www/philosophy nonfree-games.html

[Richard M. Stallman]

CVSROOT:        /web/www
Module name:    www
Changes by:     Richard M. Stallman <rms>       12/09/20 12:53:09

Modified files:
        philosophy     : nonfree-games.html 

Log message:
        Explain at length why nonfree games are bad and why they are
        not better than nothing.

CVSWeb URLs:
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/philosophy/nonfree-games.html?cvsroot=www&r1=1.6&r2=1.7

Patches:
Index: nonfree-games.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /web/www/www/philosophy/nonfree-games.html,v
retrieving revision 1.6
retrieving revision 1.7
diff -u -b -r1.6 -r1.7
--- nonfree-games.html  28 Jul 2012 00:58:40 -0000      1.6
+++ nonfree-games.html  20 Sep 2012 12:51:26 -0000      1.7
@@ -19,10 +19,19 @@
 the users.  Thus, the question is how this development affects users'
 freedom.</p>
 
+<p>The problem with these games
+is not that <a href="/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html"> they are
+commercial</a>.  (We see nothing wrong with that.)  It
+is not that <a href="/philosophy/selling.html"> the developers
+sell copies</a>; that's not wrong either.  The problem is that the
+games contain software that is
+<a href="/philosophy/free-sw.html">not free</a>
+(free in the sense of freedom, of course).
+
 <p>Nonfree game programs (like other nonfree programs) are unethical
-because they deny freedom to their users.  (Game art is a
-different issue, because it isn't software.)  If you want freedom, one
-requisite for it is not having nonfree programs on your computer.
+because they deny freedom to their users.  (Game art is a different
+issue, because it isn't software.)  If you want freedom, one requisite
+for it is not having or running nonfree programs on your computer.
 That much is clear.</p>
 
 <p>However, if you're going to use these games, you're better off using
@@ -43,12 +52,28 @@
 distros</a> already works against the goal of freedom.  Adding these
 games to a distro would augment that effect.</p>
 
-<p>If you want to promote freedom, please take care not to talk about
-the availability of these games on GNU/Linux as support for our cause.
-Instead you could tell people about
-the <a href="http://lpc.opengameart.org/";> Liberated Pixel Cup</a>
-free game contest, <a href="http://forum.freegamedev.net/index.php";>
-the Free Game Dev Forum</a>, and the LibrePlanet Gaming
+<p>Free software is a matter of freedom, not price.  A free game need
+not be gratis.  It is feasible to develop free games commercially,
+while respecting the your freedom to change the software you use.
+Since the art in the game is not software, it does not need to be
+free.  There is in fact free game software developed by companies, as
+well as free games developed noncommercially by volunteers.
+Crowdfunding development will only get easier.</p>
+
+<p>But if we suppose that it is <em>impossible</em> to develop some
+kind of free game &mdash; what would follow then?  There's no good in
+writing it as a nonfree game.  To have freedom in your computing,
+rejecting nonfree software is necessary, pure and simple.  Therefore,
+you as a freedom-lover won't use the nonfree game if it exists, so
+you won't lose anything if it does not exist.</p>
+
+<p>If you want to promote the cause of freedom in computing, please
+take care not to talk about the availability of these games on
+GNU/Linux as support for our cause.  Instead you could tell people
+about the <a href="http://lpc.opengameart.org/";> Liberated Pixel
+Cup</a> free game
+contest, <a href="http://forum.freegamedev.net/index.php";> the Free
+Game Dev Forum</a>, and the LibrePlanet Gaming
 Collective's <a 
href="http://libreplanet.org/wiki/Group:LibrePlanet_Gaming_Collective";>
 free gaming night.</a> </p>
 
@@ -106,7 +131,7 @@
 
 <p>Updated:
 <!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2012/07/28 00:58:40 $
+$Date: 2012/09/20 12:51:26 $
 <!-- timestamp end -->
 </p>
 </div>