Meet Yahtzee at PAX, Get Stuff

[onamie]

i dont believe in miracles or that what i like will probably happen in life and ... but i write this comment hoping that tomorrow i find out that escapist opologized from the fans and stoped this non scense.
ps.dont get me wrong i love yahtzee (although he probably doesnt love me as a fan but he can kiss my ass)and escapist(who are rapidly becoming less like gamers and more like corporate ppl) and i realy dont care aboute this action in particulare but mostly about the direction escapist is heading towards.
just think is this were you want to go and how you want to be remembered
NOTE: sry 4 bad eng not my first language.

 

[Susan Arendt]

In exchange for you donations

Some of you seem to be missing the point entirely. And we are not billing this as a charity because it's clearly not. This is an opportunity for some Zero Punctuation fans to really interact with their favorite video game critic, and have them get something in return. We're not asking for donations in the strictest sense of the word because you're getting something in return if you choose to participate. If you choose not to participate, that's fine too.

If we're getting the wrong impression, it's likely because of your language. The word donation is typically used in reference to either a benefit, or a charity. Lot's of charities give something in return for donations. A gift does not preclude something from being a charity.

Ok, that's fair. Gimme a sec and I'll change that to "contributions." Should help clear up some of the confusion.

 

[Zhadramekel]

One question. Why the hell does none of this stuff ever happen in the UK?

 

[ResonanceSD]

One question. Why the hell does none of this stuff ever happen in the UK?

Because Gabe and Tycho aren't British.

 

[Smooth Operator]

So it finally happened, you are pimping Yahtzee's nerdy milky white ass out for money, I'm in!

 

[Mad1Cow]

Gah, see I'd like to contribute to this stuff but 1) I don't operate with US tender 2) I'm the unemployed student type so unless you have an 80% off student discount I'm nowhere near able to pay for this stuff 3) apparently we don't operate with 19 year olds and 4) it's a whole lot more work than there is reward.

It's like wanting to go to Disneyland, sure it's everything you've ever wanted and more, but you're not gonna eat again for about 5 years that's for sure, unless you're just rolling in gold like Scrooge McDuck. If I was I would fly myself to Australia, take residence in a house down his street, whip out the binoculars and try to strike conversations with him as we both *conveniantely* bump into each other whilst going for the morning coffee run...

 

[Estelindis]

You know, to all the people complaining about this... No one is forcing anyone to do anything. If (like me), you don't think this cause is worthy of your money, let it stay right in your pocket. When someone asks you for anything, you have the choice to say no. Or not even say anything.


And please, don't compare this to what the guys in Extra Credit did. It's a forum poster who drew that comparison, which doesn't seem to be the point at all. It's merely a "help Yahtzee out and get to ask him stuff. Or not, but if you do, thank you."

If you'd read my post, you would have seen that I fully realise and acknowledge that no one is being forced to pay anything. If people decide to use their money in this way, that is their prerogative. I don't believe anyone raising concerns about this issue has said otherwise at any point.

What I am asking the Escapist is whether they are using exactly the same method to seek donations that Extra Credits did as a coincidence that they decided on independently, or if the success of Extra Credits was a motivating factor here.

As for the actual initiative itself, I have two questions:
1) Does it really cost $20,000 to send someone to PAX?
2) Do you really believe that you will get "the single biggest meetup for fans of The Escapist ever to hit the Earth" while charging $100 per person for admission?
I'll admit, the practical details leave me as baffled as anything else.

 

[M-JN]

This might get you a little cash, Escapist, and I know Yahtzee's a fairly decent guy offscreen, but nobody likes their own screaming fans and he's never been the type to pretend he does. He won't enjoy it, so whoever gets to hang with him probably won't enjoy it either, and it all seems like a bad set of ideas to me.

Off topic and to no one in particular, I saw a guy at Steamcon last year who was just a freaking dead ringer for Yahtzee, hat and face and goatee and general posture, just sittin' by himself not in costume or anything, and it was super hard not to go pester him... logically I knew there was no reason for an Australian critic to be at a genre con in the states, but the fan in me is not a bright one. I didn't. Sometimes I wish I had. The end.

 

[The Breadcrab]

I'm sorry, but this is horse s***. Shame on you Escapist and Rockethub, for abusing a fundraising system that Extra Credits used. Not only was it for a good cause, but they were very polite about it, we got rewards, and they genuinely thanked us for the support. Here, we're paying our hard-earned money so that a well-off British man can have his fat arse transported to an event? And for what? So we can talk to him? So we can encourage this kind of shameful cash-in crap in the future? I like Yahtzee and the Escapist as much as anyone but this is flat-out ridiculous.

No deal, guys. You took this too far. I sincerely hope you don't try this again in the future, because we're certainly not going to stick around for long afterwards. Call this strike 1, if you will.

 

[Estelindis]

Some clarification is in order, if what I think is happening is actually happening.

I may...have actually spurred the Escapist editors into considering using voluntary donation things in a manner that could benefit Escapists. Not specifically this, but you know how it is with an idea. You get one down, pass it around, 98 bottles of beer on the wall and soon somebody thinks it's a good approach to something else they can do.

Did this spurring happen in one or more public posts to which you could link us? I'd just do a search on your profile, mind, but six thousand posts is way more than I want to sort through. ;-)

Look: voluntary donation is ultimately all well and good. People are free to use their money in whatever way they find meaningful - and, in a sense, all gifts are good, simply because they are gifts. I just find this particular instance thereof somewhat confusing. The Escapist already has things like the Publisher's Club initiative as a way for people who want to support the Escapist financially to do so, while simultaneously receiving some tangible benefit. Accordingly, it's not like this exactly came out of the blue. It's only if it's an attempt to copy a worthy charitable initiative, to somehow lend travel expenses a certain moral equivalence with surgery, that it comes across as in poor taste, and in that context I cannot support it.

 

[ImprovizoR]

I honestly wish I cared. But Yahtzee is just a funny internet guy to me. Nothing more. And paying to hang out with someone is awkward for all involved.

 

[Archon]

I guess I'd feel somewhat more assured if I knew exactly where the money was going. Even if the Escapist were to say, "We're taking the money so we never have to run another fscking SlimJim ad," y'know, I'd give that serious consideration.

If users were willing to contribute enough for us to publish The Escapist without ads, I can assure you we would be willing to run the site without ads. Perhaps we could do a $250,000 Rockethub project - if we hit the target we'll turn off ads for a month?

Anyway, regarding other concerns here:
1) I was the one who recommended that Extra Credits use RocketHub. RocketHub's attorney is a close personal friend of mine. We have been monitoring crowdsourcing as an opportunity for a long time.

2) Suggesting that this idea is somehow "wrong" because its not for charity tells me you have no idea what RocketHub is actually for. RocketHub is not meant to be primarily for charitable causes. In fact RocketHub specifically rules out using RocketHub for charity.

If you don't believe me, read RocketHub's official FAQ:
http://rockethub.org/profiles/blogs/your-project-description
"#5 ? Disclaimers: It?s important to explain that RocketHub is neither an investment nor a charity. It is an exchange ? Rewards for RocketFuel. Trade, not aid."

REPEAT: RocketHub is not a charity. Traid, not aid. We're not asking you for your charity for Yahtzee. We came up with some things we thought you might like, such as an exclusive poster. We're offering those things for sale. If enough of you take those offers, then we're promisng to use the funds to send Yahtzee to PAX and do a big meet-up with his fans. if not, then... we won't do that.

Put another way: The Escapist might have just offered signed exclusive ZP posters for sale, like we normally sell our merchandise. Rather than offer to use the money to send him to PAX, we might have used the money to just throw ourselves an office party with bacardi and strippers.

Are you seriously going to argue that (a) selling posters while promising to use money to send Yahtzee to PAX is NOT acceptable, but (b) selling posters while making no promises is acceptable?

Or is the position that The Escapist ought not sell anything, because Capitalism is EEEEVIL?

 

[Mad1Cow]

Actually I wonder if Yahtzee will be depressed if no-one ends up going to the VIP table...oh sure, people will, they'll be the annoying, rich, fan-boys that don't understand why he won't like that game (have fun with that =3) but it's honestly looking to end out that way.

The way I see it atm, a small change to the pricing of such things would net you A LOT more support. Most of the negative comments are about the lack of being able to get to PAX or the lack of fund (excluding the 'ripping off Extra Credits' comments, but I seriously doubt they were rubbing their hands together thinking they just landed a cash cow). Seriously, posters should be, what $10-15, $30 tops. It costs roughly $35 to be there for a day, $60 for 3 days. It should be $25-40 for the Escapist fan meet-up (honestly don't see why this isn't free because won't it just be a meet-up of people who work for the Escapist and the fans?) while VIP seats should be $100-150...maybe $200 at a push. The credits outro thing should be cheaper than the imp-personator thing.

It's just, people will have shelled out $30 to get there if they live in the area already, us other devotees would have had to pay $60 + hotel fees + transport fees etc. I don't see the usual fans that want to meet up and chat about all things Escapist would want to pay $100 to do that, I'd actually laugh if they just lined up outside and did the exact same thing for free. The VIP table is the MAIN thing people will be paying for, so...I dunno, $500 is WAY too expensive for anyone who actually would want to buy the guy a drink in respect.

 

[FalloutJack]

-Micronized!-

Sorry, but the whole thing evolved from a private conversation with a staff person who suggested I email the editors.

However, the premise of my idea was that if anyone wanted to use money so that they could get rid of the Escapist's more irritating attributes for EVERYBODY (like the ads and crap like that which is complained about often enough), they could and we could all benefit. To me, it's easy for them to join the dots and figure on using voluntary contribution for fueling some sort of event.

I'm just going on the record to say that if this was the result of stuff that I said, it's not what I suggested at all. This was gonna be for everybody, at any time, perma-basis to help the site, period.

 

[Doc Theta Sigma]

I'm sorry Escapist. But this has crossed a line. The amount of money you're asking for rather paltry prizes is ridiculous and as has been said many times in this thread, Yahtzee has never pretended to like his fans. So any meet up involving him will be a rather sour awkward affair. Allison needed that surgery and regardless of what wording you put it in, you've seen the potential for money making and decided to charge at it like a bull at a gate.

Even if this is a complete coincidence it looks bloody suspicious. To be honest I'd like to see what Yahtzee has to say about all this. This is cashing in. Plain and simple. And from that video it sounds like he doesn't particular want to take part. I'm aware nobody is being forced to "contribute" but this is just poor taste. You'll get no support from me.

 

[Susan Arendt]

(honestly don't see why this isn't free because won't it just be a meet-up of people who work for the Escapist and the fans?)

Sure, that's one way to do it. We could just find a big enough open space and say "hey, everyone, show up!" Or we could try to find a place that serves food and beverages, and maybe even provide some of that for guests. There are many different ways a meet-up can happen. We'd like to do something really special, which naturally takes more money.

If it turns out that we can't do that, then we'll fall back on the big open space idea. And hope it doesn't rain. It is Seattle, after all.