Microsoft is waging a culture war against gamers, or why I won't call myself "gamer" anymore.

[timboo_drow]

Lately many of us in the gaming culture are scratching our heads over the sheer bone-headedness of some of the comments made by senior executives at Microsoft. We all seem to agree that it is these seemingly poorly thought out words that will seal the coffin on the Xbox one. However, I believe that these statements are in fact VERY carefully crafted and they have the singular goal of compelling those who call themselves "gamers" to go out and gleefully buy an Xbox one, by attempting to define what a gamer is.

I'll focus on 3 statements, the first by Don Mattrick:
"If you're backwards compatible, you're really backwards,"
http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/22/4356210/microsoft-don-mattrick-says-backwards-compatibility-is-backwards

The second golden nugget comes from Major Nelson:
"Every Xbox One owner has a broadband connection,"
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/124711-Microsoft-Addresses-Xbox-One-Concerns

The third one comes from Microsoft Studios corporate vice-president Phil Spencer:
"The super core guys, they will buy everything,"
http://www.oxm.co.uk/54833/xbox-one-if-all-you-want-is-gaming-youll-still-pick-us/

These 3 statements seem very poorly thought out, nonsensical, or even offensive when looked at separately, but when you put them together you start to see the pattern.

XBOX ONE IS FOR THE SUPER-HARDCORE GAMER!

The SHG is forward thinking, with the most cutting edge hardware and software, they always have the FASTEST internet connection (something that is seen as a bragging right, especially to those gamers who participate in online gaming - "it's not my connection lagging out, it's yours!), and they always buy ALL of the newest gaming gadgets.

In other words, MS is waging a culture war over what it means to be a "gamer" and they are drawing a line in the sand with their carefully crafted PR message: "If you're a gamer, you'll buy XBOX ONE day 1."

For this reason, I no longer identify with the word "gamer". Microsoft is attempting to use something that is almost a cultural moniker against us and manipulate our emotional responses into a sales strategy.

The only options available to us are to 1.) Agree with MS about their definition of "gamer" and buy an XB1, 2.) Wage our own counter-culture PR campaign to try and re-define for ourselves what it means to be a gamer, or 3.) Say if that is what it means to be a gamer, then I no longer consider myself to be one.

I myself prefer the term "consumer", or "customer" and MS had better start treating me like one or I will continue to boycott everything they make from 360 games, to Windows phones and tablets, to the anti-consumer piece of crap known as the XBOX ONE.

 

[omegaweopon]

Allowing one company to step in, and declare our entire culture is no defined by rules that said company has set forth, does not change what it means to identify with that culture. We are Gamers, because we play games. We love games, and we've been known to @#$% all over developers who stab us in the back. I don't think it is up to Microsoft to declare what gaming is and isn't. Gaming is passion, not profession. So, continue identifying as a gamer. Don't let Microsoft determine what it means to be one. Otherwise, they win. They DID set forth what it means. The Xbox One isn't for gamers. Its for the everyman who has no idea what it does, except for being the new console.

 

[Keoul]

What about option 4?
Ignore them and enjoy what we enjoy. Don't know about you guys but I don't care how Microsoft perceives gamers, I'm in it for my own personal enjoyment, not for the apparent bragging rights of being a gamer that I didn't know existed.

 

[vv85]

The Xbox One isn't for gamers. Its for the everyman who has no idea what it does, except for being the new console.

Sums it up. Especially seeing as not even MS knows what it does yet.

As for the thread;
Its advertising. Yes, they're using your brand to try and push theirs, and its mildly insulting. Food companies do it best; 'You havnt had real pizza until you've eaten ours' - oh shit, what've I been eating until now?! How did it get past the FDA!? OH GOD PIZZA HUT, SAVE ME, GIVE ME REAL PIZZA FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!

The X1 isnt for the hardcore gamer, its for the person who isnt.
The slogan isnt for the hardcore gamer, its for the person who isnt, who then rationalities that if hardcore gamers like the system, it must be worth buying. Its a slogan, nothing more.

And if you're a true forum contributor, you'll respond to this post
(I'm trying to get my quote rate up)

 

[Foolery]

That's nice Microsoft. Doesn't bother me. Never called myself a gamer anyway. I play games. Sometimes. If I feel like it. No label needed. And still not buying the damn console.

 

[Zhukov]

Or you could, y'know, not buy it and still call yourself whatever you want regardless.

 

[Genocidicles]

I thought this would be more about them destroying gaming as an art form, as every game requiring an internet connection can be switched off when the publishers no longer see any money from it.

It'd be like if Hollywood could make every copy of Citizen Kane spontaneously combust so they can get more people to come and see Citizen Kane 2: Rosebud's Revenge.

 

[MammothBlade]

How about not sensationalising everything Microsoft says? It would not nearly be so powerful or outraging if gaming journalism didn't give it so much attention. I get it, microsoft is evil, blah blah blah, so don't buy xbone, simple. But then the complete sham that is tabloid-level gaming journalism has to scrutinise every single statement and turn it into a massive issue.

Ironically, you're letting Microsoft have some sort of power over you by letting it define what it means to be a "gamer". Congrats.

 

[Pink Gregory]

Or you could, y'know, not buy it and still call yourself whatever you want regardless.

I have a feeling we're going to be saying this a lot over the next few years.

 

[timboo_drow]

What about option 4?
Ignore them and enjoy what we enjoy. Don't know about you guys but I don't care how Microsoft perceives gamers, I'm in it for my own personal enjoyment, not for the apparent bragging rights of being a gamer that I didn't know existed.

Doesn't matter if we go with option, 2, 3 or 4, what matters is that we make ourselves aware at the attempted manipulation, that's the only way to do something about it.

 

[timboo_drow]

The Xbox One isn't for gamers. Its for the everyman who has no idea what it does, except for being the new console.

Sums it up. Especially seeing as not even MS knows what it does yet.

As for the thread;
Its advertising. Yes, they're using your brand to try and push theirs, and its mildly insulting. Food companies do it best; 'You havnt had real pizza until you've eaten ours' - oh shit, what've I been eating until now?! How did it get past the FDA!? OH GOD PIZZA HUT, SAVE ME, GIVE ME REAL PIZZA FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!

The X1 isnt for the hardcore gamer, its for the person who isnt.
The slogan isnt for the hardcore gamer, its for the person who isnt, who then rationalities that if hardcore gamers like the system, it must be worth buying. Its a slogan, nothing more.

And if you're a true forum contributor, you'll respond to this post
(I'm trying to get my quote rate up)

Hey I'm a true forum contributor so I'd better...waiiiiiiit I see what you did there.

All marketing is a form of manipulation; it's an attempt to persuade you to make a purchasing choice. Some marketing attempts to do this by informing you that their product is just right for you, whereas others attempt to make you think that you are just right for the product they are making.

 

[timboo_drow]

How about not sensationalising everything Microsoft says? It would not nearly be so powerful or outraging if gaming journalism didn't give it so much attention. I get it, microsoft is evil, blah blah blah, so don't buy xbone, simple. But then the complete sham that is tabloid-level gaming journalism has to scrutinise every single statement and turn it into a massive issue.

Ironically, you're letting Microsoft have some sort of power over you by letting it define what it means to be a "gamer". Congrats.

I assure you, MS needs no help from me on the sensationalisation of their message; they can do this well enough on their own.
Not giving a PR message like this attention is to allow it to continue to work subconsciously on it's intended audience(victims). The only way to take away the power of this kind of manipulation is to out it.

As you can see by reading some of the other responses, most people are choosing to attempt to define for themselves what it means to be a "gamer" which IS also what I am doing. For me, being a gamer means being treated like a customer, not a lackey who will buy everything.

 

[Lilani]

-snip-

The thing is, the term "gamer" never meant anything to Microsoft in the first place. And nor does it mean anything to Sony, or Nintendo, or any other billion dollar game company one could care to mention. To them, everybody is a "consumer." They've never made consoles for "gamers," and they never will. They always have and will always continue to make consoles for consumers. Microsoft is only sticking to whatever roadmap they've drawn for themselves about how to get consumers and make the most money. That roadmap may for the first time deviate from the path of your roadmap, but that isn't because anything on their end has changed. They may switch out the word "consumer" for "gamer" when talking about it for their PR, but that's exactly what it is--public relations. Game companies have always done this. The only reason you don't like it now is because for the first time you don't identify with what they're pairing the title with.

I guess my point in writing all this is...just stop it. Stop doing this to yourself, stop pretending you or the term "gamer" ever mattered to Microsoft. Microsoft isn't doing anything deliberate, they're just doing what they've always done. The term "gamer" never meant anything to them, it's always been a part of their marketing and to expect that to suddenly change is just silly. Microsoft will still probably make money off the X-Bone just as shitty laptop makers continue to make money--their products are cheap and appeal to the uninformed.

So just call yourself whatever you want. Gamer, game-enthusiast, Joe, Sally, Tom Bombadil. Stop taking their marketing so personally. If you don't like where their marketing is going, then don't participate.

And before anybody comes in and says "Why is this sort of outrage acceptable for EA and not Microsoft?" Simple: Microsoft has never claimed they were ever in it for art or the gamer. EA's roots are in such wondrous claims about the motivations of their company, and they've betrayed that history.

 

[timboo_drow]

-snip-

The thing is, the term "gamer" never meant anything to Microsoft in the first place. And nor does it mean anything to Sony, or Nintendo, or any other billion dollar game company one could care to mention. To them, everybody is a "consumer." They've never made consoles for "gamers," and they never will. They always have and will always continue to make consoles for consumers. Microsoft is only sticking to whatever roadmap they've drawn for themselves about how to get consumers and make the most money. That roadmap may for the first time deviate from the path of your roadmap, but that isn't because anything on their end has changed. They may switch out the word "consumer" for "gamer" when talking about it for their PR, but that's exactly what it is--public relations. Game companies have always done this. The only reason you don't like it now is because for the first time you don't identify with what they're pairing the title with.

I guess my point in writing all this is...just stop it. Stop doing this to yourself, stop pretending you or the term "gamer" ever mattered to Microsoft. Microsoft isn't doing anything deliberate, they're just doing what they've always done. The term "gamer" never meant anything to them, it's always been a part of their marketing and to expect that to suddenly change is just silly. Microsoft will still probably make money off the X-Bone just as shitty laptop makers continue to make money--their products are cheap and appeal to the uninformed.

So just call yourself whatever you want. Gamer, game-enthusiast, Joe, Sally, Tom Bombadil. Stop taking their marketing so personally. If you don't like where their marketing is going, then don't participate.

And before anybody comes in and says "Why is this sort of outrage acceptable for EA and not Microsoft?" Simple: Microsoft has never claimed they were ever in it for art or the gamer. EA's roots are in such wondrous claims about the motivations of their company, and they've betrayed that history.

I'm aware of how big corporations work. I don't expect them to care about me, I expect them to care about my custom. Now the way the market system is supposed to work is that big companies "behave" like they care about customers because that is the only way to get them to give you their custom. However, the more manipulative marketing gets, the less corporations have to act like they give a shit. If anything, they can make it look like WE give a shit about THEM, and will buy anything they make.

I'm not a raging fan-boi who feels betrayed by his beloved XBOX, I'm a discerning customer who believes that companies should make the products that people want or be punished by bankruptcy. This probably won't happen because there are many "gamers" in existence that are exactly as MS describes them.

 

[krazykidd]

I agree with everything you said . I, however , have stopped calling myself a gamer a long time ago . Not because i don't game anymore , but i do not want to be associated with them . The whiny , hot blooded , controversy seeking , entitled brats , that complain just for the sake of it . I remember when gamers helped each other out , and were proud of their hobby . Now it's fighting left and right about which platform is better , which games are better , how you're suppose to play games , what is a hardcore/casual gamer ,not to mention sexism threads etc...

And iv'e said this several times in threads about gamers , and i want no part of it . I declare myself a videogame enthusiast .

Anyways back on topic . I hope microsofts gaming devision burns to the ground . I hope people realise they are being manipulated and mistreated and refuse to give microsoft a dime of their hard earned cash . I hope people stand up for their consumer rights rather than bending over and taking it up the butt , just to play the lastest installment of their favorie games .

I have a dream...

 

[daveman247]

And iv'e said this several times in threads about gamers , and i want no part of it . I declare myself a videogame enthusiast .

Anyways back on topic . I hope microsofts gaming devision burns to the ground . I hope people realise they are being manipulated and mistreated and refuse to give microsoft a dime of their hard earned cash . I hope people stand up for their consumer rights rather than bending over and taking it up the butt , just to play the lastest installment of their favorie games .

I have a dream...

I bet thats the problem many people will have. "I don't like the console, but I REALLY want to play this game!"

Makes it seem more and more like a drug of some sort :/ People will bend over to get their latest fix.

 

[Lilani]

I'm aware of how big corporations work. I don't expect them to care about me, I expect them to care about my custom. Now the way the market system is supposed to work is that big companies "behave" like they care about customers because that is the only way to get them to give you their custom. However, the more manipulative marketing gets, the less corporations have to act like they give a shit. If anything, they can make it look like WE give a shit about THEM, and will buy anything they make.

I'm not a raging fan-boi who feels betrayed by his beloved XBOX, I'm a discerning customer who believes that companies should make the products that people want or be punished by bankruptcy. This probably won't happen because there are many "gamers" in existence that are exactly as MS describes them.

And again, none of this is new. Not to games, not to today's market, and not even to capitalism as a whole. Every single consumer market in existence thrives off of consumer ignorance. This is true of games, game consoles, computers, cars, TVs, phone plans, real estate...everything. They all aim to trick you into wanting what you didn't ask for and forgetting about what you really wanted in the first place. And they aren't punished by bankruptcy for the most part because most people aren't discerning customers, and/or feel as though they have no other choice. They aim for the suckers and only give more information if forced.

 

[GAunderrated]

Allowing one company to step in, and declare our entire culture is no defined by rules that said company has set forth, does not change what it means to identify with that culture. We are Gamers, because we play games. We love games, and we've been known to @#$% all over developers who stab us in the back. I don't think it is up to Microsoft to declare what gaming is and isn't. Gaming is passion, not profession. So, continue identifying as a gamer. Don't let Microsoft determine what it means to be one. Otherwise, they win. They DID set forth what it means. The Xbox One isn't for gamers. Its for the everyman who has no idea what it does, except for being the new console.

If we were sitting in a bar you sir would have just gotten a free beer. There is no reason OP should be ashamed of calling him/herself a gamer.

The real thing gamers should be ashamed of is this sports mentality they have developed where people feel obligated to be loyal to a company or "team". Instead of having the relationship of show me the game I want and I'll show you the money, gamers are fighting with eachother tooth and nail on which is the "better" gaming device, better series, and better games.

If game companies provide the content and the experience I want they get my money, if they try and control/dictate how I play my games they get nothing but a middle finger, simple as that.