Stardock's PC Gamer's Bill of Rights is a laughable and self-defeating piece of diggbait, sure to be received by mouth-breathing PC gamers with a hearty "hear hear". It's bull -- the moment you shell out cash is the moment you need to stop whining about rights. The list, with my take, after the jump:
1) Gamers shall have the right to return games that don’t work with their computers for a full refund.
Isn't this already the case? I remember returning Deus Ex at Circuit City ten years ago for a full refund (which I used to purchase Wheel of Time, an underrated shooter based on the fantasy novels. Don't worry, I replayed Deus Ex years ago). Now I'm more aware of my machine's capabilities, but still, as long as you keep the receipt...
2) Gamers shall have the right to demand that games be released in a finished state.
No, gamers shall have the right to not buy games which have received low reviews due to bugs, or at least until suitable patches are released. This will only expand development cycles due to extensive testing.
3) Gamers shall have the right to expect meaningful updates after a game’s release.
Define meaningful. Contradicts #2.
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.
This also contradicts #2. If all games are released in a finished state, who needs updates?
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.
Again, this is already the case. Also, 'adequately' is a very subjective term.
6) Gamers shall have the right to expect that games won’t install hidden drivers or other potentially harmful software without their consent.
This is perhaps the only legitimate point here. Nice work.
7) Gamers shall have the right to re-download the latest versions of the games they own at any time.
Again, contradictory to #2.
8) Gamers shall have the right to not be treated as potential criminals by developers or publishers.
How about, "Developers should have the right to protect their intellectual property as they see fit, as long as it does not infringe on the rights of the user?"
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.
I guess this one's OK, but I have yet to run into a game that demands this.
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.
Why not? It's an easy way to cut down on piracy, and it's a very minor hassle for the user. This is the most ludicrous addition to the list, considering that a user who takes advantage of #1 and #10 guarantees a free game in many cases.
(via Kotaku)