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I'm not sure why we're all surprised. He's making video games like every other industry made to make money. Why does McDonald's make a lot of money? It's not by treating it's employees well and providing quality food at a good price, I'll tell you that much.
This is the kind of consumer market we've created for ourselves. Activision is hiring people who are used to selling high fructose corn syrup to us. HFCS is like guaranteed obesity guys, and these people know it. Yet they sell more and more every year and come up with more ways to sell it. Why? Because it makes money.
They are counting on this blowing over eventually. Like OP said, they stand to gain way, way more than they will realistically lose (read:l4d2 lolcott). I say we continue letting them know how bs this is, but I doubt they're gonna do anything about it unless they think it will actually hurt their pockets. They don't care about their image or anything else unless it pertains to money. They're absolutely willing to let everyone hate them as long as they are making a profit.
It's incredibly depressing, but really par for the course.
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On July 08 2010 19:09 Cpt.Nasty wrote:
I'm not sure why we're all surprised. He's making video games like every other industry made to make money. Why does McDonald's make a lot of money? It's not by treating it's employees well and providing quality food at a good price, I'll tell you that much.
This is the kind of consumer market we've created for ourselves. Activision is hiring people who are used to selling high fructose corn syrup to us. HFCS is like guaranteed obesity guys, and these people know it. Yet they sell more and more every year and come up with more ways to sell it. Why? Because it makes money.
They are counting on this blowing over eventually. Like OP said, they stand to gain way, way more than they will realistically lose (read:l4d2 lolcott). I say we continue letting them know how bs this is, but I doubt they're gonna do anything about it unless they think it will actually hurt their pockets. They don't care about their image or anything else unless it pertains to money. They're absolutely willing to let everyone hate them as long as they are making a profit.
It's incredibly depressing, but really par for the course.
I have to agree with this. Though it sucks, it's what capitalism is about and will continue to be about. Just look at EA, once the money started dripping in instead of flowing they had to change their culture and ideas to become competitive again.
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I can't say I'm surprised... I knew when Blizz sold out to Activision we'd inevitably deal with a total shit-storm for it... I can't believe Morhaime doesn't see it... The second he had to report to someone with Activision, despite Blizzard supposedly maintaining its own independance, it should have occurred to him that he messed up...
My prediction is this: Blizzard Employee's will put out Wings of Liberty and Heart of the Swarm both, before realizing Activision is going to screw them over, as Activision has inevitably done to everyone brought into their fold. They will finish Legacy of the Void just because this series is something they've been working on for ages, and it's important to them. They will then finally have their backs broken by Activision and go the way of Infinity Ward, most likely with the Blizzard name stripped from them and owned by Activision. Activision, in the years to follow, will destroy the Blizzard name and drive themselves, possibly just in that one branch, or as a whole, into the ground. The Blizzard team will take their third name, (The first being Silicone & Synapse,) and continue to make ground-breaking games for true gamers and casual gamers alike. Blizzard, and Morhaime, will then rub dog-shit in Kotick's face and prove, once and for all, that Karma, when you build up enough Bad Karma, is a bitch, and rise, once again, to multi-billion dollar status..... And then sign with EA... *Sigh*
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I just joined to say that this is the most despicable thing ive ever read. I feel like a whore for wanting to buy starcraft 2.
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OMG, I can't believe I read all that. I canNOT believe that. What is this country coming to?? Makes me want to cancel my Warcraft subscription ASAP.
I feel bad for those who have played Warcraft for 5+ years, and feel they must leave because of this whole RealID garbage. It's going to hurt for me just after 8 months. :o(
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The only way you can do something about it is make it go on TV. On a big show. :/ Same thing for real ID thing
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I'd be nice if like a dozen people at Blizzcon went and threw their shoes at him together. Even better if you could get a whole room to do it simultaneously, but still..
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Call me an apologist, but I've always believed that truth is a three edged sword (bonus points if you get the reference).
How many excerpts were pulled from shareholder meetings where things had to be explained in a way people understood, like making B.Net2 "Like XBox Live", or displaying a mature corporate culture that "takes the fun out of making video games"? I always love how so many things are pulled together and slanted to paint a portrait to fuel whatever argument you want to make.
Call of Duty subscription service? Hell, if they were more regular with the DLC with a more regular map rotation and additional features it's not a bad idea. Monetizing B.Net 2? They've said they're going to do that for years.
All I'm saying is don't just take everything here at face value. Do some research, think, and -then- make an informed opinion.
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Maybe OP should change the part about The Silver Lining, because apparently it's getting released after all.
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On May 30 2010 06:09 Failsafe wrote:Show nested quote +On May 30 2010 06:04 Vynakros wrote:
Amagad, just read through it... And at first I thought the merger was going to be positive for us end users...
EDIT: Because I was such a hardcore Blizz games fan, this day feels like a familiar friend died. And now he returns as a zombie... yeah, this most of all. even though i've experienced the change first-hand, there's a strong temptation to believe in the illusion that blizzard is immune to all the bullshit that plagues everything else. unfortunately it's apparent blizzard isn't immune at all
In short, I concur.
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I've read some of the comments, and unsurprisingly, there seems to be a lot of indoctrinated brainwashed tools who think that piracy is stealing and such. Let me clear this up for you people with logic (something many people seem to lack).
Now, first of all, those statistics that state how many pirates there are or how much something was pirated? Made up on the spot. There is NO simple or accurate way to know how many people are pirates or know how many people pirated something because it's as if they never bought the product! In addition, there's far too many websites and torrents to even come close to having accurate statistics, so they have to make the numbers up to seem worse than they really are. What's sad is, some people actually believe them (I'd expect no less from brainwashed tools, though). Also, no matter how much DRM someone puts into their products, it isn't going to stop piracy. Sorry, you're only hurting your customers.
Second of all, piracy is NOT stealing. I read a comment somewhere here that compared pirating something to stealing an apple. This is absolutely idiotic because when you steal an apple, the owner NO LONGER HAS IT. That's what stealing is. When you take something, and it's no longer there for someone else. When you pirate something, you're basically making a copy, and there will always be more for other people! These products are in an INFINITE quantity. Piracy isn't stealing, despite what some brainwashed tools would have you believe.
Now, you could argue that when someone pirates something, they are 'stealing' the artists potential profits. This is simply idiotic and incorrect for a number of reasons. For one, many pirates likely never have any intention of buying something if they can't pirate, maybe because they don't have the money, or because the company is similar to Blizzard and treats their customers like idiots who throw money at them mindlessly. Second of all, if 'stealing' someones potential profits was illegal, this would have some very dire consequences such as the fact that competition in general would become illegal! Other businesses would be 'stealing' away your 'potential profits'. Not to mention the fact that warning people about bad/poorly made products would also be illegal because it could 'steal' away a businesses potential profits.
Piracy also has some positive effects, such as the fact that when someone pirates something and they like the product, they will likely spread the word about it, which means free advertising via word of mouth. Also, they might tell some of their non-pirate friends to buy it, or maybe even donate to the author themselves. Also, when someone pirates something, they save money for themselves so they can buy more important things (food, water, and shelter).
Morally, you might say piracy is wrong. However, your morals are not absolute and do not apply to everyone. So that's really just an opinion. While I do think an artist should get compensated for their efforts if they made a product that the pirate likes, it's no fault of the pirate if they don't. Pirates are merely symptoms of an illogical capitalistic society that utilizes a vastly inefficient artificial currency which promotes greed, selfishness, corruption, and often even promotes sacrificing the environment or the lives of living beings in order to acquire more of this worthless currency.
Think outside of the box that society has enclosed your mind in.
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On July 31 2010 22:22 woboola wrote:
I've read some of the comments, and unsurprisingly, there seems to be a lot of indoctrinated brainwashed tools who think that piracy is stealing and such. Let me clear this up for you people with logic (something many people seem to lack).
Now, first of all, those statistics that state how many pirates there are or how much something was pirated? Made up on the spot. There is NO simple or accurate way to know how many people are pirates or know how many people pirated something because it's as if they never bought the product! In addition, there's far too many websites and torrents to even come close to having accurate statistics, so they have to make the numbers up to seem worse than they really are. What's sad is, some people actually believe them (I'd expect no less from brainwashed tools, though). Also, no matter how much DRM someone puts into their products, it isn't going to stop piracy. Sorry, you're only hurting your customers.
Second of all, piracy is NOT stealing. I read a comment somewhere here that compared pirating something to stealing an apple. This is absolutely idiotic because when you steal an apple, the owner NO LONGER HAS IT. That's what stealing is. When you take something, and it's no longer there for someone else. When you pirate something, you're basically making a copy, and there will always be more for other people! These products are in an INFINITE quantity. Piracy isn't stealing, despite what some brainwashed tools would have you believe.
Now, you could argue that when someone pirates something, they are 'stealing' the artists potential profits. This is simply idiotic and incorrect for a number of reasons. For one, many pirates likely never have any intention of buying something if they can't pirate, maybe because they don't have the money, or because the company is similar to Blizzard and treats their customers like idiots who throw money at them mindlessly. Second of all, if 'stealing' someones potential profits was illegal, this would have some very dire consequences such as the fact that competition in general would become illegal! Other businesses would be 'stealing' away your 'potential profits'. Not to mention the fact that warning people about bad/poorly made products would also be illegal because it could 'steal' away a businesses potential profits.
Piracy also has some positive effects, such as the fact that when someone pirates something and they like the product, they will likely spread the word about it, which means free advertising via word of mouth. Also, they might tell some of their non-pirate friends to buy it, or maybe even donate to the author themselves. Also, when someone pirates something, they save money for themselves so they can buy more important things (food, water, and shelter).
Morally, you might say piracy is wrong. However, your morals are not absolute and do not apply to everyone. So that's really just an opinion. While I do think an artist should get compensated for their efforts if they made a product that the pirate likes, it's no fault of the pirate if they don't. Pirates are merely symptoms of an illogical capitalistic society that utilizes a vastly inefficient artificial currency which promotes greed, selfishness, corruption, and often even promotes sacrificing the environment or the lives of living beings in order to acquire more of this worthless currency.
Think outside of the box that society has enclosed your mind in.
Piracy is stealing, if you think it isn't then you should introduce yourself to a dictionary.
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On July 31 2010 22:57 Tergeron wrote:Show nested quote +On July 31 2010 22:22 woboola wrote:
I've read some of the comments, and unsurprisingly, there seems to be a lot of indoctrinated brainwashed tools who think that piracy is stealing and such. Let me clear this up for you people with logic (something many people seem to lack).
Now, first of all, those statistics that state how many pirates there are or how much something was pirated? Made up on the spot. There is NO simple or accurate way to know how many people are pirates or know how many people pirated something because it's as if they never bought the product! In addition, there's far too many websites and torrents to even come close to having accurate statistics, so they have to make the numbers up to seem worse than they really are. What's sad is, some people actually believe them (I'd expect no less from brainwashed tools, though). Also, no matter how much DRM someone puts into their products, it isn't going to stop piracy. Sorry, you're only hurting your customers.
Second of all, piracy is NOT stealing. I read a comment somewhere here that compared pirating something to stealing an apple. This is absolutely idiotic because when you steal an apple, the owner NO LONGER HAS IT. That's what stealing is. When you take something, and it's no longer there for someone else. When you pirate something, you're basically making a copy, and there will always be more for other people! These products are in an INFINITE quantity. Piracy isn't stealing, despite what some brainwashed tools would have you believe.
Now, you could argue that when someone pirates something, they are 'stealing' the artists potential profits. This is simply idiotic and incorrect for a number of reasons. For one, many pirates likely never have any intention of buying something if they can't pirate, maybe because they don't have the money, or because the company is similar to Blizzard and treats their customers like idiots who throw money at them mindlessly. Second of all, if 'stealing' someones potential profits was illegal, this would have some very dire consequences such as the fact that competition in general would become illegal! Other businesses would be 'stealing' away your 'potential profits'. Not to mention the fact that warning people about bad/poorly made products would also be illegal because it could 'steal' away a businesses potential profits.
Piracy also has some positive effects, such as the fact that when someone pirates something and they like the product, they will likely spread the word about it, which means free advertising via word of mouth. Also, they might tell some of their non-pirate friends to buy it, or maybe even donate to the author themselves. Also, when someone pirates something, they save money for themselves so they can buy more important things (food, water, and shelter).
Morally, you might say piracy is wrong. However, your morals are not absolute and do not apply to everyone. So that's really just an opinion. While I do think an artist should get compensated for their efforts if they made a product that the pirate likes, it's no fault of the pirate if they don't. Pirates are merely symptoms of an illogical capitalistic society that utilizes a vastly inefficient artificial currency which promotes greed, selfishness, corruption, and often even promotes sacrificing the environment or the lives of living beings in order to acquire more of this worthless currency.
Think outside of the box that society has enclosed your mind in. Piracy is stealing, if you think it isn't then you should introduce yourself to a dictionary.
well then, were all thieves
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On July 31 2010 22:57 Tergeron wrote:
Piracy is stealing, if you think it isn't then you should introduce yourself to a dictionary.
I can see you made absolutely zero effort to read my post, which to me is unsurprising. What exactly are pirates stealing? When you steal something, it's gone from the original owner. When you pirate something, you've made a copy, and no one loses anything.
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in before YOU WOULDNT DOWNLOAD A CAR!
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On August 01 2010 22:58 woboola wrote:
When you steal something, it's gone from the original owner. When you pirate something, you've made a copy, and no one loses anything.
You did just not say that, jesus. You are not paying for the product how does that seem like no one is losing anything?
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Piracy is more like a little kid sneaking into a movie in the cinema. Think 'Cinema Paradiso'. Its fine when people who don't have the money do it but it's a problem if people who can afford to pay start doing it. They want to scare most people enough to stop it becoming a problem and they'll never stop certain people anyway.
I really hate this activision bollocks. I was always wondering why blizzard were doing things they couldn't really explain properly or had a stupid reason for it.
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On July 31 2010 22:22 woboola wrote:
Second of all, piracy is NOT stealing. I read a comment somewhere here that compared pirating something to stealing an apple. This is absolutely idiotic because when you steal an apple, the owner NO LONGER HAS IT. That's what stealing is. When you take something, and it's no longer there for someone else. When you pirate something, you're basically making a copy, and there will always be more for other people! These products are in an INFINITE quantity. Piracy isn't stealing, despite what some brainwashed tools would have you believe.
If this is what you have to tell your 5 yr old so that he doesn't think his father is an immoral prick who expects to get the fruits of other peoples' labor without giving them anything in return, the go big.
But reality tempts me to post this: If you call a taxi, you enter into a verbal contract. (not making this up, its the law). This contract for services states: you give me a ride, and I pay you for it. I agree to pay what you charge for this service. If I do not agree, I forfeit my opportunity to partake in said transaction and I exit the cab without being transported anywhere.
The cab driver still owns the cab, and still can give an infinite number of people rides. But if you take a ride without paying him, you STOLE HIS TIME. You stole is RESOURCES. You RENEGED ON A CONTRACT, and simply, you owe him money.
It is theft. It may not adhere to your definition of "stealing", but guess what? My definition of stealing is the same as the court's definition of stealing and we disagree with you.
Piracy is theft, because the company that made the INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY owns it, and doesn't sell it to anyone, they license you to use it. Its a contract for a service. You pay to use their intellectual property (software). If you use it and don't pay them, you have stolen from them.
Its the law. Stop being silly.
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