14 DAY TRIAL // More and more videogames rely heavily on the Internet to deliver an experience to the player. Ubisoft is building its next-gen Digital Rights Management system around always connected titles and soon the company could actually deliver content as gamers play. Microsoft is expanding the line up of Games on Demand titles for the Xbox 360 home console just as Sony is saying that the PlayStation Network might become a hub for videogame distribution.
This as Steam and other digital distribution services are leading a revival of PC gaming. And, soon, gamers themselves might have to pay extra to their Internet Service Provider in order for it to actually prioritize gaming-related traffic.
This somewhat concerning future is a possibility thanks to a recent ruling in the United States. The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has said that Comcast, one of the biggest cable and Internet providers in the country, is within its rights to limit and even block services, which use a lot of bandwidth. The Federal Communications Commission brought the case when Comcast blocked traffic generated by BitTorrent. Analysts see the ruling as a strike against “net neutrality,” the concept that all traffic is created equal and that all ISPs should handle it in the same way.
Jen Howard, a spokesperson from the FCC, stated that “Today's court decision invalidated the prior Commission’s approach to preserving an open Internet. But the Court in no way disagreed with the importance of preserving a free and open Internet; nor did it close the door to other methods for achieving this important end.” The FCC is expected to lodge an appeal.
Still, with midterm elections coming up later in the year, it would make sense for politically active gamers to pressure their favorite candidates to take a public position in favor of “net neutrality.” The ESA also has a political action network it can use to provide some pressure.