The gaming community has been on edge over the last few weeks thanks to SOPA and PIPA, the so-called ?Internet Blacklist? bills that threatened to change the way the Internet works forever. Most gamers stood firmly against the legislation, afraid of the massive fallout that could have occurred if the bills passed as written. Most game publishers, however, stood in full support of the bill. Sort of.
The great majority of publishers elected to reveal no public stance at all, instead referring reporters and other curious individuals to the Entertainment Software Association. The ESA, of course, was firmly in support of both SOPA and PIPA, which in turn meant the companies it represents were also supporters. That?s big names like Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony, all supporting the ESA and its support for SOPA/PIPA.
Now, facing huge protests from the tech community, it appears that the ESA has finally backed off the legislation. Stating that they had heard concerns over the bill?s ?unintended consequences,? the ESA issued a public statement that shied away from SOPA and focused instead on getting a better way to fight piracy on the books.
The battle for internet freedom is far from won, but forcing the ESA to back down is a big step forward for gamers everywhere.
How do you feel about the SOPA legislation?