IGN's Colin Moriarty put up a video that talks about the "mass hysteria" from the Mass Effect 3 fan base, calling those demanding a change to be "entitled" gamers. Apparently, it's wrong to not want a horrible, deus ex machina ending to a series that has spanned three games and one grand arching storyline.
Moriarty also brings up the point that gamers shouldn't feel so entitled to a worthwhile experience given how gamers are so much cheaper now than they used to be. Ignoring the fact that games are on average $60 (USD) a pop, it also needs to be stated that games are also much shorter now, a point that Forbes brings up in their article calling IGN out on their video.
I couldn't agree more. It's interesting how some sites are really supporting the decisions some developers and publishers make with their games, particularly IGN. IGN's own Jessica Chobot had a somewhat significant role in Mass Effect 3. IGN's review page for Mass Effect 3 was plastered with Mass Effect 3 advertisements in the space surrounding the article itself. IGN, in the days leading up to the release of the game had Mass Effect 3 page ads that surrounded most of the content on the site.
Perhaps there is some level of bias there. Perhaps not. It's not my call to say one way or the other and have it pass as fact. That is up to the readers and the community to decide.
Moriarty also brings up the point that gamers shouldn't feel so entitled to a worthwhile experience given how gamers are so much cheaper now than they used to be. Ignoring the fact that games are on average $60 (USD) a pop, it also needs to be stated that games are also much shorter now, a point that Forbes brings up in their article calling IGN out on their video.
But the notion that angry or disappointed fans are displaying a sense of “entitlement” is deeply misguided, and perhaps unique to the gaming industry – a myth perpetuated by the industry and, apparently, by many journalists who cover the industry. Consumers who purchase your goods or services are not acting like they’re “entitled” to something that they have no right to. This implies that they did nothing to deserve their frustration and have no right to complain. It’s a term that in this usage is interchangeable with “spoiled.”
It’s also completely wrong-headed.
Colin says that there’s a “proper” way to complain, but he never really says what that is beyond not buying games or DLC that you don’t like. That’s fine advice, as far as it goes, but I’m not sure why it’s “proper” whereas asking for a new ending is the act of a bunch of selfish children stomping their feet.
What Colin is really saying is that gamers have no investment in the games they play and love (or hate.) It’s the same attitude you hear in politics when someone says “If you don’t love America, why don’t you go somewhere else?”
But gamers really do have investment in their games – often more than in television, a medium where you hear plenty of discontent from fans (yet no television reviewers, to my knowledge, calling the fans “entitled.”) Gamers are often involved in modding games after release, often with the blessing of the developers. New texture packs, characters, or maps are common in games like Skyrim or Valve’s catalogue.
The relationship between gamer and developer, and across the entire community, is a social and participatory relationship. Gamers may not work on the actual development of a title like Mass Effect 3, but they’ve invested their time and money and support into that franchise and there is no one “proper” way to complain about the ending. Nor are angry fans merely “entitled” or “spoiled” simply for angrily voicing their concerns or asking for a new ending.
It’s also completely wrong-headed.
Colin says that there’s a “proper” way to complain, but he never really says what that is beyond not buying games or DLC that you don’t like. That’s fine advice, as far as it goes, but I’m not sure why it’s “proper” whereas asking for a new ending is the act of a bunch of selfish children stomping their feet.
What Colin is really saying is that gamers have no investment in the games they play and love (or hate.) It’s the same attitude you hear in politics when someone says “If you don’t love America, why don’t you go somewhere else?”
But gamers really do have investment in their games – often more than in television, a medium where you hear plenty of discontent from fans (yet no television reviewers, to my knowledge, calling the fans “entitled.”) Gamers are often involved in modding games after release, often with the blessing of the developers. New texture packs, characters, or maps are common in games like Skyrim or Valve’s catalogue.
The relationship between gamer and developer, and across the entire community, is a social and participatory relationship. Gamers may not work on the actual development of a title like Mass Effect 3, but they’ve invested their time and money and support into that franchise and there is no one “proper” way to complain about the ending. Nor are angry fans merely “entitled” or “spoiled” simply for angrily voicing their concerns or asking for a new ending.
I couldn't agree more. It's interesting how some sites are really supporting the decisions some developers and publishers make with their games, particularly IGN. IGN's own Jessica Chobot had a somewhat significant role in Mass Effect 3. IGN's review page for Mass Effect 3 was plastered with Mass Effect 3 advertisements in the space surrounding the article itself. IGN, in the days leading up to the release of the game had Mass Effect 3 page ads that surrounded most of the content on the site.
Perhaps there is some level of bias there. Perhaps not. It's not my call to say one way or the other and have it pass as fact. That is up to the readers and the community to decide.
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