Was Zynga Cheated?

[Liberaliter]

It's quite simple, Valve won and that's all there is to it, no need to go on about it.. Now move on with your lives people.

 

[liveslowdiefast]

what zynga makes can barely be called games, i glad they lost even if they were cheated.

 

[DeadlyYellow]

It's an internet popularity contest, nothing more. Though I'll admit, it is always funny to watch fanboys get their knickers in a twist.

 

[yoyo13rom]

I don't remember it being that close, but still, stranger things have happened here.
Eh, only time will tell what was the truth, then next year's MM comes(I'd really like to see a Zygna vs Bioware next year; don't know why, but I thinks it's gonna be more epic)

 

[Armored Prayer]

Like others have said before me, Valve one fair and square.

But that was one hell of a thread. Seeing the other developer fans putting aside their differences join forces with Valve (myself included) it was just amazing. I'd never thought that would happen.

 

[Irridium]

Zynga put up a large ass advert on all its forums. Everyone saw it, and everyone who wanted to vote, voted.

Valve won thanks to gamers all around banding together, and thanks largely to Valve who put out a Steam announcment in the nick of time.

 

[DuplicateValue]

It does sound kinda dodgy.
Maybe the threat of a 4chan attack enticed The Escapist to skew the results a little.

Why were Zynga even in this? The things they the had listed can hardly be counted as "proper" games.

 

[Fraught]

Have you considered the possibility that there is a direct correlation between the high number of votes for Valve, and the forum servers being so busy that it couldn't often display the thread?

 

[Dark Angel Warlord]

zynga should not even be in the contest they dont make games for console game systems or computers they make APPS really bad crappy glitch filled apps

 

[AWAR]

Zynga employees spammed the hell out of facebook thats why it got so many votes...

 

[neoman10]

there was a link on steam, that's what happened

 

[open trap]

To preface this, I am in no way supporting or endorsing Zynga's potential victory (or even appearance) in the Escapist March Mayhem. And I am just a conspiracy-loving crank (real or not), and not to be taken seriously.

With all that in mind:

• Rewind to last weekend. Valve, developer extraordinaire, has been pushed to the limit.
  
  They started out with a bang, getting thousands of votes in the first hour. But Zynga puts a link up in one of their FB fanclubs ("ADD ME!!!"), and suddenly, they have just the necessary votes to pull ahead - x+1.
  
  Other developer fans join forces with Valve. Under this unity, they have managed to retake the lead. But Zynga simply posts on another FB game, and it is again x+1 Zynga.
  
  Valve resorts to tapping the power that is their home site. The votes accumulated outnumber those of the other final four match combined - it is quite likely a record in votes and traffic for this site, period.
  Zynga puts a button up on Facebook. The masses click. Once again, x+1.
  
  Saturday morning, and things have gotten desperate. Valve fans, other fans, the entire community have pulled out all the stops to no avail. The outcry is fierce - if forum posts counted rather than votes, Valve would be winning with an 85%+ share - but the deadline draws near, and Zynga is drawing away. X+1 has become x+3.
  
  Without warning, the lights go out. Voting is frozen, and forum access is limited. The deadline has been tabled 24 hours. And when the system comes round, Valve not only has a lead, but a rather comfortable one - moreso than can be explained by a Twitter differential. Stranger still, Zynga doesn't do anything to gain on Valve in the final hours, despite the fact that their tactics have worked time and again. A developer that has no problem garnering over 20 thousand votes cannot scrape together another 2. Valve wins.
  

Believe me, no one is happier than myself about the results. But the ending had sort of a tacked-on, post audience screening feel to it. Too good to be true.

Personally, I think the possibilities are as follows:

• 
  A) (And most likely) It is what it is. Valve pulled it out in the final hours, and I'm just paranoid.
  B) The Escapist, recognizing a potentially volatile community fallout from a Zynga victory, acted in the best interests of its participants. Things were done, no one was spared.
  C) Maybe numbers were fudged the other way. Zynga was never that close, but it made for good TV (March is a sweeps month, you know).
  D) Maybe Zynga was caught cheating. And in the ensuing blackout period, they were given the option "Die quietly, and we won't blow the whistle on your vote manipulation." From a cinematic sense, I sorta like that one.
  

In any event, I've run out of rambling. Any thoughts?

There is a chance the mods whent and checked the ips for all of the accounts that voted and all the double accounts were deleated along with their votes, that would give a huge lead to valve or they counted them but add them to valve as an in your face ou cheeters kinde of a move. who knows, but Zynga didnt deserve it, valve did.

 

[Ironic Pirate]

Valve pulled it out in the final hours, and I'm just paranoid.
Any thoughts?

I would like to contribute something more, but I took this entirely the wrong way. *Represses images of Gabe Newell.*

My eyes! The goggles do nothing! ...probably because it's inside my brain thanks to you.

Didn't Yahtzee say something about...

Oh. Never mind.

 

[blackshark121]

From what I've seen, /b/ and /v/ were recruited to help Valve. Of course, /b/ being /b/, helped Zynga more than Valve, but /v/ was able to tilt the scales in Valve's favor.

 

[Eldarion]

zynga should not even be in the contest they dont make games for console game systems or computers they make APPS really bad crappy glitch filled apps

Apps!=games.

Zynga should not have been in the contest.

The only reason it was in there is because the escapist wanted the traffic from facebook. Its shameful really.

 

[thenumberthirteen]

B) The Escapist, recognizing a potentially volatile community fallout from a Zynga victory, acted in the best interests of its participants. Things were done, no one was spared.

Since you haven't been here long based on your profile you may not realise that Valve have been strong-armed out of MM by community action in previous years too. Sure there was a hell of a lot of Flaming, but they still lost. Most of the regular community go for Valve, but they don't win as MM brings in a lot of ringers.

 

[2xDouble]

I know what happened! (making up yet another conspiracy theory that people love to eat up)

1) Valve realized that Zynga's teh h4x0rz (I swear I'll never use 1337 again, unless it's really funny) weren't as good as theirs, so they went in and changed Zynga's fake votes to Valve fake votes.

2)Maybe Black Mesa blackmailed Zynga's families, or lured potential Zynga voters into a trap with promises of cake.

3)Twitter really is that popular among Valve fans.

4)Something to do with aliens (yeah, sorry, I had a good one, but I just don't care anymore)

That being said, I believe the "contest" was fair (for the most part) and the result was obtained honorably.

 

[Ph33nix]

i could ask was dice cheated with the amazing BF:BC2

 

[Marmooset]

wasnt there a notice in the valve forums to get people to help?

About halfway through the voting, yes. Zynga still pulled ahead at the time.

It's quite simple, Valve won and that's all there is to it, no need to go on about it.. Now move on with your lives people.

True, no point in going over ancient history. It has been almost a week...

Deal with it and stop being a paranoid nut over it.

"Lenny: Yeah, every muscle in my body is getting a workout, especially my big fat mouth!
Homer: Yeah! Especially your big fat... oh wait."

You're a moron.

Now that's just downright unneighborly of you. Although I am surprised you managed the correct usage of "you're". Kudos.

. *Represses images of Gabe Newell.*

That's mean.
And I'd be willing to look like Newell if it meant I could make games like he could.
No, scratch that. I wouldn't. I got confused, and was thinking of Newman's Own.

No.

Now that's hard to argue with.

I have only one question. What do you think about JFK?

I think Nixon shoulda won. Which is odd, because I've voted Demmycrat the last few elections.