So Jim Sterling put out a video about how Gamer(TM) boycotts don't work. Now there are some good points raised by Jim in the video about how often it causes talk to focus on the success of the boycott or failure rather than the issues at hand. However you usually only hear about the boycotts that fail, this is a nasty little thing that some of the gaming press and their past 5+ years of being butthurt, has helped perpetuate to own "Dem Gamers who we don't like because they don't blindly follow what we tell them to".
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| How certain journalist see gamers. |
Any-one remember the people objecting to the rumoured involvement of Anita Sarkeesian in Mirrors edge 2? Yeh maybe a few here will also remember the very PR response from EA was that Anita Sarkeesian had no input into Mirrors Edge 2. However as anyone in gaming will point out the next game in said franchise was Mirrors Edge Catalyst, which was sold as not being a sequel but a reboot. Was Anita involved in helping shape the narrative direction? The simple answer is no-one really knows. there's no obvious evidence she was but even that possibility did harm sales.
Another example would be the heavily mocked #Notmybattlefield where fans of the Battlefield franchise were upset at the seeming lack of historical authenticity in the game (Note: Historical authenticity is NOT the same as historical accuracy before some-one says anything about Battlefield 1's weapons). I in fact played some of the Beta of Battlefield V because even saying I didn't like the look of it caused me to have to deal with some underhanded little scrotes on Destructoid who yelled that I couldn't judge without playing it. Not that me playing it and actually pointing out my problems with it did much in the end to stop those same people carrying on the narrative (who later went on to work behind the scenes to have me banned from Destructoid). I'm getting a little off track here though as you don't hear much about the impact of #Notmybattlfield yet you can find information of poor sales numbers for Battlefield V. Did Battlefield V fail to meet sales expectations due to those in #notmybattlefield ? Who knows but you won't find a single article in the gaming press suggesting in any way it actually did.
The funny thing is there is a pattern of what the press would likely deem "The wrong kind of gamer" calling for boycotts and those boycotts seemingly having an impact. The press won't admit it of course because then "The bad guys win".
You think I'm joking, well I decided to look up a list of games that have faced boycotts and came across a self proclaimed progressive video game website that actually lists some "Right wing gamer" boycotts.
The first thing they list is Bethesda, well more specifically the Wolfenstein franchise because at the time Wolfenstein New Colossus had put in the marketing a literal nazi saying "So much for the tolerant left". Because apparently only literal Nazis would object to a guy splitting a person's head open in public with a bike lock. How did Wolfenstein The New Colossus do? Well according to PCGamesN it didn't do that well. Now that might be due to reports of it just not being as fun and enjoyable as the previous game and the idea of a boycott did nothing but again you won't see any press outlet mention the boycott again.
Another title listed in New Normative is Life is Strange 2. Which according to New Normative was being boycotted by right wingers. According to the well known extra progressive forum ResetEra Life is Strange 2 opened with only 1/4 of the players Life is Strange Before the Storm (the prequel game to Life is Strange 1) had and around 2,000 less people than when the first Life is Strange launched as a new IP.
If all these things listed are the act of "Right Wing Gamers" and to be clear I don't count myself as right wing and I don't think I've actively boycotted these games just not bought them out of lack of interest at the time; it would seem "Right Wing" gamer boycotts may well have an impact. But you better believe you won't find the gaming press ever admitting they might do. In fact, Jim Sterling mentioned the pushback to Battlefront 2 and well it's worth reminding people that the initial narrative in some segments of the press was that Toxic gamers were harassing and threatening an EA Dice employee who worked on Battlefront 2, no threats or abuse were shown the person just claimed it. The account was then revealed to be some-one lying about being a developer online when Jason Schreier looked into it. It was only after said segments of the press got egg on their face and actual politicians started taking note that suddenly the press presented it as a big push back and victory for consumer action.
So while as Jim pointed out boycotts do have the issue of becoming the focus. It does seem like if they might have had an impact, certain elements of the gaming press won't admit they did anyway.
Another example would be the heavily mocked #Notmybattlefield where fans of the Battlefield franchise were upset at the seeming lack of historical authenticity in the game (Note: Historical authenticity is NOT the same as historical accuracy before some-one says anything about Battlefield 1's weapons). I in fact played some of the Beta of Battlefield V because even saying I didn't like the look of it caused me to have to deal with some underhanded little scrotes on Destructoid who yelled that I couldn't judge without playing it. Not that me playing it and actually pointing out my problems with it did much in the end to stop those same people carrying on the narrative (who later went on to work behind the scenes to have me banned from Destructoid). I'm getting a little off track here though as you don't hear much about the impact of #Notmybattlfield yet you can find information of poor sales numbers for Battlefield V. Did Battlefield V fail to meet sales expectations due to those in #notmybattlefield ? Who knows but you won't find a single article in the gaming press suggesting in any way it actually did.
The funny thing is there is a pattern of what the press would likely deem "The wrong kind of gamer" calling for boycotts and those boycotts seemingly having an impact. The press won't admit it of course because then "The bad guys win".
You think I'm joking, well I decided to look up a list of games that have faced boycotts and came across a self proclaimed progressive video game website that actually lists some "Right wing gamer" boycotts.
The first thing they list is Bethesda, well more specifically the Wolfenstein franchise because at the time Wolfenstein New Colossus had put in the marketing a literal nazi saying "So much for the tolerant left". Because apparently only literal Nazis would object to a guy splitting a person's head open in public with a bike lock. How did Wolfenstein The New Colossus do? Well according to PCGamesN it didn't do that well. Now that might be due to reports of it just not being as fun and enjoyable as the previous game and the idea of a boycott did nothing but again you won't see any press outlet mention the boycott again.
Another title listed in New Normative is Life is Strange 2. Which according to New Normative was being boycotted by right wingers. According to the well known extra progressive forum ResetEra Life is Strange 2 opened with only 1/4 of the players Life is Strange Before the Storm (the prequel game to Life is Strange 1) had and around 2,000 less people than when the first Life is Strange launched as a new IP.
If all these things listed are the act of "Right Wing Gamers" and to be clear I don't count myself as right wing and I don't think I've actively boycotted these games just not bought them out of lack of interest at the time; it would seem "Right Wing" gamer boycotts may well have an impact. But you better believe you won't find the gaming press ever admitting they might do. In fact, Jim Sterling mentioned the pushback to Battlefront 2 and well it's worth reminding people that the initial narrative in some segments of the press was that Toxic gamers were harassing and threatening an EA Dice employee who worked on Battlefront 2, no threats or abuse were shown the person just claimed it. The account was then revealed to be some-one lying about being a developer online when Jason Schreier looked into it. It was only after said segments of the press got egg on their face and actual politicians started taking note that suddenly the press presented it as a big push back and victory for consumer action.
So while as Jim pointed out boycotts do have the issue of becoming the focus. It does seem like if they might have had an impact, certain elements of the gaming press won't admit they did anyway.
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