The Entertainment Software Association has addressed recent discussion of its involvement with SOPA, confirming to Joystiq that it has no intention of withdrawing support. The controversial bill, which maintains growing popular disapproval, shall continue to have the backing of a large section of the game industry.
As an industry of innovators and creators, we understand the importance of both technological innovation and content protection, and do not believe the two are mutually exclusive. Rogue websites – those singularly devoted to profiting from their blatant illegal piracy – restrict demand for legitimate video game products and services, thereby costing jobs. Our industry needs effective remedies to address this specific problem, and we support the House and Senate proposals to achieve this objective. We are mindful of concerns raised about a negative impact on innovation. We look forward to working with the House and Senate, and all interested parties, to find the right balance and define useful remedies to combat willful wrongdoers that do not impede lawful product and business model innovation.
Many huge publishers -- including Sony, EA, THQ, Microsoft, and Capcom -- belong to the ESA, and as such, indirectly support legislation that could threaten jobs and the freedom of the Internet. Clearly, the ESA is thinking of short-term gains and refuses to see the wider impact of SOPA. It has also officially turned its back on the people who helped it in the case of Brown v. EMA, and proven the Videogame Voters Network to be nothing but hypocritical astroturfing.
I still hope that the ESA will open its eyes in the near future, and realize that blindly signing up for anything that opposes piracy -- no matter what it is -- is a very rash, very stupid thing to do, especially when nearly every member of the ESA promotes its products using the very same sites directly threatened by SOPA.
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
Likes
PS2, iPod Touch, Silent Hill 2, Metal Gear Solid, Dynasty Warriors 3
Meet the rest of the team
| BBcode help |
| [b]Bold text[/b] |
Bold text |
| [i]Italic text[/i] |
Italic text |
| [url]http://www.dtoid.com/[/url] |
http://www.dtoid.com |
| [url=http://www.dtoid.com/]Web link[/url] |
Web link |
|
| [img]http://www.example.com/robot.jpg[/img] |
 |
Post a comment! You can also post a photo below:
Comment with Facebook
Click connect and comment instantly!
|
Comment with Dtoid
New? SIGN UP - it takes 5 seconds
|
60 comments | showing # 1 to 50
|
Comment with Facebook
Click connect and comment instantly!
|
Comment with Dtoid
New? SIGN UP - it takes 5 seconds
|
Comments policy
Destructoid is an open discussion community. You don't need to "audition" to post a comment - just speak your mind. We respect differing opinions on the site, so have at it. Be smart, funny, insightful, clueless, or cute -- but back it up with substance. Keep your cool, keep it fun. We only ask that you act respectfully and above all: don't be a troll and ruin it for everyone else. Don't bring down gamers or we'll, you know, gently shoot you in the face and stuff you into a flaming mailbox. Each comment is your opportuntity to make this community awesomer. Is that even a word?
Avoiding the banhammer only requires common sense: spamming, trolling, racism, NSFW stuff, and other forms of sucking will not be tolerated. If anyone is griefing please report abuse. Be good. Don't suck!
Contest:
3:45 PM on 01.03.2012 | 
But in all seriousness, it's really disheartening to see a vulgar display of ignorance from an organization that has such clout in our beloved industry. I sincerely hope that the ESA can pull their heads forth from their collective asses and see the very real danger SOPA poses to not only to their trade, but to freedom of speech as a whole.
Fuck you, ESA
Fuck you, ESA
Fuck you, ESA
Fuck you, ESA
Fuck you, ESA
Fuck you, ESA
Fuck you, ESA
Fuck you, ESA
Fuck you, ESA
Fuck you, ESA
Fuck you, ESA
Of course, they just may not give any fucks. In that case, I'm sure you all have pitchforks ready and waiting.
Down the road, when SOPA is ultimately defeated, they can say that while they supported politicians in their efforts, the effort itself was fundamentally flawed; that they had to support it regardless of how imperfect it was, as it was a bill that needed their support to be valid in any way. This way, when the new SOPA emerges, and it most certainly will, they can take a more dominant role in its writing than they had previously. It will be played off as a compromise, and they will rally behind the notion that they are well qualified to find a more balanced solution. Of course it will only seem more balanced compared to SOPA as it currently stands.
They're not dumb, they know SOPA does not have a snowball's chance in hell as it is currently written. The members of the ESA are playing good cop to the ESA's bad cop, the ESA as a cohesive entity that is, and they will all wait to hop on board the legislation that rises from SOPA's ashes. At this point, anything less intrusive and insane will seem reasonable, and that's all they'll need.
Unfortunately the majority of the industry could fall casualty to this.
Beyond that, really, it appears as if the ESA doesn't have a clue about what this legislation will do beyond what it hopes it'll do for them. Only appears to be looking about as far as its own nose.
All hail Big Brother.
"As an industry of money makers and thieves, we understand the importance of both making money and content protection, and do not believe the two are mutually exclusive. Communist rogue websites – those singularly devoted to profiting from their blatant illegal piracy – restrict demand for legitimate video game products, second hand sales, online passes, DLCs and inexistent services, thereby costing jobs that we intent to eliminate anyway. Our industry needs to buyout the congressmen to address this specific problem, and we support the corrupted House and Senate proposals to achieve this objective through unscrupulous means. We don't mind concerns raised about a negative impact on the network neutrality. We look forward to working with the corrupted House and Senate, and all interested parties to make money, to find the right balance between censorship and liberty, define useful abusive laws to combat willful communist wrongdoers that do not impede lawful product and immoral business model."
I approve of your corgi love.
I thought the ESA were good guys. This sucks.
This is what happens when a media becomes a cash cow, they milk it until it is fucking dry. This will signal the end of gaming as we know it. Welcome to 1984.
but good luck with that, the ESA.
Someone mentioned many articles ago that the names of the politicians who wrote and are trying to pass SOPA should be posted for the gaming public to see. If you're serious about this crap pissing you off you should register to vote and do your best to make sure those politicians never see office again.
Freedom. Use it.
"As an industry of innovators and creators, we understand the importance of both technological innovation and content protection, and do not believe the two are mutually exclusive. People in general – those singularly devoted to ignoring decrepit, outdated old concepts of copyright law – can independently review games for legitimate video game products without sanction, thereby making some of those games look bad on YouTube and blogs. Hollywood, Nashville and the video game industry need effective remedies to address this specific problem, and we support censorship to achieve this objective. because First Amendment what? We wholly don't give a fuck regarding the concerns raised about a negative impact on innovation. We look forward to paying off the right Senators and Congressmen, and all interested parties, to alter the deal between use and the public. Pray we don't alter it any further."
Did I hear that right?
My god, I totally didn't realize that thepiratebay was making someone nefarious Scrooge McDuck quantities of cash.
Why don't you try playing a single-player game you paid $60 and get booted out of it because the game lost it connection with the DRM server (because the server in question crashed)?
That doesn't make piracy okay. You can buy the game and CRACK the DRM out of it, that's legal. Downloading the whole game to circumvent the DRM isn't.