Fuck consumers!

So apparently I guess I'm a pirate now because I rent the vast majority of the games I play?

Rental is why I am a console gamer over a PC gamer for the most part. If rental wasn't an option I would most likely simply not be that much of a gamer. I can't drop $60 for a product I know literally nothing about.

What developers don't understand about the whole one use online code bullshit, is that buying a game used already comes with an implied penalty that is almost exactly the same. The longer a game ages, the fewer people continue to play it, with very few exceptions. A legitimately good game, like halo might have a claim to something like this, but that's where they take the smart route and sell map packs.

My mom used to say that you catch more flies with honey that with vinegar, and that's very true. Take something away from people, even something they don't really care about, and there's a huge backlash. Give people an incentive to buy new, and no one cares. Dragon age origins for instance, had a one use code with its new copies too, but for extra content, the first DLC as a matter of fact.

Isn't that WHY we pay money for xbox live anyways? To support multiplayer matchmaking? Actual gameplay is all hosted client side. I sure as hell don't pay $4 a month for goddamn major nelson.

Right now, it's just shitty sports games, no one REALLY cares that much, but it's a slippery slope. Digital distribution is an option on the PC because publishers already fucked over customers with DRM due to rampant piracy, and look where the gaming market on the PC has gone. It's basically dead now, most of the "games" that come out now are just tech demos for what the next generation of consoles will look like.

There's a reason the phantom was a joke, and when all the consoles become modified versions of it, I will go back to the super nintendo.

Hal

Poor little guy.

Bye Scruffy. We'll Miss you. We're sorry we didn't make it in time this time.

Not like they need my money.

So doom 2 comes out to xbox live recently, and I'm super stoked. I go to buy that shit the moment I find out, and since I've done this a thousand times before I figure it'll be super easy and I can get right to downloading right? WRONG.

THE CREDIT CARD YOU ARE TRYING TO USE COULD NOT BE AUTHORIZED, PLEASE TRY ANOTHER CARD.

Yes, the very same card that I have not only used multiple other places on the internet within the week, but across town within the day, Microsoft has some sort of problem taking. Never mind the fact that I've been a gold subscriber for over a year and purchased god knows how much shit from them.

So I call my bank, hoping they could sort it out, so I don't have to deal with Microsoft's worthless customer support, "Nope, problem is on their end, charges are coming through fine, they're just not coming through for any amount."

So I call the BARELY English speaking customer support and what answer do I get after a 20 minute run around and hold? USE ANOTHER CARD OR BUY A PREPAID POINTS CARD.

NO! FUCK YOU! IF I WANTED TO DO THAT SHIT I WOULD HAVE ALREADY GODDAMNIT.

I guess if you dipshits have some sort of problem taking my money I can just fucking give it to someone else!

Hal

Does this sort of thing count as identity theft?

So after getting an email telling me it'll take 8 days for Blizzard to decide if they want to reactivate my account I get an email asking me to fill out a customer satisfaction survey. My response is as follows:

"Overall I'm just kind of pissed that it took blizzard not even hours to permanently disable my account without so much as a glance at my account history, and it's projected to take them 8 days to figure out if they want to reactivate it? Is that really a good way to treat a customer that had your service taken from him via a malicious 3rd party? The item restoration notwithstanding, would it be that much to unban the person? Doesn't it strike anyone as funny that a customer that has played for three+ years off and on would suddenly change his password and sell everything he took god knows how long to earn and promote some random goldfarmer? Not to mention if he changes his password back and then writes a GM ticket about getting hacked? Why couldn't I have gotten banned while I was being robbed?

I know the in game economy is important, but I would think you would have at least some consideration for real world economy and value your paying customers.

Nothing against the service rep though, he was great."

Hal

Legendary Blizzard Customer support at work!

I wake up this morning to find an email in my inbox telling me my battlenet password had been changed. So I'm thinking "Aw sheeit" as I go ahead and change it back and log in.

Basically all my characters are naked and their money is gone, but as some consolation it looks like I interrupted them halfway because a few of my bags and items are still there. Oddly enough my paladin was actually floating beneath the main landmass of Dragonblight. How he got down there I have no idea.

So I'm a little sad, but I figure blizzard might be able to fix it, so I open up a ticket, but then a couple minutes later I get disconnected from the server with a notice that my account had been closed, and I get an email in my inbox moments later.

"Reason for Closure: Terms of Use Violation -- Exploitative Activity: Abuse of the Economy

This account was closed because one or more characters were identified exchanging, or contributing to the exchange of, in-game property (items or gold) for "real-world" currency. This exchange process negatively impacts the World of Warcraft game environment by detracting from the value of the in-game economy."

Fucking wonderful. Not so much as a question, a look through my account history...nothing...just an immediate ban ON AN ACTIVE SUBSCRIPTION. I guess all the money and time I've given blizzard since warcraft 2 isn't enough for the goddamn benefit of the doubt.

Hal

LOL@WOW

Seriously though, they make like 165 million dollars a month off of WoW and the best they can do are in game cut scenes with their horrible character models/animation? I mean c'mon people, there's a reason machinima is really popular. Because anyone with a lot of spare time can do it basically for free. Is it wrong to expect more out of the biggest MMO developer in the world? This kinda crap is like turning in a book report without reading the book, everyone knows you really just don't give a damn anymore.

I don't want to sound like an ungrateful shithead but, is it bad to be kind of annoyed to recieve something for christmas that you specifically asked NOT to recieve? I mean I wasn't being cute, I really didn't want it, and what's worse is I can't even return it!

But that's another rant entirely

[EDIT]: So I received a lot of gift cards and unemployment for Christmas....sorta ironic.

Hal