Talk:Stop Killing Games

Did you know nomination

The following is an archived discussion of the DYK nomination of the article below. Please do not modify this page. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as this nomination's talk page, the article's talk page or Wikipedia talk:Did you know), unless there is consensus to re-open the discussion at this page. No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was: promoted by History6042 talk 18:35, 28 June 2025 (UTC)

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• ... that the YouTuber behind Stop Killing Games compared video game publishers shutting down online-only games to silent-era film studios "burning their own films ... to recover the silver content"?

• Source: PC Gamer: 'You'll probably recognize Ross Scott's voice immediately—he's the creator and narrator of YouTube webseries Freeman's Mind—and he's one of the organizers behind Stop Killing Games. Scott compares the practice of publishers shutting down games to movie studios during the silent film era "burning their own films after they were done showing them to recover the silver content," pointing out that "now most films of that era are gone forever." Game preservation is a concern, definitely, but so is protecting consumers.'

• • ALT1: ... that the Stop Killing Games initiative spawned multiple government petitions in Europe and helped prompt Ubisoft to promise an offline mode for a couple of their online-only video games? Source: PC Gamer 'But the decision to commit to offline modes for both games probably isn't driven solely by player numbers, but rather emerges from the unpleasantness (and potential future unpleasantness) sparked by the shutdown of the original Crew earlier this year. Ubisoft delisted The Crew in December 2023 and rendered it unplayable as of April 1, 2024, saying the move was necessitated by "server infrastructure and licensing constraints." But rather than quietly accepting that boilerplate justification as Ubisoft presumably expected, The Crew fans pushed back hard, launching a "Stop Killing Games" initiative that seems more serious and well-considered than the name might at first suggest. A petition to the European Union hasn't yet attracted the one million signatures required to move it forward for possible adoption as law, but it has attracted 350,000 signatures in less than two months, and that's not nothing.'
  • Reviewed: Template:Did you know nominations/Adolph Bieberstein

Created by Dabmasterars (talk). Number of QPQs required: 1. Nominator has 84 past nominations.

DigitalIceAge (talk) 03:49, 27 June 2025 (UTC).

• Article and hooks look good. I find ALT0 to be a better hook but both spark interest. ~UN6892 ^t_c 15:42, 28 June 2025 (UTC)

Feedback from New Page Review process

I left the following feedback for the creator/future reviewers while reviewing this article: I have reviewed the page. Thank you for expanding Wikipedia's coverage of gaming and breaking news! Have a blessed day,

Johnson524 03:14, 2 July 2025 (UTC)

Signature Count

I think that the signature count should be displayed in the Quick Facts section as I believe it to be relevant to the article's subject. However, I get the feeling this could be seen as Wikipedia pushing an initiative, which is why I want to make sure it's acceptable before doing anything. 136.61.84.2 (talk) 00:11, 3 July 2025 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for speedy deletion

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for speedy deletion:

• Stop Killing Games logo 2.jpg

You can see the reason for deletion at the file description page linked above. —Community Tech bot (talk) 16:52, 3 July 2025 (UTC)

Misattribution/misrepresentation

Note, in the paragraph beginning "In July 2025, Video Games Europe...", there are currently two quotes that are presented as though they are from Video Games Europe. They are actually quotes of the author of the cited PC Gamer article paraphrasing the VGE statement. Ersatzcats (talk) 17:31, 14 July 2025 (UTC)

Movement vs Initiative

It's important to separate when we are talking about the movement, which helped launch initiatives, and the particular initiatives themselves, which are distinct and not called "Stop Killing Games". I know the European initiative is the most popular, but that is not the Stop Killing Games initiative. We'll need to ensure when a source is talking about the movement or some initiative in particular, especially as both petitions advance. Maxx-♥ talk and coffee ☕ 22:57, 21 July 2025 (UTC)

POV and quality issues

No mention of Ross's actions leading to Pirate Software getting cancelled and swatted? Very NPOV of you. Combined with the reference to the "You'll own nothing" article (and a gratuitously inserted backlink from that article) this reads like a propaganda pamphlet, not an article. WP is not a place to promote your ethically dubious movement. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 5.173.30.71 (talk) 12:21, 1 August 2025 (UTC)

The Pirate Software article says that On July 4, 2025, Hall stated that he has received multiple death threats and has been swatted due to the controversy. The sources supporting that statement also say the same thing. Going from "Pirate Software claimed he got swatted because of SKG" to "Ross's actions leading to Pirate Software getting cancelled and swatted" is a WP:BLP violation. Also, You'll own nothing and be happy has been relevant to SKG since that Ubisoft exec said that gamers need to get comfortable with not owning their games. Warudo (talk) 15:25, 1 August 2025 (UTC)

"the reference to the You'll own nothing article"? you mean the see also section? 1timeuse75 (talk) 10:53, 2 August 2025 (UTC)

Considering this edit over on the you'll own nothing and be happy article, that's a safe guess. Warudo (talk) 12:40, 2 August 2025 (UTC)

References

Include number of signatures?

Should the final number of signatures be included in the article now that there can't be any more signatures? Bonnie198387 (talk) 12:25, 1 August 2025 (UTC)

"Look at us, look at how hard we're winning!" 5.173.30.71 (talk) 12:30, 1 August 2025 (UTC)

already done 1timeuse75 (talk) 10:51, 2 August 2025 (UTC)

Notch did not sign Stop Destroying Videogames at first

There is a reply tweet from July 7, 2025, where Notch was asked if he signed the European Citizens' Initiative, to which he replied in the negative: https://xcancel.com/notch/status/1942249438581555534

Image with context: https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fstop-killing-games-is-geeting-opposition-from-a-belgian-v0-14l3nwfqymcf1.png%3Fwidth%3D640%26format%3Dpng%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3D76d825d270f4f3e6a468ecf880ca3a41f5583c5b

However, he also agreed to help out Ross Scott publicly on July 24, 2025 in some back-and-forth tweets: https://xcancel.com/notch/status/1948007550131323306

Does this information necessitate any edits to the page as it stands? Mrglanet (talk) 15:24, 1 February 2026 (UTC)

Potentially, given that at a glance there are possible sources for this. But I don't see anything more than a sentence or two at most.

Do you have a suggested addition that fits any of the sources in the link I provided? (Or other non-social media sources?) --Super Goku V (talk) 10:06, 2 February 2026 (UTC)

Markus Persson, the creator of Minecraft, also supported the initiative.

Oh, we don't use "Notch" in the article... I had done a quick search and thought there was nothing in the article, with this being a suggestion to add. (Good thing I decided to read up on the current progress.) I am not sure if there is sourcing that covers how specific this is. Pinging Dabmasterars and Itdoesntmatteranymore since both have been involved in edited that sentence. --Super Goku V (talk) 10:31, 2 February 2026 (UTC)

Supported does not mean signed. I didn't sign the initiative either (not from EU) but I still support it, hence why I created this page. A slight rewording may be useful to eliviate confusion, like "Notch praised the initiative". Dabmasterars [RU/COM] (talk/contribs) 11:35, 2 February 2026 (UTC)

Though that is valid to differentiate supporting from signing, it is a bit of a strange thing, since he is from the EU (Sweden), claimed to not sign it, yet later offered his support to Ross Scott (likely to help with negotiations for the Initiative? Unsure.)

Unfortunately, I don't have any non-social-media sources corroborating or reporting on that at the moment. Though at the time this was evolving, conversations and such mostly took place on social media, so such conversations on Twitter would be the closest thing to a first-hand account (though of course I'm aware this site prefers non-social media sources, to keep articles to a standard of quality). It was such a small thing in the news compared to his statement earlier of "If buying a game is not a purchase, then pirating them is not theft." that became construed for support for the initiative at the time, which became overwritten later in the month when he offered his support to Scott. Mrglanet (talk) 02:49, 4 February 2026 (UTC)

VRT permission from Ross Scott/SKG to freely license media

The article is severely lacking in images and other media due to copyright. With Stop Killing Games being a generally friendly organization, I think we should contact it and ask to release certain media under a free license via Commons' Volunteer Response Team (VRT). Alternatively, we could ask to relicense Ross Scott's videos under CC BY on YouTube (although full videos can't be uploaded due to unsourced images and non-free gameplay, snippets fully owned by Scott/SKG can). The only meaningful contact info I found was Scott's email (at the bottom of the site), the Discord server and Reddit community are all unofficial.

How VRT works:

• The copyright owner is being sent a message request to release the media under an open license
• Upon a confirmation of release, the owner is to be directed to c:COM:Wikimedia VRT release generator
• If successful, the images should be uploaded

Which files are preferrable to release under an open license:

• SKG logo
• Website screenshot
• High quality photos of Ross Scott and/or other organizers
• Videos by Accused Farms (if contacting Scott)

Templates for the message request are available here. I don't have a general guide on writing messages, but I have some tips.

• Be informal and on point, don't make it look like a scam.
• Be polite, an extra "thank you for your cooperation" may be the difference.
• When referring to freely-licensed content or the licenses themselves, use the word "open" instead of "free" to avoid confusion between the two meanings of the latter word.
• Mention that you're gonna use these files on Wikipedia and that it only accepts open licenses, such as CC BY 4.0 or CC BY-SA 4.0.
  • Quickly describe the licenses, avoid mentioning commercial use. Here's my personal template: "The former license requires people to credit the author/copyright owner (in this case, Stop Killing Games) while the latter license requires both credit and for any adaptations to remain under the same license."
• Do not mention Wikipedia's fair use policy, that's an excuse to not release the files.
  • If they will ask about why certain content is labelled "fair use" (such as website screenshot), say that the fair use guideline is very restrictive and allows very limited usage with low resolution.
• Do not mention non-commercial licenses, as they will likely gravitate towards it.
  • For the same reason, if you want to link the license text, only link to the specific pages on CC BY 4.0 and CC BY-SA 4.0 licenses, NOT on the Creative Commons licenses in general, since they may see an NC license.
  • If they will ask about non-commercial licenses, clarify that they are not considered "open" and are incompatible with Wikipedia.
• Specify that the licenses MUST inclide the version number, preferably 4.0.

I'm not the best at writing letters like these, so I need help. If you know someone who can, contact them and ask for help. Additionally, I will also request writing a VRT message in c:COM:Permission requests.

Pinging prolific editors @1timeuse75 @ArtemisiaGentileschiFan. Dabmasterars [RU/COM] (talk/contribs) 14:17, 27 February 2026 (UTC)

Ross Scott is generally fine with his videos being used and cited regarding Stop Killing Games stuff, and that "it's open season" on posting Stop Killing Games clips:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbNZ4LhxVHg&t=11868s

And in general with his videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DidrDDouagU&t=2928s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxtcWLUIc-c&t=6859s

If you want to email him, reach out here: https://www.accursedfarms.com/contact.html/ Mrglanet (talk) 04:34, 8 March 2026 (UTC)

Stop Killing Games also has an email address in the description of the Press Conference video

and there are photos that can be used from the European Commission: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/media/photo/P-069068 Mrglanet (talk) 04:38, 8 March 2026 (UTC)

The VRT permission has been sent. Waiting for a response. Dabmasterars [RU/COM] (talk/contribs) 21:12, 11 March 2026 (UTC)

Update: I received this about 90 min ago:

Dear Arseniy Pozdeev,

On behalf of SKG, I hereby grant consent for the use of the respective requested data. Regarding Ross, we will ensure his personal consent is obtained before using any of his pictures. You are welcome to use any data or images related to me, Moritz Katzner.

Please let me know if you require any formal or written confirmation of this consent.

Best Regards,

Moritz Katzner

Stop Killing Games

Now I just have to upload the files, put a template, direct Katzner to the VRT and wait. Hopefully, everything goes well. Dabmasterars [RU/COM] (talk/contribs) 16:06, 15 March 2026 (UTC)

This was relayed to me:

"The issue with uploading to Wikimedia Commons is that it would release all content for:

- Redistribution, Modification, Commercial use.

Which opens the doors for bad actors/scams, as some already existed and we experienced in the past. We obviously wish to avoid making that easier for others.

We do agree with fair use: for reporting, documentationm, etc... but definitely not for comercial use. Due to those concerns, we do not wish to see the content uploaded to the wikimedia commons.

The logo can only be used, respecting common-law trademark: This is so to block: impersonation, misleading usage, commercial use. As wikimedia.org does not support such options, we kindly ask to delete from wikimedia.org the:

- SKG Press Conference.webm

- Stop Killing Games logo.svg

- Stop Killing Games website full.png

- Stop Killing Games website.png

To use the logo and website screenshots without being free content, it is to our understanding that you can do so directly on the wikipedia.org platform (on the case of the logo with a 250 pixels width PNG file): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Upload/Uploadtext/en-nonfree-logo

As for the youtube video, it is under the "Standard Youtube License", which prevents reuploads by non-official channels. Instead, you can link the video. (Or embed, if wikipedia allows it). Hope you understand the reasons for our cautious approach. That said, the work you and that of other wikipedia volunteers do is highly appreciated. Let me know if you require our interaction further when using the non-free uploads." Mrglanet (talk) 23:25, 26 March 2026 (UTC)

@Mrglanet I checked my email and saw a similar response, though Katzner did reply to me earlier and stated that he is okay to license the files under CC BY-SA 4.0 on the behalf of SKG. I will contact the VRT to check if the permission letter was actually sent or not.

Also, did you contact SKG as well? In that case, they might have been suspicious that so many people want the files to be free and thought that we're not acting in good faith. Dabmasterars [RU/COM] (talk/contribs) 04:36, 27 March 2026 (UTC)

California AB-2426 becoming law was not due to Stop Killing Games

According to Ross Scott in October 2024, the California law was not a result of the efforts of Stop Killing Games, but that of purchased content from Discovery being removed by Sony: https://youtube.com/watch?v=T-9aXEbGNeo&list=PLheQeINBJzWa6RmeCpWwu0KRHAidNFVTB&index=72&t=33s Mrglanet (talk) 05:28, 8 March 2026 (UTC)

Can you find reliable sources that confirm this? Dabmasterars [RU/COM] (talk/contribs) 17:12, 9 March 2026 (UTC)

https://www.gamefile.news/p/california-ab2426-crew-call-of-duty

“The legislation was motivated by consumers losing access to content,” the bill’s sponsor, assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-CA), told Game File.

“The main story that brought this issue to my attention was Sony’s announcement at the end of last year that digital copies of purchased content from Discovery would be revoked,” she said, referring to the news in December [2023] that PlayStation was about to remove access to Discovery shows that people had paid for. Mrglanet (talk) 21:43, 9 March 2026 (UTC)

Not on the WP:VG/S list, though it doesn't mean it should be completely disregarded. The reliable sources talk more about SKG, though it should be noted that they frequently link semi-related articles for user retention purposes. I have no opinion on this, will wait for more people to discuss this. Dabmasterars [RU/COM] (talk/contribs) 22:18, 9 March 2026 (UTC)

Online game playability [pie] chart not accessible

Unfortunately, the colours chosen for the "Online game playability chart" are not accessible for users with color vision deficiencies. I would love to see the colour palette replaced with one of the palettes from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Creating_accessible_illustrations Stepmep (talk) 07:59, 23 April 2026 (UTC)

Sure. For non-colorblind people, it seems easier on the eyes too. Dabmasterars [RU/COM] (talk/contribs) 17:44, 7 June 2026 (UTC)

European Parliament vs European Commission

Just wanted to let people know that I'll change references to the European Parliament to the European Commission in the instances referring to the response on June 16, 2026. Because it was the Commission that responded, not Parliament. Also potentially adding new sources on the invite-only meeting (occurred June 3, 2026) and the full communication from the Commission: https://www.videogameseurope.eu/games-in-europe-built-here-played-globally/ https://www.linkedin.com/posts/videogameseu-videogames-digitaleu-share-7463512677731074048-m2sK — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mrglanet (talk • contribs) 06:07, 26 June 2026 (UTC)

https://citizens-initiative.europa.eu/document/download/75d642bc-6ff5-4713-b1cf-14f4aaf15869_en?filename=C_2026_4110_EN.pdf

After all, these are different institutions: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/en/article/20240524STO21650/what-do-the-eu-institutions-do-infographic

European Parliament majorly supports SKG. Several more Members of European Parliament have expressed support, especially for ammending Stop Killing Games into the Digital Fairness Act Mrglanet (talk) 05:35, 26 June 2026 (UTC)

AB1921 and June 29 testimony

Louis Rossmann wrote up what happened with AB1921 and its latest testimony in California on June 29 in his Consumer Rights Wiki, if people want to use what he wrote as inspiration for the article here: https://consumerrights.wiki/w/Entertainment_Software_Association_testimony_on_AB_1921 Mrglanet (talk) 04:38, 11 July 2026 (UTC)

Here is the link to the hearing: https://www.senate.ca.gov/media/senate-business-professions-and-economic-development-committee-20260629

A viral moment from the hearing starts at 16:04.

The hearing starts with the bill being discussed from 1:23 until 24:55 and voted on at 2:34:00 Mrglanet (talk) 04:44, 11 July 2026 (UTC)