Numerous gaming subreddits have united to participate in the upcoming Reddit Blackout, a demonstration against the recent changes announced by the popular social media platform.
Scheduled to take place from 12 to 14 June, Yahoo! reports that subreddits such as Dota 2, VALORANT, competitive Overwatch, Magic the Gathering, Minecraft, PUBG, Destiny 2, D&D, Pokémon, and several others will shut down or go private until Reddit addresses the concerns raised by the community.
Protest Against Reddit's Recent API Rules
At the core of the controversy lies Reddit's decision to implement significant price increases for its Application Programming Interface (API) starting from 1 July.
The API, freely accessible since Reddit's inception, enables third-party developers to create various tools, including automated modding tools, unofficial mobile apps, overlay extensions, and accessibility aids.
However, the steep pricing changes have left developers of popular third-party mobile apps, such as Apollo, grappling with unaffordable costs. Apollo, for instance, revealed that the annual expenses for API access could skyrocket to a staggering $20 million, rendering it impossible for smaller app developers to sustain their operations.
"The hurdles placed on third-party apps by Reddit just aren't a feasible obstacle to overcome," expressed the developer of ReddPlanet on their subreddit.
"With the removal of explicit content, the unreasonable pricing structure, short time period, lack of responsiveness, and unwillingness to come to a middle ground, Reddit has shown that their intent is to extinguish all 3rd parties," the developer adds.
Reddit Users Affected By Recent API Changes
The impact of these changes extends beyond app developers to the Redditors themselves, with a substantial portion of the user base relying on third-party apps for accessing Reddit.
According to r/pcgaming, at least 22.4% of users in their subreddit primarily utilize third-party apps.
The alterations to API access will adversely affect their browsing experience, while moderators will also face challenges due to the superior mod tools available in third-party apps.
Furthermore, the visually impaired community will bear the brunt of Reddit's changes. Users with visual impairments find it difficult to navigate the official mobile app, which lacks accessibility features.
Yahoo tells us that alternative apps like Dystopia and Apollo have tried to address these issues, but with their imminent shutdown due to pricing concerns, visually impaired Redditors will lose valuable resources and supportive communities such as r/blind.
More Subreddits Joining the Blackout
The list of participating subreddits in the Reddit Blackout continues to grow, with over 500 communities already committed to the movement.
Notable communities joining the protest include World of Warcraft, Minecraft, PS5, D&D, Nintendo, Apple, Android, Xbox, NVIDIA, and GPT-3.
This collective action aims to prompt Reddit to address the API issues, improve accessibility for the visually impaired, and ensure equal access to NSFW content.
Reddit Responds
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman's recent responses during an AMA have only intensified the community's discontent.
Subreddit moderators and third-party app developers have lost trust in Huffman and Reddit's leadership, accusing them of poor communication and misleading statements.
Stay posted here at Tech Times.
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