Poll: Should we boycott EA Products?

[Rednog]

If you are a PC gamer you should already have EA on your shit list, Dead Space 2 not getting DLC and terrible launch problems (which pretty much killed its multiplayer instantly), Medal of Honor had a lot of problems with patching going in infinite loops/ didn't even patch through steam and the list goes on. Seriously I don't see how people are just now getting fed up with EA.

But honestly no boycott will work BF3 will come out the masses will praise it, despite all the nonsense associated with it.

 

[Ridgemo]

Yes,EA has gone too far this time.ANGRY MOB TIME!!!!GET YOUR PITCHFORKS!!!!

You know...

If people can stand up to a protester-torturing/shooting regime and succeed...

Why can't we succeed against the EA bunch of executive ****-less office gerbils that haven't seen the world outside of their tinted-glass windowed limos.

Because that was a real problem, and this isn't...

Boycott if you want, i think it's silly. This is just derived from entitlement, considering as EA games arn't an essential to living, so they can do what they want.

If you want to play the game, "suffer" with Origin, or get it on the console. Alternativly, don't play the game.

 

[Iron Lightning]

I don't boycott shit games simply because they serve no interest in me. The only game that I am remotely interested in from EA right now is Mass Effect 3

Uh, it's up to you. The TOA specifically says that if you dont want your stuff to be monitored, don't install Origin.

You know that limits the consumer significantly. "Hmm should I install this program that is essentially Spyware, but I can my game that I legally purchased on it... Hmm"

You know steam has a very similar clause, and so does apple, and so does blizzard if you want to be eligible to enter into their betas. Unless you want to be a dirty stinking hypocrite you best start boycotting all of those.

I've read that clause in Steam and if I read it correctly then all it says is that Steam is allowed to gather information on your Steam client (e.g., what games you have, your playtime statistics, modifications to the code, etc.) whenever Steam wants to and other information if you permit then to (such as in the voluntary surveys and stuff.) Origins will spy on you completely and all the time no matter as soon as you install it.

 

[Ham_authority95]

EDIT: Nevermind, that was an uneducated post.

 

[teisjm]

I've been wondering if theres bette ways than a boycott.
Sure, they might loose a few sales, but for every 1000 people saying they'll boycott, i doubt more than a 100 if not less will actually go through with it.

I saw some guy on reddit was developing a program, that would limit what Origin could access, preventing in from probing your entire computer, but only what you allowed it to.

I also wondered, not beeing very technical when it comes to computers myself, whether it would be possible, to lay out viruses in the files origin would search, and name them in a way that would amke it snatch them up and send them to EA.
I'm assuming origin can't get any info from us without copying, and sending it to EA, so if you could mask a virus as something origin would wanna deliver to the fucktards at EA, you might be able to hurt them.
I don't even think this would be illegal, as you're not actively sending a virus to them, but rather they're willingly taking it from your computer with their own spyware program.

I keep wondering what people have to hide that makes them get all in arms over something that trivial.

From what i understand from the TOS, they're allowed to probe for more or less anythign that they want.
While i don't by a far stretch belive they would abuse it, they're basicly allowed to obtain my passwords for other stuff as well.
The PSN scandal is enough proof, that if companies are allowed to store your info, theres a chance it will eventually get out.
They're also allowed to share your email with retarded spam services.

Also, do you welcome spyware on your computer? Not neccecerily the truly bad kind, that steals your credit card info, but less harmfull stuff?
What's described in the TOS, is in no way neccecery for the game to run, function proberbly, or anythign else.
It's like an electronics salesmann selling you a TV, but it will only work, if he can install cameras in your living room, sure you may have nothing to hide, and it may possibly help him suggest new devices for you, but i doubt you'll like it anyways.

EDIT: also, it is supposedly hogging far more rescources than steam, from what i read, it was a notable chunk of your memory.

 

[Nickompoop]

Should I boycott EA? Absolutely. I fucking hate EA so much, especially with their Origin bullshit.

Will I boycott EA? Nope, or more accurately, I can't. Bioware's publisher is EA and Bioware makes Mass Effect. I can't not buy ME3. So I'm buying it retail, but it seems like I might be forced to use Origin no matter what. Fuck you, EA.

 

[Comieman]

Nope, probably because living in a totalitarian government one gets used to people trying to dig up personal information all the time.

And honestly, I don't care if Bioware / EA has access or no to my computer, I honestly doubt they will be selling my Essays or bank statements to a prince in Nigeria

 

[ppsh41]

I am, in fact i emailed their PR reps and am sending them a letter

 

[stabnex]

No only bad enough they are forcing us to use yet another RAM consuming DRM, but this particular DRM happens to soak up your computers interactions in much the way a keystroke logger does.

AH so that's your password to Paypal is it?
So your mothers maiden name is that huh?
I didn't know your credit card number was xxxx

And what of the parents of the world who play videogames?

So your kid goes to that school? we don't need this info but our sweeps picked it up by accident as we're EA and thus completely incompetent.

Yeah, sorry EA. I was going to preorder the special edition of BF3 but with this, feel free to go fuck yourself.

Sorry for the suspension you got yourself there, but you definitely make a good point. I've been saying for years that EA is a malevolent, demonically-infused conscious ball of fecal matter, but when I put it that way people think I'm strange.

OT: I've LONG since boycotted anything generated in the cookie-cutter offices of EA. Not entirely for a lack of moral security, but more for a lack of good games. I've been compelled to buy NOTHING from that cardboard factory for as long as I can remember and have no intention whatsoever to make them feel entitled to even a cent of my hard-earned wages.

PS: Wages I earn by discouraging the retail sales of EA products in favor of Valve sales, mind you.

 

[octafish]

I don't think that boycotts will do any difference. Truly. There's simply not enough of us to make a dent in the legions of fanboys that will buy it anyway.

What we can do is educate. Let people know that Origin is acting like a virus. Use words like "cracked", "hacked" and other scare words when describing it. Tell your mum and dad not to get you any EA products because they might wreck your computer, show them one of the threads and then let word of mouth spread to the legions.

Origins relies on good will - defeat it with word of mouth.

This really is the answer. If this information gets out enough general users might start looking at all EULAs and realise the shit we agree to all the time.

I'm actually OK with the snooping that Valve gets me to agree to as they are really only collecting information that relates to their business. They restrict the information collected to Steam related stuff. If they then sell that information it is not my personal information they sell but I am part of the aggregate information. I am OK with that, I don't think it is super fantastic, but it is something I am willing to conceed to.

From what I read of Origins EULA (Here I must admit to only reading the parts of it posted in news articles and forums) the wording is very open and open to expoitation. If all they want is to collect and use my information in the same way as Steam does (to better target their products to me, to check for the most popular hardware to aim for, to arrange their advertising, to determine their game production schedule, to sell a generalised overview of their customers, to check for pirates and cheats) then I can accept that. However the wording in their EULA gives them the right to track everything you do with your computer and that goes too far.

 

[Imperius]

For those of you who say I am "crying boycott" in this thread, that is not the case. This is a calm rational question that I think needs to be addressed. Most of the time when companies do things that I dont like I just go with it.
But in this case, I feel EA have gone a bit too far. Even if they themselves are totally awesome and cool about how they use this software, there may be others that can and will use it as a backdoor into someone's computer.

And if you think because EA is large, its software is immune to hackers,
---->

And you may argue that Steam has a similar DRM, but theirs is limited to only the games you purchase through them.

My point is, that yes people tend to boycott for the stupidest little fucking things, but sometimes there is actually a just cause for it. I fear this may be just such an occasion.

 

[likalaruku]

I bought Alice Madness Returns through Origin months ago & I STILL can't get it to play, so yes. If I can't play the games, I'm not paying for them.