Pa. (WHP) —PA Senator John Kane introduced the Protect Our Video Games Act last week to increase protections for digital media owners
The legislation aims to “close the gap between what consumers believe they’re purchasing and the fine print that allows companies to take it away,” Senator Kane said.
Questions about digital ownership grew earlier this year after Sony announced it will stop producing discs in 2028 and shift to strictly digital video games.
“It has consumers concerned that they won’t have their game in the future. They’ll lose their games and then they won’t have it to play,” said Lance Dowless, co-owner of Slave to the Game.
A digital video game that somebody paid for can stop working at any time if a company decides to change the licensing agreement or turn off a server.
Senator Kane’s proposed legislation would require companies to give users 60 days’ notice if they plan to remove access to any game.
It would also require companies to give users at least one of the following options:
- The ability to use the game offline
- An update allowing users to continue playing the game independent of the company
- A refund of at least 25% of the initial sale price
Some video gamers, like Ryan Thompson, are against the shift towards digital media and support the Protect Our Games Act.
“A lot of people have started coming back to the old stuff, whether online capability isn’t there, or they just can’t take it away from you,” said Thompson.
Sony has defended itself saying going digital is the future, and a large portion of its game sales are in a digital format.
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