Disclaimer: ESA’s statement and SKG’s response are part of the committee process and public record, or will be submitted as part of that process. This post is about the arguments being made against AB 1921, why we disagree with them, and why we believe the bill should move forward.

AB 1921, the POG Act, short for Protect Our Games Act, is coming up in another California Assembly committee this weeks Thursday (14th).

This is the bill backed by Stop Killing Games that says:

If a company sells you a paid digital game, then later shuts down the services needed for the game’s ordinary use, it needs to give notice and provide a remedy — a playable version, a patch, or a refund.

That’s it.

Not “run servers forever.”
Not “maintain every live-service feature until the heat death of the universe.”
Just don’t sell people a game and then make it unusable with no real remedy.

Now the Entertainment Software Association is lobbying against it.

For anyone unfamiliar: ESA is the big U.S. video game industry trade group. Think of it as the American counterpart to Video Games Europe, which recently pushed back against Stop Killing Games in the EU.

Their arguments are basically the usual ones:

• games are licensed, not owned
• online services are complicated
• third-party licenses expire
• security risks exist
• this could be hard or expensive to enforce

Stop Killing Games has submitted a support letter that already looks inro these arguments. Why? Because none of this is new. We’ve heard the same talking points a thousand times. VGE, Commission, certain people on the Internet and so on.

The short version:

• Expired third-party licenses may affect future sales or new versions, but they don’t justify disabling private use by people who already bought the game.
• Security issues can be handled with normal warnings and unsupported-use terms. The bill does not require publishers to reveal exploits or sensitive technical details.
• A refund is only the fallback. If a company won’t leave the game in a usable state, the buyer shouldn’t just be left with nothing.

This is the same fight as in Europe: a grassroots consumer movement asking for basic end-of-life protections, versus the industry lobby trying to preserve the right to sell games that can later be rendered useless while preserving control.

AB 1921 is narrow. It applies to paid games going forward and gives companies options: preserve ordinary use, patch the game, or refund the purchaser.

The industry wants people to think this is a demand for eternal server support, with endless costs and complications.

It isn’t.

It’s much simpler:

If a company sells people a paid game, it should not be able to destroy the game’s ordinary use later without notice or remedy.

!If you are an organization in the U.S., especially in California, please reach out to us or submit a letter of support directly to the Assembly Committee on Appropriations!

For SKG,

Moritz Katzner

A video going through this in detail is coming soon. In the pictures, you’ll find both ESA’s short statement (there are multiple ones) and ours, which we will be submitting to the committee, just as we did for the previous hearings. All statements can be found in the public records of the respective committees.

Following the launch of organised campaign vehicles in the EU and US, we are pleased to announce that Gamers’ Voice has launched as the NGO vehicle for Stop Killing Games UK. Around the world, Stop Killing Games is gaining momentum: the European Citizens’ Initiative, NGOs in the US and the EU, the California POG Act, and legal cases in France. And now, the UK has its own organisation to take the fight forward in Westminster, with regulators, and in the wider public debate.

Gamers’ Voice has been created to represent players, creators and developers in UK policy discussions around video games. Its campaigns will focus on digital ownership, the shutdown of purchased games, monetisation practices, online safety rules, and the fair treatment of players.

Gamers’ Voice will serve as the UK NGO vehicle for Stop Killing Games.

🎮 The UK faces its own version of this fight

Millions of people in Britain play video games, yet gamers are often talked about rather than spoken to.

Whether the issue is game preservation, live-service shutdowns, age verification, loot boxes, online safety laws, or proposals that could restrict young people’s ability to access, stream or socialise through games, the people affected are too often left out of the conversation.

Gamers’ Voice exists to change that.

🗣️ Some words from those involved

(funny quotes time for the press)

Ross Scott, founder of Stop Killing Games, said:

“While much of the SKG movement has been focused in the EU, the issue of game destruction is global, so the more governments that can achieve basic protections for customers and the medium, the better. We absolutely appreciate Gamers’ Voice pushing the issue forward in the UK.”

Tom Shannon, spokesperson for Gamers’ Voice, said:

“Gaming is one of the UK’s most popular cultural activities, yet there is no dedicated voice speaking for players and creators. We are seeking to change that.”

He added:

“Too often, conversations about gaming happen without input from the people who enjoy playing games. From questions of digital ownership and monetisation practices, to proposals linked to online safety laws that could require adults to show ID to access games or restrict younger people’s ability to stream gameplay or socialise online, we want to ensure gamers are part of those conversations.”

Gamers’ Voice has already begun engaging with parliamentarians from across the political spectrum, reflecting growing recognition that gaming policy and players’ rights deserve serious attention.

Tom Gordon, Member of Parliament for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said:

“Gaming is a hugely important part of how people relax, socialise and connect. Gamers’ Voice is doing valuable work to ensure that players are properly represented and that their voices are heard in decisions that affect them.”

🚀 We are not done yet

We have some massive news coming up. Yes, you heard that right: we are not done yet.

Some words we wanted to direct to you all, the people who are Stop Killing Games:

Gamers, as a community, as a medium, and as a form of human expression, have been beaten down for so long and so massively. We all know very well the thousands of videos over the last years about how gaming, and the internet more broadly, have gradually been made worse. And we complained, a lot.

That complaining, that anger, has finally turned into action, and by the gods did it do that.

There is a lot more to come, and we have only just started. Next big one tomorrow!

For Stop Killing Games,
Moritz Katzner