Notch Dumps on EA "Indie Bundle"
- Thread starter Andy Chalk
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So if Notch says indie games are good for the gaming community, and Mojang is no longer indie, does that mean he's saying that his company isn't good for the gaming community?
Well, if you want to get all black and white about it. Of course nothing is so simple.The Great JT said:
But let's just say if I were a grand ruler and needed to appoint my grand vizier/adviser/second in command/councilor I'd pick Mr. Persson over EA any and every day.
Nowhere does he say major labels are inherently bad... He just says that about EA.Steve the Pocket said:
Huge companies lack creativity because it is too financially risky.
The indie guys don't have enough money to be anything BUT as creative as possible.
Notch is just scared. What will happen if a company like EA tries to get a slice of that small indie pie? They'd eat the whole thing if they could because they don't want friends and they don't want to share.
That is the nature of a publicly traded corporation like EA. Money is the ONLY goal. The same can't always be said for the guys who go out to make games on their own.
That takes a real passion and we don't want to loose that (but I don't think we ever will).
The indie guys don't have enough money to be anything BUT as creative as possible.
Notch is just scared. What will happen if a company like EA tries to get a slice of that small indie pie? They'd eat the whole thing if they could because they don't want friends and they don't want to share.
That is the nature of a publicly traded corporation like EA. Money is the ONLY goal. The same can't always be said for the guys who go out to make games on their own.
That takes a real passion and we don't want to loose that (but I don't think we ever will).
How many developer studios are EA directly responsible for closing? Yeah, thats right.Andy Chalk said:
He didn't make a public statement, he tweeted. He used social media to express his oppinion, like you are. If he'd made a press conference, starting with the wods "As the worlds must foremost expert on indie, I proclaim..." you might have a point but he simply spoke his mind on twitter. It was the Escapist that lifted up his quotes as news, you can't blame Nocth for thatzombie711 said:
Edit: accidenatly posted only half my reply
When did he claim he was an arbiter? He just tweeted. Everyone and his grandma has talked about the EA indie-bundle today and called them out for it. The Escapist did it earlier today. Why does him tweeting bother you. Notch didn't make a statement, he didn't write a blogpost or article, he gave his opinion in a tweet. How is that different from you giving your opinion in a comment? He don't put his tweets on the front page of the Escapist, the Escapist did that. I just don't get why this guys opinion always gets blown out of proportion.The.Bard said:
I'm not sure if I agree. These games are indeed indie, but EA isn't, so it's a rather grey area. And don't big publishers also use their funds to branch out into indie stuff - making this brand entirely valid?
Besides, if they hadn't used this marketing, this article wouldn't have existed and I wouldn't have heard about the bundle until after May the 9th and these games would have been sitting on my backburner for ever. Now I'm going to get at least two of them. So in a way there is merrit in that.
Besides, if they hadn't used this marketing, this article wouldn't have existed and I wouldn't have heard about the bundle until after May the 9th and these games would have been sitting on my backburner for ever. Now I'm going to get at least two of them. So in a way there is merrit in that.
Oh joy, Notch was an indie guy and now that the big publisher's are getting in on it (and rightly should be) it's evil. Ooh, the big publisher is beating up on the little guy.
The truth is indie developers need to get with big publishers. Big publishers need to open up independent sub-studios and devote some modest funding to let them work. But no, it's the big bad scary publisher beating up on everyone.
The truth is indie developers need to get with big publishers. Big publishers need to open up independent sub-studios and devote some modest funding to let them work. But no, it's the big bad scary publisher beating up on everyone.
and once again we see Notch, coming from a background devoid of politics and fame and having it thrust upon him, screwed up by not making a rash statement. Notch is no longer one of us lowly gamers who can make all kind of ignorant gut statements on forums and get away with it. People care and he need to remember that people are watching him like a hawk.
Also EA is not destroying gaming. They make games and they sure as hell aren't going to destroy their own business. They may be unintentionally destroying gaming but its not the empire launching a methodical plan to destroy the industry and thus themselves.
Also, 'indie' means that you don't have a publisher. Minecraft is no longer indie because his company became a publisher.
Also EA is not destroying gaming. They make games and they sure as hell aren't going to destroy their own business. They may be unintentionally destroying gaming but its not the empire launching a methodical plan to destroy the industry and thus themselves.
Also, 'indie' means that you don't have a publisher. Minecraft is no longer indie because his company became a publisher.
Okay, people are bitching about this and throwing fecal substance in random directions over it, but I seem to recall this kind of thing being exactly what everyone was asking for the big publishers to do, some time ago, that is, to lend more support to the independent game developers. Did anyone really think, at that time, that the big publishers were just going to throw money at independents without some kind of ROI expectation, name/brand recognition, at the very least? Or is the real issue simply that it's EA doing this rather than some less hated publisher?
Have we changed our expectations in light of digital distribution providing more avenue for independents to be able to market and sell their games without big publisher intervention or assistance?
Have we changed our expectations in light of digital distribution providing more avenue for independents to be able to market and sell their games without big publisher intervention or assistance?
Personally, I don't care much what Notch has to say. Every time he makes a statement he's only reaffirming opinions held by the masses. It sounds almost cowardly coming from him. either he's affirming people so we think he's a nice person regardless of how much money he has only doesn't have anything interesting to say. It's pathetic either way.
He may have built up Mojang into a successful independent developer but to me it seems that he's still a another naïve and self-important indie developer.
He may have built up Mojang into a successful independent developer but to me it seems that he's still a another naïve and self-important indie developer.
The problem with this argument is that it implies that everyone who consumes games even gives a moment's thought to the effect of their purchase in the industry. There are many who do, but I'd hardly call them the majority, would you? Good thing you get to this below. I don't think however that we should labour under the delusion that just because a consumer purchases something, they consciously support everything that product does inside their minds if they give the issue thought. "Yes please" may be the message sent to the company, but that's how they'd like to interpret a purchase for their own convenience. It's not necessarily what the consumer individually thinks at all.Andy Chalk said:
That's true, but if we blame the purchasing public, then those of us who do try to consume meaningfully and with a mind for what to support in the industry will not be able to win any victories or change in the short term. It's a dubious idea that we'd ever get better control in the longer term, so it's short term or nothing. Call me pessimistic.
I don't believe that anyone suggested that there's a gun to anybody's head. "Ruining games" and "destroying" may be hyperbole, but I think we all get the idea that what Notch really means is that EA is acting a bit like Microsoft - it's trying to touch every single part of the market until there's nowhere left without its influence.
While Microsoft's own dominance of certain parts of the world economy has its benefits, like amazing operating systems, it's also probably stopped a great majority of people from experiencing variety and creative or innovative solutions produced by other companies. EA could have the same effect over time as this to gaming and the gaming industry, and I think that in a very short hand and headline attracting fashion, Notch means to warn us that this may happen.
It worked on The Escapist, after all. It got the word out.
I have to kind of disagree with Notch with how harsh Notch is being to a small degree but EA isn't really being better. They went through a nice phase awhile ago and while I would be glad to see them keep stuff like this up I doubt it will last unless it makes them money. If it does make them money I'm afraid they'll spit it out like a conveyor belt.
I do disagree that it should be called an indie bundle though. Not being a fan of EA expansionism.
I do disagree that it should be called an indie bundle though. Not being a fan of EA expansionism.
Isn't that more or less what Notch does? Launch into borderline histrionics on touchy subjects?Andy Chalk said:
He strikes me as Yahtzee without the sweet hat or the understanding that what he's saying is somewhat tongue in cheek.
And wants to bar other people from experiencing it even once, because marriage is sacred and should only be shared between one man, one woman, and that man's mistresses.DVS BSTrD said:
Unfortunately, that hasn't been true for a while.Brainst0rm said:
It is, because Valve/Steam are acting as the distributor and in some cases publisher. Just like EA.draythefingerless said:
You know, I don't want to come off as an EA hater, but that's dangerously close to "but children like working in coal mines for 5 dollars a day. And it builds character!"Andy Chalk said:
Shank and Deathspank aren't really new or innovative, though. Nor is Gatling Gears. The only one I haven't played is Warp. These games are sorta paint-by-numbers. And in all cases I can talk about but Gatling Gears, they're good paint by numbers. But they're still not really bringing anything new to gaming.Hornet0404 said:
And yes, I'd rather have EA make interesting games. But I don't think that's the issue here.
Valve did an indie bundle? Wat?Buretsu said:
(Keep in mind that the "BUY ALL OUR THINGS" bundles are not "indie bundles".)
OMG WHO CARES WHAT NOTCH HAS TO SAY!!!
ok now that I got that out of my system...I don't really see the problem behind this
ok now that I got that out of my system...I don't really see the problem behind this