Elaine Uskoski’s What Happens to Video Gaming Accounts When A Gamer Passes Away?
Guest blog written by Elaine Uskoski
Several years ago, Elaine Uskoski faced one of the biggest crisis of her life when she learned her youngest son Jake was addicted to video gaming. She put everything on hold to deal with the magnitude and seriousness of his obsession. At the time, there was little known about this type of addiction and Elaine found herself focusing all her energy on research, learning everything she could so she could help her son. She married this insight with her 20 years’ experience in social service work and health and wellness.
With knowledge, patience and perseverance Elaine was able to successfully help Jake regain his physical and emotional health.
She chronicled her experiences in her book “Seeing Through the Cracks” and now shares her powerful message of hope and awareness through her work as a coach for parents/families and as a speaker. Elaine’s second book, “Cyber Sober; A Caregiver’s Guide to Video Gaming Addiction” has now also been published. She is a Canada Clinical Partnership Specialist for Intenta Clinical Training for Gaming Disorder. Elaine has been featured by many media outlets including CTV W5, CBC’s The National, CHCH TV, Global News, National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal, and CBC Radio.
Click to purchase her second book, “Cyber Sober; A Caregiver’s Guide to Video Gaming Addiction.”
The inevitable loss of life is a subject that most people are uncomfortable thinking or
talking about, but it is a necessary conversation to have with yourself and with others.
In the world of video gaming, players may have several profiles and accounts that contain
small or large libraries of gaming content they have purchased. For some gamers, these
accounts can hold up to thousands of dollars worth of merchandise.
Valve Steam, Nintendo, and Sony Playstation are just some of the online accounts a gamer
can create to purchase and play video games. Here, a gamer can buy, sell, and store video
games, as well as interact with the gaming community. Anything purchased, is stored in a
cloud-based library. The site itself is free to download and use, but many of the games come
with a cost. Within a player’s account there will be a “wallet” or an “eShop” where they are
able to deposit funds for future purchases.
Who owns the rights to this property and these funds? And can these gaming libraries and
unused funds be left in a Will to a family member or friend?
At this time, the answer seems to be No.
As a result of the terms in their subscriber agreement, there’s no infrastructure on these sites
to back up a request to pass on an account to someone else. Those who purchase online
games in their accounts do not actually own the content, they just have a licence to play the
games.
Technically, you can’t pass on what you don’t own, including, at the time of death, the
unused funds in the account.
That’s not to say that a gamer shouldn’t make arrangements to leave behind their accounts.
The decision to follow the agreement in one’s Will is still up to the discretion of the business
that hosts these sites. These companies may make an exception, however at this time it is
unlikely.
But, the rules may change in the future. So, it’s still wise to be prepared.
For every gamer, young and old, it’s important to create a running list of every gaming profile
and account for storing funds, including PayPal. Included in this list should be usernames
and passwords. This list can be shared with a loved one or be included in a Living Will.
For some gamers, there may be a hesitancy to share their personal profile access with
parents, especially those I work with, who have become addicted to playing video games
and do not want their access denied or removed. In this case, it may be preferable for
players to pass along this information to a close friend they trust.
To safely provide usernames and passwords for accounts, a gamer can create an online
shared password system. In the event that gamer profiles cannot be passed on to someone,
then a family member or friend is able to at least access these accounts and close them
down following a gamer’s passing. In shutting down the account, despite the loss of revenue
within it, it will remove their personal online information, to avoid hackers and possible
identity theft.
To provide safe and easy password access, a gamer can create a Password Manager
Emergency Kit using the following site https://support.1password.com/emergency-kit/
Gaming profile holders can also set up a period of time in Google Inactive Account
Manager that automatically turns over control of their account to a designated person after a
set period of inactivity.
Both children and adults are vulnerable to losing these valued libraries of games and the
funds deposited in their online gaming libraries, in the case of an unexpected loss. So, it’s
important to overcome the discomfort and have a conversation about their player profiles
and account assets now.
This blog is not intended to be legal advice and should not be relied on as such. If you require legal advice, please contact a legal professional concerning your particular circumstances