It’s not just tech and media companies, either. It’s pointless to speculate too much, one way or the other, on how much influence is thrown around.
So if I value the Epic Game store less than a dog’s fart and talk against it in any way…I am now in league with bigoted anti-semantic misogynist xenophobic racist nationalist white supremacist alt-right gamergater domestic terrorists?
Asking for a friend.
Sometimes it’s worth examining who your allies are, and why.
I figure, as long as death threats aren’t involved, everyone should be cool.
If death threats are involved, that is a different story.
Oh, I guess those are bad too.
Generally, best not to associate with those people.
Anyway, hopefully the recent dust up doesn’t discourage other developers from putting there games on Epic. It wouldn’t be right it mobs and death threats stopped people from making the best choice for their game.
Pardon me while I play devil’s advocate for a second…
Is it? I mean, over this issue and in this way? Okay, we all know death threats are way over the line, but even “Screw those assholes, I will never buy one of their products, and I will spill gallons of digital ink telling everyone I can find how much they hatred they deserve.” Because they chose platform exclusivity for their game and defended themselves against the arguments they knew would be mustered against them with a smiling, and perhaps also biting, sarcasm?
If you think their arguments are wrong, roll your eyes. If you think they were too harsh or dismissive, cringe. If you don’t like the idea of supporting individuals who deploy sarcasm on the internet, don’t buy the game. If you were an enthusiastic Patreon supporter who is absolutely married to Steam, comment there and tell them how disappointed you are. Which scenario demands “Hurt them–their reputation, their productivity, their self-image, their commercial prospects”?
I think you’re sincere in meaning well and wanting to make a point you believe is valid, but if I can offer advice: When you’re discussing a particular individual in a critical way–especially discussing sensitive issues like race, even by comparison–you should be ready to hit the brakes when you get push-back from that individual, not step on the gas. Or probably don’t even get personal in the first place.
I am pretty confident that the most vocal, egregious, and foul participants (the death threat contingent) are cultural spillover from GamerGate. That movement (itself having roots in crass-but-fun communities like Something Awful) created a culture of opposition, grievance, and vitriol that has been happy to attach itself to new causes that protect a kind of gaming status quo that hasn’t been the status quo since 2006. Many of its tendrils will happily attack developers and the gaming press at almost any opportunity because they’ve gotten accustomed to thinking of both as enemies in the broadening of gaming culture to include minorities, casual players, and messages of social awareness.
Kadath
4675
I mean, you guys realize that this is entirely the effect that paid platform exclusives are designed to evoke right? Fanboyism and tribalism that only puffs up one walled garden at the expense of another right? It’s worse on consoles of course but the FuckEpic thing could only have ended this way because of the entrenched customer base of Steam fans.
stusser
4676
The anti-epic store guys were very active before the exclusives. It isn’t that.
I just figured it was to make money and market share …. not that there is anything wrong with that.
Kadath
4678
It is for a lot of them. Sure some were wound up before but it’s 100x now
I’m not exactly following this. The store only existed a few months then Epic started pulling games from other stores and voiding crowdfunding promises. I generally saw a lot of optimism and positivity towards the EGS before the exclusive shenanigans (in that short window of time).
If there was an anti-Epic sentiment before the exclusives it must have flown way under the radar.
Alstein
4680
The line in cases like these to me is pretty clear: Boycotts are fine, threating lives and safety over video games isn’t cool period.
As for Epic itself, I consider EGS the worst thing in PC gaming since Starforce DRM.
But I don’t think it’s just because “not-steam” either. I haven’t looked for it and may be wrong, but it seems to me The Outer Wilds or Rebel Galaxy Outlaws didn’t have the same reaction at all.
stusser
4683
They didn’t make a statement about it, inviting attack.
Aceris
4684
I just went and actually read the statement and wow, it is epically trolly (pun intended). I do now know what Ooblets is, so I have to hand it to them, very shrewd. Having said that, I hope the awful behaviour of the gamergatey crowd doesn’t hurt them or their business.
stusser
4685
Epic’s revenue guarantee did just that, guaranteed they would be OK. If the game is good, people will play it no matter the platform.
