Audiences Have Rights Too!

18 ways content creation laws need improvement for quality-of-life reasons

1. Copyright laws should be looser.
2. Companies should never be allowed to cancel anticipated works.
3. Objectionable media should be salvaged via editing, rather than banned or discontinued.
4. Character deaths and write-offs should be regulated.
5. Sequels are not a substitute for fixing one’s mistakes. Justice means making it right this time, not just “next time”.
6. Trolling (bullying) on the part of creators should be forcibly edited.
7. Inconsistencies, plotholes, and continuity errors should be edited out wherever possible.
8. Important plot points should never be dropped.
9. Depictions of unpunished cheating (in competitions) should be edited.
10. No work of fiction should end in victory for discrimination.
11. Rushed video games should be recalled and patched.
12. Unpopular features in video games should be edited out.
13. Video games shouldn’t be allowed to have permanently missable content.
14. Video games should be patched to fix accessibility and fairness issues.
15. Video games should be patched to improve user interface and user experience.
16. Video games’ replay value and continued-play value should be expanded.
17. Video games with microtransactions (e.g. Pokémon GO) should add more purchasable items for quality-of-life reasons.
18. Video games should be patched to remove tedious or annoying delays.

Artistic freedom should be a privilege rather than an unchecked right. While artistic expression and free speech are important, there are situations where restrictions are called for. Ideally, creators would have the responsibility to consider their audience’s interests rather than disregarding them.

The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works (the world’s foremost copyright treaty) was drafted in 1886, and is understandably in need of an update. It did not foresee advances in technology, such as the inventions of film, television, and computers. To say nothing of advances in human rights, or the culture that has grown up around these societal changes.

Today, the Berne Convention is upheld by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), which frequently updates copyright frameworks.

Note that this argument only covers fiction. While the first ten of these ideas cover fiction in general, the last eight pertain specifically to video games. Visual arts (painting, sculpture, illustration) should remain mostly unregulated, as should music.

Caution would be needed in order to prevent censorship from stifling creativity. A fair and responsible system, one which respects both artistic freedom and audience interests, is vital for a flourishing creative environment. Edits should only be made for quality-of-life reasons, and should not disrupt the themes or storylines of works. In the case of video games, it is also important to respect their challenge integrity.

Some of these reforms need more examples. I cannot know every work of fiction in existence. Therefore, I openly welcome contributions.