Boycotts: Are They Really the Best Idea?

We are currently on the dawn of a new console generation.  Normally, this is one of the best times to be a gamer, and indeed, the gaming future does look quite bright. However, there is also a little bt of darkness on the horizon, and it stems from some of the bad practices a few game companies are using now.  Gamers in general seem to feel like the best way to fight bad practice is with a boycott.  I would pose the counterpoint that a boycott doesn’t really harm these companies, and might actually encourage them to use bad practices more.

So why are there boycotts?

The definition of boycott, according to Google, is: To “withdraw from commercial or social relations with (a country, organization, or person) as a punishment or protest.”  That’s a rather total thing. By boycotting a company, you don’t buy any of their goods because you don’t like the way they do business.  Many companies have posed practices that might garner a boycott.  EA is the easiest scapegoat, as they have the biggest boycott movement now and some of the worst DLC and DRM policies on the market, but there are others.  Some movements to boycott Square Enix are around for various reasons, most of which involve Final Fantasy XIII being generally regarded as terrible or Final Fantasy XV changing up the formula. There’s also one going after Nintendo because of their recent claim of ownership and profits over any video of their games that goes up on the internet.

There are various reasons to try to form a boycott, but of the above, the Nintendo boycott is the only one deserving of such a practice.  The others all change between games and over time. It’s easy to say “Hey, I don’t like your practices so I won’t give you any money.” That’s the basic premise behind these boycotts. However, boycotting Capcom because you don’t like their use of Street Fighter DLC or the direction they’re taking the Resident Evil series doesn’t really work.

Why boycotts don’t always work

The tricky part of a boycott is that it’s a total ban on a company.  You don’t buy any of their products.  In some cases, this works because an absolutely massive movement can be drummed up to stop some truly inhumane practices.  In gaming, however, it’s not going to work nearly as well because the gaming community has many different opinions on each matter. Movements in this industry don’t get large enough to damage company profits.

The other reason is that not all games in each company are created equal. If you don’t like the way EA handled SimCity, but you are a fan of games by their studios BioWare or D.I.C.E., then a total boycott on the company not only makes you miss out on games you like, it causes you miss out on the opportunity to tell them that you do like something they are doing. Furthermore, a total boycott doesn’t actually change a company’s profit spread. If you’re trying to say you don’t support Resident Evil by boycotting Capcom, you end up running into the problem that people are still buying it, and you’re not helping tell Capcom that you like their other series.

So what’s the solution?

The only real solution I’ve found is to take a “where your money goes matters” approach to the way I buy games.  I don’t support EA’s terrible DRM on some of its games, or the terrible way they use DLC, but I do wholly support the fact that D.I.C.E. is bringing back Battlefront 3. Rather than boycott EA, I choose to buy Battlefront 3 because I support what they’re doing by bringing back an old favorite. However, I keep my money away from their other games, as well as any Battlefront 3 DLC. I also take no risks when it comes to games from EA or other companies I don’t like the practices of. I buy games that I know I will like, and if I’m iffy on a game, I wait for reviews or play it on a friend’s machine before I make my decision.

If you put your money where it matters, you’re telling the company what they’re doing right and encouraging them to keep doing that same thing right. If you’re not giving them any money, you then increase the profit ratio of a bad game like Sim City or Resident Evil 6 as compared to one of the company’s better games like Battlefield 3 or Monster Hunter 4, and are, in a way, encouraging them to continue with poor policy.

What do you guys think? Do you agree or disagree? Sound off in the comments, and check out the Team Timelords Facebook page for more from me and my creative team.