I've been playing video games all my life, same as many people my age who are alive nowadays. However, today, a Predatory practice is sweeping the industry and artform. Everyone has run into this situation, and everyone who currently plays mainstream releases is affected.

FOMO. The "Fear of Missing Out."

It is everywhere. Fortnite, Mortal Kombat 1, Call of Duty, and other franchises use battle passes, rotating shops, and premium currencies to lock away content from their playerbases. Some cosmetic items rarely turn up, and some never do again. DLC is always available, and in the past, you could unlock everything without an additional cent spent! This is, as can be guessed, done intentionally. The promise of gaining items that may never return is made to entice players to always come back, and in particular, always spend more and more and more. They need to unlock everything, so charge something for it, it only makes sense! In addition, these contribute to Lost Media. Rather than preserving all that makes gaming so great, years of work are tossed into the vault, never to be played with again, solely because players "joined too late" or "forgot to buy it."

As a fan of these franchises, and others affected by the live-service model and it's numerous affronts to consumers, I felt it was finally necessary to put my foot down. Some good is being done, like Call of Duty releasing it's new DLC as free updates, and Mortal Kombat 1 having a few (limited) ways to acquire premium currency, as well as skins being gifted. But more good can, and should, be accomplished. From here on out, I will continue to use these three franchises as examples. There are more studios and franchises that do this sort of thing (Dead by Daylight has exclusive content in it's "Rift" Battle Passes and uses Auric Cells to purchase Survivors, Killers, and Cosmetics, as just one example.) But focusing on just three to start with keeps things concise.

With this petition, I hope that, with enough support, we can show these companies that the power lies in the players, not their wallets. I mainly wish to accomplish the following things:

1. Battle Pass and Premium Store content should always be available, even after their "Season" ends. This excludes crossover content by necessity of rights issues, but would include other limited-time characters, cosmetics, and content. Previously, when a Battle Pass disappeared, that content would go with it, forever. This should not happen; players joining late should always have a chance at new content.
2. There should always be a way to acquire, for free, the game's Premium Currency. Currently, you must either spend more real money or make do with less content. This should not be the default. In order of examples; V-Bucks, Dragon Krystals, and COD Points should be available to players for free at a rate acceptable towards purchasing new cosmetics and content, whether through trading non-premium currency (Koins in Mortal Kombat 1) or through completing daily or weekly challenges (Fortnite and Call of Duty)
3. When a game is no longer receiving official support, at least in large capacity (such as the predecessors of the examples, I.E Mortal Kombat 11, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019), Modern Warfare II (2022), Black Ops Cold War, and Vanguard), all content previously locked behind FOMO should be unlocked automatically for players as a way to reward them for continued support. This includes now-inaccessible pre-order bonuses, pack bundle bonuses, and skins/cosmetics locked behind multiplayer seasons (See: Mortal Kombat 11's Kombat League Mode)
4. Finally, Battle Pass and Premium Store prices should be reduced. Less Premium Currency should be required to opt into the premium services offered by the game.

Note, none of these say the option to pay with real money should not be allowed. This is not an argument against all DLC. This is about ensuring that Post-Game Support and Content is provided to players ethically.

The Games Industry is falling apart. Games-as-a-Service is currently pushing players away, games and their post-game support are growing more and more expensive just as the cost of living goes up, and studios are collapsing for no better reason than their CEO wanting extra pocket change. Now is the time that we want our art form back in our hands. Video Games mean more to people than buzzwords about infinite growth. These stories mean something to us, inspire us, even grow with us. So long as FOMO exists and games continue to force us to pay real money to see everything on offer, it becomes less about heart and art, and more about marketability.

So stand with me. We need to save our art.