Minecraft servers are apparently "illegal," according to the Vice President of America's biggest gaming association

Key Points:

• Jennifer Gibbons, VP of State Government Affairs at the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), labeled Minecraft community servers as "illegal" and "piracy" during a California State Senate hearing on Assembly Bill 1921, despite these servers being officially supported by Microsoft and Mojang.
• Assembly Bill 1921, known as the Protect Our Games Act, aims to require game developers to provide advance notice before shutting down servers, ensure offline playability, or offer refunds to consumers; it passed the California Assembly but was blocked in the State Senate.
• Gibbons opposed the bill, arguing that it unfairly targets video games compared to other digital products and that refund requirements ignore the prior enjoyment consumers received.
• The gaming community and industry observers criticized Gibbons' statements, highlighting that Microsoft and Mojang actively promote and provide tools for community-run Minecraft servers, contradicting ESA's claims.
• Although AB 1921 failed in the Senate, the Stop Killing Games initiative plans to reintroduce the legislation with amendments in the future.