UPDATE: Penny Arcade Smacks Down Shady PR Dude
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Man. People like this guy make me wonder if I'd be living a much more financially vibrant life if I had no morals, since I'm clearly more intelligent than he is, just unwilling to do the kind of crap he's done to profit himself. Hhh...probably better not to think about it. (Edit: Interesting timing for post 666. 
)
In other news, this is what I like most about Penny Arcade. The comic, ehh, it's alright, but this kind of Internets Justice is what they do that entertains me most. Child's Play progenitors and cyber vigilantes. What's not to like?
)In other news, this is what I like most about Penny Arcade. The comic, ehh, it's alright, but this kind of Internets Justice is what they do that entertains me most. Child's Play progenitors and cyber vigilantes. What's not to like?
Seriously, this article gets my nomination for Funniest Article of 2011 (because the moron actually thought he could come out on top in a fight against Penny Arcade) while the article itself is about a man who should clearly be nominated for Biggest Douchebag of 2011.
The absolute BEST is when he completely underestimates Penny Arcade. At first he's all excited to be in contact with Mike, trying to play it off and be cool. When it becomes apparent that Mike isn't buying any of his BS, he just flips the coin and starts talking about how tiny and amateurish Penny Arcade is.
While his spelling, grammar, and lack of punctuation clearly define how stupid he is, picking a fight with Penny Arcade is essentially walking up to the internet and saying "Please, I beg of you, drop your pants and sh*t all over my face! I NEED IT!!!!" Which is actually almost literally what Paul says in one of his emails with the "We like drama gets good blood flowing" comment. It's like Dave pointed out in one of his emails: "Gamers are vindictive and very hardcore, however the tradeoff is that we're extremely loyal and more than happy to just throw money at companies that offer good products" (paraphrasing). So really all you have to do is NOT be an out-right dickhead to us and we'll keep your pockets lined with cash. So in short, Paul broke the number one rule in the gaming industry (and most likely ANY industry): don't piss in the faces of your customers and expect everything to be fine and dandy.
He kept talking about how big he is, all the people he knows, all the connections he has...he clearly failed to realize that PA is one of the most gamer-visited websites on the net. By stiring up a hornets' nest there he pretty much signed his own death sentence in the gamer industry. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if a picture surfaces in the next few days of Paul sitting on a street corner holding a homeless sign and begging for change. Maybe he can get his vast network of connections to help him out...though apparently after this whole thing was exposed there's a race to see who can disassociate themselves from this guy the fastest.
The absolute BEST is when he completely underestimates Penny Arcade. At first he's all excited to be in contact with Mike, trying to play it off and be cool. When it becomes apparent that Mike isn't buying any of his BS, he just flips the coin and starts talking about how tiny and amateurish Penny Arcade is.
While his spelling, grammar, and lack of punctuation clearly define how stupid he is, picking a fight with Penny Arcade is essentially walking up to the internet and saying "Please, I beg of you, drop your pants and sh*t all over my face! I NEED IT!!!!" Which is actually almost literally what Paul says in one of his emails with the "We like drama gets good blood flowing" comment. It's like Dave pointed out in one of his emails: "Gamers are vindictive and very hardcore, however the tradeoff is that we're extremely loyal and more than happy to just throw money at companies that offer good products" (paraphrasing). So really all you have to do is NOT be an out-right dickhead to us and we'll keep your pockets lined with cash. So in short, Paul broke the number one rule in the gaming industry (and most likely ANY industry): don't piss in the faces of your customers and expect everything to be fine and dandy.
He kept talking about how big he is, all the people he knows, all the connections he has...he clearly failed to realize that PA is one of the most gamer-visited websites on the net. By stiring up a hornets' nest there he pretty much signed his own death sentence in the gamer industry. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if a picture surfaces in the next few days of Paul sitting on a street corner holding a homeless sign and begging for change. Maybe he can get his vast network of connections to help him out...though apparently after this whole thing was exposed there's a race to see who can disassociate themselves from this guy the fastest.
I very much doubt that.Jove said:
I can see that it's tempting to try and build this guy up as some kind of major felon in an attempt to justify what's being done, but that's not what this is. This is a minor nobody having his life ruined for the lulz.
The internet isn't Batman, and even if it was in the real world vigilantism is just another word for lynch mob.
I'm not defending the guy, I'm sure he is an asshole. I'm attacking the mob mentality on show here.
This just made my week,
I really feel bad for the maker of the controller accessory.
http://miami.cbslocal.com/2011/04/15/inventive-teacher-gives-disabled-student-control/ -just some back story on the development if it isn't already linked.
David Kotkin seams to have partnered with a company that has horrible product management and doesn't keep an adequate watch on it's contracted employees, feel even worse for the guy knowing he is a teacher.
I wouldn't be surprised if legal action was eventually brought against this Paul guy for what is a very apparent case of dreadful mismanagement that has lead to, in all likelihood, an unrecoverable blow to the product's image...
The world would truly be a better place if I knew this Paul guy was never going to be working in customer support or marketing again, sadly this product is small enough (and even more so thanks in no small part to Paul I'm sure) that even with the current press it will not have a lasting impact on his career.
I really feel bad for the maker of the controller accessory.
http://miami.cbslocal.com/2011/04/15/inventive-teacher-gives-disabled-student-control/ -just some back story on the development if it isn't already linked.
David Kotkin seams to have partnered with a company that has horrible product management and doesn't keep an adequate watch on it's contracted employees, feel even worse for the guy knowing he is a teacher.
I wouldn't be surprised if legal action was eventually brought against this Paul guy for what is a very apparent case of dreadful mismanagement that has lead to, in all likelihood, an unrecoverable blow to the product's image...
The world would truly be a better place if I knew this Paul guy was never going to be working in customer support or marketing again, sadly this product is small enough (and even more so thanks in no small part to Paul I'm sure) that even with the current press it will not have a lasting impact on his career.
And how many members of that mob are treating the guy like they'd want to be treated? It seems like he's already reaped his comeuppance before the stalking, harassment, and defamation got involved.FelixG said:
Dredging up the guy's personal information and tracking down members of his family can very well be considered stalking. And while parody of his emails may be fine, tracking down what may or may not be his other internet personas is just more e-thuggery. The only thing really standing out about this guy and probably a half million or so other internet trolls is that he got posted up on Penny-arcade. It's hardly worth of an eye-roll by the casual observer and whatever real-world consequences he gets for representing his company/clients poorly.FelixG said:
People underestimate nerds and geeks, so it's a real pleasure to see the little guy beat up a bully.
As I told my gf early this morning, I'd be surprised if that guy will even be able to act as PR to a Mom and Pop store in Georgia...
...the COUNTRY, not the state.
As I told my gf early this morning, I'd be surprised if that guy will even be able to act as PR to a Mom and Pop store in Georgia...
...the COUNTRY, not the state.
Personally I've gotta side with Sixcess on this one. Yeah, we can all talk about how big of a dickhead Paul is for what he has done, and he most certainly does deserve to get fired over how poorly he represented his company in this whole fiasco. But that doesn't mean we have to absolutely ruin this guy's entire life over this. The thing of it is though that that's the response he was destined to get since he pissed off the gamer community.Sixcess said:
We've all learned a very important lesson here.cthulhumythos said:
it would appear gabe is enjoying this turn of events.
Never.
Fuck.
With.
Penny Arcade.
I just read all the emails on Penny-Arcade. My favorite part was when he started emailing Mike Krahulik aka Gabe. He obviously had no idea who he was talking to. I loved how he said that Gabe couldn't stop him from getting a booth. Claiming his "connections" could do it. Because we all know that Penny-Arcade has no connections or pull in the video game industry. And that Gabe can't stop a guy or company that he doesn't want to be there from being there. Because other companies would totally be willing to pay to go to PAX and then step on his toes.
Then, when he finally realized who he was fucking with, he tried to apologize and get Gabe to side with the company over the loyal reader who contacted him. When Gabe responds simply "Please remove me from this mailing list" he jumps down his throat and begins insulting him. And this is where the threat of a smear campaign comes in. It's like watching a train derail. Then, somehow, perhaps through douche magic, pick itself up and smash its face into a mountain. Repeatedly.
Seriously looking at his spelling and behavior, who thought it was a good idea to put him in charge of customer service? Especially since he appears to have a history. At least, now we know why customer service is always so bad.
Then, when he finally realized who he was fucking with, he tried to apologize and get Gabe to side with the company over the loyal reader who contacted him. When Gabe responds simply "Please remove me from this mailing list" he jumps down his throat and begins insulting him. And this is where the threat of a smear campaign comes in. It's like watching a train derail. Then, somehow, perhaps through douche magic, pick itself up and smash its face into a mountain. Repeatedly.
Seriously looking at his spelling and behavior, who thought it was a good idea to put him in charge of customer service? Especially since he appears to have a history. At least, now we know why customer service is always so bad.
Y'know... i could say something.... but i think you're getting enough...Flying Dagger said:
OP: Wow, that guy's a douche, and this has been blown up a bit too big...
I mean, some of the stuff he has been getting is a bit overboard, but for the most part he deserves it, and it's teaching him a VERY valuable lesson.
Of course he is. Did you catch the update after the post with the email exchanges?cthulhumythos said:
it would appear gabe is enjoying this turn of events.
I tend to agree with Gabe here. This guy isn't sorry for what he did. He's sorry that he got caught. He's sorry that he angered one of the most powerful people in the industry that doesn't actually work within the industry. He's sorry that he is in trouble, not that he did anything wrong. And I tend to agree with Gabe about that. Feeling sorry that you are in trouble is not the same as being sorry for your actions. Gabe states that he doesn't like bullies, which is what he feels this guy is, and acknowledges that he might be one in this case, too. But at least he's a bully of bullies. Or a vampire that feeds on assholes. Whatever you like better.
There was an unscrupulous firearms parts dealer named Dana way back at the golden age of dial up that got hosed by a faithful small following who would promote all of the people he ripped off and tried to warn anyone not to buy anything (even healthcare styled products) from him. Given the way the usage of electrons has changed in the past two decades (or so) and the sheer size of the fanbase involved, I'd almost feel sorry for this Paul guy. If he wasn't such a tool.
Wow this guy is an asshole and is deserving of the repercussions of the actions he's done. The death threats are a bit far, however in the Era of the Internet it's becoming a bit of a common and inevitable practice
I disagree. Gabe has simply gotten the means to become a bully himself and chose that path. Thats usually how people become bullies, most likely also the ones that picked on Gabe.Saltyk said:
At this point it seems more like personal revenge for his childhood.
I'm siding with Sicxess as well, it's a legal matter. Not a matter for an internet mob.