Poll: How do you feel about the denial of EA being the Worst Company in America?

[hazabaza1]

They're a shitty company but nowhere near the worst. Stuff like this along with metacritic bombing are some of the many reasons why gamers still have the reputation of being immature idiots.

Stuff like this is how you get a response in the real world. It seems hypocritical to hate on gamers for acting immaturely when the rest of the country does it.

Refer back to my other post somewhere in the thread.
Calling Portal 2 a 0/10 game because it has purchasable cosmetics is not a way to get a response. Calling Mass Effect 3 a 0/10 game because of the ending is not the way to get a response. I don't inherently have an issue with review bombing or stuff like this but you find that "gamers" as a community complain about the most trivial things it's just laughable to take them seriously when there is an issue.

 

[Archer666]

There are waaaaaay more worse companies around than EA, bro. And nobody really cares about the Golden Poo anyway.

 

[wintercoat]

EA's corporate heads are a bag of dicks, there's no denying that. Their business practices and the way they treat their employees is horrendous. But they didn't crash the fucking economy.

Bank of America played dice with the U.S. economy, demanded that the tax payers pay their bills when they nearly went under, then turned around and gave that money to their corporate heads as a big fat bonus. They practically gave away homes to people who they knew couldn't afford it, using some of the most underhanded contracts ever written, then cried foul when the people couldn't make those payments, suing them for money they didn't have and taking their house away from them, all after milking them dry using high interest and hidden fees.

EA is a dick. Bank of America is fucking Snidely Whiplash, tying women to train tracks. And by god, we pay them to do it. And they aren't even the worst!!!

 

[Something Amyss]

Refer back to my other post somewhere in the thread.

Refer back to that same post. If we applied this standard universally, pretty much nobody would ever have a viable cause for the same reasons.

The fact is, this is how things work. Only select groups get called out on it, and it's a pity, because it does a disservice to everyone involved.

 

[hazabaza1]

Refer back to my other post somewhere in the thread.

Refer back to that same post. If we applied this standard universally, pretty much nobody would ever have a viable cause for the same reasons.

The fact is, this is how things work. Only select groups get called out on it, and it's a pity, because it does a disservice to everyone involved.

I'm struggling to think of a scenario where people use similar methods to the ones they do with EA and don't get called out on it.
Can't remember the exact example but I recall people bombing some woman's amazon book and while you had the odd person supporting it most of the time they were being called out on being unfair.

I think TheKasp said it in another thread pretty well that while a lot of the stuff that EA does and produces is bad, the average response is just so over the top with negativity it's hard to take them seriously when something that actually matters comes up.

 

[Project_Xii]

For awhile there my loathing of EA gave way, and I began to lean more towards Activision (and by association, Actiblizzion for what Diablo and Starcraft has become). Silly me. EA always knows how to come back swinging! No stupid mistake is big enough to be out performed by the next one!

 

[Mrkillhappy]

Are they the worst? Short answer no, but they are still pretty bad. EA is one of the companies cocking up the industry right now but they are no where near the worst company in the US though that doesn't mean they are their for good either.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

I don't care and I don't know why this thread was necessary. I don't like EA - I don't hate it either, I'm at most mildly irritated. I don't feel invested enough for more. I'm actually more annoyed by people taking every opportunity to shout EA IS TEH EVILZ!

What discussion did you hope to get out of this thread? I can say right now, you'll get people shouting EA IS TEH EVILZ, few that go NUH-HUH, and some explaining why other companies need to get the "award", because EA may not actually be the bastard spawn of Satan and Cthulhu. Oh, and some would question the reason for the thread - I'm one of those.

This.

OT: EA are dicks, but there are companies FAR FAR worse than them. Really, get some perspective. EA are jerks, but they aren't, say, out there cutting down the rain forests or killing the last of the humpback whales. There are companies in the world that ARE doing those things - they are far, far worse than EA. Oh wait, sorry, you said in America. Okay then.

Walmart is worse than EA - it drives out small businesses. Walmart hurts people in REAL LIFE - it causes them to lose their jobs. And if they get a job at Walmart, they will be treated like crap, paid crap, and get crap benefits. So Walmart is doing far more harm than EA, and is thus worse. And I don't even hate Walmart - their deals are too good.

Chick Fillet hates the gay community, even if they're pretending to hate them less lately. They're worse than EA.

Walgreen's (the Pharmacy) has training programs that encourage their Managers to not treat the other employees like people, but to 'dominate' them through fear. Yes, this is actually a thing. Walgreens HATES its employees (other then management) and actively seeks to abuse them. Again, IRL harm being done - they are worse than EA.

There you go - three off the top of my head.

If you want to hate EA, fine. But they aren't the Worst Company in America - not by a LONG shot.

 

[Murrdox]

The only reason that EA is in the running for "Worst Company in America" is because EA inspires so much internet rage from gamers, and gamers love raging on the internet, and the Consumerist is a popular internet site.

 

[trollnystan]

I don't buy EA games personally, but I'm not about to call someone who does an enabler of evil or whatever. Besides, I still buy Ubisoft games and they're almost as bad in my personal opinion (Assassin's Creed, I wish I knew how to quit you!) -_-;

So I voted for número quatro.

 

[TheJesus89]

EA is the worst game company, as far as I'm concerned.

Plummeting stocks mean their much criticized business practices are failing completely, and it's pretty obvious that gamers are more than displeased.

Activision follows a similar business practice, but are incredibly successful. Activision has made smarter business decisions, better acquisitions, and better use of their IPs.

Personally, I'd rather see Activision crumble. However, EA is quantifiably less successful, so is therefor the "worst" game company.

As far as other companies outside of gaming, who knows. All I know is that EA has consistently under-performed and delivered products that have either been sub-par or not functioning at all.

 

[Hagi]

Considering EA does not:

- use child-labor.
- buy components from other companies using child-labor.
- cause massive environmental damage.
- buy components from other companies causing massive environmental damage.
- do other destructive shit.
- buy components from other companies doing other destructive shit.

EA's very, very, very minor when it comes to evil companies.

Though I guess that could earn them the awarded depending on your interpretation of worst, they're definitely not all that good at being a completely evil company.

In that way I could see them deserving this award. Some companies are just great companies. Some companies are just fucking evil. EA doesn't really seem to achieve much of anything beyond losing profits, stock prices and customers by being incompetent jerks.

 

[templar1138a]

Feeling inadequate much?

EA doesn't respect its customers, but they're not the worst company ever. Wal-Mart, Exxon Mobil, and Marlboro cigarettes come to mind as better candidates.

 

[Frankster]

Im sure if ye look hard enough you'll find at least one other american company that can be thought of as worst then EA.

If we talking just gaming companies though, then guess EA is a strong contender, the sim city launch was a wreck.

 

[Yopaz]

EA is a bad company. Now rank them up to companies that use child labour and tell me that always on DRM is worse than that.
What about car companies that knowingly let their third world workers work in conditions that pose large health risks and tell me making Dead Space 3 an action game is worse.
What about pharmaceutical companies that bought the patent of something that could save millions of lives in developing countries because there was no money to be earned on it and thus it shouldn't be made or sold by anyone? Is that worse than shutting down a developer?

Is anything of what EA has done worse than causing oil spills that have killed plants, animals and ruined farmers?

I wont say I sympathize with EA. I will say EA is getting more hate than it deserves though. EA isn't the worst company in America. I wish it could have been because what EA is doing might not be pleasurable, but if they were the worst the world would look quite bright.

 

[The Funslinger]

I just find it difficult to compare 'jerks customers around quite a bit' to 'outsources production to China and other such countries to take advantage of child labour in hellish conditions', which is the practice of Nike, and many US based clothes manufacturers.

EA is a bad company. Now rank them up to companies that use child labour and tell me that always on DRM is worse than that.
What about car companies that knowingly let their third world workers work in conditions that pose large health risks and tell me making Dead Space 3 an action game is worse.
What about pharmaceutical companies that bought the patent of something that could save millions of lives in developing countries because there was no money to be earned on it and thus it shouldn't be made or sold by anyone? Is that worse than shutting down a developer?

Is anything of what EA has done worse than causing oil spills that have killed plants, animals and ruined farmers?

I wont say I sympathize with EA. I will say EA is getting more hate than it deserves though. EA isn't the worst company in America. I wish it could have been because what EA is doing might not be pleasurable, but if they were the worst the world would look quite bright.

THANK YOU!

 

[PissOffRoth]

As you may know, with EA almost certain to get the WCIA

What the hell? Why doesn't Monsanto get that every single year?

 

[Insignia19]

When you have companies like BP that are destroying the environment and spreading toxic chemicals to disperse oil spills, the mild annoyances of EA kinda pale in comparison -_-.