The loss of Net Neutrality will not only affect how you play multiplayer games but single player games as well. It will also affect the production and quality of games in the future.
For those who have somehow avoided the developments of net neutrality, the Federal Communications Commission is planning to vote to implement changes to Barack Obama’s Net Neutrality bill next month. This would give internet providers the ability to charge users however they see fit, opening the door to extortionate charges for what many people deem to be “normal” usage. The trend will most certainly spread across the globe like rapid fire.
Loss of Net Neutrality would mean that you’d have to pay your Internet Service Provider (ISP) for a premium multiplayer gaming package. This is in addition to the online multiplayer membership that you are already paying for the consoles.
This makes up for multiplayer games, but how is it going to affect the singleplayer experience?
According to Statista, in 2009, 20% of game sales were digital and 80% were physical. In 2016, a whopping 74% of game sales were digital and 26% were physical. These digital games in all their 4k glory and vast maps cost a hefty 60-70gb. They have to be downloaded which costs bandwidth, again something that you could be charged extra.
This could adversely affect the gaming industry. Firstly, the consumers will resort to purchasing physical copies of the game rather than purchasing it online. It would cause delays for the players to get their hands on the latest titles. It could also be the end of online distributors such as Steam. This would also mean that consumers will have to pay a higher cost for the same games.
On the other hand, the developers will try to shrink the game in order to keep up the online sales. Shrinking the game would directly mean cutting the experience and story, reducing the graphics to bare necessities and other major breakdowns.
In conclusion, the loss of Net Neutrality would set back the gaming the industry a decade.
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