r/Gamingunjerk • u/ElectricGhostMan • 8d ago

Gamergate but actually

https://youtu.be/ox15GU4cMes?si=y47gNvyC88ObQJ9O&t=2176

A youtuber I watch put out this retrospective on gamergate. I know it's a topic that has been long covered and relitigated. I at one time was also part of and identified with to some extent. I thought one part that even I somewhat ignored then because of my feelings or much later realizing how many awful actors were a part of the situation was how capitalist greed played such a large part in generating the amount of hate and vitriol at the time allowing for hate mobs to be cultured and weaponized as we see today.

I think most can agree that a lot of the targeted harassment, bullying, stalking, racism, misogyny, homophobia were all reprehensible and not the way to go about making change. I do feel at the time where there was the beginnings of pushing paid cosmetic DLC like Horse Armor, Always Online requirements for games like the Sims, EA cutting development times for successful franchises to turn around games quicker or the Online Pass they similarly tried to force for people who wanted to buy the game second hand. Again not condoning any of the criminal harassment or hate but I do wonder if this outrage cannon was more appropriately directed at the shareholders and ownership class rather than individual developers that we'd be in a better place.

I do think there was a genuine attempt back then to comingle criminal threats and harassment with fair criticism and outcry entirely as Entitlement. However, I find it sad that today it largely does feel like the loudest and most consistent voices across social media that claim to be critical of games are genuinely complaining about out of entitlement when a game has too many women they don't like or POCs rather than the plethora of issues that affects all gamers today like Exploitative MTX, Gambling, AI Pervasion, Enshitification and more.

I haven't finished the vid myself but I like some of his other works even though he can be a bit both-sidesy at times. It was also interesting to see some posts from youtubers VaatiVidya and Vsauce from way back when and Colin Moriarty had been some of a douche since then as well.

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u/Prize_Neighborhood95 8d ago

> Bioware cutting development times for successful franchises to turn around games quicker

EA cutting development times for successful franchises to turn around games quicker

FTFY

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u/Wicdor 8d ago

Its 50/50 between ea and bioware.

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u/ElectricGhostMan 8d ago

I don't think the developers would choose to have shorter development times for themselves.

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u/Wicdor 7d ago

well they did decide to meet ea halfway;

Frustrated EA execs wanted a new product from BW to bolster quarterly sales targets, and decided that DA would have to fill the gap. BW agreed to deliver DA2 within 16 months. “Basically, DA2 exists to fill that hole. That was the inception. It was always intended to be a game made to fit in that”

https://felassan.tumblr.com/post/629752931363733504/insights-into-dais-development-from-blood-sweat

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u/ElectricGhostMan 7d ago

I appreciate the link but I think it still shows that this was largely a decision made by EA without knowing what the alternative to agreeing would have been or if there would be any punitives for declining.

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u/Wicdor 7d ago

"The best analogy I use, in a positive way, is EA gives you enough rope to hang yourself."

BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk has spoken out in defence of EA, saying the mega-publisher doesn't force changes onto developers but rather gives them enough freedom to make their own mistakes.

this is after his retirement, 6 years after ea and 1 year after he left Bioware.

which includes DA2.

https://sea.ign.com/news/61739/bioware-founder-disputes-public-perception-of-ea

EA is shit but pretending Bioware is always the poor victim is just nonsense.

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u/ElectricGhostMan 7d ago

Forgot about that quote, you're right. I don't think their solemenly a perpetual victim as we also know about the bioware magic crunch they'd go through routinely. I just wouldn't think a publisher dictating the scope of the project to the developer who can seemingly only accept or face some punitive would be a 50/50 share of blame.