"Games as a service" is fraud.
What it is
Ross Scott of Accursed Farms makes a 76-minute argument that selling video games as a service is a form of consumer fraud. He lays out legal arguments that games are goods, covers ownership and programmed obsolescence, and discusses game preservation.
Why Hacker News recommends it
It is the go-to explanation of why games that die when servers shut down harm consumers, and it is repeatedly cited in Stop Killing Games and game-delisting threads.
- 5 people recommended it
- 5 different months
- 1 strong recommendations
- first 2019, last 2024
What HN commenters said
“If you have an hour, I'd highly recommend giving this a watch.”
Long video on games dying at corporate whim.
flafla2, 2019-12 · Strong recommendation · in “Discontinued Microsoft Products”
“Ross from Accursed Farms has some great videos”
Videos on why erasing games harms gaming culture.
DrSiemer, 2021-06 · Recommendation · in “Many Need for Speed Games Are Abiut to Be Erased by EA”
“Ross Scott covers it quite well”
Covers game delistings and shutdowns well.
rasz, 2021-06 · Recommendation · in “Many Need for Speed Games Are Abiut to Be Erased by EA”
“his opinions on this topic align greatly with my personal sentiment.”
Argument against games as a service.
gravypod, 2021-12 · Recommendation · in “Ubisoft deleted account with hundreds of dollars’ worth of games for inactivity”
“Just watch this video so that you get up to speed with what we are talking about”
Gets viewers up to speed on the initiative's topic.
beretguy, 2024-08 · Recommendation · in “Stop Destroying Videogames – European Citizens' Initiative”
Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.
Topics: game preservation, consumer rights, drm, server shutdowns, ownership
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