• 29Nov 09

  And Now for Your Regularly Scheduled Broadcast

  

  stolen from Other People's Business- it's the best neutral take on MW2 thus far.

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  I'll be returning to regular posting on December 7th.

  • Posted Nov 29, 2009 9:04 pm PT
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• 26Oct 09

  I'm Throwing Breath Mints in the Sewer Again

  Linked

  For those of you who complain I don't post enough in SW anymore

  • Posted Oct 26, 2009 10:28 pm PT
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• 15Sep 09

  I Have the Power

  It's weird to start an editorial off sounding like He-Man, but every now and then we need a reminder that we, as consumers, hold the ultimate power in the gaming industry.

  

  It's no secret that Activision has become the new devil in our play. In the gaming world - on forums, on YouTube, on blogs, and in person - the hate has been flowing towards the biggest, and purportedly "most evil", company in gaming. A lot of the hatred comes down to remarks coming from this man

  

  Bob Kotick.

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  I must confess to being just as angry as the next guy at some of Kotick's comments. To paraphrase "$60 isn't enough for Modern Warfare" and "we turn a $50 purchase into a $500 purchase"... comments that are more than just PR snafus. From $150 Modern Warfare collector's editions, to expensive music games, to $50 Starcraft II expansions, Kotick has a list of "sins" on his head in our world.

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  But there's a catch to all of this - a loophole, if you will - Kotick can't make you buy his games - he can't swipe your credit card, or take the cash from your wallet - that's something you do. Activision doesn't have the power to force you to buy their products.

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  We, as consumers, have the ultimate power to decide what stays and goes in the gaming industry. As much as Activision touts their large size and stable of games, it's up to us to keep them in business. And as much fun as it may be to whine about the pricing, it's what we do with our wallets that really makes the decision.

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  We don't have to buy Modern Warfare 2. We don't have to buy Guitar Hero 5. We don't have to buy Starcraft II. These are popular games - but they are only three games in a year filled with hundreds of titles. If we don't like what Activision is doing, why not support another developer? Why not buy one of the dozens of other FPS, RTS, or music games? Change comes from us - from our demands - and no matter how big the company, it's up to gamers to decide what stays, and what goes.

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  Companies go from products we don't want...

  

  to products they hope we'll like...

  

  based on our demands.

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  Sure, it's easy to whine: it takes no effort to complain, but what we do as consumers, with our software purchases, makes the ultimate decision. If we're okay with paying more for Activision titles, if they really are providing the high-quality product that we want, then why can't they charge more? If Activision is failing to deliver, if we're tired of paying a premium for their products, then why continue to buy? We, as individual consumers, decide what's right for us, and we, as individual consumers, hold sway over the entire gaming industry.

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  It may be a quaint point to make in a forum so often given to emotional outbursts and bouts of anti-business sentiments - but every now and then, we all need a reminder that we decide what games go in our systems, not the publishing companies.

  • Posted Sep 15, 2009 7:58 pm PT
  • Category: Editorial
  • 190 Comments
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