Stardock Announces "The Gamers Bill of Rights"

[Warboy]

Stardock announced today the Gamer’s Bill of Rights: a statement of principles that it hopes will encourage the PC game industry to adopt standards that are more supportive of PC gamers. The document contains 10 specific “rights” that video game enthusiasts can expect from Stardock as an independent developer and publisher that it hopes that other publishers will embrace. The Bill of Rights is featured on Stardock’s website (www.stardock.com) and is on prominent display in Stardock’s booth (1142) at the Penny Arcade Expo.

“As an industry, we need to begin setting some basic, common sense standards that reward PC gamers for purchasing our games,” stated Brad Wardell, president and CEO of Stardock Corporation. “The console market effectively already has something like this in that its games have to go through the platform maker such as Nintendo, Microsoft, or Sony. But on the PC, publishers can release games that are scarcely completed, poorly supported, and full of intrusive copy protection and then be stuck on it.”

Chris Taylor, CEO and founder of Gas Powered Games stated, “This is an awesome framework for the industry to aspire to, and ultimately so that we can provide our customers with the gaming experience that they have wanted for years, and really deserve.”

According to Stardock, the objective of the Gamer’s Bill of Rights is to increase the confidence of consumers of the quality of PC games which in turn will lead to more sales and a better gaming experience.

The Gamer’s Bill of Rights:

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 play adequately 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 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.

Source - Neowin

[ryboto]

amen?

[Wiggy McShades]

if i could just get number 10 id be happy

[apexracing]

Wish more companies would sign on to this idea, it's fantastic and would surely restore the faith in disgruntled gamers everywhere.

[twwen2]

#9 and 10 most definately!

[bowman]

What about my right to keep and bear my oversized GPU?

Oh well. Pipe dream, anyways. I wish Stardock would release a game I was interested in so I could support them.

[BlueAqua]

It would help the PC game industry to come up with a unified standard to make PC games more elusive.

[Kingcarcas]

Hallelujah?

[zanzabar]

i like number 6 the best, it will hopefully stop secure rom, i know that its for anti piracy but its just going to far when something to make sure a crack isnt being used is acting like an anticheat and scanning all processes and data theft like scanning of the files on a computer and uploading it to the publisher, my backup drive should have nothing to do with a game that isnt installed on it

it would also make sure that nothing like starforce comes back, thats killed at least 4 of my drives

[paulhamm]

Hurray for StarDock! I bought my first game from them, GalCiv, when they only made products for OS/2. Ran it on OS/2 Warp. Bought a second copy for Windows when they released it. I rather like the way they operate.

[SKYMTL]

They just found a fan in me. I will buy games of ANY developer who supports this and lives by it even if I don't play the actual game.

#9 and #10 are what people WANT.

[paulhamm]

Though #9 and #10 are important there are work arounds related to #8. The one that interests me the most is #2. I expect the gaming industry would be amazed by how many customers decide that "Piracy is the Better way" after getting bit by this two or three times.

[Lestat]

10 is EASY they just refuse to do it.
the protection knows, by the # of bits int he exe if it has been altered.
or the protection scheme which is encrypted to 1024bit as an original unaltered copy of the exe and compares it to the one being used.

1. Gamers shall have the right to return games that don’t work with their computers for a full refund

this wont ever happen and is pretty rediculous. if you do your research, have your drivers installed, and know what the frack your doing, the game will run. well,, as long as it snot built by Ubi or EA

2. Gamers shall have the right to demand that games be released in a finished state.

So long as shareholders are the ones making the decisions,,, that will never happen. once they start losing money, they will demand it be finished quickly and then patches created.

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.

many times, but not always if you jsut run the game exe itself and not gameloader.exe the updater program will not run...
but, it doesnt always work.
some games ASK you if you want to install the loader/patcher. you are NOT required to install it.
again a valid request to a small degree, but in general not really a valid request.
online games need that loader and patcher.

7. Gamers shall have the right to re-download the latest versions of the games they own at any time

another silly request.
games like steam allow you to do this any time you want.
the new EA game loader/downloader that you can use for Spore Creature Creators allows you to redownload the game for 2 years.
WAY more time than most people care about owning a game.
and no other method is around that i know of aside from those game purchasing sites that allows you to purchase a game iso, allow you to download ANYTHING but a game patch.

what i do think is valid is
Gamers shall have the right to download a game they own from the game creator if their disk is damaged or stops working.
or for a minimal fee be mailed a new disk.

[X.T.R.E.M.E_ICE]

10. Gamers shall have the right that games which are installed to the hard drive should be used without having to reinstall if you have done a fresh install of windows..

[stangracin2]

Though #9 and #10 are important there are work arounds related to #8. The one that interests me the most is #2. I expect the gaming industry would be amazed by how many customers decide that "Piracy is the Better way" after getting bit by this two or three times.

there is an easy work around for #10 to

have you people ever heard of a no cd crack

[Wiggy McShades]

there is an easy work around for #10 to

have you people ever heard of a no cd crack

well yeah, its just i think they should make the games not need the cd's from the start and not have to go find a no cd crack. There's some pretty simple stuff that can be done to make customers happier with their 50 dollar purchase and maybe a few people will actually purchase games instead of pirating them. I mean I pay for all my games and then get no cd cracks, but I do not look down on anyone that pirates them in all honesty your being treated like a criminal mine as well just do the crime your being accused of.

[spicypixel]

Man Chris is so awesome, first Total Annihilation, then Supreme Commander and now this.

[Lestat]

but I do not look down on anyone that pirates them in all honesty your being treated like a criminal mine as well just do the crime your being accused of.

wow,, this would be a pretty fracked up world if more people thought like that......

[Wiggy McShades]

wow,, this would be a pretty fracked up world if more people thought like that......

We are talking about video games here calm down.

[Mr.Guvernment]

if this were to be adopted AMEN!!! x infinity!! it would be awsome!!

PC gamers need something diff from console gamers, they are diff in so many ways!

PC gamers will drop money with out question to those who provide good content (even if it turns out crap - how many people bought UT3 with out question...)

this would make such a diff!

[EDIT] 08.29.08

i went to their site (personally i didnt know who the company was until i went to their site and saw some games they made)

(suggestion : 'How did you hear about us? " add "internet forum - and a field to specify:one or more sites)

I think you're recent gamer rights has sparked ALLOT of attention , on some of the largest forums around, if you don't already, i would suggest creating accounts to further contribute your fantastic ideals and thought to those forums that seem to be welcoming your thoughts with open arms and are behind you in support...

Hardocp: [H] (i am MrGuvernment)
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1340813


OCF (i am Mr.Guvernment)
http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=575939

XS (MrGuvernment there)

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=200226


I think the more you push this and gain the support of one of the largest financial markets of gaming around (check WoW / Valve and CoD4 [other i am sure but i can not say myself] for numbers and compare to console - PC gaming far out numbers players online easily)

Personally, the more you push this... the further it can go, to gain more support from PC gamers, would be an epic accomplishment for PC gaming overall!

P.S - i have had some rum & cokes so my typing may not be perfect

[stangracin2]

how many people bought UT3 with out question...)

this would make such a diff!

don't forget about crysis

[003]

Now #10 we need for sure... I still can't find a no-cd/dvd patch for crysis 1.21 64-bit, or for alone in the dark.

[STaRGaZeR]

2, 3, 6, 8, 9 and 10. The others are meh to me.

[Mr.Guvernment]

^^ yup

once a company makes a name for making good games, even if they make a bad one it will sell, the issue is, once people realize it is bad game - can they recover.... i kow Epic will..


but another example is Vale and cs:s cs 1.6 people love, cs:s i love, then Tf2 - i love Tf2! and so on and so on... companies known for making good games didn't get their repuation over night..

when you log into UT99 and still see alot of players playing, or log into cs 1.6 and still see hundreds of people playing........ they must of done something right,..

2, 3, 6, 8, 9 and 10. The others are meh to me.

they still hit %60 on the dot!!! more then any other company i have seen,...

[eXa]

Wow. Stardock just found a fan in me too. Got the urge to just buy something from them....