As responsible consumers, one would think knowing the rights we automatically agree to when purchasing and using a product would be at the top of our priorities list. Sad to say, if we aren’t looking to make someone else’s life miserable or get money out of it later, the thought rarely crosses our mind.

Hence, most of us have been able to experience the mainstream appeal of video games in public places; in a classroom after school or during a long Sunday at church, video game tournaments are increasingly popular across the world. But with the question of these practices violating the EULA you agree with automatically when purchasing the game, are the good times coming to an end?

In a Q&A with School Library Journal, a question is posed:

"Lots of school and public libraries are hosting gaming tournaments, featuring popular video games like Guitar Hero and Madden Football. Since these games are intended for home use, isn’t that similar to purchasing a movie and showing it to a large audience?"

The answer may shock you…

"The video-game licenses that I’ve seen are strictly for “personal, noncommercial” uses—not public ones. So when libraries host gaming programs, they’re violating these agreements. Yet, lots of libraries are doing just that—and they’re getting away with it. And some are even charging an admission fee to attend these events. What gives?

My guess is that video-game distributors never anticipated their games would be used publicly. So when their lawyers drafted the licenses, they simply used language commonly found in software contracts…

 Librarians can: (1) continue to offer video-game competitions and let the chips fall where they may; (2) contact the rights holders and ask if their licenses can be modified to accommodate your programs; or (3) email the rights holders and tell them you’re opting out of the portion of the contract that allows only home use—and unless they tell you not to, you’re planning to offer gaming tournaments."