Art really does mirror life. Sometimes, in hilariously terribad ways.
I am watching a new MMORPG game collapse on itself in near real-time. And for the first time in my MMO life, I see people have come full circle on ‘entitlement’ and ‘exclusion’ in gaming.
Once upon a time, you had community that really did commit to the concept of ‘doing things with others’.
The reality we live in today makes that look quite naive, not to mention a clear dove sign that hawk’s just love to stoop.
I am seeing “big name” streamers break EAC in real time, complaining about how broke it is, and then, nearly simultaneously, chortling over knowing that “they” won’t be able to ever do this.
“They” being ‘everyone else’, of course.
Because it’s ok for you to exploit in blatent impunity so long as you’re delivering that ad revenue.
And it’s ok for you to continuously shatter what’s left of the trust between game companies and the market.
And it’s ok to be the ‘big name’ streamer who gets to break the rules because, hey, we all know that people with money or fame or celebrity of any sort get a pass (until they aren’t sufficiently tonguing the rim anymore; at which time they are summarily hatcheted by smear PR and left to rot in Vegas or ignoble “normalcy”).
Lately, I enjoy merely politely pointing out that they’re causing their own despair. They don’t get it, of course. Which is why they can exploit gleefully, complain about not being able to gouge sale on top of it, continue to complain that OTHER PEOPLE aren’t gouging enough, and all the while, not understanding this situation couldn’t be happening were they (and their coterie) not MADE IT A THING THAT IS OK TO DO.
And of course, AGS grins and lets it all happen because, well, they’re behind the damn 8-ball. Again. As usual. This time because they didn’t delay to get end game where it needed to be and get a solid MVP test and regression set completed.
You know…. actual quality of operational infrastructure.
But I tell you what really makes me ponder – Bezos has saled over the horizon in his little, golden space capsule (pun intended) – Gates some time ago stepped back – Google is slowly turning into Alphabet Soup and the ‘Wild Wild West’ phase of industry is being slowly brought down once more to earth.
And accountability. Maybe. Probably not, who are we kidding?
Rome had to collapse to be reborn. And no one is still sure it worked.
I see the same thing happening to New World and I cannot help but wonder if Amazon “proper” gets just how bruised the eye they are getting (AWS in particular, Lumberyard by proxy, etc, etc, etc) for either not eating their own dog food, or eating too much and making this game a nail rather than a natural experience.
And sending ENTIRELY the wrong message in permitting “big” celebrity or streamers STREAM their breaking of EAC.
It’s as if none of them realize how demoralizing it is to everyone who wanted this to be their “next one-and-only game”.
Perhaps they’re just so demoralized that they don’t care? I doubt it. Rather, it’s the usual “hard date came first” crowd, followed closely by the “65% of budget, same hard date, all features”, capped by “Reboot it or we’re dead.”
And here we are… in the graveyard of MMORPGs… they protrude from the ground like elephant bones.
And they are dancing. As all do when they are here. Dancing for your coin because no one will invest to win, only to fail.
Demoralization all around, I suppose.