Poll: Will you become a member of the Escapist Publishers Club?

[A random person]

Call me cynical but, this seems like the creation of a whole new caste within the Escapist.
Count me out.

Pretty much this. I'm especially disturbed by buying titles and the separate forum, the former being extremely devaluing and the latter simply being a gated community with smug overtones (and the risk of becoming like the SA forums, no less).

 

[oppp7]

Maybe later. For now I'll probably just buy merch and stop watching videos.

 

[ucciolord1]

I want it, but I have no money (no, not even $20).
Maybe when I'm not broke.

 

[Sporky111]

I've got a shitty computer, and I'm not American. So I'd be paying for early access I would rarely use, extra features I'd rarely read, a special title that we all know could just as easily be made accessible to everybody, entry to contests I can't get prizes in, and high quality video I can't watch.

Hmm... I would have thought all their revenue from MM would tide them over for at least a little while. Maybe they could scrape up a few dollars by removing the interactive ads for everybody. They seem to be worried about bandwidth with the HQ thing.

 

[ben---neb]

No I loath the very idea of such elitist, capitalist, good for nothing scumbags spending money that I don't have to lord it over us plebs with their fancy titles and private forums!

 

[bad rider]

Can members who have been here since 2007 have an extra discount

 

[chronobreak]

If I haven't earned a special title by now, me giving you ten dollars isn't going to make me earn one. I'll wait until I am recognized by my merit, not my wallet, if that day is ever to come.

I have nothing against The Escapist for doing this, and believe I even encouraged something like this in the past. If I can find ten dollars, I will join, but with a family, a mortgage, and the rest of my bills it may elude me for some time.

 

[Stuntcrab]

Something seems wrong about it to me... subtly wrong...
Yet, I am going to subscribe tomorrow.
But something... still feels wrong...

yeah I feel something wrong about it to im a lasy person and just getting all this stuff for joining one club just seems... werid like maybe I have to do alot of stuff in there.

 

[Romblen]

I doubt it. The only feature that I really liked was the ad-free viewings. Even then, the ads don't bother me enough to spend $10 just to get rid of them.

 

[Bobkat1252]

What's happening to the LRR guys because of it?

Some are annoyed because they've been getting free premium membership on the LRR Forums through competitions and offers and that which gave them high quality video, and now that LRR has migrated to the Escapist, they're being asked to pay for high quality LRR vids.

Ooh, yeah, I can see how that'd piss them off, I haven't been on the LRR forums of late so I didn't know about this.

 

[John Funk]

No! Arseholes ruining something perfectly good! This is ridiculous. Preposterous. If the Escapist fared so well without subscriptions, why should it need it now? Seriously, this pisses me off. Things that could be given to everyone just for free, like high quality and sneak peak things, but they're just making you pay.

Hello, shameless capitalism. Goodbye, dedication to videogaming lifestyle.

It's the beginning of the end, I'm telling you.

High quality video = more bandwidth = more expensive?

It's... kind of a simple idea, bro. We're absolutely as dedicated to the videogaming lifestyle as we've ever been; we just want to make sure that we get to keep paying our contributors for making the best damn videogame/lifestyle-related content anywhere on the web.

 

[aaronx83]

sniff...sniff I Wish I Had Some Money

 

[The Thief]

I think the publisher's club is a good thing, but I will not be joining up. None of the features are really up my alley. If there were a free trial I might have looked into it, but I'm way too much of a cheapskate to hand over $10 for something I probably won't care for.

On a side note, it will be hilarious to see the classism this membership program will undoubtedly cause. It's not like this forum already has a problem with ego-maniacs, no-sir! >_>

 

[Ekonk]

No! Arseholes ruining something perfectly good! This is ridiculous. Preposterous. If the Escapist fared so well without subscriptions, why should it need it now? Seriously, this pisses me off. Things that could be given to everyone just for free, like high quality and sneak peak things, but they're just making you pay.

Hello, shameless capitalism. Goodbye, dedication to videogaming lifestyle.

It's the beginning of the end, I'm telling you.

High quality video = more bandwidth = more expensive?

It's... kind of a simple idea, bro. We're absolutely as dedicated to the videogaming lifestyle as we've ever been; we just want to make sure that we get to keep paying our contributors for making the best damn videogame/lifestyle-related content anywhere on the web.

I have to admit that that makes sense, and in retrospect, my original post may sound a bit like ARGH I WANT THE GOOD STUFF WITHOUT PAYIN'. No, I don't care about most of that stuff. It's just that the Escapist has a really great community, and dividing it in a way as drastic as this seems like a very very very bad idea to me. Especially the members-only-forums. That's just introducing a caste system in the worst way imaginable.

 

[Blanks]

I would, but for now... no
I be broke, nor do i have the tech to get small bills or coins onto the net >.>

 

[Outlaw Torn]

Nope, I'm pretty much here just to watch the LRR videos (which are on the LRR website anyway), Apocalypse Lane, D&A and Zero Punctuation as well as the odd review here and there. All of which are free anyway, even if the quality is marginally lower than for customers. Even though it is £10 for a year, that's £10 I could spend on ice cream or genital piercings instead.

I don't see why people would leave the site over this though, I could see why you might get angry or frustrated but leaving is a bit of an over reaction. Though with all of this advertising for Scamga games recently I guess it is just the push over the edge for some.

 

[natster43]

Probably not. Maybe if I get a job.

 

[Davey Woo]

I'm fine with the video quality and posting occasionally in the forums so it's not really worth it for me.

 

[BakaSmurf]

When I get the money I will.