Deplorable Decline in Gaming | This Week in Business

This weekly column provides a rundown of recent events in the gaming industry, including the UK government's response to a petition from Stop Killing Games, a campaign advocating for game preservation and consumer rights. The petition, which has garnered over 23,000 signatures, aims to prevent publishers from shutting down games and rendering them unplayable. The UK government's response, however, has been underwhelming, with the government stating that current laws are sufficient to protect consumers. The column also draws parallels between the gaming industry's push for online functionality and the rise of 'Cooler Screens' in grocery stores, which replace traditional glass doors with TV monitors showing ads. Both trends, the author argues, prioritize corporate interests over consumer needs and exemplify a lack of 'graceful degradation' in design.