The FCC is planning to vote on changes to Barack Obama’s Net Neutrality bill next month, with chairman Ajit Pai leading the charge in hoping to allow Internet provides to charge whatever they see fit for Internet usage. And it’s a big problem that doesn’t just affect gamers and the way they play, but also companies as well.
Videos by ComicBook.com
GamesIndustry International recently posted a large piece talking about those who are concerned about the changing of the bill, which could very well change the architecture of how players take part in sessions of games, ranging from PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds to Destiny 2.
There is a possibility that Comcast or other companies could introduce a “Premium Gaming Plan” allowing gamers to have access to certain features, but that kind of limits the idea of what the Internet is all about.
Some developers are already insisting that gamers get concerned about the issue, as it will clearly affect them. Studio Wildcard co-founder and co-creative director Jeremy Stieglitz noted, “Anyone who cares about multiplayer online gaming should be up in arms about the imminent demise of net neutrality in the USA. It’s completely destructive to the idea of fair and level competitive gameplay to have throttled bandwidth depending on whether you are a small title or a part of a big commercial enterprise.
“Once the network carriers decide they can prioritize bandwidth to their own offerings above anything else, independent gamers such as Ark are likely to suffer. This performance degradation may not happen overnight, but it almost surely will happen once the carriers decide to commercially exploit the extreme power they will have been given. Gamers everywhere should try to fight this, to the extent that they can make their voices heard.”
Jason Citron, the CEO for gaming chap app Discord, also spoke up on the matter. Talking with Wired, he explained, “Net neutrality is incredibly important for small startups like Discord because all internet traffic needs to be treated as equal for us all to have access to the same resources as the big companies.”
Jeremy Dunham, vice president of publishing for Psyonix (the team behind the highly entertaining Rocket League), also added, “We will be watching the rules vote on December 14th very closely. Rocket League has millions of active monthly players and any law or scenario that could jeopardize people’s access to it is definitely a concern. We are hopeful that players will continue to have great access to our game.”
So be sure to sound off for Net Neutrality on social media if you can. This is something that needs to be fought tooth and nail, if only for our very way of gaming life. You can also sound off on the GoFCCYourself page.
