which the average consumer needs to make an informed choice, and prohibits traders from providing material information in an unclear, unintelligible, ambiguous or untimely manner. If consumers are led to believe that a game will remain playable indefinitely for certain systems, despite the end of physical support, the CPRs may require that the game remains technically feasible (for example, available offline) to play under those circumstances.

The CPRs are enforced by Trading Standards and the Competition and Markets Authority. If consumers believe that there has been a breach of these regulations, they should report the matter in the first instance to the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 (www.citizensadvice.org.uk). People living in Scotland should contact Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000 (www.consumeradvice.scot). Both helplines offer a free service advising consumers on their rights and how best to take their case forward. The helplines will refer complaints to Trading Standards services where appropriate. Consumers can also pursue private redress through the courts where a trader has provided misleading information on a product.

The CRA gives consumers important rights when they make a contract with a trader for the supply of digital content. This includes requiring digital content to be of satisfactory quality, fit for a particular purpose and as described by the seller. It can be difficult and expensive for businesses to maintain dedicated support for old software, particularly if it needs to interact with modern hardware, apps and websites, but if software is being offered for sale that is not supported by the provider, then this should be made clear.

If the digital content does not meet these quality rights, the consumer has the right to a repair or replacement of the digital content. If a repair or replacement is not possible, or does not fix the problem, then the consumer will be entitled to some money back or a price reduction which can be up to 100% of the cost of the digital content. These rights apply to intangible digital content like computer software or a PC game, as well as digital content in a tangible form like a physical copy of a video game. The CRA has a time limit of up to six years after a breach of contract during which a consumer can take legal action.

The standards outlined above apply to digital content where there is a contractual right of the trader or a third party to modify or update the digital content. In practice, this means that a trader or third party can upgrade, fix, enhance and improve the features of digital content so long as it continues to match any description given by the trader and continues to conform with any pre-contract information including main characteristics, functionality and compatibility provided by the trader, unless varied by express agreement.

Consumers should also be aware that while there is a statutory right for goods (including intangible digital content) to be of a satisfactory quality, that will only be breached if they are not of the standard which a reasonable person would consider to be satisfactory, taking into account circumstances including the price and any description given. For example, a manufacturer’s support for a mobile phone is likely to be withdrawn as they launch new models. It will remain usable but without, for example, security updates, and over time some app developers may decide to withdraw support.

Department Culture, Media & Sport

 

[edit: For the record, the petition currently stands at 16,886 names. It'll need 100,000 names to guarantee debate time in parliament]

[Malkavian Grin]

Interesting. I read thru that and it kind of sounds like what we want already but it doesn't say (i don't think) that a business must make something useable indefinitely, just that they have to tell you up front whether it is or not. Which hasn't been happening in the least because no one would buy the game that's designed to be shut off in two years or whatever (that marvel game was shut off in what, 3 months?)

[Suzuki Stumpy]

Yep ... it's pretty much normal gov't weasel words to say 'you're covered, unless you're not, in which case, there are legal avenues you can take, but you can't, because...'

Although, to be fair, we do have some pretty decent consumer protection here in the UK compared to much of the world.

[Powderhorn]

Apologies that none of the staff picked up on this thread to nip it in the bud. That said, this entire thread is a violation of the "No Worldly Talk" rule:

Worldly Talk Prohibited

Worldly Talk (WT), which includes discussion of topics pertaining to morality, philosophy, religion, politics, and other big real world issues, is prohibited from the site after numerous, repeated past incidents. These topics are usually sensitive, emotionally charged issues, and the text-based nature of Myth-Weavers makes it hard to convey empathy, nuance, and other social cues that would make for meaningful interaction. In the end, these discussions detracted from our inclusive community environment, and so we made the conscious decision to disallow them. If Myth-Weavers staff states a conversation should change the direction in which it is going to avoid WT topics, heed that advice. This is a serious site rules infringement.

Therefore, the thread has been locked, and I would offer a reminder to review the rules.