In the United States, a proposal has been made to legally grant gamers ownership rights to digital versions of games

American Congressman Ritchie Torres is preparing to introduce the Power to the Players Act. Its goal is to protect gamers’ rights and prevent situations where publishers revoke access to purchased games.

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The document outlines three main proposals:

1. To grant gamers the right to fully own digital versions of games;
2. To allow the resale and transfer of games;
3. To require companies to ensure access to games after servers are shut down.

According to Torres, currently, when purchasing games, gamers often receive not the games themselves but merely licenses to use them, which publishers can revoke at any time. The problem worsens when companies discontinue support for titles, taking away buyers’ ability to continue playing. The congressman believes this is unfair.

If the bill is passed, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will have to develop corresponding regulations.

The congressman’s initiative echoes the ideas behind the European movement Stop Killing Games, which fights for the preservation of online games. Previously, the creators of Stop Killing Games even participated in developing another U.S. bill (Protect Our Games Act), but it was eventually rejected.