Jimquisition: Why Boycotts Fail Where Whining Tantrums Win

[TrevHead]

So any ideas on telling Capcom that I want AAI2 and MML3?

Should I make death threats, demand donations back and attack people who don't know what were talking about?

Well just refusing to buy unrelated games won't work, if anything it leave the company with less money to spend on games, less risks and new projects which might well be the game you want. Publishers aren't psychic they don't know why you didn't buy a game, to the execs looking at flow charts they will draw up totally different conclusions and probably the total opposite.

I've seen ppl passing up on doujin games like Exceed (100% indie) just because Capcom is helping out with the digital distro in the west, ie a publisher just publishing a game like in the old days.

If a game looks good on it's own merits (including the DRM, DLC etc) buy it, if not don't, sometimes whatever you do won't make any impact, all you can hope to do is create a big enough stink on the internet with enough ppl that the publisher has to sit up and take notice, and in 99% that'll never happen.

Now the real question is how can we get the Call of Duty sequels to stop?

You can't as you probably aren't in the same demograghic and the games aren't aimed at you. You matter to COD as much as you matter to the ppl behind Twilight.

 

[PunkRex]

Devil May Cry. That is all.

Also, this video may impower people to ***** more about things that are inconsequencail. Like the color scheme thing in Diablo 3 earlier in the video.

Oh please don't bring that up... the only argument for it ive seen are 16 year olds complaining that Dantes not 'cool' anymore.

HE WAS NEVER COOL TO BEGIN WITH!!! THATS WHAT MADE HIM FUNNY!!!

Still Dante, a shower wouldn't go a miss.

 

[PunkRex]

So... who's up for throwing the biggest damn tantrum in the world to get Crytek to make a new Timesplitters game?

Or to make Lucasarts make Battlefront 3?

Because I'd be down for that.

Oh I am!

Crytek, when are we getting Timesplitters 4?
Crytek, when are we getting Timesplitters 4?
Crytek, when are we getting Timesplitters 4?
Crytek, when are we getting Timesplitters 4?
Crytek, when are we getting Timesplitters 4?
Crytek, when are we getting Timesplitters 4?
Crytek, when are we getting Timesplitters 4?
Crytek, when are we getting Timesplitters 4?

By all means totally real robot who is in no way a human wearing boxes, allow me to help you *ahem*... WAAAAH, WAAAAAAAAAH, WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!

I wanna kill dimensional shamblers along side Captain Ash, Kalamari and Monkeys again.

 

[immortalfrieza]

I said pretty much the same thing about the wallet voters on a thread last week:

The problem with the "just vote with your wallet" argument that everybody seems to love throwing around in threads like this is that there will always be millions of blind fanboy and casual lemmings that are willing to just snap up anything EA and it's acquired companies dish out, and for ever one of those lemmings that wises up and jump ship later, there will always be 10, 100, hell, maybe a 1000 more. The people smart enough voting with their wallets and being driven away are just a tiny blip on EA's radar, practically insignificant statistically. In other words, the wallet voters are ultimately meaningless, they might as well buy into whatever crap EA and companies like it do for all the difference it would ever make.

What EA fails to realize most is that they could perfectly keep both the lemmings AND the wallet voters as well by not being so dickish to their customers, insuring a nice, stable fanbase that would keep the company afloat for however long EA exists.

 

[TrevHead]

If that's the case, let me get on doing my part. Ahem.

"GODDAMN IT, WHERE THE HELL IS MY SEQUEL TO SKIES OF ARCADIA?! THAT GAME WAS GREAT!!"

Also, I like your hat, Jim.

Yeah it was!

And no, the the protagonists appearing in Valkyria Chronicles was not enough!

OT: A very interesting point, I'd never considered this, and what you say is definitely true.

Thank god for you, Jim.

Edit: Grammar clear up, it was horrible!

Well both games probably won't ever get a sequel* now since SEGA went bust and is drastically cutting back on what games it makes and pulling out of AAA and boxed retail after these games it has in the pipeline are out.

*Discounting iphone/ browser games that is.

 

[RaikuFA]

So any ideas on telling Capcom that I want AAI2 and MML3?

Should I make death threats, demand donations back and attack people who don't know what were talking about?

Well just refusing to buy unrelated games won't work, if anything it leave the company with less money to spend on games, less risks and new projects which might well be the game you want. Publishers aren't psychic they don't know why you didn't buy a game, to the execs looking at flow charts they will draw up totally different conclusions and probably the total opposite.

I've seen ppl passing up on doujin games like Exceed (100% indie) just because Capcom is helping out with the digital distro in the west, ie a publisher just publishing a game like in the old days.

If a game looks good on it's own merits (including the DRM, DLC etc) buy it, if not don't, sometimes you have to realise that sometimes whatever you do won't make any impact, all you can hope to do is create a big enough stink on the internet with enough ppl that the publisher has to sit up and take notice, and in 99% that'll never happen.

But if I do, then it encourages Capcom to not release AA games. They use Okamiden as an excuse to not release AAI2.

You probably are wondering what I mean, well Capcom says since the first AAI worldwide sales(which was just JP and US.) were outdone by Okamidens(which was sold in every region) we don't get any more AA games. Logic, huh?

 

[V da Mighty Taco]

So... who's up for throwing the biggest damn tantrum in the world to get Crytek to make a new Timesplitters game?

Or to make Lucasarts make Battlefront 3?

Because I'd be down for that.

*foams at the mouth*

BAAAAAAAAAAAATTLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLEFROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONT 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I'm still pissed about that. *looks nostalgically at Battlefront 2*

 

[Lord Beautiful]

I love and have plenty of respect for the old DMC games, but I am all about this game.

1: I've never cared much for framerate. I understand the problem people have with 30fps and I respect it, but I personally do not give a shit. The difference between 30 and 60fps has never made me love or hate a game more.

2: So what?

3: Bullet time is meh, but again, I've never found it ruinous to an experience. I tend to not use them much myself.

4: A matter of pure taste, and not an objective mark of whether you love DMC or not.

Also, it does look to have legitimately good gameplay. As far as spectacle fighters at 30 frames go, it looks to be about the best one yet, if these most recent streams from Capcom-Unity are any example. I especially respect the lack of QTE implementation.

I'm still not giving Capcom money for it, as I am a rabid Devil May Cry fanboy and Capcom's been pulling entirely too many dick moves lately. I resent it for being a gross simplification of what was among the most fluid, technical combat systems ever devised for any 3D action game. I resent it for radically altering the personality of my all-time favorite game protagonist.

I don't resent people who enjoy it, though. I don't resent those who give it praise. I don't resent those who'll buy it. Enjoy yourselves, guys. It looks kinda fun.

However, you can bet your ass I resent the constant, sheeplike bleating that the fanbase is just pissed about the hair. Or that we're just pissed about change in general.

Also, I'm still a bit butthurt about DmC Dante's inclusion in a game titled Playstation All-Stars. Doesn't mean I'm boycotting it, but it does mean I know who my training dummy will be if the game turns out well.

EDIT:
Good episode, by the way. Sorry I didn't include that originally.

Good points.

 

[Darth_Payn]

I think I got a mixed message from this episode. Whinig is annoying behavior, but it gets results? Isn't that the kind of precedent people were afraid the ME3 ending debacle was setting for the industry?

 

[geizr]

Complaining about bad business is all well and good; however, if you can't show any commitment to back-up your complaint with some kind of enforcement (boycott, lawsuit, etc.), then the complaints just fall on deaf ears, especially when the company has record breaking profits as a result of the shitty business practice. Not much incentive for them to change if it causes their bottom-line to improve. Has EA, Activision, or Ubisoft made even one iota of movement toward changing their shitty business practices in light of all the complaints and hatred that gets heaped upon them for said shitty business practices? Not that I can tell.

Small companies that feel more vulnerable to severe revenue drops from disenfranchised fans may be more susceptible to make changes in light of a few vocal complaints, but these larger companies that, from all they've seen of gamers' purchasing behaviors, think they can just do whatever and any product they churn out will simply "print money" are not going to be at all swayed by the Internet ***** & Whine Festival. They'll just come up with a rationale to justify their actions and continue what they are doing, making money, hand-over-fist, despite all the haterade being lobbed in their direction, because they know gamers will just keep on buying it. There's no incentive for them to change and no cost to simply maintaining business-as-usual.

Also, people who ***** and whine repeatedly about being mistreated, cheated, or lied to and still keep throwing their money at the person/company doing these things to them is called, at least in the olden days, A SUCKER.

 

[TrevHead]

But if I do, then it encourages Capcom to not release AA games. They use Okamiden as an excuse to not release AAI2.

You probably are wondering what I mean, well Capcom says since the first AAI worldwide sales(which was just JP and US.) were outdone by Okamidens(which was sold in every region) we don't get any more AA games. Logic, huh?

Ah I get you, well I suppose all you can do is talk about AA, about what great games they are to get others wanting another game. Or just buy a clone, the industry loves to jump on the bandwagon. Ignoring Okamiden won't solve anything it's a totally different game.

As someone who likes shmups and arcade beat em ups both super niche genres, it's annoying not seeing the games released that I want to play but I accept the fact that i'm in too niche a bracket to make an impact and just do what I can and try to keep those and the enjoyment of other games separate.

Considering the large amount of shmups on the 360 for the tiny demographic who buys them it's not so bad. Most STG fans (with money to burn) tend to just buying multiple copies of a game they want to support, plus the (good) DLC, merchandise and OST

 

[The Artificially Prolonged]

So... who's up for throwing the biggest damn tantrum in the world to get Crytek to make a new Timesplitters game?

Or to make Lucasarts make Battlefront 3?

Because I'd be down for that.

Oh I am!

Crytek, when are we getting Timesplitters 4?
Crytek, when are we getting Timesplitters 4?
Crytek, when are we getting Timesplitters 4?
Crytek, when are we getting Timesplitters 4?
Crytek, when are we getting Timesplitters 4?
Crytek, when are we getting Timesplitters 4?
Crytek, when are we getting Timesplitters 4?
Crytek, when are we getting Timesplitters 4?

By all means totally real robot who is in no way a human wearing boxes, allow me to help you *ahem*... WAAAAH, WAAAAAAAAAH, WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!

I wanna kill dimensional shamblers along side Captain Ash, Kalamari and Monkeys again.

Hey I'm a totally legit robot, its just that my operating system doesn't support metal armour. If only I could upgrade to some newer version with better hardware

Anyway I think we've made a good start, though I think we can be more whiny. Do we know anyone who can hold their breath for a long time or stamp their feet loudly?

 

[Timnoldzim]

Now the real question is how can we get the Call of Duty sequels to stop?

Get everyone you know to stop buying.

 

[Cid Silverwing]

Guys.

Nothing works. Boycotts don't work, whining doesn't work, absolutely nothing works.

Not until we get rid of publishers as a whole and give developers better ability to self-publish their IP.

I can cry an ocean over Mass Effect 3's ending and EA won't listen, no matter how many of us do it. BioWare remains in insufferable denial and clings to their imagined "artistic integrity". That tack-on patch of "extended cuts" didn't fix shit. They just don't CARE. EA will crush, burn, mix and repeat until they have their golden money palace, consumer opinion be damned.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

For me the big lol boycott was the MASSIVE "Boycott MW2" group on Steam; day one, roughly half of them were playing. And you know, I think that's the biggest part of where the whole "Quit whining, you know you'll buy it anyway" thing came from anyway. We all have this image of people proclaiming that they're going to boycott a game, yet when the chips are down, they're standing in line outside of Gamestop for the midnight release.

That was about 12 people of the group which were currently online. So yeah about 1/2 the first page was of a group that was ~850 in size and of a boycott that got ~250,000 signature and saw the return of basically everything bar modding in the next instalment.

Just saiyin that was a high circumstantial picture especially given that if you go on VG chartz according to retail sales MW 2 PC sold more exactly less the boycott's worth of units compared to CoD 4.

 

[WhiteTigerShiro]

Just saiyin that was a high circumstantial picture especially given that if you go on VG chartz according to retail sales MW 2 PC sold more exactly less the boycott's worth of units compared to CoD 4.

Which, as the video already discussed, only succeeds in sending the wrong message. Activision won't look at those numbers and say "Wow, we better put more effort into the PC version" (which is what the boycott was about), they'll look at those numbers and say "Hm, fewer sales on PC, we better make sure not to spend any more money on the PC version than what it costs to port from the consoles".

 

[CD-R]

Where does not buying Mass Effect 3 fall in the case of not wanting to buy it somewhere other than Steam?

Not buying something because it doesn't have your favorite form of DRM on it? Uhhh hmmmm.

 

[Redd the Sock]

The problem with boycotts is they leave important details in the hand of narcissistic tools that seem to miss the point. They actually seem surprised people might get upset at having content put on the disk to be sold back to us, and as such would blame falling sales on market saturation or lack of interest in the series long before any decision they made. Without some voice saying, this pissed us off and cost you a sale, publishers will miss the point every time.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

Just saiyin that was a high circumstantial picture especially given that if you go on VG chartz according to retail sales MW 2 PC sold more exactly less the boycott's worth of units compared to CoD 4.

Which, as the video already discussed, only succeeds in sending the wrong message. Activision won't look at those numbers and say "Wow, we better put more effort into the PC version" (which is what the boycott was about), they'll look at those numbers and say "Hm, fewer sales on PC, we better make sure not to spend any more money on the PC version than what it costs to port from the consoles".

You really just ignored what I said. The boycott was about removed features such as lean, modding and dedicated servers all which were put back in bar one so all in all it did its job fairly well. It basically made them PR wise say we better put in more effort next time.

 

[CardinalPiggles]

Fucking great, what a message to be sending out to the sheep.