What rights should gamers have?

Hello Mothership,

I’ve just read your response article on the difficulties of finishing games and the guilt that goes with it.

I couldn’t help but think of the ‘Reader’s Rights’ drafted in 1922 by the French author Daniel Pennac, and realise that they would apply just as well to gamers.

Here are the rights mentioned in a chapter of one of his books: 

1 – the right not to read;
2 – the right to skip pages;
3 – the right not to finish a book;
4 – the right to reread it;
5 – the right to read anything;
6 – the right to ‘Bovaryism’ [An attitude whereby the reader becomes a little too lost in the world of fiction, hoping to find the same sensations in real life, which leads to a state of dissatisfaction. This refers to Madame Bovary, Flaubert’s character who was disappointed by her marriage to a man so lacking in ‘romance’.], a textually transmissible condition;
7 – the right to read anything;
8 – the right to skim;
9 – the right to read aloud;
10 – the right to remain silent [This final right refers to the option of not talking about the books one has read.]

And what do you think the rights of gamers should be?

— Aughra

Aughra,

Thank you for this wonderfully difficult question! Daniel Pennac's list is quite relatable to all of us, but we agree it needs a more gaming-specific version. Much like the letter-writer who asked us for our feminist games canon, we knew we'd need some help compiling a project of this magnitude.

So we asked Mothership's contributors to participate in a constitutional convention of sorts (just a little bit different from the United States' constitutional convention). Below, our contributors have delineated each of their own ideas as to what should go on a gaming bill of rights.

Amanda Tien

The right not to play a game

Just because "everyone" loves a game or it wins a bunch of awards or someone tells you that you "have" to play it does not mean you do in fact have to play it. You are no less of a "real gamer" just because you have not played a certain game. There are thousands of games that have been released over decades on a variety of platforms, which come with many costs, language, access, cultural, ability, and technological needs; you cannot play them all, and that is okay. You are allowed to choose what games not to play, just as much as you are allowed to choose which games to play.

The right not to finish a game

If and when a game is no longer a good/fun/valuable experience for you, it is okay to just stop. You have the right to watch a video playthrough of the ending or read a guide recap of the ending or do none of that. You have literally played the game regardless of whether or not you've hit credits on your own.