The Fair Play campaign is designed to force the video games industry to reduce software prices through a series of aggressive measures, online petitions, media stunts, and more importantly, urging gamers not to buy anything from Dec 1st - 8th.

Fair Play spokesman John Abbott was asked to comment on the fact that the group did not even try to discuss the situation with the industry, "We didn't speak to any representative bodies; we didn't really see the point. They've been resisting all overtures to reduce prices by sheer reason and persuasion for many years now.

"It seemed time to get a bit more serious about it and simply bypass them in favour of the people who could make a difference - the games-buying public.

"Gentle logical persuasion has fallen on deaf ears for many years. We decided something a little more drastic was required to get the industry's attention. If we mobilise public support sufficiently, the industry will have to comply - whether it agrees with the arguments or not - out of financial necessity."

The group has already come under fire for it's aggressive tactics, and responded with this statement, "If 'Don't Buy A Videogame Week' doesn't result in lower prices, further boycotts will happen. We're in this to achieve something. After all, the industry has more to lose than the consumer does."

Sony and Microsoft have been unwilling to comment on the matter, but Nintendo was quick to fire back.

"A great game provides hours of excellent, interactive entertainment and can be played over and over again, providing unique experiences every time," said communications director Shelly Friend.

"You can't judge the value of a game by price alone - the quality of the game is key."

It's not only publishers the group have angered, independant retailers fear it could put them out of business.

"I was fairly vocal in getting Xbox games down to �40 and GBA games down to �30," said Chris Ratcliff of indie retail bible The Game Guide. "But a public campaign is very damaging. If all games were �10 the indie retail sector would go out of business."

Nick Parker, a former Sony and Nintendo analyst, had a few words to say too.

"The Fair Play campaign is making spurious comparisons with movies and music. It claims the Christmas period is 80 per cent of the annual market but December accounted for 25 per cent of last year.

"Although there should be an argument for cheaper software, this campaign is ill-informed and should be rejected for lacking sufficient cogent reasoning."

A good closing statement. I doubt anyone would complain if the software was cheaper, but is this really the way to go about it?

Source: MCV