I am willing to risk it, but this is a thread of a different sort compared to what you have seen in the past few days. I will not name names, I will not make any accusations to any game developers or any members. I am just pointing out what we all know in our hearts: this is WRONG.
Now, many will say things like, "Oh, but it's fair," or "It's within the rules." Well, ladies and gentlemen, I have come to the realization that there is undeniable evidence that suggests that these people are wrong.
Voting to obtain an agreement is an important practice in democracy. Is that not what March Mayhem is all about? To come to a decision through the mass participation and input of opinions in a large group of individuals? To figure out which developer is most loved by the Escapists. Let me break this down with an example:
Alright, now we're going to have the Escapist Forums be represented as a nation, a body of people coming together to form a democratic republic. Although many of you may not be from this specific country, I'm going to use the United States as the example, mainly because it's system of government is most familiar to me. The Presidential election is very similar to the March Mayhem voting, right? They go through the process of elimination in order to come down to two candidates and have a final vote to figure out which is the winner. The Escapist Website now closely resembles the US system of government, doesn't it?
Now, let's say during the election, the people from a different country have been heavily informed of all the details of the election for the US Presidency. After hearing all the candidates, these foreign people decided upon one candidate that they would prefer in office for the United States. They decided to rally together and come over for one day, Election Day, and vote against the candidate that they disagree with. When the voting day is done, they high-tail it back to their country, most never setting foot in America ever again.
Sound fair? Hell, does it even sound possible? No, because in order to vote, you have to become a full fledged United States citizen, which is very difficult and impossible if you want to go back to your own country the next day. Now, imagine that becoming a US citizen was as easy as pushing a button. Doesn't that sound scary? Knowing that people could come into the country and completely screw up your system of government in mass droves of people within a single day?
People, what is going on is not fair. You cannot argue that any of what you are doing is fair, even though many people DID exactly that when this happened last year. Becoming a member of the Escapist for one day and voting for your favorite developer in a competition specifically made for Escapists to partake in, NONE of that is in anyway fair.
I am making this specifically so that if last year's events happen again, no one will be able to defend the absolute bastardizing that March Mayhem went through. All because someone decided to advertise this contest to bias websites and have them come over in droves to make sure their favorite wins.
Don't let it happen, Escapists. Vote against this juggernaut, and end it before we all regret it!
EDIT: I know you think I may be taking this too seriously, (I know March Mayhem isn't nearly as important as a vote of Presidency) but I just wanted to present an argument to those who would believe this is fair.
Now, many will say things like, "Oh, but it's fair," or "It's within the rules." Well, ladies and gentlemen, I have come to the realization that there is undeniable evidence that suggests that these people are wrong.
Voting to obtain an agreement is an important practice in democracy. Is that not what March Mayhem is all about? To come to a decision through the mass participation and input of opinions in a large group of individuals? To figure out which developer is most loved by the Escapists. Let me break this down with an example:
Alright, now we're going to have the Escapist Forums be represented as a nation, a body of people coming together to form a democratic republic. Although many of you may not be from this specific country, I'm going to use the United States as the example, mainly because it's system of government is most familiar to me. The Presidential election is very similar to the March Mayhem voting, right? They go through the process of elimination in order to come down to two candidates and have a final vote to figure out which is the winner. The Escapist Website now closely resembles the US system of government, doesn't it?
Now, let's say during the election, the people from a different country have been heavily informed of all the details of the election for the US Presidency. After hearing all the candidates, these foreign people decided upon one candidate that they would prefer in office for the United States. They decided to rally together and come over for one day, Election Day, and vote against the candidate that they disagree with. When the voting day is done, they high-tail it back to their country, most never setting foot in America ever again.
Sound fair? Hell, does it even sound possible? No, because in order to vote, you have to become a full fledged United States citizen, which is very difficult and impossible if you want to go back to your own country the next day. Now, imagine that becoming a US citizen was as easy as pushing a button. Doesn't that sound scary? Knowing that people could come into the country and completely screw up your system of government in mass droves of people within a single day?
People, what is going on is not fair. You cannot argue that any of what you are doing is fair, even though many people DID exactly that when this happened last year. Becoming a member of the Escapist for one day and voting for your favorite developer in a competition specifically made for Escapists to partake in, NONE of that is in anyway fair.
I am making this specifically so that if last year's events happen again, no one will be able to defend the absolute bastardizing that March Mayhem went through. All because someone decided to advertise this contest to bias websites and have them come over in droves to make sure their favorite wins.
Don't let it happen, Escapists. Vote against this juggernaut, and end it before we all regret it!
EDIT: I know you think I may be taking this too seriously, (I know March Mayhem isn't nearly as important as a vote of Presidency) but I just wanted to present an argument to those who would believe this is fair.
