Here's something that's always stricken me as an odd mentality - not being able to feel bad, complain, or press for change when things "could be worse." The implication that only people in the worst possible position are ones who are justified in making a fuss about it.
It's always struck me as odd due to the fact that, well, if something can be done about something - if the actions of myself and those around me can be reasonably said to dictate the outcome of a scenario - then why wouldn't you complain? If my complaining will join the thousands of people who, for example, hate Games for Windows LIVE, and want to see it not used in... oh, I dunno, let's say Dark Souls. And From have shown that they have reacted to feedback of this nature before. Then why wouldn't I do it? But people often come up with this argument that "well, it could be worse. The game could not be coming at all! So shut up and take your lumps like a man."
Even if the game wasn't being sold for money and consumer entitlement wasn't an important part of the industry. Does it make any sense to say "things could be worse," in a situation where they could not only better, but they could be better through actions of myself and those around me?
It's probably not fair to be complaining, for example, that it's raining and you're getting wet while headlines around the world say "Hurricane Sandy takes another life." That's probably a case where "it could be worse" would legitimately be an argument against petty complaint. But if it was raining, and I complained I didn't have an umbrella? And someone said "it could be worse, look at hurricane Sandy!" while they're holding my umbrella and won't give it to me? ...I think I'm within my rights to request my goddamn umbrella, please. Just as I'm within my rights to request change to a game I paid for and isn't working up to standard. It's not cool to complain that you're starving while people in Africa are actually legitimately dying of starvation, but when you're in a position where complaining you're starving will get you food... why wouldn't you complain? That's what cats do when they want their Kibbles and that has a reasonable success rate. Would you tell a cat that they could be worse off and to stop meowing? ...okay. I would. That's a poor example.
Ahem.
So yeah. What's your opinion on this issue, Escapists? Be it life in general, or videogames, or just internet culture as a whole?
It's always struck me as odd due to the fact that, well, if something can be done about something - if the actions of myself and those around me can be reasonably said to dictate the outcome of a scenario - then why wouldn't you complain? If my complaining will join the thousands of people who, for example, hate Games for Windows LIVE, and want to see it not used in... oh, I dunno, let's say Dark Souls. And From have shown that they have reacted to feedback of this nature before. Then why wouldn't I do it? But people often come up with this argument that "well, it could be worse. The game could not be coming at all! So shut up and take your lumps like a man."
Even if the game wasn't being sold for money and consumer entitlement wasn't an important part of the industry. Does it make any sense to say "things could be worse," in a situation where they could not only better, but they could be better through actions of myself and those around me?
It's probably not fair to be complaining, for example, that it's raining and you're getting wet while headlines around the world say "Hurricane Sandy takes another life." That's probably a case where "it could be worse" would legitimately be an argument against petty complaint. But if it was raining, and I complained I didn't have an umbrella? And someone said "it could be worse, look at hurricane Sandy!" while they're holding my umbrella and won't give it to me? ...I think I'm within my rights to request my goddamn umbrella, please. Just as I'm within my rights to request change to a game I paid for and isn't working up to standard. It's not cool to complain that you're starving while people in Africa are actually legitimately dying of starvation, but when you're in a position where complaining you're starving will get you food... why wouldn't you complain? That's what cats do when they want their Kibbles and that has a reasonable success rate. Would you tell a cat that they could be worse off and to stop meowing? ...okay. I would. That's a poor example.
Ahem.
So yeah. What's your opinion on this issue, Escapists? Be it life in general, or videogames, or just internet culture as a whole?
