Complaining does have one benefit: more people upset who will explain why they're upset to a new unexpecting gamer generation. The warnings may prevent some misery, and despite the negativity, is a good thing (as this genre sure doesn't need more upset gamers). I'll be snail mailing SoE, let alone filing a BBB compliant, so I'm not just going to complain online. Tired of game companies treating gamers as tampons.
Complaining online also has the downside of making people immune to those complaints after a while, and eventually those complaints get tuned out, even by developers. SOE's been on the receiving end of all sorts of crap for almost as long as EQ has been out. Online flames, petitions, boycotts, calls to fire Smed, warnings to everyone and their dog not to play SOE games, etc. All those things have been going on for years, yet SOE is still in business, and still doing what they have always done.
It's much better to take it to Sony personally-- snail mail, phone calls, things like that. That would be far more effective than any number of online complaints. This is the internet-- everyone complains about something online. It's the nature of the beast. Offline, more old-fashioned ways of getting your point across, however, carry far more weight.
You only need to buy one share to go to the meetings. I haven't checked their stock price but I bet it's around the price of a monthly subscription. So cancel your account and buy some stock!
Last I checked, their stock was around $20-$22 a share.
If people bought shares with the same money they spent on monthly accounts, then took the time to go to the shareholder meetings to talk directly to the people at Sony as both a shareholder and a former customer to make their voices heard, that would be far more meaningful than just complaining online or flooding a board with SOE/Smed hate.
You only need to buy one share to go to the meetings. I haven't checked their stock price but I bet it's around the price of a monthly subscription. So cancel your account and buy some stock!
Last I checked, their stock was around $20-$22 a share.
If people bought shares with the same money they spent on monthly accounts, then took the time to go to the shareholder meetings to talk directly to the people at Sony as both a shareholder and a former customer to make their voices heard, that would be far more meaningful than just complaining online or flooding a board with SOE/Smed hate.
Amen to that. Big problem though would be the cost for players to travel to the shareholder meetings, but still the impact of a few players buying shares for the sole intent to discuss their discontent of the direction of their game would have a tremendous impact.
You only need to buy one share to go to the meetings. I haven't checked their stock price but I bet it's around the price of a monthly subscription. So cancel your account and buy some stock!
Letters get thrown away, posts get overlooked, compliants fall on deaf ears, but canceled accounts kicks them in the wallet. That is the sure fire way to get some attention.
Again, one share won't mean a hill of beans to influence marketing decisions -- such a stockholder won't have a vote, which is the real power.
Already canceled my account, days ago.
Checked the BBB listing on not only Sony Online Entertainment, but my chief pain-in-the-butt, Sierra Entertainment (which got a F rating from the BBB -- oh, how sweet it is!!).
Sony Online Entertainment, Inc (is currently holding a NR rating, as it's going through a review of it's ratings [no doubt with the flood of complaints filed over the RMT, and probably past transgressions)...
You only need to buy one share to go to the meetings. I haven't checked their stock price but I bet it's around the price of a monthly subscription. So cancel your account and buy some stock!
Letters get thrown away, posts get overlooked, compliants fall on deaf ears, but canceled accounts kicks them in the wallet. That is the sure fire way to get some attention.
Again, one share won't mean a hill of beans to influence marketing decisions -- such a stockholder won't have a vote, which is the real power.
Already canceled my account, days ago.
Checked the BBB listing on not only Sony Online Entertainment, but my chief pain-in-the-butt, Sierra Entertainment (which got a F rating from the BBB -- oh, how sweet it is!!).
Sony Online Entertainment, Inc (is currently holding a NR rating, as it's going through a review of it's ratings [no doubt with the flood of complaints filed over the RMT, and probably past transgressions)...
Each lists the snail mail addresses and contact persons, let alone phone numbers. So anyone interested in voicing their concerns, here's your chance!
It's not how many shares you owe that would make then influence. It would be the fact that gamers are buying shares to force their opinions at the meetings. Get some local media to pick up on a story like that and you can throw some bad PR on top of it (wouldn't be anything major, local newspaper probably but still, executives and CEO's hate ANY bad PR).
However massive account cancellations are enough in themselves to do the damage. Problem is keeping those accounts canceled. People tend to give in fairly easily and resubbed after a month.
It's not how many shares you owe that would make then influence. It would be the fact that gamers are buying shares to force their opinions at the meetings. Get some local media to pick up on a story like that and you can throw some bad PR on top of it (wouldn't be anything major, local newspaper probably but still, executives and CEO's hate ANY bad PR). Exactly. It's not about buying a tangible enough amount of shares to make a noticable dent in how a game is marketed or whatever. However, I can guarantee you that an organized group of gamers buying shares in a company and traveling en masse to a shareholder meeting so they can speak to the people in charge in order to have their concerns heard would be noticed.
All this to simply say this industry is going to hell. Once cash shops take over all the major games Ill just stick to regular Video games you buy from a store. Until then Ill play FFXI and stick to FFXI until it dies out or goes RMT on me.
I have been a SoE subscriber for more years than i can remember, started with EQ then SWG...a bit of time on MxO and finally EQ2, I couldn't even begin to think how much money I've spent on them, between buying the games, monthly fees, expansions and so on....but it was quite a bit to be sure
I've taken SoE antics with a grain of salt, i bought SWG horrid expansions and said nothing, instead opting to get my refund for Trials of Obi-Won (like so many others)...i purchased the EQ expansions and boggled and how little content their was for such a hefty price tag...i watched Vector-Hostile,Syntax, and Recursion on MxO dwindle to nothing without so much as a hint of concern from SoE or the one dev they actually have working on it.
When RMT came to be, i canceled my subscription to EQ2, two characters on two servers gave out a lot of plat/swag that day...but i didn't quit because of the items.
I had enough, enough of the lies...enough of this company who will say one thing then turn around and do the exact opposite of what they said...it's like having a friend who comes into your home, breaks something important to you, takes money from your wallet then looks you dead in the eye and says "you'll feel better about it later"...no, no i don't think i will.
Am i jumping the gun? perhaps, it wouldn't be the first time...but i simply cannot justify spending one more cent on SoE products.
It's not how many shares you owe that would make then influence. It would be the fact that gamers are buying shares to force their opinions at the meetings. Get some local media to pick up on a story like that and you can throw some bad PR on top of it (wouldn't be anything major, local newspaper probably but still, executives and CEO's hate ANY bad PR). Exactly. It's not about buying a tangible enough amount of shares to make a noticable dent in how a game is marketed or whatever. However, I can guarantee you that an organized group of gamers buying shares in a company and traveling en masse to a shareholder meeting so they can speak to the people in charge in order to have their concerns heard would be noticed.
Showing up to a shareholder meeting does little good, if there's little power to do anything. The power is in the vote, and that comes from owing a percentage of the company's stock. For example, many stockholders didn't like what the Yahoo CEO did by denying the buyout from Microsoft. It didn't matter that they complained, as the CEO held the most stock. Same is true with Newscorp buying the Wall Street Journal.
If you want to influence Sony, gamers will have to buy a chunk of stock to be more than just a simple shareholder. Need precentages, not just gamers who bought 100 shares.
Damn, another moderator warning. Three on this site since I've been here -- and all coming from EQ2 fanbois complaining. Reason this time? Retaliation!! Crummy company, and crummier community that's full of whiny
Comments
Complaining online also has the downside of making people immune to those complaints after a while, and eventually those complaints get tuned out, even by developers. SOE's been on the receiving end of all sorts of crap for almost as long as EQ has been out. Online flames, petitions, boycotts, calls to fire Smed, warnings to everyone and their dog not to play SOE games, etc. All those things have been going on for years, yet SOE is still in business, and still doing what they have always done.
It's much better to take it to Sony personally-- snail mail, phone calls, things like that. That would be far more effective than any number of online complaints. This is the internet-- everyone complains about something online. It's the nature of the beast. Offline, more old-fashioned ways of getting your point across, however, carry far more weight.
Last I checked, their stock was around $20-$22 a share.
If people bought shares with the same money they spent on monthly accounts, then took the time to go to the shareholder meetings to talk directly to the people at Sony as both a shareholder and a former customer to make their voices heard, that would be far more meaningful than just complaining online or flooding a board with SOE/Smed hate.
Last I checked, their stock was around $20-$22 a share.
If people bought shares with the same money they spent on monthly accounts, then took the time to go to the shareholder meetings to talk directly to the people at Sony as both a shareholder and a former customer to make their voices heard, that would be far more meaningful than just complaining online or flooding a board with SOE/Smed hate.
Amen to that. Big problem though would be the cost for players to travel to the shareholder meetings, but still the impact of a few players buying shares for the sole intent to discuss their discontent of the direction of their game would have a tremendous impact.
Again, one share won't mean a hill of beans to influence marketing decisions -- such a stockholder won't have a vote, which is the real power.
Already canceled my account, days ago.
Checked the BBB listing on not only Sony Online Entertainment, but my chief pain-in-the-butt, Sierra Entertainment (which got a F rating from the BBB -- oh, how sweet it is!!).
Sony Online Entertainment, Inc (is currently holding a NR rating, as it's going through a review of it's ratings [no doubt with the flood of complaints filed over the RMT, and probably past transgressions)...
sandiego.bbb.org/WWWRoot/Report.aspx
And this is how a game company will look like once the complaints are validated...
Vivendi Universal Games, Inc. / Sierra Entertainment, Inc.
cencal.bbb.org/WWWRoot/Report.aspx
Each lists the snail mail addresses and contact persons, let alone phone numbers. So anyone interested in voicing their concerns, here's your chance!
.:| Kevyne@Shandris - Armory |:. - When WoW was #1 - .:| I AM A HOLY PALADIN - Guild Theme |:.
Again, one share won't mean a hill of beans to influence marketing decisions -- such a stockholder won't have a vote, which is the real power.
Already canceled my account, days ago.
Checked the BBB listing on not only Sony Online Entertainment, but my chief pain-in-the-butt, Sierra Entertainment (which got a F rating from the BBB -- oh, how sweet it is!!).
Sony Online Entertainment, Inc (is currently holding a NR rating, as it's going through a review of it's ratings [no doubt with the flood of complaints filed over the RMT, and probably past transgressions)...
sandiego.bbb.org/WWWRoot/Report.aspx
And this is how a game company will look like once the complaints are validated...
Vivendi Universal Games, Inc. / Sierra Entertainment, Inc.
cencal.bbb.org/WWWRoot/Report.aspx
Each lists the snail mail addresses and contact persons, let alone phone numbers. So anyone interested in voicing their concerns, here's your chance!
It's not how many shares you owe that would make then influence. It would be the fact that gamers are buying shares to force their opinions at the meetings. Get some local media to pick up on a story like that and you can throw some bad PR on top of it (wouldn't be anything major, local newspaper probably but still, executives and CEO's hate ANY bad PR).
However massive account cancellations are enough in themselves to do the damage. Problem is keeping those accounts canceled. People tend to give in fairly easily and resubbed after a month.
All this to simply say this industry is going to hell. Once cash shops take over all the major games Ill just stick to regular Video games you buy from a store. Until then Ill play FFXI and stick to FFXI until it dies out or goes RMT on me.
I have been a SoE subscriber for more years than i can remember, started with EQ then SWG...a bit of time on MxO and finally EQ2, I couldn't even begin to think how much money I've spent on them, between buying the games, monthly fees, expansions and so on....but it was quite a bit to be sure
I've taken SoE antics with a grain of salt, i bought SWG horrid expansions and said nothing, instead opting to get my refund for Trials of Obi-Won (like so many others)...i purchased the EQ expansions and boggled and how little content their was for such a hefty price tag...i watched Vector-Hostile,Syntax, and Recursion on MxO dwindle to nothing without so much as a hint of concern from SoE or the one dev they actually have working on it.
When RMT came to be, i canceled my subscription to EQ2, two characters on two servers gave out a lot of plat/swag that day...but i didn't quit because of the items.
I had enough, enough of the lies...enough of this company who will say one thing then turn around and do the exact opposite of what they said...it's like having a friend who comes into your home, breaks something important to you, takes money from your wallet then looks you dead in the eye and says "you'll feel better about it later"...no, no i don't think i will.
Am i jumping the gun? perhaps, it wouldn't be the first time...but i simply cannot justify spending one more cent on SoE products.
Showing up to a shareholder meeting does little good, if there's little power to do anything. The power is in the vote, and that comes from owing a percentage of the company's stock. For example, many stockholders didn't like what the Yahoo CEO did by denying the buyout from Microsoft. It didn't matter that they complained, as the CEO held the most stock. Same is true with Newscorp buying the Wall Street Journal.
If you want to influence Sony, gamers will have to buy a chunk of stock to be more than just a simple shareholder. Need precentages, not just gamers who bought 100 shares.
Damn, another moderator warning. Three on this site since I've been here -- and all coming from EQ2 fanbois complaining. Reason this time? Retaliation!! Crummy company, and crummier community that's full of whiny
.:| Kevyne@Shandris - Armory |:. - When WoW was #1 - .:| I AM A HOLY PALADIN - Guild Theme |:.