EA's title of 'Worst Company in America' shows just how narrow minded gamers can be

Today, it was announced that EA has taken home the gold. For the second year running, they have received Consumerist's 'Worst Company' award, ( http://consumerist.com/2013... ) beating Bank of America by nearly triple the votes. This is also the second year in a row that I shook my head in awe at how childish and narrow minded the gaming community can be.

Don't get me wrong, I love my fellow gamers. It is a passionate group, one that takes pride in the hobby, outside judgement be damned. But they can also be an irrational bunch, often blowing situations out of proportion and making a mess out of otherwise inane things, things that are minuscule in the grand scope of society. This is where Consumerist's poll comes in.

Take a look at Consumerist's bracket. Go ahead, I'll wait. You back? Now, when you looked at that bracket, did something seem a little off to you? Maybe the fact that they edged out two banks, a credit card company AND a mortgage company, all of who have reputations for being scum and having an overall poor operation ethic? It seems that Mass Effect 3's crummy ending, the SimCity debacle and online passes are somehow worthy of more disdain than a bank that doubles interest rates on customers paying their loans, and a mortgage company that takes away family's homes. The fact that Consumerist users (the ones that voted for EA most likely being gamers) overlooked such scummy practices and decided that EA's transgressions are somehow worthy of greater ridicule than Wells Fargo's and Bank of America's is baffling to me.

I often see comments complaining about society "looking down upon gamers", that "we should be taken more seriously" and that "we are intelligent too and not just tunnel visioned game junkies". Oh really? Is that how you feel? Want to be treated as mature and well rounded individuals in discussions about the economy, politics and other topics? Then act like it.

Not only does it disgust me to see that a group I associate myself with is so shamefully narrow minded, but it also makes me wonder if I am not the same way. Of course I have been infuriated by gaming related issues before. Of course I will take a stance in such debates. It isn't the fact that gamers take issue with the things EA does, it's the way they go about it. Spamming message boards, making petitions and whinging all over the internet just gives everyone a poor impression of gamers, and ruins otherwise good conversations.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, get some damn perspective everyone. If SimCity's botched launch/DRM, Mass Effect's (subjectively) poor ending, Origin and online passes are somehow worse to you than the pain -both financial and emotional- some of these banks and mortgage companies inflict upon people, then you need to reevaluate your priorities. The best way to describe my feelings towards this situation are contained here. ( http://1.media.dorkly.cvcdn... ) If the minutiae of EA's policies really bother you more than the horrible and in some cases downright evil things some other companies do, I don't want to know what you think IS worse.

[Rage_S90]

This is beautiful bro. How much for your brains?

[MattyG]

I can never tell if you're being sarcastic Rage! -.-

[Rage_S90]

That's the beauty of it ;)

[Faztkiller]

This is so true EA is pretty bad at times but not as bad as gamers make them out to be

[DragonKnight]

I'm sorry but your blog is completely flawed. You can't call gamers narrow-minded because of this. For starters, The Consumerist is a site for consumers to complain about companies and that doesn't necessarily mean only gaming companies. You may not have intended this, but the implication that only gamers are narrow minded is incorrect based on the premise of the site.

Second, this is an online poll that can be easily abused. EA may have won Worst Company thanks to a relatively small amount of people spamming votes using bots and various other means. The poll is in no way a direct correlation to the attitude of gamers because there is no way to verify that every vote was from a legitimate person with legitimate complaints.

Then there's the fact that of the Banks and Credit Card companies you mentioned, it's very possible that the voters had no problems with those companies because either A)They don't use them and have no experience with them, or B)They have actually had GOOD experiences with said companies and wouldn't vote against them.

It's also entirely possible that people hold a different standard for companies that are supposed to provide entertainment and yet pull scummy moves the way EA does so they voted EA the Worst Company in America because life is sh*tty enough, your entertainment shouldn't be as well.

And Peter Moore's letter doesn't exactly help your cause. It's riddled with a smug arrogance characteristic of EA for years now, and he even calls his own companies games mediocre, in response to that, I offer you this.

http://pcgmedia.com/moore-m...

That's a concise explanation at how childish Peter Moore is. His response to this smacks of butthurt and it shouldn't considering A)He apparently doesn't take it seriously, and B)He's an executive and responsible for a certain image which he tarnishes with his actions.

EA is not, in actuality, the Worst Company in America. But to the people of The Consumerist, based on their own life experiences (which is what the poll is about since the site is about consumer relations with companies), they are. And that has nothing to do with gamers being narrow-minded and ignoring real world evils, that's just an online poll that could have easily been abused in the same way Metacritic user scores are. Do you take those user scores as seriously?

[MattyG]

Thanks for the constructive criticism. In reference to Peter Moore's letter, I am almost positive that it isn't really from him. I almost put an aside in there stating that, but took it out because I thought people would see that it is almost certainly fake, especially considering that their response to being nominated was to apologize.

[DragonKnight]

I apologize if I came off strongly, it's an unfortunate habit. But as for the letter, it's difficult to say because Peter Moore is very capable of something like that if you've followed him long enough. However, I looked up if EA actually responded and there are no news threads about a response from them about being voted the worst company except for that Dorkly bit that you posted so, it's very likely that it's fake.

[sjaakiejj]

"Second, this is an online poll that can be easily abused. EA may have won Worst Company thanks to a relatively small amount of people spamming votes using bots and various other means. The poll is in no way a direct correlation to the attitude of gamers because there is no way to verify that every vote was from a legitimate person with legitimate complaints. "

But doesn't a small group of gamers putting a lot of effort into making EA win the online poll prove Matty's point?

Metacritic user scores are another example of this as well. Do we see the same happening in technology? Or film? TV? We don't. There's a group of very immature, narrow minded people in gaming, and like extremists in religion, they give the rest of us a very bad name.

Also, like Matty said, the letter wasn't written by Peter Moore. I think that's pretty obvious.

[ZombieNinjaPanda]

"prove Matty's point?"

You know how trolls work, right?

[DragonKnight]

No it doesn't. I, for example, can use technology to abuse the poll. I can use multiple accounts and spam bots, and all manner of tricks to skew the results. That doesn't mean that all gamers are narrow-minded, that means I abused the system.

[sjaakiejj]

I think you misunderstood (perhaps didn't read my whole post). I never said _all_ gamers are narrow minded, I said we get that reputation because of a very vocal, very sad minority.

The backwards thing is that that minority is the same minority that also shouts they want to be taken seriously and treated as adults.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

Point is he doesn't even need a blog to know EA didn't deserve this. *Worst* company. That's a superlative. Nothing worse than EA in this country? For nothing more than the sake of argument, I'll even say they're the worst in gaming, but there are far far far worse companies that deal with more serious business than a gaming hobby, especially in America. It's just that gamers on the net are some of the most vocal consumers complainers out there. The fact that EA would get it not once, but twice, is embarrassing, but not so much for EA, in my opinion.

[DragonKnight]

The point of the poll, even if it's abused, is that it deals with consumer experiences, not nationwide merit. Bank of America illegally foreclosing homes is terrible, and the people that have had that happen to them could have voted for them in the poll if they wanted to, but as the Consumerist has stated; the poll is contextual not a nationwide blanket critique.

As one of the comments I've read about this has said "EA may not deserve the award, but they certainly earned it."

[Deadpool616]

If this award won't change a company like EA after winning it twice, what difference would it make if a more atrocious company actually won it? The world would be better off without any of these companies as far as I'm concerned. But if a simple gaming entertainment company is too prideful to change, then maybe that should put things into perspective.

If you're really disgusted by the gaming community over this internet incident, maybe you shouldn't go outside anytime soon. Some other communities might leave you bedridden.

[MattyG]

I realize that it won't change anything no matter who wins it, its the fact that gamers are spending hours and hours congregating on 4chan and Reddit out of hate for a company when they could be spending that time supporting a real cause. Disgusted is probably too strong a word, "disappointed" is probably better.

[Deadpool616]

You're disappointed in how destructive some groups can be, instead of constructive...I gotcha. I just don't buy EA products at all. Simple as that. If more people would do that, they would have changed years ago.

[MrBeatdown]

That's the thing... they are a "simple gaming entertainment company".

It's not about being prideful. It's that they don't, and shouldn't, care about the title, given how absurd it is.

Their business is selling you a video game or two. If the worst complaint against them is that their games don't live up to whatever standard some customers have set, why does that make them the worst company in the world?

I mean, really? We expect EA to take the title of "worst company in the world" seriously, when all they do is sell you something to occupy your play time?

Anyone with half a brain can see a company that just makes and sells games isn't that bad. Hell, tobacco companies sell you a product that gets you addicted, and might end up actually KILLING you. Yet a video game company is what people deem to be the "worst". It's ridiculous.

[EffectO]

"Don't get me wrong, I love my fellow gamers."
Why?
Why would anyone love those brainless idiots?

EA is worse than Bank of America,Monsanto,Big Oil...lmao

[R_aVe_N]

EA is honestly no worse than any of game company out there right now. They are all pretty much milking franchises, overcharging for games and DLC, online services that should be free, not offering the same content in all regions, exclusive content, timed exclusive content for multiplayer games. If you ask me they all pretty much hold that title this gen. There is much more but they are not near as bad as company's conpletely destroying peoples lives.

[Nicaragua]

I would just interpret this as gamers are more vocal about there discontent, and so statement to people who got bummed by a bank is - you need to get more organised and be more vocal.

[Heavenly King]

The people screwed by a bank, most probably is homeless (and without internet) so they obviously they have more important priorities than trolling the web.

[Nicaragua]

Yeah, because everyone who has had poor service from a financial institution instantly becomes a hobo and starts drinking their own piss from a plastic bottle.

[Heavenly King]

@Nicaragua:

The people that got screwed by certain bank is pretty much fucked up; AND homeless.

[SeraphimBlade]

I agree with your points. They definitely are not the worst, in terms of how bad they are for their customers. But I've also read good articles on Penny Arcade, and the Consumerist itself explaining why it makes some sense. The gist of it is we expect big oil and insurance to screw customers over to stay on top. More or less how those businesses run. Even the good companies are a pain to deal with. EA, on the other hand is in the same field as publishers who are able to find success without exploiting customers, rushing out products, or milking respected IP's to the point of stagnation. And yet, it continues to do so. It wouldn't take that much work to treat its customers better and put out more complete products. Heck, back when it was putting out games like Mirror's Edge and Dante's Inferno, the worst anybody could say was there was some crappy DRM and bad marketing decisions. (and yes, it's gotten so bad I cited Dante's Inferno as a positive)

The best part of it all is that it seems to be failing, losing stock and its CEO. But instead of owning up to mistakes or trying to earn back good will, it just dodges blame and says "lol, must be those homophobes again."

[4lc4pon3]

The article states you need to reevaluate your priorities if ur not concerned about financial n what not. I'm not financially hurting at all. I will tell u this ea deserves what they got.

Gaming is my priority period

[Valenka]

I completely disagree with this blog - I mean sure, I understand where the author is coming from but I am not a fan of Electronic Arts whatsoever, mainly because of the issues I have with The Sims and the beyond horrible customer and technical support I've received over the course of three years. I do not like them whatsoever and the only thing I can't deny is that some of their console games have made impressions on me and I still own a few of them. EA and Activision are at the top of my worst companies list.