Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Elemental And The Making Of Popcorn

The appropriate phrase here, I believe, is "hoist with his own petard":
"Hoist with his own petard" literally means "blown up with his own mine." More generally, a "petard" is a hat-shaped device which can be be charged with gunpowder.

In 2008, Stardock released, to much self-fanfare, something called "The Gamer's Bill of Rights." Yes, that title sounds quite pretentious, but the actual text  was much worse:
Just like humanity in general, PC gamers are entitled to basic liberties...

That doesn't sound smug and self-serving at all.

Here's one specific point in the "manifesto":
2. Gamers shall have the right to demand that games be released in a finished state.

Please remember that for later. It will be fun.

Also, there's this:
We'll be judging reaction on it, and we'll be talking to developers soon. Of course, some companies won't think that this is worth their time.

If you're thinking that the excerpts sound a bit, well, arrogant, they do. That was Brad Wardell, and Wardell is the guy who's annoying even when he's right. He's always willing to dig the knife in just a little further. Like this:
It's easy to go and say how the game is and how it should work if you're not going to walk the walk.

That should be Brad's motto: I walk the walk, and I like to go around shouting that I'm walking the walk.

Then we come to Elemental.

It's a new game, just released by Stardock, and it was, um, released in an unfinished state. No, I haven't played the game, but given the specific nature of the blizzard of comments by players (this is quite specific), it's not a controversial statement.

Well, unless you're Brad Wardell (thanks to RPS   for this link:
Also, to anyone...saying the game is like an "early beta" then well, please stay away from our games in the future. I consider it ready for release and if others disagree, don't buy our games. 

I think much of the positive attention Brad Wardell has received is due to gamers believing that he is on "our" side. That's true, as as long as "our" side coincides with "his" side. Otherwise, take cover.

Wardell's biggest problem seems to be that he doesn't want to be evaluated by his own standards, because they're too high.

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