That's a very dangerous way of thinking, because what you maybe don't realise is, just because we accept it now through indifference, EA will most likely eventually start to see that as acceptance and that's when they'll start with mandatory DLC and micro-transactions, and we'll have absolutely no right to complain because we all sat by, idly, and watched it happen.FavouriteDream said:
Do you Think E.A is the worst company?
- Thread starter Ironbat92
- Start date
Worst company? Probably not, person-death would probably have to be involved there. That said, it deserved the title. If this can keep happening and EA can keep winning this award, maybe by the 8th time they'll finally get the message. We're trying to send a message, so that's what happening.
I don't think they are important enough to be the worst company ever, let alone the worst gaming company. But memory is such a fragile thing and EA hasn't done all that well this last year. Recent screw ups are the largest reason that they are now voted "the worst company" by consumers.
They are the worst game company. I am sure there are other companies in this capitalist world that do far worse things than EA, I don't think EA has children make their video games in sweat shops like some companies do/did. EA hasn't polluted the ocean or the land like BP/Exxon, but I think for their market, video games, they represent a massive threat to the entire industry of video gaming. I don't know if Bank of America represents a massive threat to the banking industry, but if it doesn't I can see how EA could be seen as the worst company in the world with respect to its impact on the industry.
The title of Worst company is too vague, it needs more definition, there are geniuinely evil companies with evil intentions who do nothing good at all, they are technically worse than EA.
I would say EA is the worst video game company, possibly the worst entertainment media company. But until they are having people die over their products like some of the oil companies, I'd say EA isn't the worst in the world.
The title of Worst company is too vague, it needs more definition, there are geniuinely evil companies with evil intentions who do nothing good at all, they are technically worse than EA.
I would say EA is the worst video game company, possibly the worst entertainment media company. But until they are having people die over their products like some of the oil companies, I'd say EA isn't the worst in the world.
No, and the fact that in this stupid, STUPID competition EA is "doing so well" makes the gaming community look like a bunch of whiny kids.
"Ohh, the simcity isnt what i wanted, ergo EA is equal to satan!"
For crying out loud, there are companies that make bank on selling faulty medicines WHICH KILL PEOPLE, and you call a gaming company "The worst ever"? Get off your high horse ffs!
There are companies, that through shady practices make people lose their houses/jobs, and you complain about a company that makes too many DLC?
What the hell are we even talking about?!
Even in gaming industry there are worse companies, for crying out loud, stop behaving like a bunch of overgrown babies!
"Ohh, the simcity isnt what i wanted, ergo EA is equal to satan!"
For crying out loud, there are companies that make bank on selling faulty medicines WHICH KILL PEOPLE, and you call a gaming company "The worst ever"? Get off your high horse ffs!
There are companies, that through shady practices make people lose their houses/jobs, and you complain about a company that makes too many DLC?
What the hell are we even talking about?!
Even in gaming industry there are worse companies, for crying out loud, stop behaving like a bunch of overgrown babies!
I think people are mistaking their distaste or dislike for what happens during a company's life vs the company's practices. First off, siting BP's oil spill which happened in 2010 for reasons why BP should be nominated for an 'award' in 2013 is kind of ridiculous. And in fact, in 2012, not only after they tried to clean up their mess, but BP Plead guilty [http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/11/15/bp-set-to-pay-record-criminal-penalty-over-gulf-oil-spill-source-says/] and paid 4 billion in damages. Does that make them a great company? Not by far. But they are making up for it. That gets some credit, even if they harmed an entire people in unspeakable ways.
I loathe to "defend" Medical Insurance because we're approaching the two year anniversary of one of my good friends succumbing to cancer, so I'll state things that I rather not admit to myself. My friend has been battling cancer for most of her life. Since she was 15. She was into her thirties before it got to be... too much. I don't want to think of the medical expenses over the years. I know there were numerous procedures, numbering in the tens of thousands that were covered by the insurance. Without putting numbers to people that we've all lost, I can't imagine any company saved Google or Microsoft being able to pay for all of the procedures needed to extend the lives of everyone who needs it in America. Especially how we are one of the most sickly nations in the world. My stomach is turned enough and I felt like I betrayed someone dear to me for trying to understand these... decisions, so I'm going to move on.
I had to take a pause and start again
Now the true battle was EA and Bank of America. I think we all know what Bank of America has done. From false foreclosures, misinformation, and the like, Bank of America has been trying to actively screw people it seems. Many movements have been put up, lawsuits have been weighed, and Bank of America has had to admit a few times it was wrong and pay out to Homeowners some of the 8.5 Billion the Federal bank regulators deemed would best help the Home owners in America. This matter has had a significant impact on the people who had to deal with Bank of America's lives (including my brother), and it's nothing to sneeze at.
EA... well, this is the escapist. We all know what EA has done. The bigger matter is... they made it legal. They make it legal before you can even view the product to see if it works for you. The second you hit that EULA, you agree to limit your scope of recourse if something goes awry. And they will be the judges to see if you deserve anything. This doesn't change your life, not by a long shot. But this changes your rights as a consumer. And more over, for a magazine called "The Consumerist" and not "Better Human Living", I think that makes it more than a valid contender for the worst company in America according to the Consumer point of view.
It doesn't not ruin your living, but it sets a really, really nasty precedent. Really think for a moment if companies started the EULA trend that game companies like EA are Frankensteining to more potent abominations? Hell, I can make the Bank of America situation worse for all of you; Before those Banks gave the advice to stop paying homeowner's mortgages so they could qualify for a loan, only to use that missed payment start a foreclosure... they made you sign an EULA before they gave you the advice that whatever measures they prompted you to do, you did it out of your own free will and are not able to level a class action lawsuit against Bank of America. Where the hell would those hundreds of Thousands of people be without the ability to sue and get some of their lives back?
That fact alone makes me ok with EA winning. They are changing the playing landscape to be all for the businesses, and nothing for you the consumer. Being the worst company of America or anywhere from a consumer's point of view doesn't really have to do with how many lives the Company has screwed. Being the worst company of America or anywhere more has to do with how much the company limits your options while screwing you. I wish to God these people affected by Bank of America didn't have to resort to Federal Bank Regulators to get some of their live back, but I'm glad as hell they had that option.
How glad are you that because you have to sign their stupid EULA as a consumer that the only judge, jury, and executioner you get when you have a grievance with EA is the company itself?
I loathe to "defend" Medical Insurance because we're approaching the two year anniversary of one of my good friends succumbing to cancer, so I'll state things that I rather not admit to myself. My friend has been battling cancer for most of her life. Since she was 15. She was into her thirties before it got to be... too much. I don't want to think of the medical expenses over the years. I know there were numerous procedures, numbering in the tens of thousands that were covered by the insurance. Without putting numbers to people that we've all lost, I can't imagine any company saved Google or Microsoft being able to pay for all of the procedures needed to extend the lives of everyone who needs it in America. Especially how we are one of the most sickly nations in the world. My stomach is turned enough and I felt like I betrayed someone dear to me for trying to understand these... decisions, so I'm going to move on.
I had to take a pause and start again
Now the true battle was EA and Bank of America. I think we all know what Bank of America has done. From false foreclosures, misinformation, and the like, Bank of America has been trying to actively screw people it seems. Many movements have been put up, lawsuits have been weighed, and Bank of America has had to admit a few times it was wrong and pay out to Homeowners some of the 8.5 Billion the Federal bank regulators deemed would best help the Home owners in America. This matter has had a significant impact on the people who had to deal with Bank of America's lives (including my brother), and it's nothing to sneeze at.
EA... well, this is the escapist. We all know what EA has done. The bigger matter is... they made it legal. They make it legal before you can even view the product to see if it works for you. The second you hit that EULA, you agree to limit your scope of recourse if something goes awry. And they will be the judges to see if you deserve anything. This doesn't change your life, not by a long shot. But this changes your rights as a consumer. And more over, for a magazine called "The Consumerist" and not "Better Human Living", I think that makes it more than a valid contender for the worst company in America according to the Consumer point of view.
It doesn't not ruin your living, but it sets a really, really nasty precedent. Really think for a moment if companies started the EULA trend that game companies like EA are Frankensteining to more potent abominations? Hell, I can make the Bank of America situation worse for all of you; Before those Banks gave the advice to stop paying homeowner's mortgages so they could qualify for a loan, only to use that missed payment start a foreclosure... they made you sign an EULA before they gave you the advice that whatever measures they prompted you to do, you did it out of your own free will and are not able to level a class action lawsuit against Bank of America. Where the hell would those hundreds of Thousands of people be without the ability to sue and get some of their lives back?
That fact alone makes me ok with EA winning. They are changing the playing landscape to be all for the businesses, and nothing for you the consumer. Being the worst company of America or anywhere from a consumer's point of view doesn't really have to do with how many lives the Company has screwed. Being the worst company of America or anywhere more has to do with how much the company limits your options while screwing you. I wish to God these people affected by Bank of America didn't have to resort to Federal Bank Regulators to get some of their live back, but I'm glad as hell they had that option.
How glad are you that because you have to sign their stupid EULA as a consumer that the only judge, jury, and executioner you get when you have a grievance with EA is the company itself?
I think they're an absolutely awful company but the worst? No.
EA may have horrible business strategies but they aren't evil like some companies out there. They are just idiots who can't figure out why everyone hates what they're doing.
No one's life was ruined because they couldn't play SimCity. A lot of money was wasted, but on the whole life went on.
I do, however, find it absolutely hilarious that they won two years in a row because I doubt any of the runners up would have even cared if they were named "Worst Company 2013"
EA may have horrible business strategies but they aren't evil like some companies out there. They are just idiots who can't figure out why everyone hates what they're doing.
No one's life was ruined because they couldn't play SimCity. A lot of money was wasted, but on the whole life went on.
I do, however, find it absolutely hilarious that they won two years in a row because I doubt any of the runners up would have even cared if they were named "Worst Company 2013"
Can I just point out that they do much worse things than just dodgy business practices, crap marketing, and exploiting consumers (although those are probably the reasons they got voted).
The actual horrible thing about them is the way they treat their employees and subsidiaries; it's actually pretty horrifying. I've talked to friends who've worked at EA (in varying capacities) and they can confirm a large number of the following are true/have happened:
-Firing and rehiring employees to avoid giving out bonuses, raises, and benefits
-Forcing employees to work 7 days a week, sometimes up to 12 hours a day with no overtime
-Refusing to honor vacation days during later parts of development cycles so they can rush the game out faster to push up their numbers for a particular quarter
-Gutting companies (firing off people who do the actual work as soon as their job is done, and hiring a new team for the next project, because they can do it cheaper this way), funnily enough, executives who do next to nothing and whose pay would cover the jobs of 20 of the people who are important to the company seem immune to these recycling procedures
-Refusing to pay promised amounts to developers (read, the people who made the game) because the game's metacritic score fell 2 points below projections (no, sadly, I'm not making this up)
These are just a few of the things they do to their own people. They are a thoroughly evil company, and it's not just because they care nothing for consumers. I know they are, at the end of the day, trying to make money... but plenty of other companies manage to do that with a slight amount of integrity and decency. EA has neither, and deserves to be put down.
Also, save your ire for the fucking corporate sector of EA, because they are behind most of the shit that goes on there. It might surprise you to know (sarcasm) that the actual people who make the game have little to no say on any of the decisions that people hate.
The actual horrible thing about them is the way they treat their employees and subsidiaries; it's actually pretty horrifying. I've talked to friends who've worked at EA (in varying capacities) and they can confirm a large number of the following are true/have happened:
-Firing and rehiring employees to avoid giving out bonuses, raises, and benefits
-Forcing employees to work 7 days a week, sometimes up to 12 hours a day with no overtime
-Refusing to honor vacation days during later parts of development cycles so they can rush the game out faster to push up their numbers for a particular quarter
-Gutting companies (firing off people who do the actual work as soon as their job is done, and hiring a new team for the next project, because they can do it cheaper this way), funnily enough, executives who do next to nothing and whose pay would cover the jobs of 20 of the people who are important to the company seem immune to these recycling procedures
-Refusing to pay promised amounts to developers (read, the people who made the game) because the game's metacritic score fell 2 points below projections (no, sadly, I'm not making this up)
These are just a few of the things they do to their own people. They are a thoroughly evil company, and it's not just because they care nothing for consumers. I know they are, at the end of the day, trying to make money... but plenty of other companies manage to do that with a slight amount of integrity and decency. EA has neither, and deserves to be put down.
Also, save your ire for the fucking corporate sector of EA, because they are behind most of the shit that goes on there. It might surprise you to know (sarcasm) that the actual people who make the game have little to no say on any of the decisions that people hate.
Sure, not as much of the blame should fall on EA, but they're the ones that decided to release it as is instead of calling Bioware out on the bullshit of it. And that's no assuming that they didn't attempt to push it in that direction from the start.FavouriteDream said:
Same thing, it was their choice to go through with it after seeing it. I'd actually give more blame to EA on this one also than the previous because of how much of a failure it's been. How many people were predicting problems with this before the launch of the game? I knew when I heard of this, I thought it'd be a complete disaster. Several of my friends did as well. And it was. I highly doubt we had better foresight than the developer and the publisher on this, and that both Maxis and EA knew that there would be several problems around launch but released anyways.
Both Bioware and Maxis are subsidiaries of EA, so yeah, some of the blame falls on them also for their mistakes.
And this is one of the 'facts' that annoys the hell out of me personally. Saying that Origin has 45-50 million users is bullshit. That number is insanely inflated. I have an Origin account. Why? Because I've played games in the Battlefield, Mass Effect, and Sims series, each which came out long before Origin, and had an EA account tied to most for minor reasons. Then they released Origin, forced me to update my account to it, and then claimed I was one of their whatever many million users. Have I, or will I ever use Origin? Highly unlikely. But they'll still claim me amongst their numbers regardless. If you looked at the ratio between Origin users registered, to Origin users who actually purchase content through their online distribution service, I'm sure the numbers would be far lower than that.
OT:
Are they the worst company in America? No. Are they deserving of the bad publicity that comes with it. Yeah. While there are worse companies out there, EA is one of the worst in its industry, and deserves to be called out on the bullshit it lets slide by.
Never understood the nexon hate. If anything I kind of like them...Angelblaze said:
anyway... Well nothing that has already been said. EA is... actually no, I do like EA as well... I guess I am easy to place. Actually, no, rather I just dont really care about their "Crimes", they gave me Dead Space 3 (Just a random example not specific), a game that I liked, I like them. Thats it. Fuck the rest.
Guess the same logic applis to Nexon lol.
I think the higher-ups are fucking idiots, but worse company? Hardly.
Activision, however? Yeah, fuck them in ass with a serrated Masamune. Twice.
Activision, however? Yeah, fuck them in ass with a serrated Masamune. Twice.
Certainly not. Not by a LONG shot.
However, they did get my vote for the Golden Poo.
Mostly because I really don't see the Bank of America or Monsanto getting upset over an internet poll. Never mind have it effect on their stocks.
Meanwhile, EA is positively booty-blistered over this and it's hilarious to watch. It might even inspire them to make some change.
However, they did get my vote for the Golden Poo.
Mostly because I really don't see the Bank of America or Monsanto getting upset over an internet poll. Never mind have it effect on their stocks.
Meanwhile, EA is positively booty-blistered over this and it's hilarious to watch. It might even inspire them to make some change.
They're not the WORST Company... they just happen to be a company that makes a large number of internet savvy consumers VERY angry and in an Online Poll on a Consumer Website... I'm not surprised they take the cake for "Worst Company" in regards to how they treat their customers.
^Zhukov said:
this.
EA is hardly the worst company, even in the games industry, they are just the most visible.
case in point;
Angelblaze said:
Worst "American" game publisher perhaps, but you take the voting for Worst Company off the internet & into the real world & EA will drop out early in the game. I voted for Sallie Mae, which was crushed early in the game because most of the people who voted have no experience with college.
You know, maybe 5 years ago or so, Ubisoft could have been on that list, were they not French. Bought out all my favorite little German independants & slapped the worsts kinds of DRM on everything. They've managed to stay off gamer's shitlists these past two years, with Capcom & Konami raising more ire.
If I had made that list, UPS, Google, & Facebook would have been replaced with Disney, Apple, & AOL.
You know, maybe 5 years ago or so, Ubisoft could have been on that list, were they not French. Bought out all my favorite little German independants & slapped the worsts kinds of DRM on everything. They've managed to stay off gamer's shitlists these past two years, with Capcom & Konami raising more ire.
If I had made that list, UPS, Google, & Facebook would have been replaced with Disney, Apple, & AOL.
What? There is no accepting through "indifference". You either support what they do (buy their games) or don't support what they do (don't buy their games). No one is being indifferent here.rob_simple said:
I have no problem with EA's actions, that's why I still buy their games. If I really had a problem with their approach I sure as shit wouldn't be giving them money.
And that's what a lot of people don't realise, from EA's end - their actions are being justified. Why? Because people are paying for it.
Hehe, here is the thing, it's not entitlement, it's expectation. If someone has given you good products for a long time, then change things up to something you don't agree with, people will get upset. It's just how it works, the difference here is that most of these people are internet dwellers.everythingbeeps said:
I never said it was right or wrong, good or bad, and you can claim one or the other all day, it won't change anything. Angry people are angry.
You will always piss someone off no matter what you do in life, someone will always disagree. When you don't agree with something you can do one of two things, let it go and move on, or try to do something about it. If it is something you care a lot about, you most likely want to do something, and this is what the "gamers/haters" did in this case.
Also, think about all the things that gamers have tried to change things, petitions, letters, whathaveyou. None of that worked, so I'd call this more of a desperation move.
Deserved or not, it still happened, and everything that happens, happens for a reason.
Personally I don't agree with what they do, so I just stopped buying their games, voting for them as "worst" is a bit much I think.
That being said, I doubt this will change anything, and in a month or two it will be more or less forgotten.