EA Boycott?

[dubious_wolf]

Y'know people, the fact that so many of you are refusing to join a boycott is the very reason the boycott won't work. By being so pessimistic and unwilling about it, you're part of the problem. You proud of that?

That's the thing though, you're assuming there is a good reason to boycott. The OP's definition for what should be used as a boycott basis and my definition of what should be a boycott basis are not in sync. You can be condescending about that fact all you want but the bottom line is I'm going to go ahead and buy all the EA titles I want because I have no problem with what EA has done.

Granted, there are some who will agree with you and not boycott because of the reason you stated. I (and many others I'm sure based on what we've seen here) are not them.

While you explicitly stated that you have good reason not to do so, there are a number of people who have said "I would buy it doesn't work."
So you can go ahead and be condesending and aloof because He wasn't referring to you.

He stated "the fact that so many of you are refusing to join a boycott is the very reason the boycott won't work". I may have mis-interpreted him but that sounds like he's telling us that a boycott won't work because people won't join it.

Hahaha! That's exactly what he (and I) said, yes!

 

[Ragnarok185]

I have to buy Mass Effect 3. I am ashamed of that....

 

[Sewer Rat]

Frankly I agree with you, and judging by the amount of origin hate around, I daresay alot of the community here agrees to. But... I just cannot not play Mass Effect 3... I have come to far for the story to just end now. Also... I hate to say it but... In order to put a noticeable dent in EA's profits would require a boycott of massive proportions, and I am sorry to say, that since people are willing to boycott at the drop of a hat these days, it has unfortunately lost all meaning to people so it just makes a difficult task incredibly difficult. I agree that this is a just boycott, don't get me wrong, it's just unfortunately with the current attitude towards boycotts in general it is just not going to work.
EDIT:

I, Fuhjem, am pledging henceforth to never buy a single game that EA has at any point put their hands on.

That means no Mass Effect 3 for me (and as anyone who knows me knows, I am a diehard fan of the ME series), no Battlefield 3, no Star Wars: The Old Republic, nothing EA is putting their filthy hands on.

they won't even care, and you'll miss the titles you wanted to play.
i say, pirate them. THAT, they'll notice, and get very angry about.

I feel a banstick coming on... Frankly though, this does not help the cause at all. If anything it will give EA an excuse to create even harsher DRM and restrictions.

 

[lacktheknack]

Then continue to be fucked by EA.
I'm not making anyone stop.
I'm just asking so that EA may stop and listen for once.

HOW TO MAKE EA STOP AND LISTEN:

ONE: Wait for them to screw you over.

TWO: Complain to the Better Business Bureau.

THREE: Win.

WHY THIS WORKS: The BBB is where many investors go before investing in companies. A poor BBB rating may spell doom for a company, especially a heavily investor-run one.

I'm not sure that EA is heavily investor-run, but I DO know that they have a <link=http://www.bbb.org/greater-san-francisco/business-reviews/video-games-wholesale-and-manufacturers/electronic-arts-in-san-francisco-ca-64196>A+ rating, have received 768 complaints, and have satisfactorily responded to every single one. The BBB is very pro-customer, so "satisfactorily" either means that A. the customer was satisfied with the response, or B. the complainant was trolling.

My guess is that EA doesn't want to injure their A+, and will be as pleasant as they need to be. They'll take care of the Origin horror stories at some point, or else we're gonna see a big drop in that rating.

OT: No. When they release a game I like with terms I can work with, I will buy it, end of. EA has not personally ticked me off.

 

[Vault101]

You know, you could just pirate their games. Hit 'em where it hurts with a pair of spiked brass knuckles dipped in shit.

arnt boycotts suposed to be about the moral high ground?...

it will still be "piracy" not "piracy in the name of the boycott!!" therefore EA continue to complain about piracy and thats how you shit like Origin and DRM

 

[Jacob Iott]

Ok! I'll stop buying EA Games! It will be difficult to live without them, but I know that...

...wait...

...I already don't buy EA games.

I'm good at this.

Poor people are good at boycotting.

 

[lacktheknack]

You know, you could just pirate their games. Hit 'em where it hurts with a pair of spiked brass knuckles dipped in shit.

And watch them adopt Ubisoft's DRM. Whether it works or not, they'll do it, if only out of spite. Viscous circle, anyone?

Besides, NO. STOP. SHUT THE TORRENT CLIENT. Oh, you won't? Then congratulations. You've demonstrated an interest in their game, giving them all the encouragement they need to continue EXACTLY what they're doing, and all YOU'VE done is contributed to their perceived "pirate problem" (which is rapidly becoming real) and screwed over a dev who did nothing to you. Screw you, sir. Screw you.

 

[aashell13]

ehh. I've been extremely reluctant to buy anything from EA since their buggy, bass-ackward excuse of an online registration system wouldn't let me play my copy of BF2.

I might wind up skipping ME and TOR. I want to know how the story goes, but there'll be a wiki at some point. Besides, TOR has all those companion books. And I'm not touching Origin with a ten foot pole and a hazmat suit, so there.

 

[tippy2k2]

Y'know people, the fact that so many of you are refusing to join a boycott is the very reason the boycott won't work. By being so pessimistic and unwilling about it, you're part of the problem. You proud of that?

That's the thing though, you're assuming there is a good reason to boycott. The OP's definition for what should be used as a boycott basis and my definition of what should be a boycott basis are not in sync. You can be condescending about that fact all you want but the bottom line is I'm going to go ahead and buy all the EA titles I want because I have no problem with what EA has done.

Granted, there are some who will agree with you and not boycott because of the reason you stated. I (and many others I'm sure based on what we've seen here) are not them.

While you explicitly stated that you have good reason not to do so, there are a number of people who have said "I would buy it doesn't work."
So you can go ahead and be condesending and aloof because He wasn't referring to you.

He stated "the fact that so many of you are refusing to join a boycott is the very reason the boycott won't work". I may have mis-interpreted him but that sounds like he's telling us that a boycott won't work because people won't join it.

Hahaha! That's exactly what he (and I) said, yes!

People, as in "everyone" won't join it. I won't join it because I disagree with the reasons and I think that EA has done nothing wrong. His post seems to be taking shots at everyone who won't join (including myself). Not because we disagree with the OP's view, but because we're pessimistic and think that it won't get anything done. Again, I may have not read his correctly and if he'd like to clarify his position, it's an open mic.

Your posts specifically call out people who are not joining due to thinking it won't matter so I had no problem with yours. That's why I didn't take a shot at your argument and why I took a shot at his.

If you do disagree with EA's practice, then I do agree that you have every right to boycott and attempt to make a change. Just don't expect all gamers to jump in behind you...

 

[lacktheknack]

I've been boycotting EA ever since their last mudsliging campaign. However if certain Escapist members *glances meaningfully in SilverStrike's direction* who shall remain unnamed are any example, I'm guessing most gamers are too weak willed to follow through with this,

...the guy received a warning for this? That's some bullshit.

Every time I start to regain an ounce of respect for The Escapist, they have to reassure me that they don't deserve it.

Calling out people randomly in a tangentially related thread to ridicule them doesn't sit well with staff OR posters. Remember, most mod wraths require a good chunk of readers to click "report".

 

[mysecondlife]

You know, you could just pirate their games. Hit 'em where it hurts with a pair of spiked brass knuckles dipped in shit.

Piracy is just piracy. "I'm pirating the product because I hate what you've done to it" doesn't make lick of sense

 

[aashell13]

HOW TO MAKE EA STOP AND LISTEN:

ONE: Wait for them to screw you over.

TWO: Complain to the Better Business Bureau.

THREE: Win.

WHY THIS WORKS: The BBB is where many investors go before investing in companies. A poor BBB rating may spell doom for a company, especially a heavily investor-run one.

I'm not sure that EA is heavily investor-run, but I DO know that they have a <link=http://www.bbb.org/greater-san-francisco/business-reviews/video-games-wholesale-and-manufacturers/electronic-arts-in-san-francisco-ca-64196>A+ rating, have received 768 complaints, and have satisfactorily responded to every single one. The BBB is very pro-customer, so "satisfactorily" either means that A. the customer was satisfied with the response, or B. the complainant was trolling.

My guess is that EA doesn't want to injure their A+, and will be as pleasant as they need to be. They'll take care of the Origin horror stories at some point, or else we're gonna see a big drop in that rating.

OT: No. When they release a game I like with terms I can work with, I will buy it, end of. EA has not personally ticked me off.

Maybe, but my main gripe with EA is that the stuff they pull winds up wasting my time and causing me a great deal of fuss and bother. So even if this does work, it's still substantially more difficulty than any other publisher has put me through for the privilege of giving them my money.

I guess my issue boils down to the fact that EA knows its policies are overly restrictive and prone to these sorts of problems, but they don't change the policies; even if they might be persuaded to resolve individual incidents satisfactorily.

EA just isn't worth the trouble anymore.

 

[Syzygy23]

Nah.

I don't like EA either, but not to the point where I'm going to deny myself a good game. At the end of the day, nothing is gonna stand between me and my Mass Effect fix.

Of course, you console folks have the option of buying used. You get the game legally, EA doesn't get your money. Best of both worlds.

But I want the Day one Exclusive DLC and Collectors Edition.

Go out and start a pick-up soccer/rugby/etc. team, or be the GM for some good ol' fashioned Tabletop gaming.

Both will create experiences far more memorable than some schlocky game that was being sold for more than it was actually worth.

It's easy to resist consuming these games when you have things even better. And I don't wanna hear the "Those things you just listed don't have awesome graphics" argument, especially against tabletops. People need to stop attempting to replace their imagination with technology.

 

[boag]

Nah.

I don't like EA either, but not to the point where I'm going to deny myself a good game. At the end of the day, nothing is gonna stand between me and my Mass Effect fix.

Of course, you console folks have the option of buying used. You get the game legally, EA doesn't get your money. Best of both worlds.

But I want the Day one Exclusive DLC and Collectors Edition.

Go out and start a pick-up soccer/rugby/etc. team, or be the GM for some good ol' fashioned Tabletop gaming.

Both will create experiences far more memorable than some schlocky game that was being sold for more than it was actually worth.

It's easy to resist consuming these games when you have things even better. And I don't wanna hear the "Those things you just listed don't have awesome graphics" argument, especially against tabletops. People need to stop attempting to replace their imagination with technology.

But no one in my RL circle of friends even play Tabletops, I havent seen a D20 since I was in School.

 

[Zeh Don]

I'd go as far as to say a good portion of PC Gamers have been boycotting EA Games and all of it's work for quite some time.

I don't buy anything with EA Games on the box. If I must, I buy it second hand to ensure that as few copies total are sold as possible.

I also do this for Activision Blizzard and Ubisoft, however they make basically no games I'm interested in purchasing.

 

[lacktheknack]

HOW TO MAKE EA STOP AND LISTEN:

ONE: Wait for them to screw you over.

TWO: Complain to the Better Business Bureau.

THREE: Win.

WHY THIS WORKS: The BBB is where many investors go before investing in companies. A poor BBB rating may spell doom for a company, especially a heavily investor-run one.

I'm not sure that EA is heavily investor-run, but I DO know that they have a <link=http://www.bbb.org/greater-san-francisco/business-reviews/video-games-wholesale-and-manufacturers/electronic-arts-in-san-francisco-ca-64196>A+ rating, have received 768 complaints, and have satisfactorily responded to every single one. The BBB is very pro-customer, so "satisfactorily" either means that A. the customer was satisfied with the response, or B. the complainant was trolling.

My guess is that EA doesn't want to injure their A+, and will be as pleasant as they need to be. They'll take care of the Origin horror stories at some point, or else we're gonna see a big drop in that rating.

OT: No. When they release a game I like with terms I can work with, I will buy it, end of. EA has not personally ticked me off.

Maybe, but my main gripe with EA is that the stuff they pull winds up wasting my time and causing me a great deal of fuss and bother. So even if this does work, it's still substantially more difficulty than any other publisher has put me through for the privilege of giving them my money.

I guess my issue boils down to the fact that EA knows its policies are overly restrictive and prone to these sorts of problems, but they don't change the policies; even if they might be persuaded to resolve individual incidents satisfactorily.

EA just isn't worth the trouble anymore.

In that case, you're fully in the right to stop purchasing their products.

I, however, will not follow your example until they start injuring me personally.

 

[Vault101]

Can't be just 2 Dead Space games, there has to be a third damn't. Can't believe how far survival horror has fallen and Dead Space was a step in the right direction, fuck you Resident Evil 5.

Dead space isnt exactally scary though

BUT I guess its the got the "survival horror" thing going on because it works in a very frantic way

"oh god, oh god, 3 plasmas left...2....1...SHIT! MORE?? are you kidding me?..uhh RUN!..run! Issac...NEED MEDS! NEED MEDS! WHERE ARE MY MEDS???"

its more "Aliens" than "Alien"

 

[Edager6882]

'I won't boycott because EA hasn't done anything to me' is a lame comment. EA's policies are effecting the game industry as a whole and all of us gamers are paying for it. EA has forced us all to buy new or pay $10 for an online pass, it has made us gamers look like a bunch of adolescent tool bags with its ad campaigns and now it is taking away our right to free speech and punishing us by stealing from us. EA are thieves. They are taking away the right to use the product people have bought. What kind of precedent is that going to leave on the games industry. We are basically saying 'I don't care how you treat me and steal from me as long as I get to play your games.'

I'm still going to play Mass Effect 3 but i am going to wait and buy it used. Screw the multiplayer and EA's $10 online pass. EA is not going to get another penny out of me. We gamers need to stand up for our rights. As a consumer there is little else we can to do to get our voices heard. So use our unique way to boycott but still enjoy the games. Wait a week or so and buy the games used and don't buy DLC.

 

[Zantos]

EA makes more money than God. If a few people protest, it'll still make more money than God. I imagine from atop their throne of gold and human skulls they won't care.

 

[Vanbael]

An attempt at an EA boycott will fail with a word and three letters: Madden NFL. Sadly, that is the most successful franchise to date. Even if you get the hard core gamers to listen to you (which they wont as long as they get the at-least-once-a-year decent game out), you will still have the casual crowd going after the Madden franchise.

This should also be taken into account you should go after the subdivisions of EA and not the entire corporate giant. Do your homework, learn the studios, then boycott them individually because I think some people want to see some EA made games come out. Also if you successfully bring down EA, there goes a sizable chunk of the Electronic Entertainment economy, jobs lost, games lost. I'm not touching the word boycott on any game company or developer no matter how much I love them (That means you Insomniac) or hate them (I'm staring at you K2 and Activision).