Do _you_ think that EA Games is evil?

I do, EA only makes money because they own so much intellectual property and loads of trademarks. LoTR, harry potter, bond and cnc as examples... they also have pretty nasty support regarding patches and never seem to come up with any unique (yet alone half-decent) games. Not to mention how many companies they've bought over and destroyed. I think that EA is a threat to the existence of decent games. According to them: shareholders > customers.

What is the official position of game developers here? Do _you_ think that EA Games is evil?

I don't think EA Games is evil. I just think their releaeses are all more of the same, and they keep releasing new versions of the same game. Alright sure, maybe their newest version of Madden has better graphics, but that's only worth as much as an update. I'm not gonna fork out some $40 for that. I'd rather play something a little more experimental.

What public company doesn't care more about the stockholders than the customers?

I think EA is an example of American business practices: shoddy treatment of employees, shoddy products, and eventually the company will get indicted and move to Dubai so they can operate like other third-world enterprises.

Virgin Airlines :D (or so I've heard) - Ok, I'll cut the crap. But seriously, not only are they desperate for money - they also mislead if not lie to people. Look at cnc The First Decade: they said it was "recoded for XP" but it was horrific and everyone had problems with it. They just crap out something average, then hype it up saying its amazing so that everyone buys it on release, then the game is buggy and never gets fully patched. They're corrupt if you ask me.

I had no problems with C&C First Decade on Windows XP.

Within about a month I had a few random crashes, Yuris revenge wouldn't run and the old games were a bit choppy... they should have made the old games open source.

My impression of EA titles is that they're usually conservative in gameplay (i.e. how they play - their core mechanics etc), but high in production values.

Companies aren't evil. People can be.

In my (admittedly now rather dated) experience, management/department heads in big game publishers are often arrogant, intimidating ba****ds, who, through the flagrant, blatant abuse and exploitation of their staff could be said to exhibit an evil streak. However, I wouldn't call anyone evil for making a derivative, unstable or simply unenjoyable computer game.

In other words, if people in places such as EA are evil then it is because they force and threaten their employees rather than because they bring poor quality products to market.

In the 1980s - no, quite the opposite. In the 2000s - yeah, pretty much.

There are 2 kinds of companies. Those who manufacture products that people want/need, and those who manufacture needs and wants for their products.

EA is the second kind. Then again, so are most game companies. Even most indies.

Any industry who's entire customer base is based on a want, has this 'problem'.

I say 'problem' because games as an industry wouldn't exist, at least not like it does, if it wasn't for manufactured need/want.

DampeS8N:

What you call "want", I call "personal value". According to Karl Marx, "personal value" (along with "use value" and "surplus value") helps define the worth of a commodity.

If this is a problem then it is a problem with capitalism (and commodification) in general rather than the game industry in particular.

The manufacturing of personal value is a weakness in capitalism. It isn't, however, a problem. In a time of plenty it is perfectly acceptable, and likely healthy, to do this. It makes lots of jobs, wastes lots of money on lots of things and drives the economy. Should our time of plenty come to an end, the first things to go will be all the manufactured needs and wants.

People won't buy a new PS4, if they can't afford to put a roof over their head.

I've heard a lot of good things about EA and a lot of bad things. Personal experience however brings my views to 'yes, they are the anti-christ, along with Channel 7 Australia'.

EA have killed every major game series I've ever been hooked on - except Final Fantasy.


Actually they said it was recoded for modern OSs. They never specifically mentioned XP and suprise surprise, most of the games don't run on Vista. The games also include bugs not available anywhere else, along with updated copy protection that doesn't work properly.

On the other hand, I appear to be the only person in the world who thinks what they've done to C&C3 is tragic.


Depends if the PS4 is big enough to be the roof over their head. =]

I think it's somewhat absurd to describe EA as evil. For all their many faults EA is also the only major publisher to try something new on occasion (granted this is largely due to their acquisition of Maxis / Will Wright).

EA is just doing what they feel is necessary at this point of time.

Also I don't think that owning "all the IP in the world" is going to do them any favors. Remember the last two companies who did that? No? Ocean and Domark.

@Hotcakes,

What about the way Ch. 9 treated Gilmore Girls fans? Ch.7 has nothing on that!

someone had to do it...

http://ea-spouse.livejournal.com/274.html

> Should our time of plenty come to an end, the first things to go will be all the manufactured needs and wants.

Not true, look at any third world country as an example of what happens when there is not plenty.

EA evil, I don't think so, incompetant maybe. Or possibly just doing what a large corporation does, which is trying to maximize profit.

No.

EA did a fantastic job taking a tiring franchise "SSX" and coming up with a fantastic experience in "SSX 3" - not tried the others since.

I also love Medal of Honor - the series builds very well.

I think there is more and better to come from these guys.

IPete2.

FYI it isn't much different with any other developer. Or any other non-union industry for that matter.

EA is indeed evil, and I have incriminating evidence! I present to you all, exhibit "A".



Coincedence? I think not.

o_O

lol

ha ha ha

Are Evil...... (A+E=6)
livE erA.... (E+A=6)
...E ..A.... (E+A=6)



Ooooh spooky!! :O

My advice dont go spelling "electronic arts" on any WII-JA-xBOXES :)

hmm.. non-union... Maybe we need a game-designers union.. We won't make any more games unless you stop telling us it has to have big boobies and a cute animal with attitude in it... It could work.

Tho they would prolly just hire scabs.. lord knows there are plenty of people that want to get into the industry...

OK so I don't watch either channel enough to know of those sorts of going ons - I watch enough of new shows to know when they are crap - I simply can't remember the last time Channel 7 had something that interested me. Oh, yes I can. It was Friends.

And they didn't even keep it.


OK so like before SSX 3 there was a whole what... 2 games? How can that be 'tired'?

And if SSX 3 was the bomb, you promptly went on to never play any sequels after that... doesn't really make much sense =]

Corporations are not evil or good. they are in business to stay in business and earn profit. A corporation is by it's very nature a soul-less entity. The problem is that people have a tendency to personify all sorts of things. That is, they attribute unique human attributes to non-human (and even non-living things). The Weather, the sun, the moon, a rock, a dog/cat/favorite pet all get tagged with human characteristics.

Corporations are no different. Microsoft is not Evil, they are simply successful. you could argue that Bill Gates, Steve Jobs or a particular corporate officer is evil and that may be true.

EA's shareholders require a profit. as soon as that well drys up EA will change leaders.

Games are incredibly expensive to create nowadays. They are multiyear, multimillion dollar investments. If I held stock in XYZ company, I would prefer they work on "Popular Game III" versus "Innovative Risky Game".

Which is exactly opposite of the type of game i would like to personally buy/play.

EA makes games for the masses. many of them look great but are rather dull.