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January 28, 2005

The Money Grab

I've been away for a bit, sorry. Remember that we here at GameWag have real jobs. Not just that, but good real jobs that we want to keep so we can continue to drink real booze in our real apartments. Enough time at the Narcissus pool, lets get to business.

EA buys Dice, AFL and NFL rights. Take Two buys MLB rights. You've heard about it I'm sure. It's too much to be ignored, so here's a little more commentary on the great content grab of '05. Predictions for the coming year:

• EA will gain representation rights from World War II, The Vietnam War, and the CAR-15.
• SOE will copyright any game concept involving standing around in a field doing nothing.
• Blizzard will buy exclusive rights for the National Orc Foundation.
• Valve secures rights to all games that have wall hacks.
• IGN will copyright the headline "Best [platform] game ever?"

You know it takes money to make money. EA wants to make money. The NFL wants to make money. Business is war and all is fair in that realm. But who do we blame for what's agreed as the start of a trend of improprieties worse than John Wells thinking he can write political dialogue (yeah I'm reaching there, but I'm pissed)?

Here is a good example that may appear less obvious to some corporate monkey pants: Bungie makes Marathon > Marathon is a good game > Microsoft buys Bungie, because they like people who make good games > Microsoft/Bungie make Halo > Profit. Makes sense - one studio, one first person shooter, one megalithic corporation, good deal.

In the above example, some recent moves would be more equated to Microsoft approaching the Space Marine union and securing all Video Game rights to any likeness or license thereof. Bungie ergo is out of business, and anyone who likes shooting aliens is in bed with Bill Gates, bad haircut and all.

It's not illegal. Certainly if I were the NFL, and EA drove a truck full of cash in front of my apartment, I wouldn't care either. As long as consumers will continue to put aside ethical disagreements for the ability to play the games they want, we'll continue to see this kind of deal. Next are billboard ads on loading screens, paid placement in the game content, and secret levels and power ups only accesible to those who opt to wear Nike merchandise while they blast the bad guys. In short, like so many things today, the price of entry isn't enough. Yes, you bought the game - but they need more. You need to be bilked for every penny possible.

What is the solution? How can we avoid having to endure a map where you rescue your local Starbucks with the skillful use of a silenced pistol and a low-carb low-fat decaf latte? I don't know. We can all dream that abstaining will do something, but it won't because they're right. We are all monkeys that will buy NFL games regardless of ethical malcontent.

We'll play those games and run down the sidelines with the banners that say Nike and Coke. We'll see the cut scenes brought to you by Sprint, and never bother that nobody can do better, not because of lack of ability to be creative or innovative, but because legal licensing says they're not allowed to be any of those things.

Way to go Big Business. Please let us know what your next move will be to root us in mediocrity for the sake of the all mighty dollar.

P.S. Please click on the Google links on the right.

Posted by bradley at 12:12 PM