Actually, they asked the provincial government at Queen's Park (in Toronto) to shut down the service. It's a provincial matter, not federal, so it's not touching Ottawa.
EA isn't evil because of things like this. EA is evil because of its business practises when dealing with game developers, which are far more "dark ages" than almost every other game publisher out there. Plus, the way they bought and then gutted some of the best game studios out there (Maxis, Origin, Westwood) didn't help matters, either.
I guess something could also be said about their tactics against other publishers of sports games, taken right out of the old-school Microsoft business handbook, but since I don't care for sports games anyway (I'd rather play the real thing), I usually let that slide. I still miss Sega Sports, though.
Be glad that you don't get much attention for it...
I tell you, if I came up with a joke phrase about something, that later entered the jargon with serious usage as the Streisand Effect has seen, I'd be pretty depressed about it and the state of the world.
Not all games can work via a subscription service or as advertising for other things. It's interesting watching the idea of putting ads in games play out, though, but there's still a lot of hate in the industry over that idea, especially since for some games it would be very kludgy to work in.
What we should be doing is going back to the 80s model and include extras like cloth maps and such again. Give people a reason to actually buy the physical copies. Of course, that doesn't work when things go to digital distribution, but that there has some of its own, mostly working safeguards against piracy.
Often, we don't make money anyway... The publisher gives the development studio an advance to cover payroll and costs of development, and then keep all the royalties after release to pay it back. As well as insert into the contract terms that make it almost impossible to get any profit from additional deals. Kind of like how the big record labels screw over musicians. Actually, very much like that.
Look at the game developers that are members of the ESA. Aside from EA, many of these have reputations that suggest they will pull out of the ESA becomes the Video Game RIAA.
Developers aren't part of the ESA. The ESA is the lobby organization for game publishers. Developers generally go for individual or studio membership in the IGDA, if they get involved in any industry organizations at all. (Well, some also join the ECA, the consumer organization, too, but I digress.)
Lucky for them that Twitter was working at that moment, though! Imagine if it were down as usual.
(I jest... I love Twitter and make use of it a lot. Hell, I got TwitKit in Firefox just so I can watch whenever any of my friends update. Still, that uptime issue has yet to be resolved.)
Guy Fawkes? Haven't you seen? He's out protesting Scientology these days. Him and his clone army.
Having been a Grit supporter for a time, I'd like to think that the Liberals wouldn't have caved so quickly to the demands of American business. Please let me have that fantasy.
The central-west gets blamed because that's where the support base for Harper and his cronies lies dreaming (of making us the 51st state). Of course, there is plenty of blame to throw around on this side of the country too -- Ontario's economic woes wouldn't be quite as bad if the provincial government could get out of its 19th century mindset and consider supporting businesses that aren't primary sector or manufacturing.
What would you expect from a governing party that has spent its time in power bullying the other levels of government and even their own peers in the House of Commons? Now the country is going to hell and our own prime minister, the treasonous bastard he is, is selling us out to another country's interests!
All I have to say is thanks for killing the country, Alberta. May you all be burnt to death with your own oil.
It may cost more to not bundle them, but it's still better for us. As a former customer of Rogers for both mobile phones and cable TV, I made sure when I got my current internet access that I wouldn't go anywhere near those bastards. Bell may suck, but at least they don't go trying to break the internet for profit.
More than a security risk; it also breaks a lot of VPNs...
With the triple threat of unwanted advertising, security risks, and failing VPNs that rely on the proper DNS behaviour, my advice to Rogers customers is to find another provider. Preferably for all services that the customer gets from Rogers now.
The only thing those crooks understand is money. Take enough of that away from them, well...
@DanC: Okay, I might have been a bit too harsh on you, but it sure did look like you were taking Anon's comment from #14 and rewriting it to mean something different. From the moment I saw both your posts it seemed to me that you're practically agreeing on just about the same thing, but phrasing it differently, and that your post was giving him a lump for not agreeing. So, I'll rule it as miscommunication, and my thinking it was something else.
@Brian: I don't block ads by choice. I've used AdBlock on everything in the past, when some of my favourite sites used horrible, content-blocking Flash ads (one particularly annoying one from ATI comes to mind). Now, if I find a site that insists on obtrusive ads, I'll block them, and nasty ad providers I'll block either through AdBlock, the firewall, or the hosts file. I have no problem with ads, and I'm pretty sure there are many others like me, who just want to avoid the bottom of the quality barrel.
Otherwise, you sound pretty logical and right to me.
On the post: Banks May Say 'Thanks, But No Thanks' To That New $700 Billion
Re: Just wait
On the post: Bus Company Tries To Shut Down Online Carpooling Service
On the post: It's Sad That It's Newsworthy When An Entertainment Industry Exec Decides Not To Sue Customers
Re: EA really surprises me sometimes
I guess something could also be said about their tactics against other publishers of sports games, taken right out of the old-school Microsoft business handbook, but since I don't care for sports games anyway (I'd rather play the real thing), I usually let that slide. I still miss Sega Sports, though.
On the post: McNamara's Syndrome: Being Late To The Game On An Internet Meme
Re: Hey, just found this!...
(Well, while we're on the topic of memes, it fits. :)
On the post: McNamara's Syndrome: Being Late To The Game On An Internet Meme
Be glad that you don't get much attention for it...
On the post: Singer At New Media Conference Turns Off Audience Member Cameras
Quite fitting his first name is Richard...
On the post: RIAA Exec Jumps To The ESA: Expect Lawsuits Against Video Gamers
Re: Re:
What we should be doing is going back to the 80s model and include extras like cloth maps and such again. Give people a reason to actually buy the physical copies. Of course, that doesn't work when things go to digital distribution, but that there has some of its own, mostly working safeguards against piracy.
On the post: RIAA Exec Jumps To The ESA: Expect Lawsuits Against Video Gamers
Re:
On the post: RIAA Exec Jumps To The ESA: Expect Lawsuits Against Video Gamers
Developers? In my ESA?
Developers aren't part of the ESA. The ESA is the lobby organization for game publishers. Developers generally go for individual or studio membership in the IGDA, if they get involved in any industry organizations at all. (Well, some also join the ECA, the consumer organization, too, but I digress.)
On the post: Microsoft Sued Over User Editable Toolbar Patent
Re: Re: So Maybe
On the post: Microsoft Sued Over User Editable Toolbar Patent
Re: Nothing new here
On the post: Yet Another Example Of Why Google Would Be Better Off Without Patents
Re: And those clueless to both
On the post: Newspapers Realizing The News Is Really Interactive
You mean, Twitter was up? ;-)
(I jest... I love Twitter and make use of it a lot. Hell, I got TwitKit in Firefox just so I can watch whenever any of my friends update. Still, that uptime issue has yet to be resolved.)
On the post: RIM Pays Off Wi-LAN To Get Rid Of Another Patent Suit
Pedantry!
On the post: Canada Takes ACTA Secrecy To New Levels
Re: Re: Some of us care..
On the post: Canada Takes ACTA Secrecy To New Levels
Re: Re: Well, what would you expect?
Having been a Grit supporter for a time, I'd like to think that the Liberals wouldn't have caved so quickly to the demands of American business. Please let me have that fantasy.
The central-west gets blamed because that's where the support base for Harper and his cronies lies dreaming (of making us the 51st state). Of course, there is plenty of blame to throw around on this side of the country too -- Ontario's economic woes wouldn't be quite as bad if the provincial government could get out of its 19th century mindset and consider supporting businesses that aren't primary sector or manufacturing.
On the post: Canada Takes ACTA Secrecy To New Levels
Well, what would you expect?
All I have to say is thanks for killing the country, Alberta. May you all be burnt to death with your own oil.
On the post: Rogers Looks For New Ways To Annoy Customers, Hijacks Failed DNS Lookups
Re: Sucks to be us...
On the post: Rogers Looks For New Ways To Annoy Customers, Hijacks Failed DNS Lookups
More than a security risk; it also breaks a lot of VPNs...
The only thing those crooks understand is money. Take enough of that away from them, well...
On the post: Don't Blame Rick752 For Blocking Ads; Blame Those Who Made Ads Annoying
@Brian: I don't block ads by choice. I've used AdBlock on everything in the past, when some of my favourite sites used horrible, content-blocking Flash ads (one particularly annoying one from ATI comes to mind). Now, if I find a site that insists on obtrusive ads, I'll block them, and nasty ad providers I'll block either through AdBlock, the firewall, or the hosts file. I have no problem with ads, and I'm pretty sure there are many others like me, who just want to avoid the bottom of the quality barrel.
Otherwise, you sound pretty logical and right to me.
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