Translation
In a provocative new move, Galactic Civilizations creator and Impulse digital distributor Stardock has announced a PC-specific 'gamer's bill of rights' - Gamasutra reveals them and talks to the firm's Brad Wardell about the ten commandments, who he wants to sign it, and just what they mean.
Wardell, whose company recently had notable success co-developing Sins Of A Solar Empire, and is partnering with Gas Powered Games on the upcoming Demigod, explained: "It's a series of guidelines we're trying to introduce in an effort to get our industry to be a little more standardized in how we deal with our games."
The Gamer’s Bill of Rights
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.
Det eneste jeg er lidt uenig i er nummer 3 og 7 - ihvertfald bør det ikke gælde mindre udviklere som ikke kan forventes at have ressourcer til den slags. Man kan da heller ikke forvente opdateringer til et færdigt produkt. Det ville være rart - men ikke noget man har ret til at forvente, eller i næste ombæring, har krav på.