Own nothing and be happy: how Stop Killing Games stands against the anti-consumer practices of publishers and lobbyists

The most widespread public initiative to preserve video game heritage has once again highlighted the anti-consumer nature of major publishers and their lobbyists. Let's discuss the goals of Stop Killing Games, examine the positions of its supporters and critics, and talk about the future of the initiative in the EU.

"You will own nothing and be happy."

This phrase, which appeared a few years ago in one of the World Economic Forum's forecasts, applies to the situation with video game preservation and perfectly describes the only acceptable scenario for the leaders of major publishers.

American blogger Ross Scott disagrees with this position. Scott, who has been running a YouTube channel for 18 years and is known as the creator of machinima Freeman's Mind, announced the launch of the Stop Killing Games project in April 2024. Its goal, as the name suggests, is to prevent companies from destroying video games.

The formal catalyst was the shutdown of The Crew's servers. However, Scott has been criticizing similar publisher decisions for years, calling them intentional game destruction. In his view, this is a "radical infringement on consumer rights" and on the very concept of ownership.

Within a year, Stop Killing Games became the most high-profile public initiative in the field. Despite support from ordinary gamers, individual developers, and organizations, the project has faced numerous prominent critics who often distort the initiative's goals and create false narratives around Scott's idea.

For further discussion, it's important to reiterate the core principles of Stop Killing Games.