Are you boycotting any companies?

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Origin is gross, I don't want it. Unfortunately, its a requirement for most EA games now. So by proxy I'm boycotting EA.

Oh and EA killed Maxis. So I don't like them for that. Doesn't mean I'm against playing games by them, its just Origin keeping me from buying their products.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Yes, I'm boycotting EA. Why? Because their business practices are abhorrent to me.

 

[Valanthe]

I wouldn't call it a Boycott, because that implies I am actively campaigning against a company, I just can't be tossed to buy a Ubisoft or EA game anymore. It's a shame, really. I used to enjoy both companies games, in fact back in the 90's my game library consisted of almost exclusively Ubisoft and EA logos.

Nowadays it consists of whatever I scraped out of the used games bin at Gamestop, because quite frankly, my "Consumer responsibility" stops at my wallet.

 

[nyarlathotepsama]

I guess I'm boycotting the whole triple A video game market at the moment, not a single game this year I'm at all interested in. Not sure game-ennui counts as boycotting but I guess there it is.

Oh yeah and EA in general, 'cause everyone says they're bastards.

I won't shop at Wallmart or Futureshop. Futureshop because they are over priced and took advantage of me when I needed my laptop fixed. They held my laptop for months till my warranty expired and just gave it back to me without fixing it.

I won't shop at Wallmart for a ton of different reasons but simplified it is because of all the damage they do to the economy and how many jobs they make obsolete. They put out all kinds of businesses by undercutting prices low enough that they competition cannot stay afloat to match putting people out of work and those same people complaining of there not being enough work go and shop there so face palm.

Interesting, in my neck of the woods Walmart has been a boon for the economy; the jobs they created and the low price of their goods have increased revenue all around. I wonder if there has been a different effect in Canada, I'm curious now.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Simply put, McDonald's.

Partly because their food is terrible, but mostly because I used to work at a McDonald's, and it's EASILY the worst job I've ever had.

Frankly, the state of the kitchen in your average McDonald's is disgusting. I worked on the grill, and there were times where I've actually seen cockroaches crawling on it, and my superior just told me to scrap them off, and keep using the grill. Without cleaning it.

And I've got a story from there involving a dildo that's both hilarious and disturbing. Plus I've heard stories about people having sex on the condiment cart.

So, yeah, no more McDonald's for me. Also, by extension, I don't do Burger King, since they're basically the same thing.

I'll just be over here, vomiting a little. I was avoiding most fast food joints because of the health concerns anyway but Mc Donalds has always made me a little sick to my stomach since I turned 18. Now I think I know why...

 

[Ryan Hughes]

Well, a couple of people mentioned McDonald's, but since I do not like their food in the first place, boycotting them for their business practice is kinda redundant. Same thing with EA, as the majority of their games hold no interest for me.

The only real boycott I have right now are for products made at Foxconn plants in China, where dozens of workers have committed suicide. This includes many Apple, Dell, and HP products. I am thinking of boycotting Royal Dutch - the parent of Shell Oil- for their abuses in Nigeria, and for pushing to drill in ANWaR.

 

[nuba km]

I don't see the point personally....if I want somthing I'l have it

well I really don't like what EA have been doing over the last year or two, so any money I would give to an EA produced would just feel like I am being a hypocrite as I am giving someone money when I don't want the company to succeed under its current business plan.

I am not the only person that has these views and the more people just don't by any EA produced if they don't like EA's business the more likely EA is going to change it business strategy or fail. This is only a secondary result that happens if more people boycott out of principle rather then looking for a result.

 

[aba1]

I guess I'm boycotting the whole triple A video game market at the moment, not a single game this year I'm at all interested in. Not sure game-ennui counts as boycotting but I guess there it is.

Oh yeah and EA in general, 'cause everyone says they're bastards.

I won't shop at Wallmart or Futureshop. Futureshop because they are over priced and took advantage of me when I needed my laptop fixed. They held my laptop for months till my warranty expired and just gave it back to me without fixing it.

I won't shop at Wallmart for a ton of different reasons but simplified it is because of all the damage they do to the economy and how many jobs they make obsolete. They put out all kinds of businesses by undercutting prices low enough that they competition cannot stay afloat to match putting people out of work and those same people complaining of there not being enough work go and shop there so face palm.

Interesting, in my neck of the woods Walmart has been a boon for the economy; the jobs they created and the low price of their goods have increased revenue all around. I wonder if there has been a different effect in Canada, I'm curious now.

They spin things that way but it is a ripple effect. When they get there they create jobs simply by being there but people start going to wallmart for everything since they have everything and decent prices. Since everyone is shopping there all the other smaller businesses start to crumble unable to support themselves and in the end more jobs are lost to businesses going under that to the jobs wallmart creates. Then the companies they get there product from are forced to supply to them or they won't sell enough to stay up Wallmart effectively says either you sell to us at these rates or you go under which is how they have such good deals meanwhile the supplier can barely keep going. After a long whiles when all the competition is gone wallmart will have monopolized there respective markets and they won't even have to worry about the deals anymore so they will just rip off the suppliers and everyone won't have a choice but to buy from them since they are the only store left and they can overcharge on everything (this last part hasn't happened quite yet but it will happen in the next decade or so).

Hell it is already starting to happen my gf couldn't find work anywhere except wallmart because nobody can afford to take anyone on and we have 3 Wallmarts in and around my area.

 

[Itchi_da_killa]

I have boycotted Radio shack and brought a couple of the fellas with me.

 

[Leemaster777]

Simply put, McDonald's.

Partly because their food is terrible, but mostly because I used to work at a McDonald's, and it's EASILY the worst job I've ever had.

Frankly, the state of the kitchen in your average McDonald's is disgusting. I worked on the grill, and there were times where I've actually seen cockroaches crawling on it, and my superior just told me to scrap them off, and keep using the grill. Without cleaning it.

And I've got a story from there involving a dildo that's both hilarious and disturbing. Plus I've heard stories about people having sex on the condiment cart.

So, yeah, no more McDonald's for me. Also, by extension, I don't do Burger King, since they're basically the same thing.

I'll just be over here, vomiting a little. I was avoiding most fast food joints because of the health concerns anyway but Mc Donalds has always made me a little sick to my stomach since I turned 18. Now I think I know why...

You're welcome. Any day I can make someone physically ill with my words is a good day, in my book.

 

[Busard]

I find it hard to boycott something entirely in the video game industry because of several things: The fact that it's never the work of a publisher alone, that there's also a general consensus among gamer to overreact and act like angry babies too much etc....

I'd say the BIG company I keep my eye out on is Electronic Arts for their latest practice, but even then, I bought a few games that were EA published last year so yeah, I pick my battles.

Even Ubisoft I don't have much of a beef against. Yeah, their DRM sucks and is pretty stupid but the games are enjoyable, there's legit effort behind them (Rayman Origins was great, I still enjoy the AC series, and with Watch Dogs coming, i'm curious at how it will turn out). Even activision is not all that bad in my eyes.

I AM though actively boycotting bioware at the moment. I probably won't buy their games ever again. They have just proven to me that they're too much in their own bubble, are trying to use artistic integrity as an excuse while throwing their own artistic merit through the window by being plain lazy and are now basically preying upon what's left or their rabid fanbase for their continued survival. You might say that it's partially EA's fault, but I do think they could've also have a say in all this at one point, but they didn't.

 

[floppylobster]

My local post office for overcharging. I go an extra 3km to the next one.

Also McDonalds, KFC, Burger King for health and animal rights reasons.

Our biggest Telecommunications company, for just generally being assholes.

 

[Phlakes]

No because I like things and I won't deprive myself of things I like just to satisfy some arbitrary moral guideline I gave myself.

 

[nyarlathotepsama]

I guess I'm boycotting the whole triple A video game market at the moment, not a single game this year I'm at all interested in. Not sure game-ennui counts as boycotting but I guess there it is.

Oh yeah and EA in general, 'cause everyone says they're bastards.

I won't shop at Wallmart or Futureshop. Futureshop because they are over priced and took advantage of me when I needed my laptop fixed. They held my laptop for months till my warranty expired and just gave it back to me without fixing it.

I won't shop at Wallmart for a ton of different reasons but simplified it is because of all the damage they do to the economy and how many jobs they make obsolete. They put out all kinds of businesses by undercutting prices low enough that they competition cannot stay afloat to match putting people out of work and those same people complaining of there not being enough work go and shop there so face palm.

Interesting, in my neck of the woods Walmart has been a boon for the economy; the jobs they created and the low price of their goods have increased revenue all around. I wonder if there has been a different effect in Canada, I'm curious now.

They spin things that way but it is a ripple effect. When they get there they create jobs simply by being there but people start going to wallmart for everything since they have everything and decent prices. Since everyone is shopping there all the other smaller businesses start to crumble unable to support themselves and in the end more jobs are lost to businesses going under that to the jobs wallmart creates. Then the companies they get there product from are forced to supply to them or they won't sell enough to stay up Wallmart effectively says either you sell to us at these rates or you go under which is how they have such good deals meanwhile the supplier can barely keep going. After a long whiles when all the competition is gone wallmart will have monopolized there respective markets and they won't even have to worry about the deals anymore so they will just rip off the suppliers and everyone won't have a choice but to buy from them since they are the only store left and they can overcharge on everything (this hasn't happened quite yet but it will happen in the next decade or so).

Hmmmm... Well I don't think that is true. Not going to argue with you there but from my source, that being watching my dying little town turn from 70ish percent unemployed to roughly 10 percent unemployed makes me question Walmart hate in general. All because they built a Walmart in town.

A lot of people seem to hate Walmart because it "closes" down small businesses with it lower prices, but if one looks closely they often notice that nearly 100% of the business in question were already over charging to stay afloat BEFORE a Walmart was within a 70 mile radius. I don't buy Walmart taking over all commerce in a decade or so, because it just can't happen logically. Although if it did I guess I wouldn't be too unhappy, least everything would be cheaper.

But not going to get into an argument over this, I bow out. Believe as you wish to believe and I'll allow it. I am the neutral party. I shop at a Fred Meyers.

 

[Diddy_Mao]

FI try to avoid any recording artist respresented by the RIAA,
And I wont buy anything Star Wars branded (not a company, I know.)

Other than that no, not really.

*Edit.*

Oh yeah, Apple too. Everything an Apple branded product can do is typically available in an easier to use, more reliable and significantly less bogged down by propriatary features alternative.

 

[mrdude2010]

Not actively boycotting, but I won't buy a modern warfare game until it's noticeably different from MW2. Also, trying to stay as far away from EA as possible because their online pass thing is just really annoying.

 

[ReinWeisserRitter]

I'm not doing it as a form of protest, but rather that I don't like giving money to people I think are jerks, or run by jerks, but Ubisoft's recent antics of calling its customers criminals, its counter-intuitive use of DRM, and so forth made it the first company I check for when considering buying a game, and if their name is anywhere on it, I don't. Electronic Arts recently became the second, by looking at Ubisoft and thinking, "Man, those guys really get it. Let's do what they're doing, but worse."

No, I don't pirate their games instead. I don't need to play any game, and protest has never been the reason I've pirated anything. It's been to make informed purchasing decisions.

And no, reviews and press don't count, because those are other peoples' opinions, and oftentimes, not even those, but rather things they're paid to say presented as opinions, something else Ubisoft has been guilty of, by the way. So when I'm on the fence, I'll demo a game. If you don't have a demo, I may "borrow" it for awhile until I decide it's worth the cash, or I may not. No different from going over to a friend's house to play his copy, or renting it, or yes, even buying it used, whether you agree or not; it doesn't make someone morally corrupt because they didn't pay someone to "pirate" the game for you.

I do take issue with people who pirate a game, legitimately enjoy it, then don't buy it, though, or if they just rent it, or buy it used; people who make something with an asking price that you liked deserve to be rewarded for bringing an enjoyable experience to you, if that's what they did. But this isn't even the damn debate, so I'll shut up now, god.