On the 29th, Stardock announced “The Gamer’s Bill of Rights“, a list of ideals for PC gamers that publishers should all adhere to (fuck you Electronic Arts).

 

The Gamer’s Bill of Rights is as follows:

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.

While I haven’t been a PC gamer for a few years now, I think this is a step forward in making DRM for PC games a lot more bearable and a lot less oppressive. I hope more publishers take note, because let’s face it, nobody’s even heard of Stardock. They’re a nobody trying to get some people on their side by picking up on something gamers care about – digital rights management being a huge unnecessary piece of shit.

Source: Stardock.com

Image shamelessly stolen from Edge.