Goodbye Call of Duty
I decided to play Call of Duty today as I wanted some undemanding entertainment. I was not surprised when the game client began an update, as I have not played for about three months. Hence, there was obviously new content to install. However, when I saw the size of the download, I knew this was more than just a season update. I therefore checked the Battle.net client and discovered that the game was installing Black Ops 6, the latest version of Call of Duty that is released on 25th October. A game I have decided not to buy for a multitude of reasons. Fortunately, you can modify your game installation on the fly, so I unchecked a few boxes and the download stopped. However, I was annoyed by the hubris of this “download by default” policy, so I decided to uninstall my existing installation of Modern Warfare 3 as it is no longer a mainstay of my gaming activities.
I decided to play Call of Duty today as I wanted some undemanding entertainment. I was not surprised when the game client began an update, as I have not played for about three months. Hence, there was obviously new content to install. However, when I saw the size of the download, I knew this was more than just a season update. I therefore checked the Battle.net client and discovered that the game was installing Black Ops 6, the latest version of Call of Duty that is released on 25th October. A game I have decided not to buy for a multitude of reasons. Fortunately, you can modify your game installation on the fly, so I unchecked a few boxes and the download stopped. However, I was annoyed by the hubris of this “download by default” policy, so I decided to uninstall my existing installation of Modern Warfare 3 as it is no longer a mainstay of my gaming activities.
I have a very specific mindset when it comes to technology and my relationship with it. A key aspect of which can be summed up by the old adage “the tail doesn’t wag the dog”. With regard to software, be it the operating system on my PC, apps, or games, I don’t like updates or fundamental changes being made without me being aware of them in advance. I want to know in advance what the patches are for and what they do as a consequence. Furthermore, I don’t like any changes that attempt to “do my thinking for me”. Everything that is installed on my PC is there for a reason and configured in such a fashion that suits my personal preferences. Hence, I do not like any software that decides to do its own thing and flies in the face of this policy. I’ll decide if a program starts when I turn on my PC and whether I want additional icons added to my desktop real estate. It is also down to me when something can or cannot monopolise my internet connection.
As for Call of Duty, the last year has been an interesting journey. Warzone teetered on the edge of returning to its glory days but the game was once again thrown off balance by specific weapons being overpowered, the tedium of an unavoidable loadout meta and a losing battle against those who cheat. I was one of the few players that enjoyed the open world approach to zombies mode and one of the reasons I’m not buying Black Ops 6 is due to the return of the round based matches. As I’ve said many times before, not only of Call of Duty but of many other competitive games, the experience the average player has is so far removed from that of a high end, content creator on YouTube. I have seldom found any of the group content to be anything other than a chaotic experience, defined by poor communication and unpleasant team mates. I’ve regularly read of players helping out others and representing the community well but have never met any.
Fortunately for me and not necessarily so for Activision Blizzard, there’s always something else to play. There are plenty of comparable games to Call of Duty and the sub genre of extraction shooters is certainly growing. Sometimes, when I uninstall a game I have a pang of sadness, especially if it has been a noteworthy experience such as Red Dead Redemption 2. However, more often than not, it feels the opposite. Call of Duty is somewhere in the middle of those two extremes. It was certainly fun for a while but ultimately the developers made choices that weren’t for me. Such is life. You can’t please everyone. However, the community is a different matter and despite several claims that cheating and trolling are being addressed, no discernible change is apparent so far. Hence its time to find something else to play, although there is always the risk of leaving one shitty community, only to join a new one. Such is the nature of contemporary gaming.
You Can’t Sit on the Fence Forever
I was recently reading a post published on Massively Overpowered about Activision Blizzard CEO, Bobby Kotick. The majority of comments were not well disposed towards the man, especially in light of the fact that previous allegations made against him regarding harassment and intimidation have been settled out of court. However, there were one or two comments that flew in the face of the overall opprobrium. That’s not to say that they were supportive of Mr Kotick. They were from people who wanted to “just play games” and effectively not have to be exposed to any discussion or judgement upon the iniquities of the video games industry. It’s a common refrain from some gamers. They wish to keep the realities of the world out of the games that they play. To treat an MMO, FPS shooter or strategy games as a form of leisure devoid of any socio-political implications. Something they can immerse themselves in for a while to “escape the stress of real life”. It’s a concept that seems fair enough in principle but when considered in practical terms is abstract and unworkable.
I was recently reading a post published on Massively Overpowered about Activision Blizzard CEO, Bobby Kotick. The majority of comments were not well disposed towards the man, especially in light of the fact that previous allegations made against him regarding harassment and intimidation have been settled out of court. However, there were one or two comments that flew in the face of the overall opprobrium. That’s not to say that they were supportive of Mr Kotick. They were from people who wanted to “just play games” and effectively not have to be exposed to any discussion or judgement upon the iniquities of the video games industry. It’s a common refrain from some gamers. They wish to keep the realities of the world out of the games that they play. To treat an MMO, FPS shooter or strategy games as a form of leisure devoid of any socio-political implications. Something they can immerse themselves in for a while to “escape the stress of real life”. It’s a concept that seems fair enough in principle but when considered in practical terms is abstract and unworkable.
Take a good hard look at the world around you. It is built upon free market capitalism and consumerism. Video games are a microcosm of such ideologies. An amusing diversion that you pay to access. That is why millions of dollars are spent developing them. Because a game that blends the right amount of psychological manipulation with user engagement, can hit the jackpot and yield a handsome return on investment. Some gamers are so invested in their game of choice, especially the MMO community, they lose sight of the fact that they’re consumers paying for a product. They see it as some sort of commensurate relationship between artist and patron and the video game industry is happy to perpetuate this fallacy. Sadly, video games are not inviolate, existing in their own ethically and politically neutral separate reality. They are made by people, working within a corporate hierarchy and as such are entwined with the inherent problems of such a system.
Video games are not any different from electronics, clothes and many other consumer items we buy on a regular basis. Those manufacturing them are poorly paid and have little or no benefits, while the prodigious profits that are generated are funnelled to the top of the corporate structure. Sadly, video games are far from free from the taint of modern business practises. And as consumers, we are contributing to these problems, irrespective of whether we are ideologically supportive of the system that causes them or not. You can as a gamer “just play games” if that is what you want to do but willful ignorance does not negate the iniquities of the triple A video games industry. Nor does it absolve you, or indeed any of us, of the fact that we’re supporting a business model that is discriminatory to people not too dissimilar to ourselves.
Now there is a rather tedious and ill conceived argument that usually gets trotted out in such situations. The one that states that you can’t voice any sort of criticism regarding exploitative business practises, while still using the services they provide. IE “best give up your mobile phone, cheap clothes and consumer goods and go live in a cave”. The notion being that there is an element of hypocrisy or at least cognitive dissonance to such a stance. All that is notionally correct, that does not invalidate the rectitude of the argument against bad corporate practises. Furthermore, one doesn’t have to wait for a consensus of universal moral perfection before seeking societal change. Change is made from within the imperfect system. Take a look at Western history over the last and current century. Civil rights and equality were fought for despite a substantial percentage of the population thinking that it wasn’t their problem. Perhaps they just “wanted to play games” or whatever the equivalent soundbite was at the time?
Maintaining a civilised, fair and equitable society is hard work. It requires rules and regulations to ensure that an acceptable standard of life exists for all. It also needs citizens to “give a shit”. Now I don’t expect everyone to be an activist 24/7. But there is a price for living in an orderly society. Jury service, voting and on occasion realising that helping and supporting others with their struggles is beneficial for our collective good. If you are content to live in a world where the prevailing mantra is “fuck it, it’s not my problem”, don’t be surprised if sooner or later someone will try and take something away from you. You can’t sit on the fence forever. Let us not forget the wise words of Martin Niemöller. So returning to the original point of discussion, I hope that ongoing pressure from both the public and staff results in meaningful change at Activision Blizzard. It’s in everyone’s best interests that it does.
More Iniquities of the Video Games Industry
People often say that one of the reasons they play video games is to escape from the harsh realities of life. It’s a perfectly understandable aspiration; seeking to find a brief respite from the rigours, injustices and trauma of the real world in a potentially more tranquil environment. Yet it is ironic that the very industry that provides these virtual havens is steeped in all the failings and iniquities that stem from big business. Adding to the general shittiness of day to day life that so many wish to avoid. Which presents many gamers with an ethical dilemma, as they may well be supporting a company that indulges in morally abhorrent business practises. This isn’t the first time I’ve written about the iniquities of the video game industry and it certainly won’t be the last. Here are just some further examples of the sort of shenanigans that regularly occur among “Triple A” publishers
People often say that one of the reasons they play video games is to escape from the harsh realities of life. It’s a perfectly understandable aspiration; seeking to find a brief respite from the rigours, injustices and trauma of the real world in a potentially more tranquil environment. Yet it is ironic that the very industry that provides these virtual havens is steeped in all the failings and iniquities that stem from big business. Adding to the general shittiness of day to day life that so many wish to avoid. Which presents many gamers with an ethical dilemma, as they may well be supporting a company that indulges in morally abhorrent business practises. This isn’t the first time I’ve written about the iniquities of the video game industry and it certainly won’t be the last. Here are just some further examples of the sort of shenanigans that regularly occur among “Triple A” publishers.
An investment group representing some Activision Blizzard shareholders recently filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission an enquiry as to how CEO Bobby Kotick “finds multiple ways to unnecessarily enrich” himself. CtW Investment Group has stated in its mission statement that it functions to hold “directors accountable for irresponsible and unethical corporate behavior and excessive executive pay”. The group handles several union-sponsored pension funds that own “substantial” shares in Activision Blizzard. They’re concerned due to “multiple, overlapping award provisions” in Kotick’s employment agreement with Activision Blizzard, the CEO is allowed multiple bites at the apple. Kotick has received over $20 million in stock options every year for the last four years in addition to his base salary, as well as a bonus that is more than the total pay of his fellow CEOs in the games industry. The cumulative total of Kotick’s stock awards alone in the last four years is $96.5 million, which doesn’t include his salary.
All of this has occurred over a period of time when Activision Blizzard employees are facing ongoing job insecurity, following layoffs of 800 employees in 2019. Staff typically earn less than 1/3 of 1% of the CEO’s earnings, with some employees, such as Junior Developers, making less than $40,000 a year while living in high-cost areas such as southern California. Activision defended Kotick’s bonuses in a statement to GameSpot, citing increases in the company’s “market capitalization” and share price performance during his tenure as the reason for these financial rewards. “He has delivered exceptional value for Activision Blizzard’s stockholders”, according to their PR department. But for many gamers, this is yet another example of the immorality of corporate culture, especially in light of the current economic situation where many workers are currently furloughed and more than likely facing unemployment in the not too distant future. All while their employers make record profits.
And here’s another “fun” example of life in the video games industry. According to a report on Bloomberg, publisher Take-Two is alleged to have withdrawn Kerbal Space Program 2 development from studio Star Theory and then subsequently poached most of its staff, eventually leading to the company’s collapse and closure. Star Theory’s development staff apparently received an unsolicited LinkedIn message last December, in which a Take-Two revealed it was creating a new studio to complete the game Star Theory had been developing. Take-Two was seeking to hire all of Star Theory’s staff in order to “ease transition”. “This was an incredibly difficult decision for us to make, but it became necessary when we felt business circumstances might compromise the development, execution and integrity of the game”, Take-Two executive Michael Cook is alleged to have said. “To that end, we encourage you to apply for a position with us”.
Star Theory founders Bob Berry and Jonathan appear to have been in discussions with Take-Two about selling their company but were dissatisfied with the terms. However, pleas to staff to stay at the company and secure a new project failed, as more than half of the development team eventually joined Take-Two’s new studio Intercept Games according to Bloomberg. Whether their terms and condition of employment are comparable, remains to be seen. Such business practises are often seen as standard procedure within the video games industry but for those working at the “coalface” this is just corporate asset stripping and playing with the livelihood of staff. Again as gamers, do we wish to be associated with such dubious activities? I am reminded of a quote by Scottish comedian Frankie Boyle. “If you get offended by any jokes, by the way, feel free to Tweet your outrage on a mobile phone made by a ten year old in China”.
They Don't Work for Us
If you want a good quote to use as a starting point for a blog post then Bree Royce, the Editor-in-Chief and writer for the video game website Massively Overpowered, seems to have a good line in them. In the latest Massively OP Podcast, Bree and Justin Olivetti where discussing the recent round of layoffs that have seen over 800 Activision Blizzard staff lose their jobs. Like many others, Bree and Justin were far from impressed with these events, especially in light of the companies increased profits. When referencing the faux angst of CEO Bobby Kotick who claimed it was a “tough call”, Bree stated “they’ve definitely proven who they work for. It ain’t us”. A simple and inescapable conclusion about the triple A video game industry. Yet it is something that many gamers still struggle to come to terms with. Because so many do not see video games purely as a product, there seems to be an emotional blind spot associated with the game themselves, the developers who make them and the companies that publish them.
If you want a good quote to use as a starting point for a blog post then Bree Royce, the Editor-in-Chief and writer for the video game website Massively Overpowered, seems to have a good line in them. In the latest Massively OP Podcast, Bree and Justin Olivetti where discussing the recent round of layoffs that have seen over 800 Activision Blizzard staff lose their jobs. Like many others, Bree and Justin were far from impressed with these events, especially in light of the companies increased profits. When referencing the faux angst of CEO Bobby Kotick who claimed it was a “tough call”, Bree stated “they’ve definitely proven who they work for. It ain’t us”. A simple and inescapable conclusion about the triple A video game industry. Yet it is something that many gamers still struggle to come to terms with. Because so many do not see video games purely as a product, there seems to be an emotional blind spot associated with the game themselves, the developers who make them and the companies that publish them.
Perhaps this is why so many ill-conceived, crowd funded gaming projects get championed my enthused gamers, who choose to ignore the realities of modern business practises. The romantic notion that independent games development is some sort of artisan “cottage industry” still persists. That devs exist in anarco-sydicalist communes, producing quality games and thriving on the bountiful revenue supplied by the likes of Kickstarter, is still believed by some. But such success stories are few and far between. Crowd funded games have a high mortality rate, often due to poor management and unrealistic promises. Which leaves the mainstream industry which exists primarily to make money and to keep shareholders happy. That’s not to say that they don’t make good games, because they do. We’ve played them. But too often the artistic and creative vision of the developers is either sidelined or hobbled to accommodate multiple means of monetising the overall product.
The triple A video game industry seems to be pursuing unsustainable growth and if left unchecked, will eventually end in a crash. Gamers will eventually balk at their business practices, although they still seem to be enabling them at present, and the fall in revenue will lead to an exodus of investors as they seek a new market to exploit. Venture capital companies seldom have any deep and abiding commitment to that which they seek to monetise. Their loyalty is to profit and if it becomes financial expedient to play the opposite side of the fence to that which they’re playing today, then they’ll do so. It’s not personal, it’s just business. And that is why the likes of Activision Blizzard don’t work for you. Gamers are not strictly the customer. The gamer or should I say the gamer’s money is the crop to be harvested. The shareholders are the real customers and they bankroll the tools needed to harvest that “available cash”. Therefore gamers need to get over the way their passion for their hobby blinds them to the nature of business.
Activision Blizzard Buys King Digital Entertainment
I found out about Activision Blizzard’s acquisition of King Digital Entertainment via the BBC Business website. From my perspective the notion of a leading US games developer that has a foothold in all major markets, buying in to the mobile sector hardly comes as a surprise. The price is perhaps the main talking point and does raise the question of the potential over valuing tech based companies. $5.9 Billion is after all a tidy sum of money. However what this deal does prove is the financial importance of the mobile gaming market.
I found out about Activision Blizzard’s acquisition of King Digital Entertainment via the BBC Business website. From my perspective the notion of a leading US games developer that has a foothold in all major markets, buying in to the mobile sector hardly comes as a surprise. The price is perhaps the main talking point and does raise the question of the potential over valuing tech based companies. $5.9 Billion is after all a tidy sum of money. However what this deal does prove is the financial importance of the mobile gaming market.
Gaming like many other pastimes has a social hierarchy among its fan base, which is rife with preconceptions, snobbery and self-aggrandisement. For many mobile gaming is still frowned upon and considered in some quarters not to be “proper” gaming. There will be a wealth of blog posts and commentary about this business deal, decrying it as foolhardy. A popular refrain will be how the money could be better spent producing a particular product that specific fans want. This is the nature of fandom; a tunnel vision perspective driven by one’s own desires.
The reality of the situation is very simple. Mobile gaming, irrespective of its perceived artistic and creative merits, is an extremely lucrative business. Therefore the opinion of those who are not part of the existing customer base is hardly of any major significance to developers. Those with entrenched views are hardly likely to succumb to marketing and therefore cease to be of any importance in any ongoing promotional campaign. Sadly logic seldom has any impact upon the white noise generated by “core gamers”.
Over time I have become increasingly more interested in the business side of the gaming industry. It is as fluid and intriguing as any other global market. Compared to the emotive and often self-absorbed tirades I see coming from the gaming community, the machinations of companies such as Activision Blizzard are far more interesting. This simply highlights the gulf between business and the imperatives of the market compared to the capricious nature of fans aspirations. Am I growing out of gaming? No but I may well be growing out of the community.