secretkeeper12 said:Most gamers have heard of the webcomic-turned-franchise Penny Arcade. Published by Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins, the duo have generated a substantial audience with their work. With this influence, Mike and Jerry have the potential to change the world.
But they don't do it.
Not say say that they've done nothing. Child's Play is a charity they have founded, but with a mission goal of buying patients video games they support a more sinister purpose-namely, thr civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Conflict minerals-gold, cobalt, tin and wolfram mined by groups whose labor is forced by militant groups-are found in all our devices. The computer Jerry types on, the tablet Mike draws on, and the countless products the gaming community buy are all the result of this exploitive practice.
As celebrities in the gaming community, Jerry and Mike have a responsibility to respect human rights in their actions. This means addressing the very real scourge of conflict minerals and pressuring companies such as Nintendo to adopt due diligence guidelines. I could find no mention of these in Penny Arcade's archives.
Do you think Jerry and Mike have a duty to support ethical consumer practices? Leave your thoughts below.
I pray that both of these post are meant to be satire. Especially the line "esteemable" Ben Kuchera.StreamerDarkly said:Sadly, I'm not surprised to hear of this news. Penny Arcade has been on a collision course with moral bankruptcy ever since they let go of their most esteemable staff member, Benjamin Kuchera. In predictable fashion, they seek to obfuscate their true motives of perpetuating patriarchal dominance with the obvious smokescreen of a children's charity. I'll wait for the final word from the revered journalist P. Hernandez, but it doesn't look good.
No, it shows you need to be smart with what you do with your money. Everything you can do with it exists within a wider social context. If said society is exploitive, you need to address this.Imperator_DK said:So, the reward for funding a charity to buy games for sick kids is to be held accountable for how these games were produced?
This is exactly why there is no need to bother with helping out the world.
Intel has actually been a very good company in this area. After Fairphone.com, they've done the most work auditing their supply chain.Dragonbums said:If this is the argument your going to make there are literally much bigger fish to fry in that regards than fucking Penny Arcade. Seriously, Intel and Apple have an astronomically bigger problem with this than a two-man website.
I would gladly email them if they would provide an address. As it stands, Twitter is the only way a layman can contact them (which I've done to no response)Rahkshi500 said:Well, like most people here, in Penny Arcade wants to talk about those issues, then they are free to do that. However, a responsibility is not the same as an obligation; they're not obligated to do that because they purchase equipment. If you wanted them to talk about such topics, then I think it would be more preferable to send them an email or something requesting them to talk about such things.
What is so unbelievable about holding the gaming industry accountable for our role in war-ridden parts of the world? Critical Intel even ran a piece on it a while back. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/columns/criticalintel/10039-Conflict-Minerals-and-the-Game-Industry-The-Problem] Has everyone just forgotten about it?Spider RedNight said:Wait... so is this thread serious? I thought it wasn't serious but the OP has posted again so it SEEMS serious
What is so unbelievable about holding the gaming industry accountable for our role in war-ridden parts of the world? Critical Intel even ran a piece on it a while back. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/columns/criticalintel/10039-Conflict-Minerals-and-the-Game-Industry-The-Problem] Has everyone just forgotten about it?Spider RedNight said:Wait... so is this thread serious? I thought it wasn't serious but the OP has posted again so it SEEMS serious
Putting aside that your video embed failed, I don't see the connection between it and these two guys.secretkeeper12 said:Snip
Well he has ridden a robotic vampire dracula in from orbit and fought dinosaur jet pilots. So punching Putin would be pretty much up his alley. xDFalloutJack said:Yeah, that's like saying Dr. McNinja has a responsibility to punch out Vladimir Putin.
...I mean, that'd be cool and all, but he's not required to.
Actually, I'm going to go right ahead and disagree with you right there. When your actions lead to the direct result of harming innocent people, you absolutely do have a responsibility to try and change that. And we are all culpable when it comes to how our electronics are produced. The problem is most people won't bother ever doing anything about it so nothing gets better. Either because they don't know about the problem or they choose to ignore it because they don't think they have any responsibility to their fellow man. It might be nice to fall into those categories, but they're still bad and the latter is specifically immoral.tippy2k2 said:No. No they do not.
The same argument I give for celebrities, sports stars, and billionaire tech moguls; it would be really really really really nice of them to share their wealth and help people less fortunate than them but there is no one who should be "required" to do anything like that. It's their money and their time; they can do whatever the hell they want with it (you know...within the bounds of the law obviously).
Well, I'm not really one to seek to gauge the effects on world politics and global environment when buying a copy of Wolfenstein: The New Order.secretkeeper12 said:...
No, it shows you need to be smart with what you do with your money. Everything you can do with it exists within a wider social context.
Why?If said society is exploitive, you need to address this.
One we all share, eh? Well, would that mean you'll be willing to put your money where your mouth is? Because a problem that some people bring up that everyone has a social responsibility are usually those who would rather not bear that kind of responsibility and instead have others do it for them while they recklessly use their money however they want. And keep in mind, not everyone is going to be able to have the kind ability to be able to contribute to change. And as other people may have pointed out, why Penny Arcade of all people? A group of webcomic hosts are not going to be able to do a whole lot to ever create the kind of change you're asking for, so why them of all people? Because they're internet celebrities who donated to charity? If that's the case, then why aren't you trying to contact the rest of the celebrities in the gaming community about it? Jimquisition, MovieBob, TotalBiscuit, Angry Joe, the Escapist, or even any other video game-based website or group who had at least made a charity or contributed to a charity? I think having these groups together would have more influence and capacity for change than just only Penny Arcade.secretkeeper12 said:I would gladly email them if they would provide an address. As it stands, Twitter is the only way a layman can contact them (which I've done to no response)
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When I speak of social responsibility, it is one we all share. Warlords are reaping massive profits off co flict minerals, and being celebrities Mike and Jerry are in a unique position to affect change. Reaping the benefits of an inhumane system makes us all responsible, but these two more than anyone can inform the gaming community about this issue.
Oh. My. God.[footnote]Honestly, I don't know why I have this reaction. I've lived with Vikki for too long. My roommate would see something on facebook that is totes unrelated to her life and do the exact same thing. Oh. My. God. Brett like, asked Xander out. This is gonna be so fucking awkward. KAAAHAHAHAHAAAA! Jesus lady, that fucking cackle. Go see a goddamn doctor.[/footnote]secretkeeper12 said:Most gamers have heard of the webcomic-turned-franchise Penny Arcade. Published by Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins, the duo have generated a substantial audience with their work. With this influence, Mike and Jerry have the potential to change the world.
But they don't do it.
I can at least understand that argument because then it falls on EVERYONE, not just the "celebrities". The big problem I have with a lot of these "they're wealthy/powerful/influential, therefore they must rally for change" is that it shifts the blame onto someone else. "SEE! It's not MY responsibility! I don't have the wealth/power/influence that Penny Arcade has! THEY should be the ones that have to do something about it!".Vivi22 said:Actually, I'm going to go right ahead and disagree with you right there. When your actions lead to the direct result of harming innocent people, you absolutely do have a responsibility to try and change that. And we are all culpable when it comes to how our electronics are produced. The problem is most people won't bother ever doing anything about it so nothing gets better. Either because they don't know about the problem or they choose to ignore it because they don't think they have any responsibility to their fellow man. It might be nice to fall into those categories, but they're still bad and the latter is specifically immoral.tippy2k2 said:No. No they do not.
The same argument I give for celebrities, sports stars, and billionaire tech moguls; it would be really really really really nice of them to share their wealth and help people less fortunate than them but there is no one who should be "required" to do anything like that. It's their money and their time; they can do whatever the hell they want with it (you know...within the bounds of the law obviously).
Yeah, I could of worded that better. Is it bad that they are using a company to make merchandise that has a history of treating those under it less than shit? Of course. But then I highly doubt the people of Penny Arcade are really are the evil types to not give a shit about that. I'm sure if you provide them with a much better alternative (money wise, these guys aren't exactly swimming in money) then I'm sure they'd take it.thaluikhain said:While that is true, it doesn't absolve Penny Arcade. There's always something worse.Dragonbums said:If this is the argument your going to make there are literally much bigger fish to fry in that regards than fucking Penny Arcade. Seriously, Intel and Apple have an astronomically bigger problem with this than a two-man website.
Of course, Penny Arcade does seem like a rather odd choice to complain about, rather than the industry in general, say.
Well, see, here's the thing. If you take just about every commonly used type of product and trace its development back far enough, you're more than likely going to find something shady, exploitative, and/or just fucked up. Here's a random example grabbed right off the top of my head. Do you like scrambled eggs? Would you consider there to be anything bad about enjoying scrambled eggs? Ever wonder what happens to male chicks?secretkeeper12 said:When I speak of social responsibility, it is one we all share. Warlords are reaping massive profits off co flict minerals, and being celebrities Mike and Jerry are in a unique position to affect change. Reaping the benefits of an inhumane system makes us all responsible, but these two more than anyone can inform the gaming community about this issue.