Private Server Gaming
by ted2112, HSM team writer
Private sever MMO games are nothing new to some people, but for most they are still somewhat of a mystery — although that seems be changing. For me, it started almost ten years ago when a coworker of mine ran a private first-person-shooter server right out of his house. I didn’t quite understand at the time what a big deal this was, as I didn’t catch the MMO bus until five years later. I can tell you my friend was way ahead of his time and still runs the game privately to a small yet loyal group of friends.
Private server gaming recently has surged in popularity; from what was a loose underground network that ran well under the radar of mainstream gaming, it has now become a stronger presence where lots of people are making money. Not only current games, but games that have long been abandoned by their owners have been resurrected by loyal fans turned pirate hosts who, for a fee, allow you to relive your MMO memories. You can find older games like World of Warcraft, BankaiStory, Diablo 2 and VMK exist side by side with modern games like Minecraft, RuneScape and Rotaku on the elusive private servers.
Some games like VMK are used years after their developers have abandoned them, or used with permission, but most like World of Warcraft are simply stolen and run in spite of its IP owners and end-user license agreements. In the case of the former, Disney doesn’t seem to care if the game has been open sourced and used due to the small numbers involved. In the latter, however, Blizzard Entertainment actively looks for illegal W.O.W. servers and uses all legal channels to shut them down. Unfortunately for many of these developers every time they shut down a private server game, several more seem to pop up.
The gaming industry seems to be losing the small yet relentless war against private server games for many reasons.
Using the source code of a game has become relatively easy and if you’re not that adventurous there are over one-hundred public domain games that anyone can use. So the source is no longer the question. Instead it becomes a question of whether you want to spend your own personal time and money on a project, even if it falls under iffy legal grounds. For a new generation of gamers who might not understand the very real implications involved, the answer to this question has been a resounding yes. This has been especially true when it comes to fans of games that are closed and are taking matters into their own hands when the game owners walk away due to financial reasons or if the company goes under.
The gaming world has also becoming more educated. Game design schools like Full Sail and ITT Tech are pumping out gaming 
experts that not only know build games from scratch, but can take an existing game code and run it for themselves. A quick Google search will lead you to dozens of shady “how to” sites with step by step instructions on how to build your own private game. This wasn’t a moment’s consideration years ago when there was a thick, clear line between developer and consumer — but in today’s tech savvy and independent spirit gaming world this line is considerably more blurry.
The main reason I feel that the private server game has swelled in popularity is simply that technology has become cheap and accessible. Want to start your own private game? Easy, go to one of several cheap server companies like XenonServers or SoftLayer and let them host all the technical serving process for you, including a forum for you fan base. It’s affordable and all a click of a mouse away.
Now the really big question here is the ethics. Is this legal? In most cases, the answer is a strong and overwhelming no. Most private server games are done without the permission of the IP owners of the software, but the reality is most developers simply don’t have the manpower and resources to track down and prosecute these games, so many are willing to take the chance — especially when it is so easy to digitally cover your tracks. Now, to be fair, in some cases it is perfectly legal to run a private version of some games when the parent company no longer exists, but these games are the exception to the rule and the overwhelming majority are servers that exist outside legal boundaries.
Before we judge these private servers too harshly, allow me ask you a theoretical question. Would you join a private server of Home if Sony closed it? If it meant having your friends and access to personal spaces and community, would you?
This leads to the bigger question of who truly owns an MMO: the companies that fund the development and hold legal rights or the players who are simply the game itself. Not an easy question to answer, and I bet the response will vary depending on who you ask.
Should gamers just accept a company’s decision and walk quietly into the good night if a game is closing, or is it understandable that for some this is not an option, and a community deserves a second lease on life? I don’t have a definitive answer for you, but I can say that I see both sides of the issue.
I feel that in the case of current games being run on private servers this is very much hurting the gaming industry and is totally counterproductive to health of gaming in general. I find it hard to believe that anyone would balk at paying a meager fifteen dollars a month and turn around and spend much, much more time and money creating one. So, it seems to me that for some, the hacking of the game is the game itself and is nothing short of blatant stealing for the sake of ego. But, in the case of the private server continuing the lifespan of beloved games and its respective communities that its owners have walked away from…that I totally get.
In the end, the IP owners have the final say legally, whether they are willing or even able to enforce it. Yet for some gamers this 
argument is invalid and the movement of the private server game I feel will continue to expand, right or wrong, well beyond its current borders. This is just my humble opinion and like I have said many times here, just because my opinions get published doesn’t make them right. Where do you find yourself on the idea of private server games? Would you in no way ever consider it, or is there a game that could tempt you into joining one?
October 25th, 2013 by ted2112 | 4 comments
ted2112 is a writer and a Bass player that has been both inspired and takes to heart Kurt Vonnegut words...."we are here on planet Earth to fart around, and don't let anyone tell you different."
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It’s a grey area dependant on case by case, as you said, current games that are still running should be left alone but abandoned games? Hells yeah!
Playground analogy: big boy has ball. Everyone likes playing with the ball. Everyone has fun playing with ball all day. Big boy has to go home for dinner. Everyone loses ball to play with. Small boy also has a ball, and shares it so everyone can start having fun again.
Fair?
I’d say so, and very nice of small boy! I see nothing wrong with this at all. Home is a good example of how this might affect some who read this publication, and I’m willing to bet over half of HSM’s reader base would agree and use a private server.
Yet again Ted, some tasty brain gum to chew on!
I think that a huge percentage of Home users would migrate to a private server if Sony stopped it and they would bring their money with them.
You bring up a very good point about who owns an mmo. From where I’m looking I’ve got to agree with you about company s that close a game need to accept what happens and if they have a problem with that then don’t close it.
I wouldnt join a private server home if home closed there are plenty of places to meet outside of home. As for the money I’ve spent on home I’ve spent much more on the ps2 and all the games I bought fir that. If anything PlayStation plus and home has stopped me from purchasing more games as instead of buying a mediocre game on disc I’ve just played games on home instead. I always think of the damage some of these private servers do as well. With some it changes your avatars stats irreversibly so all the work you have done is ruined. The private servers of home have already been out there and they added loads of rewards that are region locked to other region accounts. I don’t need any more storage fillers it takes long enough to log in home now lol. Once an MMO is dead and run its course let it die if a main stream developer can make mistakes that damage accounts an amateur can only be worse
a few years ago my favorite MMO closed . The owners gave us a 6 week warning and shocked all the players. The players all banded together and sent letters, emails, formed protest websites etc, but the company shut the game and did not listen. it devasted many people and in turn they found other games to meet up on. now, someone has turned this game into a private server game and slowly but surely all the players are making it back on to a world that we all missed. so yea, if i loved a game and had a chance to use it on a private server I sure would. I dont know how long it will last or if the company will try to shut it down, but I will enjoy it while I can. great article!