EXTRA CREDITS demands that E3 not becovered by video game websites, should Escapist follow?

[Exerzet]

I can't do much, but I can do my part. No E3 ticket for me, or my friends this year. Nuts to you ESA, why piss on your own customers and expect thanks?

 

[SonicKoala]

So because someone supports a unpopular bill lets all go fuck with there income till they agree with us......

I'm no supporter of SOPA and PIPA but this kinda strong arming is just lame.Is there no better way to get people to come around other then this?

We're talking about the United States here - fucking with one's wallet is the only fucking tactic which will have any long-lasting impact.

Yes, the Escapist should partake in the boycott of E3. We are talking about a piece of legislation which could of feasibly put an end to a site like The Escapist - I can't think of anything more ridiculous than going and giving money to a group which was in support of such a disgusting thing.

And seriously, for shame, Escapist. I recently read a rant which said that SOPA should have passed, if only to shake the American populace out of their apathetic stupor and actually do something to effect change in their fucked up country. I was a little hesitant when I read it, but it seems as though the author was spot on. Boycotting E3 is just a small example of the very actions which are needed to prevent shit like this from happening again.

Here's the rant, for those interested:

http://maddox.xmission.com/

 

[CaptainKoala]

I completely agree with this, but bringing Extra Credits up on the Escapist was a baaaad idea, i'm outta here

 

[cookyy2k]

You guys are missing the point methinks.

The ESA were jumping all over the place about the California law, games as art, free speech etc. They got gamers to unite as a community to stand up for our media. Then as soon as these bills came to be and threatened it all they suddenly jump on the pro-SOPA waggon and are presenting themselves as the spokes people for the entire gaming community. Well screw that, this isn't about SOPA or PIPA it's about the huge knife the ESA decided to drive into the back of every gamer when they represented us and still are as pro-SOPA.

 

[Formica Archonis]

Aww, that's cute. Useless, but cute.

This is like a movie reporter not liking the MPAA so they skip the Oscars. Or a music reporter not liking the RIAA and skipping the Grammys. Some might do it, but no one big will because it'll cripple them too badly to ignore the single biggest industry event of the year while not affecting the event at all. Even if the top 50 gaming websites gave it up en masse I promise you most of sites 51-100 and the more popular blogs would JUMP at the chance to go and scoop/steal users from the major sites.

Hell, a bunch of ESA's own members have come out against SOPA/PIPA and they're still not budging. When you don't care what a large group of your paying members say, what do you care about what a few nonpaying reporters say?

You wanna stop the ESA? It can be summed up in just one sentence: Start a company bigger than Sony and give the ESA more membership dues; they'll start marching to your tune nice and fast.

 

[cookyy2k]

If a site's user base unite and tell the site they don't want them to give money or support to E3 the site would be stupid not to listen. You all saying they'd be silly not to cover it but if most of the user base refuses to acknowledged the existence of these stories/videos and spends that time elsewhere not looking at ads on the site wouldn't they be stupid to cover it? It's expensive getting reporters there, then pay for a hotel, then producing the videos, publish them and advertise them... The site would be stupid to cover it if they were not going to get enough interest to repay that initial investment.

 

[AGenericHero]

I don't know why the Escapist should listen.

When you think about it it's just 3 people who demand E3 not to be covered by a bunch of gaming websites. Especially considering the history between EC and The escapist.

 

[C2Ultima]

Say CNN believes that the war in Iraq is bad and they disagree with America going to war. Because they disagree with us going to war, they obviously shouldn't cover anything that happens in the war.

If CNN did this, they would lose all their credibility as a journalistic site. I feel it's the same exact thing here. The Escapist is are journalists. You don't pick and choose what to cover because someone involved in what you are covering disagrees with your opinion.

Who does the Iraq War support financially? That's a war, not a yearly convention.

 

[quiet_samurai]

So I just got done watching this weeks Extra Credits episode and it was on SOPA/PIPA and the support that it has for the ESA [http://www.theesa.com](Entertainment Software Association).

The video can be found here: http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/stand-together-the-gaming-community-vs-sopa-and-pipa​

The video goes on to state that since the ESA will not remove support from SOPA, so video game websites, such as the Escapist or Kotaku, are being asked to not attend or cover E3. Viewers are also asked to email Video Game developers to remove their attendance from E3 this year. The reason behind focusing on E3 is that the ESA obtains most of its revenue from the E3 event and by not covering or attending at E3, this might convince the ESA to remove their support for SOPA/PIPA. What do you guys think, should the Escapist follow with such request? Do you guys think the Escapist "history" with Extra Credits might pose as a reason for them to not consider the request of the Extra Credits video?

NOTE: To any Escapist forum moderators, if anything I have mentioned is out of line, please pm/let me know some way that you want me to change or remove my post. I'm not looking for trouble.

This will never happen... good effort but futile.

It would be like asking ESPN not to show highlights of the Super Bowl. To much money, time, and potential future revenue for all the involved parties is the factor.

 

[czfjrod]

You see what piddle happens in debates like this? Now I have to try and clean up this mess...

First off, this video was created by the Extra Credits [http://www.leagueforgamers.org/2012/01/18/video-with-extra-credits/] because they're "preachy" or whatever. Who cares how they talk about topics?! They've got their opinions, and they've got people who agree with them. If you don't like it, don't bother.

Second, again don't bother arguing against their points if you don't even care. You know who you are. You pessimists are the reason forum mods ban you for being trolls, and your opinions about "Oh, The Escapist can't bear to not cover E3 because they have to" can in fact be counter-argued with the following notions:

- Contrary to popular belief, E3 is not the only gaming convention out there. Publishers could just as well show off everything at spaces like GDC, PAX, Gamescom, TGS, CES, or even Comic-Con. And if they stopped attending E3, then journalists would have less to cover, and there'd be less of a reason to bother with E3.

- The Escapist is not affiliated with the ESA. Therefore they do not have a commitment to cover E3 or any other expo for that matter. You don't see them covering GDC, except for the big announcements made anyway. They're devoted to news about games and game developers, not to news about conventions.

- The Escapist does not rely on covering conventions for any real revenue. The majority of their revenue comes from premium memberships and ad revenue from their frequently watched videos. How many people on here don't actually watch MovieBob and Yahtzee much more than they read random gaming news? That's what Kotaku's for.

- What credibility could they lose by not covering E3? People trust sites like The Escapist every day for news about everything, not just game conventions. The only party that would lose credibility would be the ESA, who would most likely still be silently supporting SOPA and hoping another news source would cover them instead. Plus, just last year they got over a legal issue with EC because they selfishly wanted a share of Allison's fund money. And if they didn't lose any credibility over that, then they probably won't lose credibility over not walking into a rented convention center in LA.

- E3 is industry invite only. It's basically game developers and game journalists under one roof, not unlike GDC. The public wouldn't care if E3 wasn't covered by one site; in fact, it's been said that E3 has actually become less popular each year. E3 '07 and '08 failed for a reason, and it's clear that the ESA don't really care for turning E3 back into a public convention.

- If you think The Escapist not covering E3 is like ESPN not covering any MLB games, then you might not have heard of this [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994?95_Major_League_Baseball_strike]. This strike shut down the World Series, and they spent a year that could've been spent actually trying to sort things out. You see any similarities now?

 

[Divine Miss Bee]

reading some of these posts, i feel like nobody got the point of EC asking for a boycott of coverage and attendance for E3, so here's the point they want to make: in US politics, bills are passed based on money. the ESA is paying congress to pass SOPA and PIPA, so if people don't give publicity to E3 or attend this year, they will have less money to give to congress to force the bill through. it's like not buying from a corporation because you dislike their policies, it is NOT about saying that journalists shouldn't do their jobs. it's a good idea because of how the ESA lobby works in congress, so listen when they talk to you because clearly most of you missed something.

 

[Fusioncode9]

ESA has withdrawn support for SOPA so might as well close this thread.

 

[lacktheknack]

It seems people are missing something, so I'll mention it.

The ESA is actively condoning legislature that could END the Escapist.

I'll just let that hang there.

EDIT: Except now they don't.

http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2012/01/esa-sopa/

 

[not_you]

I do support Extra Credits on this....
I think what they're doing is a good idea, it's just a shame that it won't REALLY catch on...

Because, as many have said before me, E3 is just too big an event for journalists/publishers/websites/whatever to miss....

And it's a damn shame, because SOPA/PIPA, although correct in their nature, goes about piracy in the wrong way...
I admit, something COULD be done about the internet piracy problem, but, in reality, you can't stop it... The entertainment industry will continue to be undermined by people too lazy to go out and buy said movie/game/album... or unable to afford a game/movie/album....

*sigh*

I wish this whole SOPA thing would blow over already, I know there's still a chance of it happening, but, if the US senators actually knew how many lives it would harm (Eg. all the people out of work because of copyright fear), then maybe enough people could oppose it to overturn the thing...

But I don't know anything about politics... Other than that they're soulless lying bastards...

 

[Arina Love]

nope, i need my E3 news. Boycotting e3 will not get you anywhere it's too big. gametrailers kotaku and others will not be on board with this, E3=pageviews.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

So Extra Credits is asking people whose business it is to write about the games industry not go to the biggest industry convention where they can write about said games industry?

Hell no, why don't they try asking me to "not be French", I assure you that they will not get far.

Be English Sush, it's for a good cause.

OT: The Escapist isn't exactly in a good enough place financially to ignore the money E3 generates for them. I'll be participating in black March as far as not buying any media goes but I don't realistically think the Escapist will skip E3 over SOPA.

[sub][sub]Not consuming media is easy when you have no gaming funds...[/sub][/sub]

 

[Talshere]

Considering this site actively discusses and shows potentially copywrited material (insert pony photo here) and even blogs about it and host potential material in the form of trailers you would think that they would be more than happy to follow suit.