Give EA a Break Already!

For years now, the internet has been a location that even the smallest voice can be heard around the world. We now have ways to speak directly to developers, designers and the very artist that deliver our music, movies, and video games. There comes a point when those voices become far too loud, and rather than being filled with encouragement and praise, they are doused with rage and entitlement. The gaming industry is starting to take some immoral turns in going too far with its outspoken habits.

Gamers have bombed forums and social media with tons of hateful comments all targeted towards the very craft that they claim to love.  The biggest target lately has been on the back of Electronic Arts; although the criticism is well deserved for multiple reasons towards EA, the instant hate, discrimination, and prejudice that is affiliated with their name is not often enough countered with the praise that EA deserves.

Electronic Arts is a veteran name in the gaming industry. If you were born in the 80’s They were a large part of our childhood. Thanks to EA we got “Skate or Die”, “NBA JAM” and “Populous”. The entire sports simulation genre evolved because of titles like Madden. Just try saying “E-A- Sports” out loud one day and count how many people say “It’s in the Game”.

This console generation EA gave me “Mirror’s Edge” which influenced me to research and even take up Parkour. “SSX” blew my mind with some of the most insane tricks I could come up with, not to mention the soundtrack changed my taste in music almost overnight. I have so much to be thankful for from the minds at EA. I don’t want us as an industry to forget about all the good that they have done.   

Let me just say this right now, YES  EA has screwed up plenty of times.

• Insane Viral Marketing Attempts
• Marketing M Games to wrong crowd (Check out a Fantastic Video From Extra Credits)
• One of the Worst Software Launches in History
• Over Charging for Downloable Content
• Some of the highest termination and layoff records to date in our industry

I list all of those short comings with a very large “Sigh”; It’s not a comedic tone, it’s a disappointed one. I know that these are choices that the company may or may not come to regret in the future. I’m not the one sitting in the board room on a weekly basis making choices that effect billions of dollars and thousands of jobs. I just can’t judge the choices that a company makes because we simply don’t know all the circumstances. Unless you know all the details and fully understand a choice made by companies this big, I say keep your criticisms light.

I feel that we need to find some maturity if we’re going to support this industry the way it needs to be nurtured in order to grow. It’s already a powerhouse in the entertainment industry and it has plenty of room to grow. Yet the gamers themselves and their sense of entitlement could damage that very easily. To immediately condemn upcoming projects just because they bare the “EA” Logo is absolutely absurd and disrespectful. I am referring to the recent news of EA gaining exclusive rights to develop future Star Wars Games.

The commentary regarding the topic has been hit with loads of negative comments about the acquisition. There are airs of concern and worry about what EA may do with the beloved franchise. I find the comments undesirable and rude. It’s a slap in the face to people who put their very best into the work they do. I feel that the excitement that studios like Dice and Visceral felt knowing that they now have the opportunity to create games for the Star Wars universe have now been spoiled by the instant backlash from the community and it’s truly embarrassing.  

I myself and many other industry professionals haven’t cast out EA the way the general gaming public has. I truly don’t believe the management team at EA is sitting on a throne made of skulls manically rubbing their hands together deciding how many people they can fire next week and then charge for each bullet in Battlefield 4. I refuse to assume they are going to mismanage one of the most influential and well known franchises in the world. They are a business, and they have done what they have to do as a business in order to survive. By chance if you haven’t heard recently, game development for AAA titles range from $18-$68 Million. This cash has to come from somewhere, although not every title needs to run at top of the line industry specs.

Thanks to the Indie Community, we are slowly starting to see the necessity for those types of huge budgets recede. For the last couple of years titles like “Mark of the Ninja” &      “Shank” prove that we don’t need millions just to release a spectacular experience ( Be sure to thank EA for those as well). However, if you want your Battlefield’s, Mass Effects and NHL Titles we must recognize what it costs to produce them. That means paying those designers, programmers, artists, marketing and sales. They are employed. They need to feed their families. They need to pay the bills, and this is how they get it done.

You may not respect EA as a publisher, and you may want to rip apart many of their structures, but at the very least give the creative minds and the hard working individuals that have the potential to make the greatest experiences in history the credit that they deserve.

Those are the individuals who truly “Challenge Everything”.