How gamers are killing the game industry

There has been a rash of ugliness in the gaming world lately -- and it’s potentially more damaging than court battles or political posturing about game violence could ever be.

A small minority of players are threatening to drive some of the most talented people making games out of the industry with their bullying, harassment, and threats. Polygon's Brian Crecente has worked up the definitive piece on this subject, and it's absolutely a must-read for anyone who cares about video games.

[Godlovesgamers]

"How gamers are killing the game industry"

What an idiotic article with a very minimum amount of time invested in writing what is essentially a review of the treyarch death threat and this latest bioware death threat.

Gamers aren't killing the game industry, idiots that happen to play games are the ones to blame.

[mii-gamer]

this is expected from yahoo

[DragonKnight]

@mii-gamer: Pretty much, but I was going to say that nothing that comes from Brian Crecente is definitive.

[MikeyDucati1]

Those "idiots that happen to play games" are gamers. What are you talking about?

We cannot excuse the behaviors of gamers. Gamers can criticize developers, make online threats in game or on forums, judge people by their opinions and game choices; yet when something is said negative about the gamer, the gamer gets defensive as if they were walking around with halos over their head.

Gamers really need to take a look at themselves and check how they are responding to the industry. The industry will react and it won't be to the benefit of the gamer.

[Heisenburger]

" Gamers can criticize developers, make online threats in game or on forums, judge people by their opinions and game choices..."

No. IDIOTS that happen to play games do.

That is unless you are claiming that you yourself behave like that? Along with every single other gamer on the planet?

Yes? No?

[Eldyraen]

Its a matter of generalizing an entire demographic based on a vocal minority.

The article however isn't near as bad as the click bait Header but it is mostly just a rehash and opinion piece of someone else's work. Its journalism at its finest in other words.

[MikeyDucati1]

@Heisenburger

Yet and still they are gamers!! What are you talking about? Some people are idiots. So does that mean they are not homo sapiens because they are idiots? Only aliens can be idiots? Don't be absurd.

It should go without saying that the author is talking about the majority not the entire community of gamers. When somebody says "people are assholes", do you really think they are talking about the entire human population? Use some common sense here people.

[Heisenburger]

You really are off your rocker aren't you?

Aliens?

The truth is out there.

Spooky.

[MikeyDucati1]

@Heisenburger

You're an idiot. You didn't read. Hopefully when school starts back up you work harder at reading and reading comprehension. You need to.

[starchild]

I love gaming so much, but I almost can't stand to go on gaming sites or even sites like youtube anymore. Fanboyism is rampant and the amount of hate and needless negativity is completely out of control.

[Boody-Bandit]

Agreed

[Codeez88]

Is it not the same on any political or sports based website? I almost despise checking ESPN's comment board, and even looking at a political based article's comments on any site is enough to make a sane persons eyes melt. Nothing but name calling and what seems like pure hatred for the other. Essentially my point is that no matter where you go or what topic we are discussing, idiots are everywhere online showing a complete lack of respect for others by hating on everything or everyone they possibly can. Anonymity on the Internet has removed any sort of repercussions for people in my honest opinion.

[Abdou023]

When i clicked on the link i expected to read something totally different, a more mature opinion like gamers do not encourage devs. to be more creative and revolutionise gameplay mechanics, stuff like that.

Instead i found a shitty article about couple of death threats and people getting inro hate arguments ?!!

[Godz Kastro]

@Godlovesgamers

The idiots you are referring to are gamers right?

I agree, we are an immature crowd. Do you see any other entertainment medium act the way gamers do. Look at ps4 v x1 articles.... 99% immaturity. Maybe I'm basing this off of n4g. I really need to find a new site. N4g has gotten down right unreadable at times.

[Rimeskeem]

They should say "how N4G is terrible at writing game articles"

Im sorry but i had to

[DragonPs4]

N4G does not write game articles, users submit news from various internet sources.

[N4g_null]

Brian Crecente is one of the gamers killing the industry... he started with the ps3 and then he moved to the wii and then to ms. He doesn't really seem like a gamer at all. This is the main point though isn't. Its the none gamers with web sites that are killing gaming by using flame bait articles and tieing up pr that should be trying to get their product out.

The main point of a gamer is to play games... any one doing more of some thing else might not be a gamer. This is the media attacking the mess they made. Why not enjoy your games and leave all the negativity out of your articles.

also any developer dumb enough to listen to a troll needs to be shut down. If some thing sucks in gaming then it will eventually go away if ignored, there is no reason to give it article space and free pr. Yet if people like it and you dont then. Then why bash them and what you dont like? Well for money of course.

[BLAKHOODe]

You are going to come across "jerks" and bullies in every line of work, every where you go, no matter what. That's life. I'm sorry if there are some people in the game making business who are so terribly sensitive to such things that they are quick to pack their backs, take the money and run, but GET OVER YOURSELVES. Grow a backbone, get out of your mommy's basement and catch some sun.

GAMERS are not killing the game industry. Without them, there would be no game industry.

[Shadowstar]

Yeah... um, so you're okay working in an environment so toxic that you get death threats against you and your family?

It takes courage to stand up to that kind of thing, and you have to really believe that what you're doing is worth it. And making entertainment products seriously isn't one of those things I'd be willing to stand against death threats over. "Gamers" aren't killing the industry, that's true, but it's not the game creators that need to get over themselves, it's the assholes who think death threats aren't serious.

[BLAKHOODe]

I'm going to kill you if you ever post here again.

I'm not, but if I had left it at that, would you still be okay posting here afterwards? By your standards, that comment would be enough for you to tuck tail and run away. I deal with jerks and bullies on a daily basis and the best thing to do is put them in their place early, because if they think they can run all over you, they will.

Developers put themselves in the position to be pushed around by the gaming community, just as movie stars and directors do. But I don't see any of them grabbing their film and running home.

Cliff Bleszinski gets more hate than anybody.. and he LOVES it! He plays into it. But then, Cliff Bleszinski is a bigger jerk than the jerks messing with him.

[Shadowstar]

Well, it depends on whether or not I thought you were serious. Given the discussion, I wouldn't think so. In a different context, I would report you to the moderators and get you banned. If lots of people were harassing me, I'd probably just give up, because there's other things I can do with my time. If you said it and then posted my RL address, I'd stop posting and call the police because I would honestly believe you to be a psycho.

Some people, like CB, are obviously cool with it... but I don't think that invalidates the people who aren't, and I don't think it means they're not people we want contributing.

I don't think we should give the assholes a free pass, and I think that's what people are essentially doing when they say "just deal with it."

[magnetite]

There have been people who have gotten arrested for making online threats. Most places just ban you, but this article is the first time someone got arrested for it.

http://www.xojane.com/issue...

^ See here.

[magnetite]

Depends what kind of gamer you're talking about. Casual gamers, or hardcore gamers. Most casual gamers don't even visit sites like this and are too busy playing the game and having fun. They are also the ones who don't go online, sign petitions or make a fuss about [insert random topic here].

[MikeyDucati1]

Gamers are affecting the industry. They won't say it. They will have every hammer and gavel ready for everyone else besides themselves. They will cruficy MS and demand that they "prove" their worth. They will spit upon Randy Pitchford's picture for offering a season pass without all DLCs included even though it stated that the choosing of what's in the pass is at the discretion of the developer. Even this site display the hypocritical, bratty, self serving natures of gamers.

Rather you like it or not, gamers are affecting the industry to some degree. Gamers complain about franchises and games that carry the same framework as other games, yet if a developer tries something new, he is chastised for it.

Gamers really need a class in decorum and tact. To say otherwise means you're one of em.

[admiralvic]

"They will cruficy MS and demand that they "prove" their worth."

If M$ wants my money. Why is it wrong to expect them to prove the item in question is WORTH my money?

"They will spit upon Randy Pitchford's picture for offering a season pass without all DLCs included even though it stated that the choosing of what's in the pass is at the discretion of the developer."

There is so much more to this problem that it isn't even funny. First and foremost, most people thought they were buying GEARBOX produced add ons. While GB did make Tiny Tina (arguably the best DLC), the other 3 were not made by them. Several people felt taken advantage of and were less than thrilled with the way the DLC was handled. Krieg made matters a little worse, since he was added so late, had a hefty price tag (No fighting game character has EVER cost $10 dollars on their own...), added little value and released roughly the same time as the level cap increase. The LCI was also a hot button issue, since GB did a LOT of flip flopping on the issue (it was impossible, it would break the game, we balanced the game to be perfect at 50 and never thought ahead) and there was a quoted 1,000 hours or something absurd of work that went into the increase. Now that the level cap is increasing again... well wouldn't you be put off by all the double talk? Plus this all happened the same time Aliens CM released and god knows they took a beating on that one too.

"Gamers complain about franchises and games that carry the same framework as other games, yet if a developer tries something new, he is chastised for it. "

First off... why does it seem like no one understands that the complaints typically come from different people. It's silly to expect everyone to agree on something, since different opinions exist and this will always end with conflicting messages. Furthermore, I would say that innovation done right can pay off big time, where as changes done poorly (Dead Space 3... adding online to everything, etc) will result in complaints. Not every complaint is unrealistic and sometimes the problems stem from people NOT listening to fans. DmC is a prime example of this and really all you need to look at it.

"Gamers really need a class in decorum and tact."

A lot of people do or at least start to, but most companies don't care till they have to. You read enough posts on N4G or any gaming forum and you would see that a lot of companies are simply ignoring their fan base and THIS is what is killing the game industry to a degree. Instead of taking a second to see the demand for say Kingdom Hearts III, we have companies blaming used game sales (to further their control with DD and max profits), terrible reviews (Look into the Duke Nukem Forever review drama), and several other things that boil down to them screwing up.

[starchild]

You can try to justify it all you want but the bias, hypocrisy, irrationality and just plain mindless hate is out of control.

I'm not even going to buy an XB1, but the truth is, the Microsoft bashing is FAR out of proportion.

Likewise, Call of Duty has never been something I was into and I'm not buying Ghosts, but, again, the COD bashing is undeserved. It may not appeal to me, or to you, but it obviously appeals to a great many people and the amount of changes that the developers make between games in the series is comparable to virtually any other series in gaming.

Dead Space 3 might have more action elements than the previous 2 games, but it is telling a new story with a new context and the more action-oriented sections of the game make sense in that context. And it still has plenty of the kind of horror gameplay I loved from the first game. Most importantly, it is simply a damn good game.

It seems like a certain segment of gamers are just looking for things to complain about and/or reasons to hate something. I'm tired of these whiny, entitled gamers.

[admiralvic]

"I'm not even going to buy an XB1, but the truth is, the Microsoft bashing is FAR out of proportion. "

Sites do it for views.
People do it to troll.

Out of hand or not, this is why it happens. Not like the hate for any of the consoles is really rational or logical. Just something that always gets views / a reaction. If these articles / people were ignored, then it would probably stop.

"Likewise, Call of Duty has never been something I was into and I'm not buying Ghosts, but, again, the COD bashing is undeserved."

Same as above, though CoD doesn't receive a lot of changes between games. Probably because they're worried about killing the goose who lays the golden eggs.

"Dead Space 3 might have more action elements than the previous 2 games, but it is telling a new story with a new context and the more action-oriented sections of the game make sense in that context."

Isaac way back when was just a repair man who was thrown in the middle of a conflict. Since then, he has become something of a gun expert, which really doesn't follow the story thus far, nor does it really follow his character. It wasn't as bad as some people made it out to be, but when you consider he went from using repair tools to fight off enemies to throwing markers at a moon monster in between 3 games... well, it certainly jumped the shark to say the least.

[MikeyDucati1]

All that breaking down of my post just reads that you are merely excusing actions of gamers. Either you're young or young minded. The attitude of gamers are outta control.

[N4g_null]

Seriously that is what the law is for. Hey gaming use to be about hey Ilike this game oh you do too yay! Now It's all about some made up problem with some thing you dont like.

Its best to not feed the trolls and cry babies... the developers are not at risk, they just have to be better business men and stop fanboying...

[AceBlazer13]

if you studied some economics u would have an idea that consumer and producer could care less about each other both parties will always appear greedy.

[josephayal]

The modern-day military shooter is killing the gaming industry

[sdozzo]

That's why it sells the most units.

[adorie]

Thats not the point.

[godofboobees]

Call of dookie is killing the game industry

[annus]

It's not CoDs fault that it sells a bunch and other companies want to make similar games in hopes to sell more.

That's how companies work, and has been around forever. It's no coincidence that most products are similar to others on the market.

[sdozzo]

We are a bunch of whiny punks. Instead of laughing this article off people are getting bent.

[Soldierone]

Yahooo writes some of the worst articles.

Honestly go visit movie forums, or any industry for that matter. People hand out death threats for anything. Look at how many Lucas got for Star Wars.....

How does it ruin anything? Ignore them or make fun of them. Dont cry about it and "leave the industry" because you can't handle it.....

[AceofStaves]

Meh. MS is facing heat because of the absolute debacle that was the XB1 reveal. It's no different than the crap Sony got pre-PS3 launch. MS isn't the innocent victim of a smear campaign. It's a multi-billion dollar corporation that created a product that wasn't seeing strong enough pre-orders. Anyone who thinks MS changed the XB1 policies because gamers were bitching and moaning on the Internet is deluding themselves. The cold, hard truth is that the XB1 wasn't seeing strong pre-release demand, especially in comparison to the PS4.

Do some gamers act like idiots on the Interwebs? Yes. So do some doctors, lawyers, politicians, secretaries, what have you. Some *people* act like idiots on the Interwebs. It comes with perceived anonymity and the rise of 'Internet Tough Guy' syndrome.

Oh, Yahoo. Thanks for noticing what observant folks have known for years: the Internet is full of arseholes.

As for me, I'll just keep on enjoying the hilarity of fanboy posts from whatever side of the fence they're on.

[JasonXS12]

A lot of people in the world are just a bunch of idiots who are offended at the slightest in dissatisfaction with what they are given, thus why those gamers tend to last out, placing the blame on anyone they can.

[JunioRS101]

I think they meant to type an article titled:

"How Gamers Are Keeping The Game Industry Alive"

Without an audience there wouldn't be products. So shut your mouth.

[Roccetarius]

What a waste of an article. Of course there are assholes on the internet, and then there's the sensitive bunch.

Phil Fish is a good riddance for the gaming industry. People like him are even more toxic. I understand why his partner left him

Jennifer haven't done anything meaningful yet, so she doesn't really have much say in the industry. If it was up to her, games wouldn't even have gameplay (her own comment).

[That_Ninja_Gray_Fox]

Microsoft is damaging video gaming.

[Master-H]

Stopped reading at Polygon's....
definitive my ass

[yewles1]

The industry is killing itself. People aren't born to kill, they are conditioned, and these big wigs have been mindlessly and recklessly conditioning gamers to radical fanaticism without realizing the inevitable ramifications to such corporate pandering:

That passion can be dangerous.

This is the dark side of passion and fanaticism, it happens to EVERYONE, and most importantly, it always varies.

[xYLeinen]

Well, the "gamers" have been killing the industry for the last century so..