Will Boycotting a video game EVER work?
- Thread starter HaloHappy
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No, but it is a good way to see how good the developer is
Look at How Valve handeled L4D2 Boycott vs Infinity Ward to the MewTwo Boycott
Look at How Valve handeled L4D2 Boycott vs Infinity Ward to the MewTwo Boycott
Boycotting groups only give games more attention. It's basically free advertising, seeing how most gamers don't really give a shit about controversial themes.
They did. [http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/left4dead2/video/6238431/gabe-newell-today-on-the-spot-extended-interview] Sort of have to watch the whole video to get to it but Gabe says they looked at the Steam users in the boycott and found a higher percentage of them preordered L4D2 than people not in the boycott.cleverlymadeup said:
Anyway, boycotting only works when the reason is valid and not a group of whiners trying to get something for free under the guise of a boycott
Case in point, invasive DRM is bad and the way people reacted to it forced EA to rethink its policies. Unlike the L4D2 Boycott which can be summed up as "waaaahhh we want it for freeeeee" and the MW2 Boycott which was slightly more valid but still sounded really whiny. I understand dedicated servers are important but you're forgetting the PC market isn't as big anymore.Worgen said:
Personally I just wish people would do what I do. Which is do your own thing, buy or don't buy what you want, have your own reasons for it and (most of the time) try not to shove them down other people's throats. I say most of the time because I was and still kind of am a bit overly vocal about my vitriolic dislike of Sony and Apple. But my point being that you don't need to be in a giant group to justify whatever your reasons are for anything.
No.
Now cry some more.
The thing is, unless you convince the target company that they will lose funds they will continue without you. You alone are nothing but $60 in a sea of 30 billion buckaroos. Distention will only get one reply: "Nothing Of Value Was Lost".
Now cry some more.
The thing is, unless you convince the target company that they will lose funds they will continue without you. You alone are nothing but $60 in a sea of 30 billion buckaroos. Distention will only get one reply: "Nothing Of Value Was Lost".
There was a real picket in my Hometown,stood 25 strong,and beat down the store manager.
When I went to Buy MW2 a fat guy (I mean Albert fat) came up to block me,I tripped him,and got pushed away.I don't like being told no so I got into a big fight,with the other MW2 customers.
They got arrested for picketing,and this was only my second offense,so no Jail.
When I went to Buy MW2 a fat guy (I mean Albert fat) came up to block me,I tripped him,and got pushed away.I don't like being told no so I got into a big fight,with the other MW2 customers.
They got arrested for picketing,and this was only my second offense,so no Jail.
According to Valve, more people who bought Left 4 Dead 2 were in the boycott than were not and had bought the original Left 4 Dead. I wouldn't be surprised if a similar statistic came out for Modern Warfare 2.
So no, boycotts don't work. They never get enough participants.
So no, boycotts don't work. They never get enough participants.
Because I'm a huge jerk, let's see What Modern Warfare 2 Boycotters Are Playing [http://kotaku.com/5403286/what-modern-warfare-2-boycotters-are-playing]
The results will (not) shock you.
The results will (not) shock you.
Boycotts only work when serious action is put behind it.
Have all the hardcore followers sit at home and not buy it and it won't work. The regular gamers will still buy it and they'll still make profit.
If the hardcore gamers could convince others to join them and physically boycott the game at the stores, enough to at least get some news coverage (possibly), and maybe even drop the profit count, then it might work.
Edit: I saw the MW2 boycott playing thing. That's pathetic. Even the hardcore didn't go through with their own claims. A boycott with that kind of following will never work.
Have all the hardcore followers sit at home and not buy it and it won't work. The regular gamers will still buy it and they'll still make profit.
If the hardcore gamers could convince others to join them and physically boycott the game at the stores, enough to at least get some news coverage (possibly), and maybe even drop the profit count, then it might work.
Edit: I saw the MW2 boycott playing thing. That's pathetic. Even the hardcore didn't go through with their own claims. A boycott with that kind of following will never work.
The L4D2 boycott was not about L4D2, even though the game isn't that great, it is still a good game. it was about L4D1 and the failure to pull through on any promises, and the ones that were completed were done poorly.
The boycott is still running, but the leaders just ran away.
And last time I looked through the first 10/700 or so pages of members only 6 were playing the L4D2 demo.
The boycott is still running, but the leaders just ran away.
And last time I looked through the first 10/700 or so pages of members only 6 were playing the L4D2 demo.
Yeah I'm sure you know best, after all I'm sure you have the metrics and the statistics of people who preordered the game and were in the "boycott". Oh wait, you don't. And you still lose. Hilariously. Don't even try to spin it as anything else other than a complete embarrasment, it's your own fault for being presumptuous and thinking that somehow just because you play a game a developer signs some sort of binding agreement with you.Fluffles said:
Not completely true. They can boycott it. It just isn't likely to work. If 300,000 people joined together and decided to boycott L4D2 at the store, and each of those people were able to prevent/disuade three people from buying the game it might be possible to provoke some response from the developer. Said situation would directly stop 1,200,000 sales (the 300,000 + 900,000 they stopped), plus whoever was too lazy to get involved, and might make the developers consider their choice of actions regarding whatever caused those boycotters to protest. Organizing that kind of manpower, maintaining that kind of devotion, its hard, but possible. Will it happen (ever)? Most likely not. People are weak. They lack devotion. They're lazy and complacent. They might complain a bit, but ultimately they accept their place in life as given and do nothing about it. I doubt I'll ever see the necessary devotion for change like this even on important matters, nontheless a video game.iconsting said: