In the media as of late with the announcement of the mobile only Diablo Immortal, the failure of Fallout 76, the terribly intrusive and greedy nature of EA screwing us over and over, and even the (thankfully reversed) decision to censor Rainbow Six Siege to meet the laws of a Chinese dictatorship, that us gamers are being called "entitled" and "whiny" for expressing our concern and criticism over our mutual love of video games
This cannot be any further from the truth. We, the gamers, the players, the fanboys, the console gamers and pc gamers alike, spend our cold, hard earned cash for something that helps us unwind from the reality of life. We as consumers should never stop criticizing because it is how things improve. Without all of you expressing your concerns, we will be fed more and more crap, lackluster, mobile microtransaction filled "AAA" games.
We deserve more. Never forget that, my gaming friends. It isn't just about a sense of pride or accomplishment, it isn't just about having phones, it isn't just about in game assets being removed. It is about the morals, the honor, and holding those accountable to do the job they should.
No matter what we game on, we are gamers, and we must stand together to criticize the actions and question the decisions these multibillion dollar corporations force upon us. They don't need microtransactions to keep a game going, they don't need to milk a game engine old enough to legally have sex with. We must hold them to the standards they say they have.
Stay strong my gaming brethren. Together we fight not for greed, but the betterment for all.
It almost scares me how quickly multimillion dollar corporations started getting treated like people. Reviewers tread on eggshells not to OFFEND EA, and a stream of thinkpieces of worthless editorials constantly talk about Blizzard of Bethesda like they're close friends.
It's time to stop.
AAAAHHH MOTHERLAND !!!!! :P. (obvious joke towards picture)
Damn Straight
Some companies developing games feel like they are less about about the story development, art and overall production and more about the maximizing of profits. I understand the desire to make the most out of your products, but at the same time it can become a quick way to lose your fans.
Very much agree.
I don't mean to take away from your comment, but I think there's a related point to be argued here. Compaines should definitely pay attention to the complaints and opinions of their customers. Criticism though, well there's an argument that to be able to critique something effectively requires understanding and research. And that the loss of respect that we have for criticism stems from the loss of the art. Real criticism requires careful and thoughtful attention to craft, theory and intention vs outcome. Everyone has the right to complain, especially paying customers, and everyone has the right to a personal opinion. But to have your opinion considered 'criticism', you also have to step up and show others that you have some level of understanding or possibly scholarship on the subject.
We need to respect our rights as consumers, but also uphold the rights of creators to be subject to informed and constructive criticism. Just because you sell something bad doesn't mean you can be abused. It just means you should do better. Good criticism points that out. That's how it works in books, music and film. Great criticism is part of the artistic process. It informs the consumer and can be for the artist, or other artists. This is how we elevate the form of gaming.
I've heard a lot of talk about ethics in journalism and media. Part of that is being able to define an issue or articulate a problem without resulting to name-calling, slander or defamation campaigns. We're within our right to be angry, but they also don't 'have' to listen to that, unfortunately. Rehtoric and argument aren't seen as powerful abilities anymore, but that's largely because of how lazy social media has made us. But we and they have to value that stuff otherwise civilization is f**ked, let alone videogames.