21
May
2026
Watch
European Citizens’ Initiative ‘Stop destroying videogames’ (debate)
Madam President, (The speaker hummed the Super Mario Bros 'Ground Theme' tune) As a young boy 30 years ago, the most important decision for me was Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle. I loved playing Pokemon and wanted to be the very best. 30 years later, if I go to my mum's attic, pull out my old Game Boy and put in some new batteries, boom! Professor Oak is telling me to pick my starter: Charmander all the way. But today, too many video games will not work 30 years later. They might not even work 30 days later, despite games being sold with no expiry date. The moment the game makers decide to shut down support, these games become unplayable. Game over. No Charmeleon. It is bad for all lovers of games, as the 1.2 million people signing this petition to stop destroying video games shows. Our laws and game industry should learn something from Charizard and evolve. Stop remote disabling and keep games playable so that gamers who want to be the very best can actually catch them all.