EA is going to die - and that will improve gaming

[BloatedGuppy]

I went to the EA HQ today to visit a friend and I gotta say I was super impressed.

They might treat their customer's like shit but the atmosphere for employees is >amazing<.

I was super jealous haha.

They had wall decals, enclosures showcasing old games and projects they've done. A super cheap store that even as a visitor I was allowed to use. Nice cafeteria, a field to play during your off time, and so on.

Even a cool room with a giant sim diamond and mood lighting o.o...

and game room with pool tables and shit.

Anywho I'm rambling. They make terrible game decisions but their campus is one of the coolest places I've been in a while.

http://ea-spouse.livejournal.com/274.html?page=14

EA has gotten a lot better, but they used to have absolutely DREADFUL working conditions for their employees. Fun fact...I actually applied there for a QA job when I was working for a bank, and got one. The hitch...it was 80 hours a week, no OT, and $8 an hour...half of what I was making at the time. I declined the job, and the guy on the line straight up sneered at me and told me doctors and lawyers were quitting their jobs to come work for them doing QA. I wished them luck and reaffirmed my refusal of the position.

Couple years later like, half the staff got laid off there.

I'm rambling. TLDR - They're better than they used to be, but they still kind of suck, and they used to be bordering on human rights violations.

I also hated EA before it was cool, but for rather different reasons.

It was when EA was sued by their own employees (some of whom I knew at the time) and who weren't allowed to talk about the ridiculous work conditions, inhuman hours and deadlines pending court. There were two lawsuits, and two settlements.

My distrust of EA today is only reinforced by their constant boneheaded (and often dishonest) agenda, and it's why I continue to not do any business with them.

Ninjaaaaa...

I will add this to my post. It makes a nice chaser.

 

[theultimateend]

[
I'm rambling. TLDR - They're better than they used to be, but they still kind of suck, and they used to be bordering on human rights violations.

Yeah she's tired and stressed but she was those things when she worked at the game company I currently work at.

I think its more a symptom of capitalism in gaming than anything.

Video Game development and publishing is like a Dorian Gray painting. Your youth and happiness are stripped from you (you become the painting) and those things are given away to shareholders or consumers.

 

[Bat Vader]

If EA does go out of business I would hope that the developers that they owned are able to stay open and keep developing games or get picked up by other publishers like 2K. I would like to see CD Projekt Red purchase Bioware and hire back all the old staff that left or were let go. A game developed by both Bioware and CD Projekt Red would be pretty good I think.

I'm not sure CDPR could afford Bioware. That'd be a pretty costly pickup, I'd think.

That's true. I guess as long as none of the developers go out of business that I won't be too sad with EA closing. I would hope that the regular people who work at EA that lose their jobs are able to find work again though if EA does go out of business. I know a lot of people hate EA but there is pry a lot of staff there that are made up of people that are thankful to have a job/need a job. I would hate for them to get hurt just because of what the CEO's say and do.

 

[Mikeyfell]

I doubt EA's death would outright improve the industry, because then Activision would run around unchecked, and they'd take the EA crumbling to mean that
"People don't like it when you homogenize new IP's into consumer friendly substance-less slush! But People do like it when you recycle the same old consumer friendly substance-less slush over and over and over again with no noticeable variations!"

I do think that the industry would turn around if we moved away from the publisher model all together and games became smaller productions with something akin to an artistic overseer of all aspects rather than a corporate overseer of all aspects. Like a director.

For me wanting EA to fall is less wanting to see improvement and more wanting to see suffering for what they did to Bioware and countless others. And just hope that in time people start making games in a way they think will be fun or meaningful instead of making games the way they think would turn the biggest profit.

 

[theultimateend]

Even though I don't consider EA evil, I can't resist saying:

Rich Evil-doers tend to have swanky digs.

Well I certainly don't agree with a lot of their practices, but I doubt people there work in worse conditions than I do .

So they get the same level of job fear as I do but with the bonus of a huge campus to be on.

 

[Rogue Trooper]

Meh...Thats all I can really say...just...meh

 

[Little Gray]

Oh god that is to funny. EA is not going to die because far to many people like their games. While you may see a lot of bitching on forums those people do not represent the gaming community as a whole, they are a small annoying minority who are delusional about their size and power.

The games that EA publishers are overall relatively well liked.

 

[Dryk]

But now we're in a generation of self loathing where any mention of doing anything proactive is met with scorn and contempt. People defend corporate bull shit as "Well they're in this is make money!" as if that's some sort of excuse. It's as if people believe we don't deserve better than companies that flip us off with one hand while taking our money with another. I own a home business. I can tell you from personal experience, it's pretty damn easy to make a profit without treating your customers like an inconvenient obstacle between you and their money.

Many people probably just don't know any better, they were raised in this world remember. It's not a mindset I understand because surely encouraging improvement is far more beneficial in the long run. It doesn't have to be this way, so why should it be this way.

 

[Aeonknight]

Unfortunately the problem isn't just with EA. It's with our generation as a whole. People use to believe in things. We use to march. We use to boycott. When this country started only white men who owned land could vote. We owned slaves. Women were treated as barely more than property.

We changed that! All of human history is filled with stories of people changing things. We've come a hell of a long way so when someone tells you "Well nothing ever changes herpa derp" you have to wonder how they managed to avoid learning anything from history.

But now we're in a generation of self loathing where any mention of doing anything proactive is met with scorn and contempt. People defend corporate bull shit as "Well they're in this is make money!" as if that's some sort of excuse. I could mug someone and MAKE MONEY it doesn't mean what I'm doing is right. It's as if people believe we don't deserve better than companies that flip us off with one hand while taking our money with another.

You've clearly never worked customer service. Because if you have, you'd realize that on the other foot, you have some of the most entitled, greedy, spoiled pieces of shit that call themselves "customers" that we've ever seen in society today. Where every single inconvenience is met with a lawsuit, complaining, or demands for refunds, and ignorance is a perfect excuse for lack of responsibility.

Pretty lulzy for you to even begin to compare the video game industry to civil rights movements btw.

captcha: have fun

I'm trying but people just can't pass up an opportunity to piss in someone else's cereal for buying games from companies they don't like.

 

[CriticalMiss]

As much as I would laugh at seeing the giant fall, I seriously doubt they would go under. If anything the death of EA could make the industry worse, imagine if Activision bought them out...That certainly wouldn't improve gaming. And while EA care more about money than customer satisfaction, there are other companies out there that are just as bad. EA are just more reviled because of how publicly they cock-up.

It's also a bit naive to dream about a utopian gaming renaissance where every developer is indie, comes out with a 10/10 game and doesn't try to make some money off of the project. Although it would make the industry much more enjoyable.

Every dev is indie? Doesn't sound like utopia for me. I like my blockbusters. When they are made by people who don't try to fuck me over with online passes, day-1 DLCs, always-online DRM, features that aren't in the actual game, being allied with Satan and Hitler and the other things EA do.

Hey! Leave Satan alone, he's not a bad person he just hangs around with the wrong crowd. It was EA's idea to do the whole seduction of Eve thing, it all went downhill from there. And I'm fairly sure EA invented time travel just to fund the holocaust so they had a setting for the Medal of Honour games, so it's not entirely Hitler's fault.

 

[Mid Boss]

Unfortunately the problem isn't just with EA. It's with our generation as a whole. People use to believe in things. We use to march. We use to boycott. When this country started only white men who owned land could vote. We owned slaves. Women were treated as barely more than property.

We changed that! All of human history is filled with stories of people changing things. We've come a hell of a long way so when someone tells you "Well nothing ever changes herpa derp" you have to wonder how they managed to avoid learning anything from history.

But now we're in a generation of self loathing where any mention of doing anything proactive is met with scorn and contempt. People defend corporate bull shit as "Well they're in this is make money!" as if that's some sort of excuse. I could mug someone and MAKE MONEY it doesn't mean what I'm doing is right. It's as if people believe we don't deserve better than companies that flip us off with one hand while taking our money with another.

You've clearly never worked customer service. Because if you have, you'd realize that on the other foot, you have some of the most entitled, greedy, spoiled pieces of shit that call themselves "customers" that we've ever seen in society today. Where every single inconvenience is met with a lawsuit, complaining, or demands for refunds, and ignorance is a perfect excuse for lack of responsibility.

Pretty lulzy for you to even begin to compare the video game industry to civil rights movements btw.

captcha: have fun

I'm trying but people just can't pass up an opportunity to piss in someone else's cereal for buying games from companies they don't like.

I just said I owned a home buisness. Did you even read the thing? I work with customers every day.

As for the civil right movement, I brought it up as an example about how people have changed things to compare it to the now when people don't do a god damn thing about anything. Even something as small as not buying a game from a company that shows you nothing but contempt is met with mockery and scorn.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

While I see your argument, I don't agree with it. Vocal fanbases can have an effect.

Just wanted to point out - a vocal fanbase is different than a boycott.

Vocal fanbases get a lot more done than boycotts (which are effectively silent) do. EA just assumes that boycotts are pirates or used games anyway. Vocal fanbases have in recent years gotten a lot of press whereas boycotts have not.

I actually liked Jim's idea - stop buying games at release and wait to see if a game is good first. I already do that with most games (and because I like to wait until games go on sale a few months down the line) and it lacks the self-flagellating martyrdom that boycotts tend to engender.

Anyway, OP, as I said to the last person who demanded I boycott - no. I'm not going to punish myself in the hope that EA or another publisher will notice. I signed a petition asking EA to remove always on DRM from Sim City - and I was one of 75 THOUSAND people to do so. Making a fuss enmasse gets more attention than whipping myself.

Not that I plan to buy SimCity. I've never been into Sim games. The only reason I even know about the SimCity thing is because this forum exploded about it. I signed the petition because, next time, it might be a game I actually want to buy. Always On DRM needs to stop, I absolutely agree. Boycotts won't get the job done - bitching, screaming, and e-mailing has proven that it actually can.

 

[Grunt_Man11]

I would blame him. I would also blame the publisher. People like you, however only seem to blame the Publisher. Both were in fault.

"People like me", eh?

That's quite a conclusion you are jumping to. Are you sure you can make that jump? Looks tricky. Maybe you should re-think it.

From your last post, you seemed fully intent on just blaming the publisher. Not the developer.

And he's right to do so.


You just watched a video of Simcity (5) working offline. What did the modder here do to make the game playable offline? He turned on "debug" mode and just disabled the prompts that demand players connect online.
Nothing fancy like making a private server here. Just a "debug" mode and flicking the switch to the demanding prompts to "off."

Read more about it here:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.403473-Modder-Proves-That-SimCity-Works-Offline

Oh, and you can look at a Maxis employee pretty much saying that the whole "servers needed to run game" line is total crap here:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/122654-Maxis-Developer-Denies-Need-For-Single-Player-SimCity-Servers

 

[woodsymoments]

My problem with EA is them buying companies and gutting hem for no reason e.g Batteries included, Origin Systems, Bullfrog Produtions etc.

But EA still make some good game and also own companies that make excellent games, so aslongas they keep making games like Fifa or Battlefield they won't go under. And if they are ever in trouble of going under they will cannibalise another of the companies they own to sustain themselves.

 

[Tom Waits' hat]

Why do you still purchase EA-published titles? To support their real developers, or because you don't care and don't mind allowing this to happen?

I work full time, by the time I get home I just want to play video games. I really don't care for all the EA politics.

I don't like DRM just as much as the next guy. But to be honest, it doesn't bother me that much. I understand it's a business decision, and I respect that. It's minor inconvenience for me, it doesn't outweighs the satisfaction I'll get from playing the game. What I care about is the content of the material rather than outside packaging/ politic.

If I like a product, I'm going to purchase it. It's really that simple. Even if my action fixed EA, SO WHAT? I am not going to see a single cents out of it.

Kudos to you for sticking to your stance though.

while the so called silent majority act like a bunch of passive obedient sheep while saying"Please sir can I have some more?"while getting fucked in the ass by corporations like EA.

Before calling us passive obedient sheep, have you considered that we just don't care? This EA thing is such a non-issue for a lot of us. I have so much more real life stuff I worry about. EA, a business is trying to make money. EA wanting to protect their property against piracy. It's at very low of my "things to worry about" list.

 

[GameChanger]

For a channel called CleverNoobNetwork, I have never actually considered them to be really clever. Most of their points are weak, convoluted or far-fetched.