DICE 2008: EA, The Benevolent Dictators

[Russ Pitts]

DICE 2008: EA, The Benevolent Dictators

Riccitiello opened with a few notes on how the economies of scale are making industry consolidation not only an attractive option for many game studios, but for some, the only option. But he added consolidation can often lead to creative failure and explained why: "Creative teams can be thought of as flowers in a hothouse. Raise or lower the temperature a few degrees and they die."

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[oneplus999]

This just in: Serial rapist discovers consensual sex is better for both parties!

 

[the_carrot]

It's odd, when I was a kid I used to be excited to see the cube/sphere/pyramid logo, it usually meant that the game was good, you could almost buy based on it...almost. Today they are a large corporation, and it strikes fear into my heart. When I saw their reps come up to receive the awards for valve, they seemed a little nervous, which just made me think they were disingenuous on some level with regard to picking up the award for them, or felt guilty. Maybe I'm writing too much into it, but the ethical failures of corporations are a pandemic in America (and the effects can be felt worldwide), and EA has fallen short at times. They should downsize and split the company up, (So should Sierra imo) Art is really the point, not money. Capitalism traps people in circumstances in which, in order to maintain enough sway to get done what they want to do, they must act in a way that distances themselves from the real value of what they do, and relies on it's inflated appearance in the market to appear important, which is just a failure. I just feel as though EA has failed, and have trouble trusting them... There is too much to say, I'm at a loss.

 

[Arbre]

Remember that "misted eye" comment from your other article?

...

Forget about it.

 

[sammyfreak]

It's odd, when I was a kid I used to be excited to see the cube/sphere/pyramid logo, it usually meant that the game was good, you could almost buy based on it...almost. Today they are a large corporation, and it strikes fear into my heart. When I saw their reps come up to receive the awards for valve, they seemed a little nervous, which just made me think they were disingenuous on some level with regard to picking up the award for them, or felt guilty. Maybe I'm writing too much into it, but the ethical failures of corporations are a pandemic in America (and the effects can be felt worldwide), and EA has fallen short at times. They should downsize and split the company up, (So should Sierra imo) Art is really the point, not money. Capitalism traps people in circumstances in which, in order to maintain enough sway to get done what they want to do, they must act in a way that distances themselves from the real value of what they do, and relies on it's inflated appearance in the market to appear important, which is just a failure. I just feel as though EA has failed, and have trouble trusting them... There is too much to say, I'm at a loss.

Actualy, if money isent the main goal for a company they technicaly arent a company, naturaly the art aspects means alot to alot of people in the buisness but would they realy be doing this if there wasent a profit? It all depends on how the company wants to acheive their goal.

Some companies create high quality products and manage to sell lots and lots of those (for example Valve and Blizzard) and there are companies who use less benevolent ways of selling games (like EA). For the hardcore gamer naturaly the studioes that produce quality games are the ones we like and it's hard not to resent companies that buy and destroy brands we know and love. But essentialy the "bad" companies have the same goal as the "good" ones, just diffirent ways of reaching getting there.

 

[bkd69]

How long ago did EA buy Origin? I guess this is the point where we can quote Santayana.

As far as what EA used to be, I agree. Remember, they made Deluxe Paint.