Author Topic: Harbingers of Change  (Read 1802 times)

Agent Borealis

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Harbingers of Change
« on: October 26, 2012, 07:45:22 AM »
Hello Titans,

These past few weeks have been...trying for all of us. Our home, our beloved Paragon City, is being ripped out from under our feet and tossed aside because a few paper pushers at NCSoft decided that they didn't want to support a game not based in their home country. There has been wailing and gnashing of teeth, and we've launched a campaign to save our home from destruction. But something occurred to me around hour 19 of the Extra Life marathon.

We are not alone.

This past year, the gaming community has seen more controversy than at any point in recent memory. The outrage over the sexualized nun assassins from Hitman Absolution, Mass Effect 3's shoddy ending, the anger over Diablo 3's always-online DRM, and a multitude of other controversies have sprung up.

As James Portnow over at Extra Credits is fond of saying, "our industry is changing." On the show, he usually says this with regards to the way video games are made, but I think there's more to it than that. This past year, gamers have raised their voices against things that have, for years, never been questioned. Objectification of women, poor writing, annoying DRM, and much more have been industry standard for years, and yet, for some reason, in 2012, the gaming community has risen as one to try to better their community from the inside out.

Although it may feel like it, the SaveCOH movement is not alone in this fight. We are but one wave in a rising flood. Everywhere, gamers are demanding better content and better service from the industry. Tore Blystad, the director of Hitman Absolution, came out and apologized after the uproar over his game. EA and Bioware remade the ending to Mass Effect 3, after weeks of protestation by fans. And Blizzard was put under investigation in at least three different countries for the connection issues their DRM caused.

NCSoft's wall of silence may seem deafening at times, but we cannot lose hope. This past year, something happened within the gaming community. Maybe it was one too many pieces of cumbersome DRM. Maybe it was the rising number of females within our ranks. Maybe it was watching one too many beloved franchises sacrificed at the alter of "mass appeal." But whatever it was that started this chain of events, I think we can all be sure that this rising storm is not going to go away any time soon.

Maybe, despite all our efforts, City of Heroes gets shuttered for good. Even then, we must continue to fight. Not for ourselves, but for those who come after us. We know the pain of having a game we love ripped away from us in the name of corporate pride. We are heroes, but not just of Paragon City, the Rogue Isles, and Praetoria. We are heroes of Azeroth, of Sanctuary, of the Citadel, Tuchanka, and Thessia, of Tamriel, of Thedas, and of the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire.

As the day grows near when the lights go out in Paragon City, remember what we're fighting for. Not just a game or our community, but for the future of our industry.

And if you ever need some motivation, just listen to this video. At my college, it gets passed around every time final exams roll around, and it never fails to get me pumped up.

padathir

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Re: Harbingers of Change
« Reply #1 on: October 26, 2012, 05:09:53 PM »
Objectification of women

That one especially is getting old. >.<