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EA Wins Worst Company

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Bucknut24

Bucknut24

Trolololol
Wasn't sure whether to put it here or the gaming section, but it involved other companies...

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Whether it's on a console, a PC, a smartphone or tablet, hundreds of millions of people play video games every day. Yet most mainstream media covers the industry the same way it treats adult dodge ball leagues and cat fashion shows (both noble ventures, but neither of them multi-billion dollar industries). And the only time you hear legislators discuss video games is when some politician decries them as the death knell for all things righteous in the world (hint: they're not). Now, after years of being ignored and relegated to steerage, game-players have voted to send a message to Electronic Arts and the gaming business as a whole: Stop treating your loyal customers like crap.

After more than 250,000 votes, Consumerist readers ultimately decided that the type of greed exhibited by EA, which is supposed to be making the world a more fun place, is worse than Bank of America's avarice, which some would argue is the entire point of operating a bank.

To those who might sneer at something as "non-essential" as a video game company winning the Worst Company In America vote: It's that exact kind of attitude that allows people to ignore the complaints as companies like EA to nickel and dime consumers to death.

For years, while movies and music became more affordable and publishers piled on bonus content ? or multiple modes of delivery ? as added value to entice customers to buy, video games have continued to be priced like premium goods.

There have even been numerous accusations that EA and its ilk deliberately hold back game content with the sole intent of charging a fee for it at a later date. It's one thing to support a game with new content that is worth the price. It's another to put out an inferior ? and occasionally broken ? product with the mindset of "ah, we'll fix it later and make some money for doing so."

New, independent game companies do pop up all the time, but the cost of entering the market has historically been too expensive, making these indie innovators prime targets for acquisition by mega-publishers like EA. Our hope is that the growth of app-based gaming and downloadable games will continue to make it easier for developers to get their products out without the backing of companies that don't care a lick about the people who fork over their cash.

Oh well, Worst Company In America 2012 is officially in the books. All that's left to do is send off the Golden Poo to EA.

Traditionally, the Poo has been delivered on its little red pillow. But this year, we'll give EA three different color options for its pillow, though in the end it's still the same old Poo.
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What exactly were their criteria?

Outside of Citibank and Netflix, most of the companies listed have rebounded nicely from 2009. This sounds more like a hatchet job?

A quick glance at the website indicates its material is more closely aligned with the views of The Atlantic than that of The Wall Street Journal. Not sure how much credibility they have in evaluating successful companies.
 
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BigWoof31;2136848; said:
What exactly were their criteria?

Outside of Citibank and Netflix, most of the companies listed have rebounded nicely from 2009. This sounds more like a hatchet job?

A quick glance at the website indicates its material is more closely aligned with the views of The Atlantic than that of The Wall Street Journal. Not sure how much credibility they have in evaluating successful companies.
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Simmer down, Ayn Rand. It's a user poll.
 
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If by "worst" they meant "annoys you the most" then they've included several of my top ten.

As to getting along without them, I closed my Paypal account several years ago and will not reopen one.

I dropped DSL service with AT&T and am about a quarter inch away from dropping my phone service, too.

Dropped a bug-ridden online game EA sponsored and haven't looked back.

Almost never shop at Walmart and even more rarely visit Best Buy (has to be years & years ago).

So, yeah, I think I can get along without them.
 
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Peter Moore always believes he's the smartest person in the room, and he also believes consumers are stupid. He's cancer. The fact that EA has gone from a fading giant to public enemy #1 in about three years time since he was brought in as COO is not a coincidence.

This is the same guy who, back when he was the 360 brand manager at Microsoft, responded to criticism of high failure rates in 2007 with, "Yeah? Well things break!!!!" He brushed off the RROD issue as being some made up ploy by consumers to get free console replacements. He did not reverse course until after Square Trade published a report pegging the failure rate to be 1 in 6.
 
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Still having server issues suspending online dynasty games.

Still having ridiculous bugs. After finishing our game on the second try, I went to set myself to advance. Instead I was given an 'advance week?' button. It wasn't just a mjslabeled button either, I hit it out of habit and it asked, are you sure you want to advance? Had I not been paying attention six of our ten users would have had their week simmed . I am not the commissioner. This bug has happened a minimum of seven times to me in this dynasty, and we have started over with a new dynasty at least once due to constant server issues .
 
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