ennepetal's Blog
I shouldn't let it bother me, but it does.
My gut feeling is that kids are far too used to getting whatever they want from mommy and daddy that they think they're entitled to similar treatment from the rest of the world.
I mean, an Xbox 360 plus a fresh copy of a Madden game would cost even the best shopper a few hundred bucks. In my entire childhood, I doubt that my brother, sister and myself were ever gifted in a year toys that would cost that much, even value adjusted for inflation. Somehow, I doubt that these kids who have these systems and games have somehow saved up for these gifts by sacrificing other gifts, or, heaven forbid, have worked to earn the money to buy them. I'm sure there are some who do and have every right to have expectations of items on which they spend money. Then again, if they are spending their own money, they DO have a choice to make and can easily opt to not purchase these games.
Which leads me to another thought.
I keep reading from certain posters that they no only have the right to make demands, but that somehow EA Sports and the like are obligated to listen and kowtow to those demands. This reeks of another problem in that these people don't realize their place in society.
Just because you're the squeakiest wheel does not make you a significant number.
Let's face the facts here, even the entirety of posters on the OS boards would not total a significant percentage of the number of copies sold of Madden annually. The idea that the development team actually takes the time and effort to interact with the community and consider the suggestions is well beyond the realm of expected corporate behavior. While it's certainly easy to see the wisdom in gaining access to as many ideas as possible, nobody with any sense of reason would argue there is some obligation on the part of them to do anything based solely on the fact that some internet users vehemently speak about it publicly.
I'm aware there is a certain degree of generational difference involved here. When I started playing video games, it was exciting just to see the names of the teams and players on the screen while we played a fairly plain game of football (or hockey, or basketball, or baseball) by today's standards. To me, all these features and improvements are the tastiest gravy imaginable because, when I do manage to find time to sit down and fire up the console, I'm simply happy to be enjoying a little game time competition and can't find the energy to get all rattled about camera angles or the lack of being able to play Barbie-style dress-up with the players.
That doesn't mean I don't get aggravated with certain game elements, but, big picture, they don't significantly impact my experience enough for me to turn the game off. Hence, the balance falls in favor of the game publisher.
The one place this isn't true is with the last few iterations of the only baseball game on the market. About three years ago, I got frustrated with problems I had with the MLB 2K series to the point where I wanted to complain, which I did a little bit.
What I also did was stop buying the game. I'm three years into my personal protest. I'm sure the 2K people have hardly noticed and really couldn't care less. Despite the fact that baseball IS my favorite sport (well, it's close between that and football), I don't play it in video game form anymore.
Que sera sera.
Ultimately, the forums are now riddled with posts by users complaining about this and that, the threads of which are ultimately closed by the moderators, making it really difficult to follow any actual news or conversations. It's truly grown into a sad state of affairs for those of us who really are interested in the games themselves and don't really notice the blemishes due to the excitement of actually playing the game.
What a shame.
# 2
eyeknowzz @ Jun 4
Great blog. I feel your pain. I've grown tired of some of the whining on these boards as well. I have no problem with people sharing their opinions about a game but after reading many of the posts on this site I realize just how spoiled gamers are now.
ennepetal
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To me It just looks like a way to avoid answering tough questions like they always have. Fans ask, "hey why isn't man lock and shading wrs back yet?" EA responds, "couldn't get to it, but check out the superbowl patches they are wearing." Fans ask " Did we get in game saves?" EA replies "This is ridiculous, ungrateful nitpicky kids, I don't want to talk anymore."