My Letter to the Entertainment Software Association

The Entertainment Software Assocation - the biggest mouthpiece for the video game industry in all issues of public relations - recently came out in support of the Stop Online Piracy Act. Here is their official statement: http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/03/esa-stands-behind-proposed-sopa-legislation-issues-statement/

I really don’t like to be preachy, but if you’re a gamer, you should really consider writing to the ESA and letting them know how reprehensible their position is. Destructoid’s Jim Sterling wrote up an excellent open letter that anybody can use, but I decided to write my own. Here is the letter that I wrote to the ESA:

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Dear Entertainment Software Association,
 
I recently read your statement regarding your support for the Stop Online Piracy Act (House Resolution 3261), and as a gamer with a large amount of respect for our civil liberties, I find your stance on this issue to be extremely distressing. I believe that SOPA represents a genuine attack on our ability to receive bias-free information from a multitude of sources.
 
Namely, SOPA would grant copyright holders with the ability to greatly damage foreign-run websites by cutting off their funding and advertising services. Furthermore, SOPA would force Internet service providers to alter their DNS servers in order to prevent the resolution of foreign domains under the assumption that those domains are engaging in copyright infringement. The most concerning part of SOPA is that both of these powers would be granted without any due process whatsoever.’
 
As a software developer, I am very sympathetic towards the need to protect copyrights. However, I do not believe that SOPA is an acceptable response to the issue of copyright infringement. SOPA would grant copyright holders with the ability to control the free flow of information and kill sources of news that they do not agree with, and all of this would happen without a shred of due process. The erosion of our civil liberties is not an acceptable price to pay for the protection of our copyrights.
 
Last year, the ESA took what I consider to be a very courageous and noble stance when you defended gaming as an art form to be protected under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. However, the fact that the ESA would support freedom of speech on one particular issue while completely disregarding it on another issue represents a very troubling case of insincerity. Your organization is an ambassador for my favourite pastime (and an inseparable part of my personal identity), and I truly hope that you reconsider your position on this extremely important issue.
 
Thanks,
Fraaz Kamal

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If you want to write to the ESA (and I strongly urge you to do so, regardless of how much or how little it may accomplish), you can reach them at: esa@theesa.com .