Esa Lobbyist Calls Community Servers 'Illegal' at Stop Killing Games Hearing
The ESA's characterization of community-run game preservation servers as piracy and a 'black market' marks a sharp escalation in the industry's public stance against the 'Stop Killing Games' movement.
Reporting from 1 sources: Game Spark.
At a California Senate hearing on the 'Protect Our Games Act,' ESA Vice President Jennifer Gibbons interrupted a lawmaker to state that community servers for 'Minecraft' and 'Call of Duty' are 'illegal' and constitute piracy. The bill, which aimed to keep games playable after service termination, passed the Assembly but failed in the Senate. The ESA later clarified its position on private servers in an email to Kotaku.
At a California Senate hearing on the 'Protect Our Games Act,' a bill introduced by the 'Stop Killing Games' movement, ESA Vice President Jennifer Gibbons interrupted Assemblymember Chris Ward mid-answer to declare that community servers for 'Minecraft' and 'Call of Duty' are 'illegal.' When a committee member asked if that made them a 'black market for video games,' Gibbons affirmed, 'Yes. In fact, we consider this piracy. We currently have two lawsuits pending against private servers.' The bill passed the Assembly 43-16 but failed to secure a majority in the Senate, with most senators abstaining. Reconsideration is allowed, and movement volunteers said they plan to lobby directly in the next session.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.