Or better yet: form the union out of spite. All of them.
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Strange that as this is a UK news story which is particularly big for also being linked to the most gigantic game franchise in the world, I've not seen it mentioned in the news here at all.
I've only seen it pop up a few times here and there online, even.
Is it just that nobody cares, or is Rockstar buying off all the news/media companies? O.o
I feel like the only person in the world who’s never cared for GTA
We are also talking about gamers here. How many would give up gta6 just to take a stand? Most will probably say stuff like “no ethical consumption under capitalism” or “it’s not like it’ll make a difference”
Gamers gonna game
Me watching the entire /c/Nintendo from afar
Sounds like you need a Tricorn hat, matey, and to sail the seven seas.
You should review profiles of folks in the threadiverse more often. You’d be surprise what hobby I do every Friday for readers internationally.
It's just I am more anarchist than your average monopoly money debtor that I needed to collaborate with Prunebutt 🧵 to get real praxis started.
I gave up gta6 when gta 5 turned out to be essentially a cellpool of online only garbage. nothing fun about that shallow meaningless game
I have a nostalgic bone for GTA. But i don't care anymore. GTAO was supposed to be the be all end all of games. A fun sandbox to play with friends. But it turns out, it's just really boring. The missions are boring, the grind is boring and you have to deal with people who like GTA. They introduced the oppressor at some point because the grind was so boring and then, what a shocker, the Oppressor became the grief machine. So now everyone needs a flying bike that probably a lot pay as much real life money as the game itself. It's just a shit company that makes nice looking games that don't even play well.
Maybe. I thought it was really cool in 2D. But tried the hype one when it became 3D. Was confused with the distinct lack of car focus. Got very bored, very quickly. Quite a meh game.
We are also talking about gamers here. How many would give up gta6 just to take a stand?
My eyes were opened to gamers with Elite Dangerous. During the early access, FD told us a single player off line was coming. Then about week before the full release, they said "nah, cant make it work. No refunds!". This was blatant false advertising. Worse, they then said that you didnt pay for the game, you paid for early access. The game was just a gift...
Offline single players werent happy, as you can imagine. And took to the forums... and thats when the real shit started. Nothing but abuse from happy to be always online people. Mods started deleting threads talking about the refunds. It ended up that they couldnt deny it anymore, so shoved it into one single thread. Which maxed out and had to be closed and another started, then another. All the while gamers were abusing the fuck out of people who wanted refunds, and the mods would perma ban any refunder who said something back.
The fucking hero of this story? The credit card companies. All the refunders eventually contacted their CC companies as well as companies like Paypal. They all took one look at what was going on, and mass refunded everyone who asked for it without dragging it out. That when I knew what gamers really were. They were a community of people who enjoyed a hobby, they were factions who would abuse the ever living fuck out of another for millionaires and private companies. Its one thing to say "I dont care about being always online" but to, in some cases, brutally attack people who were conned into paying for an offline mode that was never coming was bullshit. I now severely judge anyone who plays that game. If I met someone in real life who played that game, I might punch fuck out of them. Thats how strongly I feel about the abuse I saw happening. And it was like a fucking decade ago.
Gamers are the most short sighted fucking morons on the planet. They complain endlessly, yet praise absolute dogshit when they dont care. Never once thinking "Maybe if we werent all constantly at each others throats, we wouldnt be getting abused by companies like EA, UBI, Sony and whoever else.". I mean, they need us! Why the fuck are we all putting up with their shit???
Good write up. Gamers have always been idiots. The moment that opened my eyes was when I witnessed the Modern Warfare 2 "boycott" play out:

I mean, they need us! Why the fuck are we all putting up with their shit???
Because, many people are stupid, and will put up with shit because they only care about the game, and nothing else.
But I do agree, the industry would benefit from a more informed audience, but who are we kidding, name a single industry of media where the lowest common denominator isn't the mass majority of it's consumers.
Well, just a game I'm not gonna buy then. Simple.
Not gonna solve the union busting. Individual boycotts (without a campaign behind them) don't work.
Not much else I can do.
And Prunebutt shouldn't be discouraging it. Voting with your wallet is the way to go and it's the only thing any of us can do.
It's also ineffective as fuck...
Doesn't matter.
At the end of the day, people actually making a concious decision to not support a company by simply not buying its product is the best you can hope for.
You can't expect some random kid in another country to start looking into American Unions in fields that won't ever apply to them.
I didn't say "join a gameworker's union". Joining a union is a good idea, no matter where you are and what you work as.
Not consuming a product is simply that: inaction. And the publisher won't even notice it, if it's not connected to a publicity campaign (like e.g. BDS)
Well, isn't that what we're doing here? The entire point is to communicate you stance to others. And there's quite a few AAA titles that have suffered simply because the customer base actually can communicate.
Well, isn't that what we're doing here? The entire point is to communicate you stance to others.
What you're doing here is not a coordinated effort.
And there's quite a few AAA titles that have suffered simply because the customer base actually can communicate.
Lol. Whut? I can point to no example like that and ample examples where these kinds of "boycots" did squat (like e.g. with the original Modern Warfare 2 not having a server browser).
Well, it has to start somewhere.
From Dragon Age: Veilguard and Suicide Squad to Condord and Redfall. They all underperformed for the same reason. People talked.
Good luck with that with GT fucking A 6...
I have no interest in the GTA franchise, personally. I'm more interested in what goes on behind the scenes. The industry is in a bit of a turmoil at the moment and that definitely has my attention.
Your lack of interest hasn't stopped the franchise being like the second biggest video game franchise. I'm afraid that this won't notably hurt their sales. Especially since you probably weren't gonna buy it anyway.
Nope, but I'd encourage anyone who would have bought it, but are now on the fence due their own moral reasons, to stick with their gut. A piece of entertainment isn't more important than personal principles, regardless of it's popularity and how many others may buy it anyway.
Then you'll have reached nothing but given a few people a feeling of moral superiorty and saved them a few bucks.
But it is not effective in the sense that these workers will be able to work in this sector again or will get their job back. A few folks complaining and pledging not to buy the game won't scare Take2 to rehire the workers or stop unionbusting.
I'm not the one trying to achieve something like that. That's all your war.
Then what are you trying to achieve, exactly?
That's all your war.
I doubt it, but ok.
No.
How about you tell us what YOU are trying to accomplish with your argument.
Ok, now that's just rude.
I'd like to inform people that they have a belief that's morally pleasing, but ineffective in helping anyone.
“Ineffective in helping anyone”
So basically exactly what you are also doing.
I admitted several times that we don't really have the possibility to change anything here, so I don't get how this is supposed to be a gotcha.
I'm simply not a fan of people lying to themselves.
edit: wait a second... who the fuck asked you? O.o
You asked when you posed on a public forum dipshit.
what is your plan to fix the issue? please be detailed.
- Support the Rockstar workers fighting the unfair dismissals.
- Join a union yourself.
- Help ending capitalism by starting to organize in your neighborhood/social circle.
oh awesome thanks. I can give you my name and address if you want to go ahead and donate in my name. also I am broke as fuck so you can do that for me too.
and let me know when you want me to start organizing stuff in my neighborhood with the time i don't have. you'll have to come and take over my responsibilities too.
thanks this is super rewarding!
🙄
Edit: You asked how to help and I answered. Were did I state that it's a moral imperative to help if you're unable to?
my point was that you are judging those who wanted to help as not doing enough. not being good enough.
not everyone can dedicate time. they're not wrong for wanting to help and not being able to.
I'm not judging people by stating that certain strategies don't work.
It would be judge-y if I stated that they were stupid for believing such a thing. Which was not my intention at all.
Not buying a game is by definition inaction. It's not the fault of the people that this is the only way left for them to "protest". But as I said: it's also not a moral imperative to do anything, if you're not able to.
Why do you care so much about someone deciding not to buy a game as a result of this? I would say if someone who planned to buy the game decided not to because of this it makes an impact on that person.
That person gets asked by a friend why they didn't pre-order. they tell them. that friend who didn't know now knows. it spreads.
you are not the judge of what is and isn't impactful. or what does and doesn't matter.
How does that signal reach Take2? How will Take2 know that these sales that will not have happened were due to their union busting?
When will those people "cave in" and simply buy the game whenit's been released for 4 years on discount? These things don't work without a PR campaign. I don't make the rules. I'm sim'ly the messengere
you seem to be a messenger for your own opinions and nothing else.
and your methods don't make you righteous or just. all it shows is that you're a very loud soapboxer with an idealist take on the situation.
Your “wallet” belongs to your minter.
Electoralism is toilet tissue.
You can be composting C-suites.
You can form a cooperative, and hire them at prospective dividends plans.
I’m right behind you.
I’m in Japan. You gonna emigrate me to UK to do all that?
That's like a one person with an Excel sheet of work you just describe.
I can hire you at $Sales/150+you current [IWGB] unionists. How does that read?
Not UK barred yet.
I’m not in the UK either though.
Then just say “Wish you unionists best wishes. I feel at a loss on what to help with.”
I already said what they need to do from the start with my experience as a syndicalist. Heeding my expertise is another matter.
Umm, yeah?
So what
Well, good for you. But don't act as if you helped.
thank goodness you were here to salvage the situation. you really are falling on your sword out here to help those affected by this, eh?
🫡
Oh well then do nothing then I guess
Capitalist brainwashed folks like Meldrik do not comprehend his monopoly money means shit to a merger conglomerate propping up value for investors to get dupped on in an at-will state.
GTA6, more like
RP6F
Rug pull 6 figures
has anyone seen proof from the discord server in question that the 200 or so people who were fired, out of the 500+ members of the discord server were specifically talking about forming a union, or did they just fire a bunch of people incidentally?
I think Rockstar is just too big to fail, at this point. Not saying they aren't capable of anything shady or unjust, but where's the proof of anything, and how many people are really going to boycott a game that will likely break records in the gaming industry save for some catastrophic world event, like another pandemic or world war?
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