This past Wednesday, GameDwellers took place in an historic protest. A protest for the ages. The largest internet protest in the history of the internet. Along with internet giants such as Wikipedia, Reddit, Destructoid, Google, Minecraft, and hundreds of others, GameDwellers was "blacked out" for 24 hours to express our concern over the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA.)

The good news is, we have won....for now, at least. The United States Congress (SOPA) and the United States Senate (PIPA) have both recently openly stated that both bills are currently being reworked to address the public's concerns.

So now that we have at least postponed the fall of our free speech on the internet, let's get back to gaming, shall we? We haven't had a major video game release in a while, so most of our staff are playing some old favorites as well as some of the highlights from 2011. Head past the break to see what we're playing this weekend.

SOPA has been shelved in the House. House Oversight Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa has stated:

"While I remain concerned about Senate action on the Protect IP Act (PIPA), I am confident that flawed legislation will not be taken up by this House. Majority Leader Cantor has assured me that we will continue to work to address outstanding concerns and work to build consensus prior to any anti-piracy legislation coming before the House for a vote."

Perhaps the internet is safe. I believe piracy should be the main focus, but I also believe that some sites shouldn't be touched, such as YouTube, Tumblr, Facebook, Reddit etc. I only hope our wonderful Congress can do the right thing and focus on ACTUAL sites that promote piracy like The Pirate Bay among others. We'll keep you informed as we hear more news about SOPA.

The White House has issued an official statement regarding their stance on the SOPA kerfuffle, and it seems they may be on our side.

"Right now, Congress is debating a few pieces of legislation concerning the very real issue of online piracy, including the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), the PROTECT IP Act and the Online Protection and Digital ENforcement Act (OPEN). We want to take this opportunity to tell you what the administration will support - and what we will not support. Any effective legislation should reflect a wide range of stakeholders, including everyone from content creators to the engineers that build and maintain the infrastructure of the Internet.

"While we believe that online piracy by foreign websites is a serious problem that requires a serious legislative response, we will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet."

I feel this is a strong step in regards to everyone being against SOPA, and showing the Government isn't going to completely destroy all we know and love when it comes to watching horrible singers cover songs on YouTube. 

However, we aren't out of the woods yet. Congress still has to vote on the legislation, and only then will we see their true colors. For now, let's grab some popcorn and watch this wonderful video that may or may not become illegal due to SOPA.

It's been an epic situation regarding SOPA, and developer of the popular franchise, Gears of War, has now spoken out against it. 

"We do not support the current version of SOPA" Dana Cowley, Senior PR manager at Epic Games wrote in a letter posted to the company's forums. "We are members of the Entertainment Software Association(ESA), a trade organization that is working with legislators to refine the bill." Cowley is referring to the ESA's letter of support for the proposed legislation earlier this week. 

"Epic Games supports efforts that would stop overseas websites profiting from pirating our games, but we have to do that in a way that's compatible with freedom of speech and due process of law," she added.

Epic is the first member of ESA to speak out against SOPA, but it definitely won't be the last. 

In a letter to Joystiq, the ESA has listed various reasons for backing SOPA and wishes to work with the White House in fixing the bill to better help everyone, and "find the right balance" of support and protection.

Things are definitely heating up and causing stirs in the video game world now. What are your thoughts on Epic's epic decision?