EA wins "worst company in America for 2012" award

Jamezinho

Jamezinho

Golden Boot Winner
10 June 2003
Ipswich, England
Ipswich Town F.C.
After more than 250,000 votes on a poll run by 'The Consumerist' website, EA beats Bank of America to win the accolade of 'worst company in America for 2012'....

http://consumerist.com/2012/04/congratulations-ea-you-are-the-worst-company-in-america-for-2012.html

The best bit is EA's response.....

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/342789/ea-shrugs-off-worst-company-in-america-award/

In response, EA corporate communications senior director John Reseburg told Gamasutra: "We're sure that bank presidents, oil, tobacco, and weapons companies are all relieved they weren't on the list this year. We're going to continue making award-winning games and services played by more than 300 million people worldwide."
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It's like they are saying "we're bad, but not that bad".
 
Surely Cacom should have been up there after their bullshit street fighter x tekken dlc on the disc crap.
 
Jamezinho said:
It's like they are saying "we're bad, but not that bad".
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That's not how I read it at all, rather it's a snide comment at how ridiculous an award is that a company which makes and sells video games can ever be considered worse than banks that take people's homes and close their small businesses whilst giving their execs masses of money in bonuses, companies that destroy the environment with pollution and poor standards and practices, companies which make products that destroy weak people's health (cigarettes, alcohol, junk food), companies that manufacture guns and ammunition that makes its way onto the streets, or are even purchased legitimately then used to kill and maim people. Etc. etc. etc.
 
Placebo said:
That's not how I read it at all, rather it's a snide comment at how ridiculous an award is that a company which makes and sells video games can ever be considered worse than banks that take people's homes and close their small businesses whilst giving their execs masses of money in bonuses, companies that destroy the environment with pollution and poor standards and practices, companies which make products that destroy weak people's health (cigarettes, alcohol, junk food), companies that manufacture guns and ammunition that makes its way onto the streets, or are even purchased legitimately then used to kill and maim people. Etc. etc. etc.
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The fact that so many people view EA as worse than banks should at least tell them something. Plus this is a consumer website so we're talking about companies that provide goods and services directly to the public. Arms manufacturers and resource exploration companies are not within the site's sphere of interest I would imagine.
Besides, for a company so well versed in PR, I'd rather see their spokesman talk more positively rather than benchmarking EA against oil companies, etc....

The path to victory is here for anyone that's interested:

14dioe9.png
 
Out of interest how on earth would anyone know about EA if they didnt play video games? Was the poll purely for geeks or did geeks jump on it?


Placebo said:
That's not how I read it at all, rather it's a snide comment at how ridiculous an award is that a company which makes and sells video games can ever be considered worse than banks that take people's homes and close their small businesses whilst giving their execs masses of money in bonuses, companies that destroy the environment with pollution and poor standards and practices, companies which make products that destroy weak people's health (cigarettes, alcohol, junk food), companies that manufacture guns and ammunition that makes its way onto the streets, or are even purchased legitimately then used to kill and maim people. Etc. etc. etc.
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DLC that costs money is far worse than gun manufacture's selling their products to anyone that will buy. No wonder EA won this poll. More guns... less paid DLC.
 
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Placebo said:
That's not how I read it at all, rather it's a snide comment at how ridiculous an award is that a company which makes and sells video games can ever be considered worse than banks that take people's homes and close their small businesses whilst giving their execs masses of money in bonuses, companies that destroy the environment with pollution and poor standards and practices, companies which make products that destroy weak people's health (cigarettes, alcohol, junk food), companies that manufacture guns and ammunition that makes its way onto the streets, or are even purchased legitimately then used to kill and maim people. Etc. etc. etc.
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you can maim and kill someone with a knife so where are the cutlery manufactures? same with glassware. You can also kill and maim people with a BMW, so where the fuck are they on this list. Power tools anyone? Your a fisherman, some fishing string can certainly choke the shite out of someone, where are those companies. I suppose people cant get addicted to video games or the internet like alcohol or drugs either. So your point now has even more clarity, or does it. Placebo do you think violent video games/movies/books cause people to kill people? Do you not think EA has put small businesses out of business, thus leading people to lose there jobs? I dont like guns at all, but blaming a gun or a gun maker for the actions of a person is unfair.
 
I'm with EA and Placebo on this.
How anybody can think a company that sells video games can be the worst company is beyond me.
One has only to think about what banks have caused since 2008. The people who voted EA for that poll should go and take a look in countries like Greece, Ireland, Spain and (to a lesser degree) Portugal.Yesterday somebody killed himself in front of the Greek parliament because this person prefers to be death instead of having to beg. This was not a marginal person, but somebody like you and me...this is what banks and bad politics caused.
Anyway i don't really think that EA should care much about this...from a PR-point of view this is a nightmare, but i don't think for a second it will influence the sales...
 
Maybe it's the way they go about doing things that pisses people off. Aggressive take-overs, putting people out of business, exclusives (Not perfect even though they should imo given all the tech they boast about and PR campaigns. Some very bad, some normal).

I'm just trying to look for reasons here.. Don't know really.

I do like their Dead Space franchise though. I think they should do much better with their other sport games that are sub-par imo. Also with Harry Potter being such a huge thing, you'd think they'd take advantage and release an amazing game, but no, that didn't happen.

Can't think of anything else atm..
 
Lami said:
Maybe it's the way they go about doing things that pisses people off. Aggressive take-overs, putting people out of business, exclusives (Not perfect even though they should imo given all the tech they boast about and PR campaigns. Some very bad, some normal).

I'm just trying to look for reasons here.. Don't know really.
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To my mind the reason is extremely simple, the vast majority of people voting on that poll from all stages to the final vote are obviously a young, gaming type demographic, people who voted in that poll were not 30+ family types with children affected by real life issues, if they were they would not have voted for EA.
 
Placebo said:
To my mind the reason is extremely simple, the vast majority of people voting on that poll from all stages to the final vote are obviously a young, gaming type demographic, people who voted in that poll were not 30+ family types with children affected by real life issues, if they were they would not have voted for EA.
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That's just a guess - and you could be right - however taking a quick look at The Consumerist website (tagline - 'shoppers bite back'), it doesn't strike me as a place that many under 30's frequent. It's more like the website equivalent of Watchdog.

The average age of a gamer is getting older so to suggest that the poll was swung by the kids vote may not be correct. If anything I'd say the younger demographic are more likely to lap up EA's output and not question it. Us older, jaded and cynical gamers are the ones more likely to have an issue with EA. :))
 
Jamezinho said:
That's just a guess - and you could be right - however taking a quick look at The Consumerist website (tagline - 'shoppers bite back'), it doesn't strike me as a place that many under 30's frequent. It's more like the website equivalent of Watchdog.
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It does strike me as the kind of poll that gamer a. sees and then posts on their favourite gaming forum under the title "let's stick it to EA and show them how much they suck"...
 
Jamezinho said:
That's just a guess - and you could be right - however taking a quick look at The Consumerist website (tagline - 'shoppers bite back'), it doesn't strike me as a place that many under 30's frequent. It's more like the website equivalent of Watchdog.

The average age of a gamer is getting older so to suggest that the poll was swung by the kids vote may not be correct. If anything I'd say the younger demographic are more likely to lap up EA's output and not question it. Us older, jaded and cynical gamers are the ones more likely to have an issue with EA. :))
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If older gamers voted for EA in a poll like this then that is a worry surly they have more concerning issue's in life than to vote for EA in a poll like this? Unless of course they still stay with mum and dad sitting in a darkened room playing games 24/7 those are the type that i would imagine would be voting for EA. I dont see many normal people voting for them tbh.
 
Is it any coincidence that this is happening in the same few weeks?

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...-itself-against-thousands-of-anti-gay-letters

EA has been inundated in recent weeks with what GamesIndustry International understands to be "several thousand" letters and emails protesting the inclusion of same sex or LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) content in its video games, most notably Mass Effect 3 and Star Wars: The Old Republic. When asked, EA confirmed that this has indeed been occurring, and unsurprisingly, EA has no plans to censor any of its games.
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eastarwarspostcard.jpg


We had suspected that perhaps Focus on the Family, led by James Dobson, was somehow involved, but as it turns out, many of the letters have been coming from Florida, and it's rather apparent based on this call to action for Star Wars that the Florida Family Association is directing a campaign against EA because of the same-sex relationship content.

The Family Research Council, led by Tony Perkins, is also involved. "In a new Star Wars game, the biggest threat to the empire may be homosexual activists!" said Perkins.
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Same sex relationship's in video games? I had no idea the last thing i want to see while playing games is two gay guys pop up on my screen. No wonder they topped this poll the American Christianity community dont take to well to this sort of thing.

Sadly it seems as if EA are trying to get more gay scenes into their games...

YouTube - fifa 12 gay

Perhaps we need two versions? The Straight Edition & The Gay Steelbook edition? Surly that will win them best company?
 
Jamezinho, you seem a man on a mission, a one man crusade to prove that EA is the devil.
Give me 3 hours (and the motivation) and i can give you enough arguments about any company to prove that they are the worst company in in the world.

But i prefer to stay positive. I'm a huge fan of SSX (and thus certainly biased). SSX is an EA game. I regularly visit an SSX site (Merqurycity.com) which could be considered the equivalent of Evo-web. If you look how EA's development team listens to the fans, how the creative director of the game visits that site and talks with the fans, listen to their suggestions and act upon it...Konami can learn a lesson or two from that. And lots of companies could learn about that. Is typical EA? Maybe it is, maybe it isn't.

In the company where i work there are people who are dedicated and who listen to their clients and there are people who don't...i'm not sure if this tells something about that company. IMO this is a useless and subjective thread. You are biased and it seems you should search for a hobby, why not read a book or watch a good movie?
 
I dunno, I think Jamezinho has a point. In my opinion EA are gradually imposing a monopoly on the games industry year by year, and because they have so much power it's like they think they're untouchable. Don't get me wrong, I have a LOT of games published by EA but their treatment of customers is appalling. I don't think there's any great conspiracy for EA to rip people off, I think it's just a case that they have so much of the industry by the balls now that they feel they can do anything they want. Consequentially, they don't give a shit about the customer.

They have so much of the industry now that they're confident that people will go running back to them because EA are hoovering up all the best licences.
 
gerd said:
Jamezinho, you seem a man on a mission, a one man crusade to prove that EA is the devil.
Give me 3 hours (and the motivation) and i can give you enough arguments about any company to prove that they are the worst company in in the world.

But i prefer to stay positive. I'm a huge fan of SSX (and thus certainly biased). SSX is an EA game. I regularly visit an SSX site (Merqurycity.com) which could be considered the equivalent of Evo-web. If you look how EA's development team listens to the fans, how the creative director of the game visits that site and talks with the fans, listen to their suggestions and act upon it...Konami can learn a lesson or two from that. And lots of companies could learn about that. Is typical EA? Maybe it is, maybe it isn't.

In the company where i work there are people who are dedicated and who listen to their clients and there are people who don't...i'm not sure if this tells something about that company. IMO this is a useless and subjective thread. You are biased and it seems you should search for a hobby, why not read a book or watch a good movie?
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So one thread with two news posts is a crusade? Come on now, you know nothing about me. I've owned plenty of EA titles down the years and I would still buy them if I thought they were a company that cares about gamers.

For what it's worth, Activision make EA looks like angels, and many of the big games companies/monopolies have been up to no good recently. It's up to you as gamers if you want to take some of the crap thrown our way these days.
 
Never understood the animosity against EA.
How can they be the "worst company" when there are countless companies using sweatshop labour, kids who work for them in unhygienic and dangerous factories.

I read Naomi Klein's No Logo (together with Michael Jordan's biography, you should try it !!!) and there is this passage where anti-globalists go to a Wall Mart with Haitian workers who produce Disney T-shirts. Those people make hunderds of T-shirt a day and when they are in the Wall-Mart that they would need the salary of over an half year to buy one of those T-shirts...I know this is a black and white example, but it makes you think.

And why would a company like Ea would be the worst company (what an idiotic award).
 
the hilarious part is Peter Moore claiming is some sort of vengeance of conservative organization against EA progressive views on sexual minorites rights.
 
There's no reason to believe that's not some small part of it, did you miss the Christian extremist groups organising campaigns against EA? http://forums.evo-web.co.uk/showpost.php?p=2469123&postcount=15

You really think these kinds of wackjobs have such short memories? They would rather attack a company that makes video games which offend their delusional principles than attack companies that cost lives/homes.
 
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