You Speak the truth, Onas. Your arguement is one of many reasons why I started my own site with like-minded individuals for people who wanted to discuss games without that mindset. I don't want to spam my stuff everywhere, so I won't link to it... but it's not hard to find.
 

Y'know, I've always thought about starting my own gaming blog. I've just haven't spent the time to make one. I know how to write it. I have my own defunct anime blog that hasn't been updated for two years.

I'll have to start one up. I need a personal outlet for all the stuff I can't talk about on Bitmob. I won't have to deal with as many trollers either.

I agree that the real problem is how gamers are showing their dislike for certain choices game companies make.  Every year, it seems like the overall tone of Internet message boards and comments on stories like this get more hateful and less constructive.  People like to simply stomp and curse at developers instead of acting like human beings.

Yes, someone who knows what they're talking about, gaming journalism has become an absolute joke when these "journalists" do nothing but insult their readerbase.

Yeah, Dev.  I'm sure there are journalists who literally do nothing but insult their readerbase.  Because that's the way to keep your job, amirite?

 

Or are we still making blanket statements that are unfair to the target?  Now who's practicing poor judgement?

Bryan,

I think Devon is speaking in generalities with a dash of hyperbole, but I think you see what he's getting at. And to be fair, of the 7 or 8 podcasts I listen to, almost all of them raked gamers over the coals or were dismissive of the gamers POV concerning ME3. I think only The Exploding Barrel really sided with the general populace on that issue and to some extent, Giantbomb as well though they were more reserved in their support. He did not mention any specific journalists by name thus avoiding ad-hominem. I will say, prevalent attitude of the gaming media with specific regards to the ME3 scenario, was one of derison and scorn to the gaming populace who advocated for a change.

I am, myself, dismissive of "the gamer's POV" (something I think is drastically overestimated) simply because I didn't find the endings to be all that offensive, deus ex machina aside.  I, as an artist, would be disgusted to hear that people were so disappointed in the art I created that they were LITERALLY DEMANDING, and MAKING A FEDERAL CASE OUT OF me having to go back and do a double-take.  That's disgusting.  I remember a time where people that read an ending to a book they didn't like and they just had to grimace at the book, set it down and say "Well, that sucks."  It wasn't that long ago, either!  It was before Facebook was a thing, and I think that's important.

 

Now there is this new, disturbing trend of gamers not just not disliking something, but DEMANDING that their personal needs be met, because the last five minutes of the game COMPLETELY INVALIDATED the previous 20 hours they spent playing it, the $60 spent on the licence for the right to play it.  "The game is garbage, complete and utter shit, and SHAME ON BIOWARE.  They should go back and re-do it!" and they ARE, because in a move that surprised even me, the whiners and entitled actually threw enough of a hissy to make people who had no CLUE about videogames pay attention.  And that is scary.

 

No videogame company should feel pressured by their customers to renig on their design visions, ever.  That's horrible.  The game should either be successful or a failure of its own merit; if this is how they wanted to roll out the endings, that's their call.  Not ours.  When it becomes ours, can we really call their works art?  At this point it seems more like a democratic consensus.

 

This is a videogame.  It is a work of art.  You are not the artist.  YOU HAVE NO RIGHTS.

I think you're right on some parts and wrong on others. Technology is a two way street. I also remember a day when I didn't have to buy my game in pieces, when I didn't have to pay for extra characters, when I could unlock items with playthoughs or skill instead of money. It is a videogame, it is a work of art, it is also a PRODUCT. Devs are in the biz to MAKE MONEY. That is their Job #1. They are, for the most part, beholden to shareholders. If they manage to walk the tightrope of being in the good graces of those who buy their products, that is in their best interests as well.

I will agree that Facebook,Twitter, heck the internet in general has given people an over inflated ego and sense of self importance (hence why I'm on here typing instead of finishing up a pressing work assignment :) I myself would not demand a new ending or any changes, simply because, quite frankly, I'm pretty sure pending something amazing, I'm done with Bioware. But I don't have any issue with those that do as long as it's done in a respectful manner. And I'm okay with Biowares response of adding clarification instead of changing the entire ending. I think as a consumer of a product, you always have rights to some extent. If I go see a movie that is sold as a family flick, and it's overtly sexual, I go to the ticket counter and I get my money back. There is not always a guarantee that I'll get my money back, there is also not a guarantee, that the vendor/company will get see a dime from me again. It comes down to a discourse between creator and consumer.

Well, clearly you HAVE rights, that was a poor choice of words.  But I believe that most of the people complaining about this at great length at high volume believe that they, as a consumer, should have control over what the game is, or is not.  This is ridiculous, disturbing and laughable.  At any point that they believe they know what should be done in games, I would advise them to go to school, get a degree in an applicable field, work their way through the system and earn themselves a position in the field where their input would do just that, because if they're not and they think $60 equals full authoratory rights, they are self-entitled and bad, and they should feel bad for being bad.

 

There's a difference between dissent and making a federal case.  It's pretty distinctive.

 

I feel for you as far as not being nickel/dimed to get the "full experience" in games these days versus days in the past, but you have to keep in mind how much more, exponentially so, it has become to develop games... VERSUS how much LESS we are technically paying to play said games at face value.  If at any point you are handed a game that is absolutely not a complete "game" in the most literal sense of the word (You have to pay $15 in order to do a jump kick), this is a fair argument and has validity, but I have yet to see a game where this is the actuality.  It's lewd and annoying that you might feel compelled to pay more to get more later, but when it comes down to where the bear shits in the woods, it's not really necessary.

There's a difference between being a passionate fan and being a member of a demanding mob. If YOU place a developer or a franchise on a pedestal, the only thing you are entitled to is disappointment. The many 'people pay $60 dollars for ME3' arguments are wholly disingenuous, in real terms you are paying less for games than people were 10-20 years ago for instance ( http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2010/10/an-inconvenient-truth-game-prices-have-come-down-with-time.ars ), VAT here in the UK has risen, and these are not passed onto the consumer. Yet the cost of producing a game has gone up massively with a each generation as the demands, yes, demands of the consumer have come flooding in for bigger experiences, better graphics, 5.1 surround sound , multiplayer, dedicated servers etc. On the demanding what they were 'promised' comment, show us the bit that says Bioware 'promise' to give you something, not some marketing spiel or tweet from a BW employee, but one specifically with the word 'promise' in it. You are asking for control of something you did not create. On the one hand you say vote with your wallets, but then in the next breath that's not good enough, you want them to do this and that often BEFORE anyone buys the game. Although I agree that the Retake movement has a point, and even though I don't particularly mind the endings, new content is new content and always good, I feel that as an opportunity to push forward gaming as a medium and genre it has completely and utterly failed, in fact this whole infighting over being entitled has probably set the medium and overall acceptance of gaming backs few years. RME failed because it's been a month and although it may have raised $80000 for Childs play which is a great charity that all gamers should support, it has not furthered your actual goal of getting the endings changed/ new endings ( I mean this from the standpoint that many people on BSN want completely new endings rather than clarification), similarly sending 400 cupcakes with different coloured icing but all happen to taste the same, has got you nothing. There truly was an opportunity to set up a proper fans organisation around the furrow about Mass Effect 3, similar to something like EFF, where if this is truly meant to be an interactive experience then fans could have been involved early on, and this organisation could have had DIRECT discussions with Bioware on a mature, adult and reasonable level. Instead RME decided that a charity drive and a prank was the best way to achieve their goals of getting the ending changed. Meanwhile, this childish 'Hold the Line' inference from ME1 continues unabated, and it too is getting you nowhere. Stop 'Holding the Line', and instead 'Make something Happen'

That image brings up an interesting question, Calum, and it's something I'm sure lots of people and ALL developers have forgotten: Price dynamics.  Some games were priced higher than others, and sometimes that was for a dramatically higher return on investment.  How much was Final Fantasy 3 when it first hit shelves on the SNES?  $80 if I recall correctly?

 

Why isn't this happening anymore?  I have no doubt in my mind people would much rather pay $70 for Halo 4 and  $40 for Street Fighter x Tekken than $60 for both.  You can't tell me it costs the same to develop a fighting game as it does to develop a new FPS with a new engine.

Bingo Bryan! Why don't they do this anymore? This is why I mostly only buy games on sale on Steam now. I don't really care to be part of the day 1 zeitgeist at the expense of my wallet. If the pricing was scaled in a more reaonsable fashion, I'd purchase more games when they came out.

I think three years ago I had like... 80 games on Steam?  I'm about to hit $300.  I am loving being a PC gamer SO much.

Amen Bryan! I hopped on the PC gaming train a long time ago and never looked back. During the Steam Christmas Sale, I bought Deus EX: HR, AC: Brotherhood, Batman:AA, and NFS most wanted all for a total of about $60. Last game I paid full price for was Skyrim but it went on sale the DAY after I got it for $20 off. :) PC gaming and steam is the way to go for me. Wait a little, save a LOT!
 

I picked up Skyrim for $20 off, and I found a copy of Mass Effect 3 for $40 on Amazon.  It really feels like $40's the most I'm willing to spend on a game these days; if it's not $15 or heavily discounted, I don't even pay attention honestly.  Steam takes PC gaming precisely where digital distribution SHOULD have gone: They give us a bunch of 1s and 0s on the cheapy, because distributing it's virtually free.  Consoles need to catch up.

Agree 100%. Distribution is cheap, I'm over not having the physical copy (less clutter in the house), and the prices are excellent. To my knowledge, Devs still get a good cut too right? I'm ALL IN on Steam.......until they lose all my data or make me a victim of identity theft...then I shall demand the entire steam catalogue for free! Or a press pass like the journalists get :)

This is an extremely good point.  Why is now the time that everyone is getting so up-in-arms about a part of a game needing to be redone?  Plenty of highly anticipated titles haven't lived up to their expectations.

Am I correct in stating that you cannot return an opened game for a full refund? If thats the case, then why would I return it if I lose money instantly on the proposition. So I do my research beforehand to make sure there is a good chance I'll enjoy the game.

And Justin, the reason people are so up in arms is this is a multipart saga that folks have invested a lot of time into especially in the sense of the characters they created and the choices they made. This isn't COD or God of War where things are set in stone and your choices don't really matter.

Some places do let you return a game for a full refund but it depends on the store, not the publisher/developer of the game.

Also, I do understand exactly why people went so nuts about this.  I am just as big a fan as everyone else when it comes to the Mass Effect trilogy but I still can't see why it made everyone so angry.  The ending did feel quite lazy to me but I have suffered through worse endings in my gaming life (Halo 2's cliffhanger comes to mind).  I had too much fun with the rest of the game's amazing moments to care much about the lackluster ending.

You can't return a book or a magazine ever. Because, when you are done with it, it's of no value to you. Games should be the same way. You should get a 24 hour return window to deal with any issues the game may have, after that, you are shit out of luck.

That sounds fair and reasonable to me. I'm pretty sure the reason they don't offer something like this is the fear of piracy. Over an over, it seems like it's the legitimate consumer that gets the short end of the stick.

There really needs to a culture shift in gamers that Piracy is not boycotting a game, it only creates more issues for those who actually want to be honest and pay for the game, and gets those who are legitmately "boycotting" the game nowhere.

I have tried, I wrote an article about it on my blog, which got a decent response, but it's hard to shift the culture of gamers. With that said, I feel like many gamers tell people they are displeased with the devs and are going to pirate it to "show them!" but, they really just want a free game.