The news has been grim in the gaming world for months now–if not years. The RAM shortage driving up prices is one thing. The constant layoffs is another. It’s been really depressing, especially the latter. As to the former, I had been considering getting a new PC about a year ago. Right before the prices went bonkers (and, yes, tehre’s a specific reason why), and now I rue the decision to wait. Everything is so expensive now. I mean, that’s not just limited to the gaming world, of course.
The layoffs, though, are what really bugs the fuck out of me (in the gaming world). It’s never the muckety-mucks who are laid off–oh no! They have nowt to do with it, do they? All the talk about tightening belts and what not make me furious. My first job out of college, I was working for a nonprofit. I was making eighteen-thou, which was not much money, even over thirty years ago. The director called us all (but the admin assistant–now, one of my two best friends) in and told us we all had to tighten our belts. Meaning no raises. Oh, and this was a United Way-funded nonprofit, which meant we were forced heavily encouraged to donate to United Way. You know, to show our gratitude that they funded us. But, uh, that has nothing to do with the line staff. The same line staff that is barely making a living wage.
Anyway. I twill forever remember and be grateful to the counselor in the other program for asking the director sharply, “What about you? Are you going to tighten your belt? Give up that Miata you drive?”
The director did NOT care for that at all. He shouted how he paid his dues and had put his time into the trenches. Which I have heard isn’t true. It’s more that he’s the son of a prominent person in the field. Even if it were true, though, it didn’t change the fact that the only thing he did as director was sit in his office and play solitaire on his computer. A computer that we could have used for our kids.
When I went to work for the county and mentioned that I used to work for that nonprofit, the head of the accounting department (for the nonprofits the county oversaw) snorted and said the name of the director before calling him something very disaparaging. In other words, everyone knew that this guy wasn’t doing his job.
I feel it’s the same with the bigwigs of publishing companies, except they aren’t even pretending they paid their dues. I mean, they don’t have to, right?
Waring, rant: We can be pissed all we want about prices, layoffs, and whatever else, but let’s face it. People are still going to do the things that lead to the situation we’re in. I’m not saying this is our fault because it most assuredyl isn’t; I’m saying that as long as there is no big consequence for what the companies are doing, they’ll keep doing it.
For example. Grand Theft Auto VI (Rockstar Games). They are embroiled in a court case right now cooncerning them firing some of their employees, unionization, and other grim truths of game developing. I don’t know how many people know about this, but even those who do and are pissed about it are still going to buy the game.
I’m not going to buy GTA VI, but that’s not a big ask on my part. I haven’t played any of the games, and what I’ve seen of others playing them, they are not my jam. At all. In fact, they are the very opposite of what I enjoy in a game. To me, there is absolutely nothing redeemable about the games. I would not buy one on steep sale; I would not play one if I was given it for free. So, yeah. It’s nothing noble on my part for me to say that I would not buy the game.
People are also upset about it being $80 for the base game and $100 for the deluxe/premium/elite edition. I was cynical when I watched all this sturm and drang when the price was announced. It’s pretty much what people expected, and also, I knew that people would not bat an eyelash before plunking down the hundo (most people are going to get the deluxe edition. Let’s face it).
What would be hard for me? Giving up FromSoft. I mean, I’m going to have to give them up when I can no longer play the games, but…let’s just put it this way. They are a big company. There are…not rumors, but whispers that they are not a great company to work for. If I find out that they are abusive (and not just bad in the way all companies are bad–very big generalization), then I’ll feel obligated to give it up. But will I? I don’t know. Since I’m such a weirdo, it’s not often I have to give up something in protest. Most of the things I like aren’t big enough to be a blip in the collective consciousness.
Back to games. The big news is that PlayStation is not going to have physical copies of their games any longer. Everyone freaked out. I get it. It’s already bad with the fact that you don’t own anything. Not really. If Steam disappeared somehow for some reason, I would be out all the games I’ve bought from them. At some point, PC users have just given in–without much fuss. I guess because we gave in a long time ago as to what we have given to the greater electronic gods. Also, Steam has been doing this since…ever? I mean, I’m pretty sure they started out digital beacuse that’s what makes sense.
Do I trust that they will never disappear? No. Do I trust that if they do disappear, they’ll warn people and do the right thing (by giving people the rights to the games they bought)? …..No. They may make noise about wanting to do the right thing, but in the end, they’re a large company who are in it for the profit they’re making.
That’s the thing to remember about all these companies/publishers: their first goal is to make all the monies in the world.
I have more to say, but I’m ending this for tonight. More tomorrow.