It seems like I struck a few nerves with my last two posts. Some thought I had crossed over into the realm of conspiracy theories for speculating about why ‘Retake Mass Effect’s ChipIn website had gone dark, while others weren’t happy that I criticized Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins for putting an end to the movement’s contributions to their charity. To address the former, many had been wondering whether or not BioWare or Electronic Arts was forcing Child’s Play to distance itself from ‘Retake Mass Effect’. Forbes’ Erik Kainhad wrote an article about a point raised by Kotaku’s Luke Plunkett recent post concerning the firing of Jeff Gerstmann from GameSpot in 2007. If a game developer could force a website like GameSpot to fire an employee for writing a negative review, what else are they capable of? A number of commenters at the BioWare Social Network had been discussing whether or not this was why the ‘Retake Mass Effect’ website had gone dark, but without any real proof, I could only speculate. I didn’t, however, endorse conspiracy theories. As for the latter, that’s a different mess entirely.
Forbes’s Dave Thier has an article up about the official statement from Jamie Dillion, a representation of Child’s Play. Though Dillion’s statement is polite, the statements made by Krahulik and Holkins were far from. They both accused ‘Retake Mass Effect’ of using Child’s Play as a shield to deflect criticism, but Holkins went much further and lied about why the movement’s ChipIn had gone dark. In a statement he as posted on Penny Arcade under his online moniker, “Tycho Brahe”, Holkins’ said, “They have stopped taking donations now partly because they basically won and partly because we don’t know how to feel about this use of the charity.” I guess he’s going to have a hard time explaining why ‘Retake Mass Effect’ is continuing its fundraising efforts with ‘Full Paragon’ after BioWare’s co-founder, Ray Muzyka released a statement Wednesday. This, aside from the fact that Robb, someone speaking on behalf of the ‘Retake Mass Effect’ ChipIn website had made it clear that he was told by Child’s Play to bring the fundraising to an end. Suffice to say, I feel that myself and others are justified in our criticism of Krahuliks and Holkins’ attempts to smear ‘Retake Mass Effect’.
In any event, it’s important that ‘Retake Mass Effect’ not get discouraged by this fiasco. Raising money for charity is a worthwhile endeavor, and I’m proud to support this movement as it has channeled its frustrations at Mass Effect 3′s endings into something constructive. Nearly $80,000 was raised, don’t forget that. This, however, isn’t the end of ‘Retake Mass Effect’s fund raising efforts. There are other charities which would welcome the movement’s help in raising funds.
As stated above, ‘Retake Mass Effect’ has started up a new charity drive, ‘Full Paragon’. One of my commenters, Jon ‘Geeksquared’ Thurtell, informed me of this effort and I have to say I’m impressed with how quickly the movement has shifted gears and found another worthwhile charity to support. ‘Full Paragon’ is raising money for Kids Need to Read, a charity that “works to create a culture of reading for children by providing inspiring books to underfunded schools, libraries, and literacy programs across the United States, especially those serving disadvantaged children.” A little interesting factoid for science fiction fans, Nathan Fillion, the star of Firefly, co-founded this charity. Do we need any other reason to donate? I think not.
Along with Kids Need to Read, I’m also going to support Fisher House. For those who have never heard of it, Fisher House is a charity which “recognizes the special sacrifices of our men and women in uniform and the hardships of military service by meeting a humanitarian need beyond that normally provided by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.” While I realize that ‘Retake Mass Effect’ is focusing now on ‘Full Paragon’, I would still hope that my readership at least could donate to this important charity.
Regardless of whether or not Mass Effect 3′s endings are changed, both of these charities are worthwhile causes. ‘Retake Mass Effect’ might have started out as a collection of upset Mass Effect fans, but it’s become so much more. If, in the end, all BioWare will give Mass Effect fans is a “clarification,” at least something truly good will have come from this movement.
Be confident, stay positive and HOLD THE LINE!
For those who still haven’t already liked ‘Demand a better ending to Mass Effect 3′ on Facebook, if you feel as myself and thousands of other Mass Effect fans do about Mass Effect 3′s endings, do it. I would also recommend that my readership think about making a charitable donation to ‘Full Paragon’, which is supporting Kids Need to Read, and/or Fisher House. Both are worthwhile causes that could use our support.
BioWare’s co-founder, Dr. Ray Muzyka, released a statement today addressing Mass Effect fans upset over Mass Effect 3′s endings. Suffice to say, it doesn’t put an end to this mess the game developer is currently in. In fact, considering initial reactions to Muzyka’s statement from the BioWare Social Network, it makes matters worse. Particular attention is being paid to his comments on “artistic integrity.”
…I believe passionately that games are an art form, and that the power of our medium flows from our audience, who are deeply involved in how the story unfolds, and who have the uncontested right to provide constructive criticism. At the same time, I also believe in and support the artistic choices made by the development team. The team and I have been thinking hard about how to best address the comments on ME3’s endings from players, while still maintaining the artistic integrity of the game…
Is it any wonder why there’s a negative reaction to this statement? Muzyka uses the “games are art” argument to defend Mass Effect 3′s depressing and incoherent endings. I’ve already wrote at length why this argument isn’t valid, and yet here is the co-founder of BioWare using it to excuse Mass Effect 3′s poorly conceived endings. The rest of the statement is no better as Muzyka further dodges legitimate criticism by pointing to sycophantic reviews to bolster his position, while attacking the ‘Retake Mass Effect’ movement for the actions of a few.
…The reaction to the release of Mass Effect 3 has been unprecedented. On one hand, some of our loyal fans are passionately expressing their displeasure about how their game concluded; we care about this feedback, and we’re planning to directly address it. However, most folks appear to agree that the game as a whole is exceptional, with more than 75 critics giving it a perfect review score and a review average in the mid-90s. Net, I’m proud of the team, but we can and must always strive to do better.
Some of the criticism that has been delivered in the heat of passion by our most ardent fans, even if founded on valid principles, such as seeking more clarity to questions or looking for more closure, for example – has unfortunately become destructive rather than constructive. We listen and will respond to constructive criticism, but much as we will not tolerate individual attacks on our team members, we will not support or respond to destructive commentary…
The team won’t respond to “destructive commentary”? How about any commentary? Myself and others have been looking for any kind of statement from @masseffect on Twitter addressing these endings to no avail. Even the replies we have received are cryptic, leaving us more confused than we were previously. Muzyka’s statement is either purposely disingenuous or he has not idea what’s going on. What’s even more telling is that the comment section for this article is closed. So much for listening to feedback eh?
Before going further, I would like to address this nonsense about how those upset with Muzyka’s statement are just looking for something to complain about. Firstly, this statement is a repeat of Casey Hudson’s statement earlier this week. Having it come from one of BioWare’s co-founders does give us the impression that the game developer is taking the complaints of fans seriously, but that’s all it gives us. Muzyka didn’t say anything we didn’t already hear Hudson. Clearly, this “grand gesture” was just a public relations stunt.
Secondly, he makes the same mistake as Hudson in assuming that fans don’t want new endings, but clarification of the current endings which will bring about closure. Apparently, they think we’re not capable of understanding their “genius.” If the only problem Mass Effect fans had with the game’s ending was that it needed to be better explained, does anyone honestly believe that BioWare wouldn’t have already addressed the discrepancies between these endings and established canon in one way or another? Fans don’t like the endings because they’re depressing and incoherent, not because they can’t understand them.
Finally, fans have already laid out the groundwork for a better conclusion to Commander Shepard’s story. While I’m not entirely sold on it, the indoctrination theory has already received a lot of support from Mass Effect fans and could easily be used to take the ending as it stand now and lead into an expansion which BioWare could easily put together and make a nice profit from. Instead, we have statements by the game developer and its supporters about how “you can’t please everyone.” Why shouldn’t fans be upset when BioWare is not only ignoring them, but being purposely disingenuous about this whole situation?
Anyways, it’s not just me who sees this statement as an obvious public relations maneuver. Forbes Erik Kain has already weighed in and he is also not entirely impressed with Muzyka’s statement either.
…Moving on, Muzyka acknowledges that the fan reaction is important but quickly deflects, holding up Metacritic in BioWare’s defense. “However, most folks appear to agree that the game as a whole is exceptional, with more than 75 critics giving it a perfect review score and a review average in the mid-90s.”…
Kain doesn’t stop there, however. He then deconstructs Muzyka’s comments on accepting constructive criticism, not destructive criticism.
…Oh, to be sure, there is such thing as destructive commentary. True ad hominem does exist in the wild. But the notion that artists ought only respond to constructive criticism is delirious. If games are truly art, and the teams who develop them truly artists, why should they be treated with kid’s gloves?
“There is no need to take a “constructive” attitude with talented artists,” writes Stephen Bond, “if anything, they find such an attitude more offensive. As H.L. Mencken said: “I do not object to being denounced, but I can’t abide being schoolmastered, especially by men I regard as imbeciles.” The constructive critic is a crow who takes it upon himself to educate the eagle; one who tries to force his own limitations on those who can soar far higher, unencumbered.”
Constructive criticism, Bond argues, is a “mass hallucination.” It is “inimical to the purposes of criticism as art. I’ll say it again: the point of criticism is not to improve you, but to express me. And each time I digress to offer you helpful suggestions, encouraging remarks and other pep-talk, I am not truly expressing myself. I’m merely being polite, nice, even a bit condescending — in other words, I’m being aesthetically repulsive.”
Imagine, for a moment, if the only criticism BioWare had received was of the constructive variety. Imagine it was all polite platitudes, condescending clutter, and helpful suggestions about how to improve the game. Do you think for a moment that we’d be reading a blog post like the one Muzyka just penned?
Not likely. Of course, criticism of art can be as bad as criticism of critics. Plenty of dumb things have been said about Mass Effect 3 and, as is always the case with the internet, many of those dumb things can be found in places like Metacritic user reviews.
But the plethora of positive professional reviews are less helpful by far than much of the ‘destructive’ commentary BioWare faces. Truth rarely lies in what we want to hear. Dozens of fawning reviewers tripping over one another to offer up their perfect scores hardly encourages BioWare to improve their product. “Look how exceptional our game is! We appreciate your concern and we are listening, but by the way did you notice all these perfect scores we just received? You’re delusional, but we care.”…
I want readers of this post to remember this point. BioWare admits in this statement that it isn’t interested in listening to all feedback. They only want to hear constructive criticism, not destructive criticism, which explains exactly why they have yet to respond to upset fans who want some clarification. Muzyka, in this display of utter arrogance, shows us that he’s more interested in bragging about the opinion of professional critics than dealing with the complaints of paying customers. If anything, this statement shows that BioWare is indeed an entitled game developer.
As for “artistic integrity,” it’s clear that Muzyka’s refers to it in his statement simply to deflect criticism of the game’s endings. As Kain pointed out, if BioWare wants to be called artists, then they should act like artists and accept all forms of criticism. So if they won’t accept valid criticisms like an artist, will let allow for their “artwork” to be judged as such? Clearly they don’t want that either. Nowhere in Muzyka’s statement is there any mention to the artistic failings pointed out by those like Adam Robert Thomas from the California Literary Review and Eternalsteelfan. I guess their criticism wasn’t “constructive” enough to be listened to. So if we can’t judge them as artists, nor their work as art, then why is “games are art” a valid defense? It isn’t. As I said earlier, Muzyka is simply using it to excuse Mass Effect 3′s poorly conceived endings. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if his “maintaining the artistic integrity of the game” did mean that BioWare wasn’t going to make any real changes to the game’s current endings. “Games are art” afterall right?
If BioWare and Electronic Arts were hoping that this statement would calm things down, they were clearly mistaken. It wasn’t an apology, nor an attempt to find common ground between the game developer and its fans. It’s a dodge, an insincere gesture done to give ‘Retake Mass Effect’ a false sense of accomplishment. This wasn’t humility, but arrogance, on display for all to see. This was a statement from an entitled game developer telling upset fans that he understands they’re upset, but is far more interested in sychophantic praise of from the gaming media. If Paul Muzyka and BioWare are incapable of apologizing to Mass Effect fans for this debacle and promising to provide better endings, then Electronic Arts should replace them with people who can.
And to all those who are celebrating this statement as some kind of victory, think again. BioWare didn’t surrender. This was, at most, an attempt by a losing side to seek a cease fire. Until they’re ready to raise the white flag, HOLD THE LINE!
Once again, for those who still haven’t already liked ‘Demand a better ending to Mass Effect 3′ on Facebook, if you feel as myself and thousands of other Mass Effect fans do about Mass Effect 3′s endings, do it. Also, I recommend supporters of the ‘Retake Mass Effect’ movement go to ‘Retake Mass Effect’ and make a donation to Child’s Play. It’s for a very good cause.
Hat-tip G0ldmember at the BioWare Social Network for stumbling onto this article from Erika Morphy at E-Commerce Times.Here’s the link to the discussion thread and I have to say that those commenting aren’t particularly happy with Michael Pachter calling them a very small “vocal minority” that will have “no impact on Electronic Arts as a company unless they cave to the vocal minority and create an alternate ending.” Here’s the full quote from the article.
…”Mass Effect 3″ is the highest-rated game of the year and one of the highest-rated games ever, Pachter pointed out. “That means that objective reviews think it is just fine, making repercussions highly unlikely.”
The players complaining are a vocal minority, he said — a very small one.
“There will be no impact on Electronic Arts as a company unless they cave to the vocal minority and create an alternate ending,” suggested Pachter. “Then, consumers will learn that they are wimps, and will complain about ‘Madden NFL’ because their quarterback doesn’t throw the ball far enough.”…
It’s clear from these statement that Pachter is ignorant about what’s been happening since this debacle began. Arrogance isn’t a substitute for actual knowledge, and yet Pachter is just the latest uninformed individual who decided to weigh in this issue which they obviously no nothing about. For anyone who hasn’t been following the backlash to Mass Effect 3′s endings, it’s pretty clear that the ‘Retake Mass Effect’ movement is far more than a “vocal minority.”
The first sign of this backlash came from early user scores posted on Metacritic’s Mass Effect 3 page. While many puzzled by these incredibly low scores, including Forbes’ Erik Kain, as the gaming media had praised the game as the front-runner for any number of ‘Game of the Year’ awards. Despite efforts by loyal Mass Effect fans and Metacritic to balance out the overall score by writing glowing reviews of the game and deleting a number of the negative reviews, as of now, the score still stands at a dismal 3.7/10. By this fact alone, it should be clear that this movement is far from a “vocal minority,” but let’s continue anyways.
The low Metacritic user scores were echoed by an apparent majority of Mass Effect fans who showed their distatisfaction of the game’s endings by voting in a number of polls, most notably this one. Despite the efforts of those wanting to dismiss these early polls as the work of a “vocal minority,” subsequent polls from a variety of other websites showed the same results. Undeterred by further proof that undermines their claims, those like Pachter continue to dismiss all this evidence and point out that not all those who own Mass Effect 3 have weighed in. So there is a “silent majority” that’s okay with these endings? Where’s proof of it’s existence? Considering that thousands have already voted, how does one ignore polls results with such a large sample size?
It was shortly after this that ‘Retake Mass Effect’ took off. Websites like ‘Demand a Better Ending to Mass Effect 3′ Facebook page, as well as ‘Retake Mass Effect’ which is also collecting donations for Child’s Play, helped rally more to the movement and get attention for the cause. The fact that the gaming media is weighing in on the backlash to Mass Effect 3′s endings also suggests that this movement isn’t something that’s small enough to ignored. These points, however, ignore a key fact, the impact of this debacle is having on game sales.
Despite being released earlier this month, the game is being sold on Amazon.com for as low as $41 American and as low as $49 Canadian on Amazon.ca. The drop in price reflects the drop in demand for the game and the noticeable slow down in its sales. Does Pachter also want to dismiss this evidence as well? How can a simple “vocal minority” have such a serious impact? It can’t, mainly because this movement no longer a “vocal minority.”
Dismissing ‘Retake Mass Effect’ as a small group which can be ignored is exactly why BioWare find itself in this predicament. Instead of listening to Mass Effect fans and following through on their promise of a satisfying conclusion to the story of Commander Shepard, they released an unfinished game with a depressing and incoherent ending. Michael Pachter can keep pretending that this situation isn’t the public relations disaster it clearly is, but his detachment from reality won’t change the fact that BioWare is in full panic mode, trying to figure out a way of salvaging their game and appeasing series fans. All Patcher’s arrogant and ignorant comments do is make this situation worse.
HOLD THE LINE!
I already linked to it in the article above, but for those who still haven’t liked ‘Demand a better ending to Mass Effect 3′ on Facebook, if you feel as myself and thousands of other Mass Effect fans do about Mass Effect 3′s endings, go and do it. Once again, I also recommend those who do go to ‘Retake Mass Effect’ and make a donation to Child’s Play. It’s for a very good cause.
It has only been about a week since the backlash to Mass Effect 3′s endings began. Though the vast majority of Mass Effect fans have maintained a respectable level of civility while expressing their anger over this apparent betrayal by BioWare, there have been those whose actions have allowed those in the gaming media to portray the entire ‘Retake Mass Effect’ movement as downright immoral, irrational, and potentially violent hooligans. A repeat of the Jennifer Hepler fiasco will not help this movement achieve its goal. (UPDATE:Instig8iveJournalism did a video breaking down the Jennifer Hepler fake controversy. I apologize for not knowing all the details before referring to it)
Though there has been some examples of people with the ‘Retake Mass Effect’ movement who have taking steps to keep this behaviour to a minimum, there has to be a serious effort made by at least those operating the ‘Retake Mass Effect’ websites, if not the community as a whole to police itself. Simply put, its time for those involved to learn from the ‘Tea Party’ movement, not the ‘Occupy’ movement.
The first thing ‘Retake Mass Effect’ participants should know is how to conduct oneself during a protest. At the very least, one should act with respect for one’s self and others. Just because you disagree with something someone has said or done, that doesn’t mean you have the right to behave in a way that’s entirely unacceptable. This also means that you shouldn’t excuse those on your side of the argument who behave in a way that’s entirely unacceptable. Case in point, Destructoid’s Jim Sterling.
I’ll be honest, despite Sterling’s offensive language, I do feel that he and I would agree on a lot. For example, I do agree with him that feminists, especially radical feminists, are far too sensitive and actively look for issues to get upset over, if not make up excuse for outrage. Just read Leigh Alexander’s “I’m Tired of Being a “Woman in Games.” I’m a Person.” as it’s a perfect example of feminist faux outrage. In fact, I’m also willing to admit that I think that modern feminism has been become a destructive force in society which undermines women’s rights. Before anyone calls me a misogynist, it isn’t just men who are saying this. Liberal women like Barbara Walters have admitted that these “champions for gender equality” treat women who chose to stay home and raise a family as inferior. Camille Paglia goes a step further and compares modern feminism to “a kind of totalitarian ‘group think’.”
Well, I have been an ardent feminist since the rebirth of the current feminist movement. I’m on the record as being — as rebelling against my gender-role, as being an open lesbian and so on. In the early 1960s I was researching Amelia Earhart, who for me symbolized the great period of feminism of the ’20s and ’30s just after women won the right to vote. When this phase of feminism kicked back in the late ’60s, it was very positive at first. Women drew the line against men and demanded equal rights. I am an equal opportunity feminist. But very soon it degenerated into a kind of totalitarian ‘group think’ that we are only now rectifying 20 years later.
Does saying that make Ms. Paglia a misogynist? Of course not. If I, a man, agree with her statement, am I a misogynist? Of course not. The problem, however, is that although Sterling and I would agree on this point, I cannot and will not defend the words he uses to discuss feminism or women in general. Even I think the kind of language he uses is misogynistic.
If you are discussing Mass Effect 3′s endings or any topic related to the Mass Effect series, BioWare or Electronic Arts (EA) and see someone behaving inappropriately, do something about it. This is a lesson the ‘Tea Party’ had to learn early on as the media was determined to smear the entire movement for the actions of a few. The media, in the case of ‘Occupy’, refused to report on the movement’s horrendous behaviour. Without this outside pressure, no real effort was made by the movement to police itself until the crimes of participants became national headlines. After a week of attacks from gaming media outlets like Destructoid, IGN and Kotaku, it’s clear that the ‘Retake Mass Effect’ movement’s actions are being watched closely. If this movement wants to have a positive public image, it’s participants must remember to behave in an acceptable manner.
The second thing ‘Retake Mass Effect’ participants should know is that this protest is not a “witch-hunt.” I have already seen a number of posts on the BioWare Social Network and on the ‘Demand a better ending to Mass Effect 3′ Facebook page trying to blame find someone to blame for Mass Effect 3′s endings. I have seen posts by upset fans who went after Casey Hudson on Twitter, as well as efforts to demonize Michael Gamble and Mac Walters as the so-called destroyers of the Mass Effect franchise. There are also those insisting that the endings were some insidious plot by either BioWare or EA to force players to pay for better endings. ENOUGH! Nevermind that these people are behaving in a way which is completely inappropriate, when you have people within ‘Retake Mass Effect’ spouting this nonsense, it’s make it hard for people to take the movement seriously.
Before reaching for your torches and pitchforks, examine the facts okay? With the release Geoff Keighley’s “The Final Hours of Mass Effect 3,” we learned more than enough to debunk these conspiracy theories about Mass Effect 3′s endings. Was it an insidious plot to force players to pay for better endings? No. In fact, these were the endings Mac Walters and his team of writers wanted for Mass Effect 3. That’s it. Simply put, this was a bad idea that sounded like a good idea to a team that admitted to wanting an unforgettable conclusion to the Mass Effect trilogy. What does one say about this? Ignoring established canon and the desires of the series’ fans in an effort to create an artistic ending simply which serves only to evoke a strong emotional response? I’m almost speechless thinking about how anyone could believe this was a good idea.
There is only one word I could use to describe this apparent betrayal by BioWare of Mass Effect fans. Mistake. It was a mistake for BioWare to end Mass Effect 3 they way they did. I highly doubt that BioWare, let alone EA, would have allowed this game to end as it did if they knew the reaction would have been so negative. As I stated previously, Mass Effect 3 has a very low rating on Metacritic, and despite being released a week ago, the game is being sold on Amazon.com for as low as $46 American and as low as $40 Canadian on Amazon.ca. Does anyone think that, if they could have predicted this backlash, BioWare wouldn’t have changed the ending to appease Mass Effect’s fans? Once again, after all the money EA has put into funding, promoting, producing and distributing this game, I would imagine this whole ordeal is very troubling. In fact, I would say that they are panicking right now, trying to find a way to come out of this debacle without losing too many customers.
As long as ‘Retake Mass Effect’ continues voicing their complaints in a civil manner and refrain from resorting to “witch-hunts,” it might be able to achieve its goals. This is why the ‘Tea Party’ succeeded, as demonstrated by the results of the 2010 midterm elections, and why ‘Occupy’ failed to make a real lasting impact. No catchy slogan, be it “HOLD THE LINE!” or “WE ARE THE 99%,” can convince the people to support a movement that is no better than a lynch mob.
The third thing ‘Retake Mass Effect’ should know is the purpose of the movement. Whether or not you agreed with the politics of the ‘Tea Party’, it was made clear what the purpose of the movement was. ‘Occupy’, on the other hand, never had a clear purpose. In fact, when asked by reporters as to the movement’s goals, participants either had conflicting answers or no answer at all. Here’s a video of exactly what I mean. Think of it as a metaphor for the ‘Occupy’ movement.
They don’t even have a direction, let alone a purpose. Just existing isn’t enough. ‘Retake Mass Effect’ must remember that its purpose is to demand that BioWare make new endings for Mass Effect 3 that are not only fulfilling, but take into account the player’s choices throughout the series. This is a simple message that can and will encourage other upset Mass Effect fans to join the movement.
It also doesn’t hurt to educate one’s self on this position. A movement that can defend its position from scrutiny is one that can gain support from unlikely places. Despite the insults hurled at ‘Retake Mass Effect’ from the much of the gaming media, with one outlet standing out from the rest for being particularly vicious, there has been a few among them that have been very supportive of this movement. Forbes’ Erik Kain has been one of these voices, providing not just support but well thought out arguments which help those in the movement defend their position. Because of this, he has gone to being a relative unknown to an important figure to ‘Retake Mass Effect’. If you are one of those upset with Mass Effect 3′s endings, and you haven’t been reading Kain’s articles, you’re doing yourself a disservice.
Aside from Kain, Ross Lincoln at Game Front has written a very in-depth article which exams the major complaints fans have with the game’s endings. There are even those within the ‘Retake Mass Effect’ which have provided their own well thought out arguments to defend the movement’s position. Eternalsteelfan, for example, wrote a piece which breaks down Mass Effect 3′s endings from a screenwriter’s perspective. Simply put, there is no reason that anyone involved in ‘Retake Mass Effect’ shouldn’t be able to defend their position with all the information that’s already available for them to do so.
In any event, it’s important that steps be taken to ensure that ‘Retake Mass Effect’ can achieve its goal. By learning from the ‘Tea Party’, this movement might just be capable of replicating its success. Lynch mob tactics like those used by ‘Occupy’ cannot be tolerated. There is no excuse for such disgraceful conduct, and I will not defend the actions of those who do just because they’re supposed to be on my side.
HOLD THE LINE!
Once again, for those who haven’t already liked ‘Demand a better ending to Mass Effect 3′ on Facebook, if you feel as myself and thousands of other Mass Effect fans do about Mass Effect 3′s endings, do it. Also, I recommend supporters of the ‘Retake Mass Effect’ movement go to ‘Retake Mass Effect’ and make a donation to Child’s Play. It’s for a very good cause.
This post concerns the recent backlash to the endings of Mass Effect 3. If you’re either looking for a political post or don’t want to the endings spoiled, I would suggest you stop reading.
I started playing BioWare’sMass Effect in 2008. My best friend and I were walking around Place D’Orleans and we wandered into GameStop. I was looking for a new game, but I didn’t see anything interesting. It was then my best friend starts flipping out. On the shelf in front of us was a new copy of Mass Effect for $9.99. He told me that he was angry because he had paid full price for the collector’s edition when it came out, and that I should take advantage of this summer sale GameStop was having and pick it up. I took a look, it seemed fascinating, and before I could even think about putting it down, he started demanding I pick it up. It didn’t cost much, and I got more joy out of that game than I have from most full-priced titles I’ve picked up. From then I was hooked on Mass Effect. I picked up the collector’s edition for Mass Effect 2, as well as BioWare’s other big titles, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age: Awakenings and Dragon Age 2.
Suffice to say, I was really looking forward to Mass Effect 3. I had just started a new character in Mass Effect 1 to carry through Mass Effect 2 so I could be ready to play the new game right after it came out. Maybe I shouldn’t have been reading the forums, maybe I shouldn’t have been watching the YouTube videos, but I did and what I saw made me delete all my Mass Effect saves. To tell the truth, it’s been four days since I played any video game, and I don’t know if I’ll ever pick up my controller and play any of the Mass Effect games again. I’ve even been thinking about returning my unopened Mass Effect 3 collector’s edition. I can’t even imagine picking up the next Dragon Age title after this apparent betrayal by BioWare.
For those who think I’m overreacting, and that the ending can’t possibly be as bad as I’m saying it is, watch it yourself. YouTube has all the ending videos, including the hidden ending players are given if they beat the game twice. As Forbes’ Paul Tassi, paraphrasing one player’s opinion, wrote, “it as if Star Wars was wrapped up with the final moments of 2001: A Space Odyssey.” This is my biggest complaint about these endings. Simply put, it doesn’t make sense in context of the established canon, nor is it the ending fans like myself were promised by BioWare employees like Michael Gamble, Casey Hudson and Mac Walters. There’s also the issue that for a series that is so dedicated to giving players choices which shape their game, it’s unforgivable that at the end of the final game that players don’t have any choice and are forced to choose between endings that are almost identical.
I’m not the only person angry and confused about what’s going on. There are thousands upon thousands of Mass Effect fans who find themselves in this very position. Aside from the various memes that fans are coming up with, there are mainstream gaming publications like Escapist Magazine which posted this ‘Critical Miss’ cartoon about the response to Mass Effect 3′s endings.
I also found this ‘Mass Deffect’ YouTube video from Kanal von ACAVYOS which had myself and others in stitches.
Joking aside, this backlash from Mass Effect fans over Mass Effect 3′s ending is causing not just BioWare, but Electronic Arts (EA) some serious problems. Right now, there is a Facebook Community Page, ‘Demand a Better Ending to Mass Effect 3′, a Twitter account, @RetakeME3, and a website organized by the greater community of Mass Effect fans, ‘Retake Mass Effect’ which is also raising funds for children’s charity Child’s Play. There’s also a rallying call, which comes right from the series itself, more specifically Captain Kirrahe of the salarian military, “HOLD THE LINE!”
I would imagine that this isn’t the response BioWare was hoping for from an ending which, as Casey Hudson said in a recent interview Digital Trends, keeps the game from being “forgettable.” Forgettable? No, but I doubt they would want Mass Effect 3 to be remembered for the wrong reasons.
The problem is that this negative reaction is having a noticeable effect on the game’s rating and sales. As of now, Mass Effect 3 has a 3.5/10 rating on Metacritic, and despite being released a week ago, the game is being sold on Amazon.com for as low as $46 American and as low as $40 Canadian on Amazon.ca. After all the money EA has put into funding, promoting, producing and distributing this game, I would imagine this whole ordeal is very troubling.
What’s even worse is that BioWare’s staff is either being tight-lipped about this overly negative reaction to the series’ conclusion, or sending out extremely cryptic responses to fan complaints. Some staff members have even insulted those unhappy with the game’s ending. For example, Manveer Heir, a senior designer at BioWare Montreal, retweeted comments made by Penny Arcade’s Ben Kuchera, mocking Mass Effect fans who wanted a happier ending to Commander Shepard’s story.
It isn’t just BioWare staff that are insulting upset fans. As the gaming media begins to take notice of this fiasco, there is a considerable amount of outrage directed at those upset with the current endings to Mass Effect 3. In what I can only describe as a knee-jerk reaction by the “intelligentsia” of the gaming community, the response has been swift as particularly vicious. Kotaku’s Owen Good was one of the first to attack, claiming those who had set up and signed various online petitions asking for new endings were part of “[a] community that spews nonstop hatred of a game it bought at full price and plays religiously.” The main problem with Good’s assertion is that, if he bothered to read the response coming from Mass Effect fans, he would have known that not only are they not playing Mass Effect 3 anymore, but that they aren’t even playing the other two titles in the series. The endings are just too much for some of us to bear. He also rants about how “games are art” and that this is BioWare’s story to tell, an ignorant and irrelevant point echoed by Luke Plunkett (which goes to show that Luke might be bipolar as he was ranting about how much he hated Mass Effect 3′s endings lacking any real choice a daily earlier) and Kotaku Australia’s Mark Serrels, but I will deal with that in a later.
Next is Destructoid’s Jim Sterling compared upset Mass Effect fans to Kathy Bates’ character from Misery, the film adaptation of a Stephen King novel of the same. If those upset with the ending are supposed to be civil, why shouldn’t those attacking them be as well? It should be noted that Sterling isn’t a stranger to offensive remarks or grossly inappropriate behaviour. According to Anna Anthropy at The Border House, Sterling called her girlfriend, among other things, a “cunt,” “sweetcheeks”, “an attention-seeking,” a “little bitch,” “an embarrassment to her gender” and a “feminazi slut” during a heated Twitter exchange last year. I honestly don’t know why Destructoid would want to employ a liability like him. Controversy generates attention which generates hits and revenue, I understand that, but he’s clearly one ‘Jimquisition’ rant away from a costly lawsuit.
It doesn’t surprise me, however, that this kind of language is coming from someone at Destructoid. Just listen to the language Max Scoville and Tara Long use to describe upset Mass Effect fans (if you’re short on time, skip ahead to the 12:30 mark when the insults begin).
“Incompetent, whiny, twats”? If Tara ever loses her job at Destructoid, there’s always an opening for someone of her “class” on Jersey Shore. Max is no better, and aside from being equally offensive, the comparisons he makes clearly shows he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. I mean, it’s not like Sir Author Conan Doyle, after killing of Sherlock Holmes in “The Final Problem,” gave into public pressure and brought the character back to life right? Oh wait.
IGN’s Colin Moriarty also weighed in and, instead of presenting a balanced, let alone coherent argument for his position, he attacked upset Mass Effect fans for acting like they are “entitled” to a better ending. His argument quickly devolves into a rant about Mass Effect being BioWare’s creation and that fans should simply accept the endings because that’s the game’s creators decided to end it. This, as with much of the other response to the criticism of Mass Effect 3′s ending goes back to this idea that “games are art” and thus the ending should be simply accepted because that’s what the “artist,” the game’s creators, wanted. This argument is pure and utter nonsense.
Not all gaming media coverage of the response to Mass Effect 3′s endings is negative, however. Forbes’ Erik Kain has been fairly supportive of those upset with Mass Effect 3′s endings. His recent article “Mass Effect 3 And The Pernicious Myth Of Gamer ‘Entitlement’” is definitely worth a read as it is a direct response to Colin Moriarty’s incoherent rant. Ross Lincoln at Game Front wrote a very in-depth article which exams the major complaints fans have with the game’s endings. It’s an article everyone interested in this topic should read, especially those who do want better endings as it lays out in full detail why the current endings aren’t acceptable. Chris Matyskiel of Robot Geek wrote a good piece about the importance of, what is now being described as a movement. With more and more people finishing Mass Effect 3, and with more and more people learning about this apparent betrayal by BioWare of its loyal fans, I expect this movement to become much bigger.
In any event, BioWare should be happy at this reaction to their game’s ending. Of course the negative publicity, and the loss in sales isn’t something they should celebrate, but I would imagine it’s hard for them not to look at what is happening and realize that it’s because they created such a compelling story which thousands upon thousands of gamers are invested in that there is this kind of reaction to this an apparent betrayal on their part. If it was just another game, gamers could simply ignore the incoherent and depressing endings and move onto something else. That isn’t the case, however, and BioWare should be proud of that at least.
It is because that so many have played and replayed the last two games countless times over the last five years that it means enough to them that they are willing to “HOLD THE LINE!” and demand better endings for this game.
