A Political Win for Gamers: Illinois Law Lets Player Cancel FFXI

The gaming world is largely based upon evolutionary movement, due in part to its ability to reinvent itself and adapt to the changing political, cultural, and economical climate at hand.  But with this broad and expansive ability to adapt, how is everyone else keeping up?

This situation is an apparent theme within the political strata, which is renowned for its inability to stay on top of technological issues like online file sharing, tracking and privacy content, and now—consumer billing for MMOs.

But surprisingly, the Illinois General Assembly has recently taken a stab at the issue.  They have passed a bill that requires MMO providers to grant easier access to online payments, which means an easier cancellation process as well.  This all came about when Illinois resident Alex Edwards wanted to stop playing the MMORPG Final Fantasy XI.

Alex’s father, Frank Edwards—who just so happens to be an alderman in Springfield, Illinois—tried to cancel his son’s online account on the game’s website. He found that this option wasn’t available and surprisingly enough, neither was a phone number.  After several tedious hours spent trying to cancel the subscription, Edwards was prompted to seek the help of friend Rep. Raymond Poe, who worked with him in creating a law to protect online gamers: HB4178 of the 95th General Assembly.

As sponsored by local State Rep. Raymond Poe, the law stipulates a video gamer’s right to “a secure method at the Internet gaming service provider’s web site that the consumer may use to cancel the service…”.  Although this law is only applicable in the state of Illinois, it represents an overall shift in the gaming community.

Personally, this legislative act comes as a relief, not just because I’m an Illinois native, but because it represents greater strides of our elected officials acting accordingly on our behalf (even if they’re often not gamers themselves).  This issue offers encouraging implications for gamers young and old: law HB4178 is a step in the right direction towards preventing consumer manipulation at the hands of the gaming industry—which, in the end, means a greater voice for all people.