Jimquisition: EA versus Zynga - The Lesser of Two Evils

[Jimothy Sterling]

I guess the idea is people want to show EA that they can and will support them when they're in the right (and I do think legally they're in the right here) and rise up against them when they're in the wrong (Day One DLC and the like) thereby showing them what they can do to get gamers to like them again since to companies like EA, PR matters. Maybe, just maybe if the most powerful company in the industry wakes up to what gamers want from the business side of the industry, then we might just see a bright future for this industry.
...and maybe Willam Dafoe isn't incredibly sexy.

I'm all for positive reinforcement. I think it needs to happen more. However, this is a corporate copyright lawsuit. It's something companies like EA do by habit, and it'd do this if it were Zynga or a company gamers actually loved. Its crowd-pleasing statements of intent are hypocritical at best and wholly incidental to the actual reasons behind the suit.

Rewarding a company for doing simply what companies do isn't something I can cheer for. Especially when those patting EA on the head see no benefit. The consumer practices EA supports and popularizes still happen. Studios will still be cannibalized. If it stops THAT shit, then applaud away.

 

[Draxz]

I wonder if I vote for Willem Dafoe, Jim will do a Co-op sewing against EA and Zynga being wankers? :O

Speaking of which: Did anyone notice there was a link on the NIN front page, to Pirate Bay to download all of NIN's stuff? (Trent Reznor was against SOPA and PIPA, and it ended up on there around the time MegaUpload was taken down but he was like "Lol, not givin' a fuck."). There was a tweet by Rob Sheeran that Reznor retweeted.

 

[ConanThe3rd]

Really. As long as EA loses some metaphorical teeth (maybe an arm, some toes) in the process of kicking Zynga's metaphorical head off, I think I can live with myself.

 

[Something Amyss]

The enemy of my enemy is not always my friend.

"EA is a hero for the little people"
That's why they fired George Fan after announcing Plants vs. Zombies 2

Case in point.

 

[FalloutJack]

I just wanna go on record: That's an insult to the Joker there, Jim. The Joker has style, whereas we know that EA does not. So, find us a flat, boring, stereotypical villain that nobody likes or sympathizes with, and THERE'S YOUR MAN.

OT: I'm sorry, but I never cared what Zynga was. Can't we just kill them both? Or better yet, let's throw everyone we don't like at EA to wear them down and THEN hit their legal servers with about...

*Dr. Evil pose*

...ONE MILLION LAWSUITS!

 

[The White Hunter]

Jim you should start a kickstarter to sue EA, I'm sure a lot of people could happily get behind that.

I'm personally indifferent to the whole lawsuit after thinking it over, I just don't care, and we all know that EA will win because it's fucking EA and has a bottomless money well rivaled only by perhaps Activision Blizzard.

 

[GAunderrated]

Thank you Jim for pointing out that EA is basically attacking a dying company. When I first read that article it baffled me how people were saying good job EA when they were essentially trying to fight a person with all their arms and legs broken.

Zynga has been copying other people's work for years now and after all these years of copying crap EA decides now that they are on the way out they might as well get some good press by attacking a wounded animal.

This is just me personally but I think EA looks worse from this white knight attempt over another bloody copyright infringement. I would be surprised if both EA and zynga lasted another five years without going bankrupt or being bought out.

 

[Vault Citizen]

Why the hell would Bane be wearing a Batman t-shirt?

It's ironic, lol.

 

[Charli]

Thanks Jim, wasn't brave enough to say it on the actual thread because of the appalling amount of 'Oh thanks most gracious EA, zynga is teh sux.'

I really wanted to do a legitimate face palm and rant like this, but... I knew you'd step up to the plate so I went and made a coffee and enjoyed the day instead. Thank god for you Jim.

 

[Sir Shockwave]

Hey Jim, do you think you can sue ActiVision while your at it? Or get Miniature Fantasy William Dafoe to sue ActiVision while you deal with Zynga and EA?

 

[LG Jargon]

Another great video, Jim. I loved the Bane impression, especially with the fake vampire teeth glued onto the face mask. Freaking brilliant.

On another note, why don't we all start up a Kickstarter to give enough money to Jim (or whoever else we can trust) to buy up 51% of EA's stock? ....Of course, that's assuming they're a publicly owned and traded company...

What do you think, guys and gals? Is this a viable option, or do you think it can't be done?

 

[Winthrop]

Using your pedophile slapfight metaphor, isn't it for the best that one of them gets knocked out? I don't care if its the other one that does it or some police officers. If Zynga gets crushed by this lawsuit I will be happy. I'm not cheering for EA, I'm cheering against Zynga.

 

[Something Amyss]

I guess the idea is people want to show EA that they can and will support them when they're in the right (and I do think legally they're in the right here) and rise up against them when they're in the wrong (Day One DLC and the like) thereby showing them what they can do to get gamers to like them again since to companies like EA, PR matters. Maybe, just maybe if the most powerful company in the industry wakes up to what gamers want from the business side of the industry, then we might just see a bright future for this industry.
...and maybe Willam Dafoe isn't incredibly sexy.

Couple of problems here (itemised for my convenience):

1. A lot of people are siding with EA not so much because EA is in the right as it is because "fuck Zynga." This mentality that Jim mentioned is legit and widespread.

2. There is a problem with giving them support when they remained silent on Sopa/Pipa and therefore tacitly supported it. It's hypocritical (of them, that is) at the least, and quite possibly monstrous.

3. They're not really "doing right." They're doing.

4. Large, homogenous companies have trouble differentiating what actually gets them support and criticism. If you (generic you, not specific you) are going to support EA's practices some of the time, be prepared for a large body of confusion. Especially if the parts you support are covered in bullshit and propaganda (like "EA is sticking up for gaming).

As such, large companies like EA have a lot of trouble sorting out positive reinforcement. To the same extent, they often have trouble differentiating negative reinforcement as well, though the latter is more likely to effect a change. Of course, that change may not be positive.

But still, to the point, EA is still doing bad things even as it "stands up for the game industry," which is really only standing up for their bottom line. And really since they're only standing up for their bottom line, they are doing what they ALWAYS do, and so it's hard to realistically pat them on the back here and then go and say "bad dog" when they cancel your favourite game franchise. Supporting EA in this case will probably have the long-term effect of being a giant "fuck you" to the consumer, the base to which you theoretically belong.

It's even worse in an era where loyalty is assumed, not earned.

 

[Something Amyss]

Using your pedophile slapfight metaphor, isn't it for the best that one of them gets knocked out? I don't care if its the other one that does it or some police officers. If Zynga gets crushed by this lawsuit I will be happy. I'm not cheering for EA, I'm cheering against Zynga.

Which in this case is still cheering for EA, because it only strengthens them in the end while it benefits you in no way, shape or form. But semantics, I guess.

 

[Xanthious]

Great video all in all but the best part was obviously Jim's Bane impression. Don't know why I got such great amusement out of it but dammit that was my favorite part.

 

[Crazy Zaul]

pfft, Joker. EA is Darksied. Except not cool.

 

[DrOswald]

EA may be the greater evil, but for all their jackassery EA actually designs and produces games, many of which are good games (though I generally don't buy EA games, they tend to be outside my area of interest.) Zynga, on the other hand, steals and takes credit for the hard work of others or, at their very best, design elaborate and addictive skinner boxes that prey on people with low impulse control. Zynga is guilty of the worse crime, though on a much smaller scale. It is like a murderer(Zynga) vs a large scale scam artist(EA.) The murderer's crime is unquestionably worse, though the scam artist actually causes significantly more measurable damage.

Not that I am rooting for EA. I actually don't know who I want to win, because I am afraid of the legal precedent either way.

 

[Bindal]

EA might be the bigger evil - but I'll be damned to spit on someone doing something good just because of his negative past.
Sure, Zynga might be small and don't affect me the slightest personally. But it does affect people and other companies, who later might want to make games I would like to play but simply can't because Zyngas clone of it was more succesful, made the money and killed off the original. (Granted, overacting here myself)

So, in this specific case - go EA. After that, they can go back to kiss my unshaved butt again.

 

[WildFire15]

I've been staying well away from this situation as it just seems to get sillier and sillier. I've never cared for or heard many good things about Zynga but I'm not planning on siding with either over this. Let them fart about and sort their differences out but we all know how it'll end. Just a shame EA's luring the crowd of fools who still think 'casual games' are evil to support them when there's nothing really wrong with them.

 

[infinity_turtles]

I'm going to go ahead and keep telling myself noone is stupid enough to think EA is doing this to do a good thing for gamers. I do however believe EA is in right in this case, because while there's some risk that the precedent will lead to sue-happy assholes going after any somewhat similar game, I think that setting precedent for Zynga levels of copying as a violation of copyright will be good in the long run. Even the companies Zynga has ripped off aren't making stuff I want to play, I'm still against what Zynga has done.

Not ripping into EA everytime their name comes up doesn't mean I support them. It just means I can acknowledge everything they do isn't as evil as they are. In this case what they're doing isn't evil, but the reason they're doing it is because another evil did something evil.