By on 12 Jun, 2012 at 2:00 PM
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Do I Hear People Say That I Am A Whiny, Self-Entitled Gamer?

Do I Hear People Say That I Am A Whiny, Self-Entitled Gamer?

Do I hear people say that I am a whiny, self-entitled gamer? Sure, I am, and I won’t deny it. I do, however, find it increasingly sad to see how gamers turn on one another by throwing around this bullshit buzzword ‘entitled’, in an attempt to ‘bully’ away any reasonable expectations of quality, fairness and good business practices when it comes to game releases. People who keep on hammering gamers that complain are totally missing the point. Games are all about the fan-service, and you cannot deny that. If you give the fans of a franchise enough fan-service, they will come back again, and again, begging for more each time. I once thought that being loyal to a brand was rather stupid, but I can see how brand loyalty can work for developers, especially ones like BioWare. Gabe Newell, from Valve, also keeps his fans happy, and because of this, he is rolling in cash. Not to mention, Gabe Newell is worth $1.5 billion.

As important as brand loyalty is, BioWare seems to be fighting fans due to the Mass Effect 3 saga, which included Day One DLC issues and controversy about the ending. Sure, certain reactions were wrong and they did blow the issue out of proportion, however the flipside was equally as bad. There were certain articles on various online publications which saw authors openly taunt and tease people who were complaining that they were ‘cheated’ by the developer. To be honest, I don’t think that it is unreasonable for fans of the Mass Effect franchise, who have invested 100 hours into a series, to ask for an ending that reflects the quality of the entire franchise. We were also promised that our choices would matter, where it didn’t. BioWare has acknowledged all feedback in an attempt to win their fans back.

Whether the company will respond to this is another concern altogether. In general, a lot of gamers will pay for DLC, if need be, to get proper closure. According to Brent Knowles, a former BioWare developer, “I’d throw $10 at it just to make it go away”. In reply to that, Erik Kain wrote an article which considers further points on Day One DLC.

Alongside BioWare’s issues comes Blizzard. The creator of Diablo III has been openly criticised for the requirement an always-on internet connection when playing the single-player mode. Just think about that for a second. You will need an always-on internet connection to enjoy a single-player experience, where if you don’t have this, playing the game is somewhat impossible. If you do have an always-on internet connection, your next problem will be lag, random disconnects and server maintenance, in your single-player game. Majority of the community is fine with this, where it is the minority who are then told to get lost once they complain. What the hell has happened to the consumer opinion? Why are so many people happy when large companies roll over them? I do not understand why a certain section of the gaming community would have a problem with people like me complaining about this. Why call me self-entitled because I have a problem with something? Could it be because it is a game created by Blizzard? Or could it be because the game is Diablo III, and this forces people to ignore the issues as they are massive fans of the series?

Ubisoft has also tried the always-on DRM idea, and they got absolutely grilled for it. However, when Blizzard does the exact same thing, no one flinches. Blizzard gets away with it because of who they are. Capcom recently tried pulling a stunt, which was a first for the gaming industry. Capcom tried on-disc DLC. This phenomenon is basically hidden content on the disc which needs to be purchased to use. Note that you’ve already bought the game and the disc, where on-disc DLC requires you to ‘buy’ extra content which is unlocked from the disc. Gamers should realise how disruptive these practices are, and how ethically questionable they are.

It might seem like a form of over-entitlement, and pettiness, to complain about these things when we’ve got real world issues like world hunger, and war, but the sad indictment facing the gaming community today is that developers are creating problems by insisting on questionable practices. If people want to play a game, they should not be forced to keep paying to enjoy themselves. Personally, I think that these issues could have been handled better, and avoided by both the developers and the fans. There needs to be a middle ground were developers and gamers can discuss issues, and try and find more viable solutions to things like Day One DLC, on-disc DLC and always-on DRM.

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Name: Charl den Dulk
Location: Pretoria
Position: Author, Exclusives

Charl has published 37 posts. Read all of Charl's posts.
  • kluch

    Thanks, was happily scrolling till I saw the 37 pic which triggered reflex rage and I hit my desk. My hand hurts now.

  • http://www.facebook.com/nanonyous Theo Lubbe

    This is the latest response from Customer Support:

           Greetings, I am Game Master /.

           Thanks for getting back to us about this.

           Russian copies of the game cost about half the price, due to the
    unique nature of Russia’s economy, this is a common occurance. Due to
    this, RU versions of the game are locked to RU language only, to prevent
    abuse of the price we made available to Russians so they could purchase
    the game.

           RU keys running in English prior was unintended, and this has been fixed recently.

           Lurdlespor mentioned that language packs should be available in
    the future for these games, but this is not something that has been
    implemented yet.

           I understand this is not the ideal answer you wanted, but I hope
    this sheds some light on it for you, and wish you all the best and good
    luck.

           /

           English Game Master Team

           Blizzard Europe

    Yeah, thanks Blizzard. I totally spent R400 for a Russian key not because it was going to end up being more convenient anyway than getting the boxed version for R430 and having to wait a week+ for it to be delivered, but because I wanted to save that R30.

    And there is quite obviously some kind of need for a mystical ‘localization pack’, because the game totally wasn’t running fine in any language irrespective of which client you originally installed with, irrespective of which ‘localized key’ we were using.

    In case it’s not obvious, I’m having to deal with this ‘Error 82′ bullshit now because Blizzard fucked up and are trying to cover up their dirty laundry.

  • AG_Sonday

    Personally, I would much sooner be a whiny self-entitled gamer than an easily-pleased bitch of the industry. Developers and publishers are getting away with releases that are significantly below the level of quality that they should be and for the most part people are just lapping it up.

    A bit of discerning taste certainly wouldn’t hurt the industry in letting devs know that we aren’t happy with crap that’s below what we expect them to produce. Yes, you can’t always please people and fanboys are damn near impossible to please but developers certainly don’t seem to be trying hard enough. We pay good money for the games they produce so we expect a certain level of quality and often enough devs don’t deliver.

    • http://egamer.co.za/ Azhar Amien

      Well said. Agreed completely.

      Also: Assassin’s Creed: Revelations. ;D?

    • AG_Sonday

      D:

    • Timothy

       To be fair, I think a balance-rather than any extreme position- is the better approach. Be pissed if there’s a reason to be, but there are also a lot of times when devs have gone beyond the call of duty (ironic pun intended :b) 99% of the time and when they slip up once, sometimes with the best of intentions, we go ape shit. Context is important and we need to consider and review the position of the dev before we go nuts. And while I’m aware many do, many more do not.

  • http://egamer.co.za/ Azhar Amien

    Charl, I fully agree, and I have been trying to argue this basically every single day. I don’t get it either, and I discussed it in a previous column where I brought up a concept I call “absolute developer power”, where no matter what shit the developer pulls, some gamers will just go right on their way and not give a damn, effectively encouraging it and happily enjoying getting screwed. It’s disappointing.

    In my opinion, if someone has legitimate complaints and you complain about them complaining, telling them to shove it, then you’re worse and your opinion is worthless. I’ve often noticed that the people who tell you off for complaining can’t form any sort of counter-argument whatsoever. But hey, it seems to happen in gaming more than anything else, which puzzles the hell out of me since gaming is such an expensive hobby.

    P.S You’re sorta guilty of it when you commented on my Max Payne 3 review :P Just saying.

    • Timothy

      Remember though, you’re a minority. Most among the complain department will refuse to hear any sort of counter-argument and have no idea of how to view any sort of context around the matter.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=720787108 Charl Den Dulk

      Ahaha, oh yeah your Max Payne 3 review don’t worry I am writing an article about that :P

    • http://egamer.co.za/ Azhar Amien

      I look forward to actually hearing a counter-argument then, because I haven’t gotten any yet :P Whatever you mean by writing an article about it though.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=720787108 Charl Den Dulk

    Well I am about to finish Mass Effect 3 this evening so expect a lot of bitching from me.

    • http://egamer.co.za/author/cavie Caveshen “CaViE” Rajman

       You’re going into the ending expecting to hate it?

  • Larchie

    People are whiny self-entitled bitches when they moan and whine when the game does not work and they see the Error 37, but when the game is working. Not a peep! Everything is just peachy in gamer land then!

    If the game is so damn terrible, stop supporting the game development company. Simple as that, no one forced you to buy. But that won’t happen anyway, gotta have something to play!

    Mass Effect 3 ending? Nothing wrong with it, sure there are a few plot holes, but enough for the whiny self-entitled idiots to go on a nerd rage? Get the f*** over yourselves. It’s your own stupidity if you can’t understand the ending and cannot formulate your own opinions on the games ending and expect everything to be hand fed to you.

    Lastly: There will always be whiners about some game release, but maybe a month later, it’s all forgotten and their attentions are focused on the next big release. Round and round and round it goes.

    • Larchie

      One last thing. It’s safer to piss off 5% of a gaming community than try make that 5% happy and end up pissing off the other 95%.

    • http://egamer.co.za/ Azhar Amien

      I don’t understand your first point. Why would people complain when something is working? It’s logical to complain when something isn’t or if there’s a problem. So no idea what you’re on about.

      News flash for you. If there was “nothing wrong” with the Mass Effect 3 ending, and if the people complaining are a minority, then why in hell would BioWare be working for months on a DLC designed to specifically alter the game’s ending and provide more closure – which is what the fans wanted?

      I don’t think the saying goes “minority wins”.

      I doubt you even understood the ending until you went to go watch some youtube videos on it for an explanation that isn’t even confirmed to be true.

    • Larchie

      @Tody_ZA:disqus 

      Seriously dude? People who complain and STILL play the game are whiny bitches. If the game is so broken and goes against your moral code, you stop playing it. No one forced you to buy the game, no once is forcing you to play. Truth is that the whiny bitches just want to complain about something, anything. Need content for the blogs.

      –

      The Mass Effect 3 DLC ending being developed *will not* alter your choices 3 at the end of the game. It is only a epilogue DLC. Something to explain what happens after your choice. That is all.

      *for an explanation that isn’t even confirmed to be true*
      All the theories that have popped on the internet about indoctrination and whatever else were idiotic to begin with. The ending of ME3 is final. Shepard is dead, Well done Shepard, nice save. Universe life goes on. GG. END.

    • http://www.facebook.com/nanonyous Theo Lubbe

       Funny thing, that. When you buy a car and the drivetrain falls off, people will naturally bitch and moan to the manufacturer. Nobody *forced* them to buy that car, but if it’s a defective/substandard product, it’s a defective/substandard product, and the manufacturer was selling it as a non-defective and standard or standard-exceeding product.

      The exact same analogy applies to games. If a publisher releases a game, it’s with the understanding that there are no game-breaking bugs that cause it to be wholly unplayable. You do not sell a broken product, you sell a product that will work as intended from the moment you turn it on, except where an exception occurs. Having millions of people unable to play your game for weeks on end isn’t considered an exception – not when you’re charging them more for that game than most other games happen to cost at the time of release.

      In short, you’re pretty fuckin’ stupid, Larchie. I’m going to dub you DarthLachie, in honour of one of the other poster children that visits these parts.

    • Larchie

      @TheoLubbe:disqus 

      You’re a special kind of stupid aren’t you?

      You are comparing a car, something tangible with a **real world purpose**, to a game?

      If a car is badly made and easily breaks down, you bitch about it, people stop buying the car and the brand takes a massive hit, no one is going to buy something that is **proven** not to work. The result is that the manufacturer is forced to spend millions fixing their broken product.

      Gamers will try their luck with a game and if it doesn’t work. Make a blog and then proceed to whine and bitch about it.

    • http://www.facebook.com/nanonyous Theo Lubbe

       @f94c670f01dbf241a4c11c2dbe2f49f0:disqus The analogy is sound. The only difference is that preorders for consumer vehicles tend to not exist and are not bought in the millions, then found to be unusable for the first few weeks, sometimes even months, of the product’s life on shelves.

      You still have to spend money on both unless you pirate a game (or steal a car, but you wouldn’t download a car) to test drive it first.

      Gamers have every right imaginable to bitch and moan about shortcomings, flaws or plain issues with a game, because they’re the ones who are being expected of to spend money on the product. Let’s say you watched Twilight – would you just sit around and keep quiet about it being a shit movie, or would you be vocal about it being a shit movie?

      Let’s say you read a book and it was really shitty. Would you keep quiet about it being shitty, or would you be vocal about it?

      Here’s the hint:

      If a car is badly made and easily breaks down, you bitch about it,
      people stop buying the car and the brand takes a massive hit, no one is
      going to buy something that is **proven** not to work. The result is
      that the manufacturer is forced to spend millions fixing their broken
      product.

      People come to expect a certain level of quality of produce from some publishers these days, because it’s their money that’s on the line for a product that may or may not function as intended. When it doesn’t function as intended at some point after the purchase, then they get upset, especially when that failure of the product to function as intended inhibits their ability to utilize the product (read: error 37).

      That’s why the analogy is sound – because the drivetrain (ability to play) of your car (diablo 3) fell out (went offline), and the manufacturer (blizzard) should have known damn well that there was an issue with the construction that could cause the drivetrain to become loose and fall out (servers could become overloaded due to overly optimistic planning and infrastructure allocation).

      I may be a special kind of stupid, but at least I’m not the special kind of stupid that you are.

    • http://egamer.co.za/ Azhar Amien

      I’m starting to become curious as to how you think. If you bought Diablo III, and paid R500 for it, and it doesn’t work, of course you have the right to complain about it. Why would you want to stop playing a game you bought? Of course you’re going to try to play it still, because you paid money for it.

      There’s a massive difference between whiney bitching and valid complaints and criticism. You can’t just shrug and say okay and stop playing when you blow R500. You’ve already done it. So how else do you get people to talk, and the developers to act and fix what’s wrong, unless you complain? You still want to play the game. It’s not your fault that playing it is a problem due to defects with the product. Those problems HAVE to be fixed. You can’t possibly defend against that.

      It doesn’t matter that it won’t alter your choices, you missed my point anyway. My point was that as a result of consumers being unhappy, BioWare acted. It was clearly enough people upset with what they bought that BioWare reacted. Not to mention that in a technical sense BioWare were wrong because they basically lied about what the final product will entail. But enough about that.

      Actually, that’s not what happened at the end of Mass Effect. The great irony here is that you’re complaining about “whiney bitches”, but you’re sounding a LOT like them, for the wrong reasons.

    • Cloud Strife

      Theo Lubbe

      I dont think the car analogy holds water perfectly. The car industry is vastly different from the gaming industry in many ways. For one, negligence on your behalf or the manufacturer’s behalf can lead to loss of life. This then bumps the resposible behaviour of the manufacturer up past profits. Also, if your car is faulty it does not mean that everyone’s cars are faulty. Everyone had a “broken” game called Diablo 3..
      But when there is a manufacturer fault with a specific model/line of car then the manufacturers have been known to recall the car and compensate the customer but I believe this has to do again with the possibility of loss of life.

      But to get kinda on topic. I do believe in the consumers right to complain and I dont see this as whiney at all. I believe its frowned apon because the gaming industry is not yet seen as mature and also most of the people calling others whiney bitches are well…kids..(read Larchie..). This was a nice read by the way, well done Charl.

      Now a bit off topic again. D3 is online only because its the only way for Blizzard to have any chance of protecting the RMAH from hackers. Whether it will succeed remains to be seen. They need to learn to communicate better though, their PR sucks balls..

      http://eu.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/4698799997  Read this..its a consumer complaining, now will you call him a whiney bitch? Only a kid (read Larchie) would..

      Oh and Theo…I lolled at the “drivetrain” example…its sooooo Gran Turismo!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=720787108 Charl Den Dulk

    BTW I am not Larchie, don’t feed the trolls.

    • Larchie

      BTW I am not Charl Den Dulk, don’t feed the conspiracy.