People generally are decent. We respect others, we want others to do well, live well and be happy. Or at least it would be nice if that was the case. The reality is, unfortunately, a little different.
In reality human beings, for the most part and at least in western society, are incredibly selfish and care only for their own well being and do things only for their own benefit. There are of course exceptions, no doubt about that. Those who volunteer for a good cause; those that give selflessly of their own time and money to help others. But the average first world citizen is a selfish bastard.
This is in particular true when it comes to gamers, in my opinion the embodiment of consumerism and selfishness. I have previously written about the sense of entitlement gamers feel towards the products they buy. They feel like the not only own a copy of a game, but have the right to criticize a game and demand changes. They feel like they have a right beyond the right to buy or not buy a product, to influence the development process and even to threaten and harass those of us who make those games.
We saw another great example of just how entitled gamers think they are when Microsoft announced the Xbox One. Months before the announcements, when rumors started circulating about “always on” gamers around the world were up in arms about it. When MS revealed the Xbox at E3 and it did require a connection once every 24 hours, and restrictions were placed on the use of pre-owned copies the internet became a battleground.
The pressure from these vocal consumers became so much that in the end Microsoft caved, doing a u-turn on some of their core features, those that actually broke the mold and tried to (boldly) go in a new direction, doing something with games that was similar to what Apple did with iTunes.
Consumers wanted to hear none of this. They did not care about any of these new features, because they felt their gaming freedom was compromised. They felt they were restricted to buy those games which they felt entitled to pre-owned (and thus actually not giving the actual developer any money).
In a capitalist society (which, let’s face it, the entire western society is), a society which is driven by the free market, the only thing that matters is personal gain. Get things as cheap as possible, preferably free, and do not think or care about those who make the product.
It is no surprise then that gamers are not up in arms about the latest story surrounding the PS4, namely that thousands of interns were forced to work overtime to help assemble the PS4 in preparation for its launch day. Sony has contracted Foxconn, a Chinese manufacturer infamous for riots and suicides during the height of the iPhone production, to be part of the PS4 production process. These issues have been well documented and have been in the news for over 2 years, yet Sony still chose them as one of their manufacturing places.
The news that thousands of people have been exploited and that a previously exposed company was working on the PS4 has come out last week, yet it’s not been a major headline in any major outlet. It has not even remotely been as widely circulated as news surrounding the Xbox One and it’s infamous “always on” feature. And it’s not surprising really.
In our western society we don’t WANT to hear news like that. We don’t WANT to hear where our gadgets and luxury items come from and at what cost. We don’t WANT to hear about other people suffering just so we can have a slightly better life. Hearing about this sort of thing on a regular basis might mean we would have to rethink how we live. It might mean we can’t keep our heads in the sand anymore.
Gamers, and consumers, don’t care that people are abused in China or 3rd world countries. What we care about is the retail price. What we care about is the maintaining of a launch date (all hell would break loose if the PS4 would ship even one day later than announced). What we care about is that the product is manufactured well and lasts for a little while (no product these days is actually made to last as long as possible: companies WANT wear and tear to get the consumer to buy another version later on).
Apple has used Foxconn for years. When the news came out about suicides and riots, nobody really cared. Sales of Apple products did not take a hit, people did not boycott the company, and consumers did not threaten to vote with their wallet. Apple changed manufacturer anyway, in an attempt to improve the publicity, however according to some reports their new manufacturer might even be worse and utilize child labour.
It is not just electronics manufacturers of course. Clothing and other good sold in western countries often come from questionable sources. There was a brilliant BBC Panorama episode covering the clothing industry a few weeks ago. People die in their hundreds to give us the goods we want at the prices we are willing to pay. And we don’t like to be reminded of that. I highly recommend you watch that video.
So where is the outrage? Where are the thousands of gamers who cancel their pre-orders to send a message to Sony saying “We will NOT buy your product if it is manufactured by slave labour!”? A few individuals will have done it. But the majority simply does not care. It does not affect them. The price of their console remains reasonable, it comes out on time and it does not affect their gaming habits. So why kick up a fuss? Surely if these people would not want to work like this, they would not have to. Being able to re-sell a copy of a game is far more tangible and important to the average gamer.
Is it any surprise then that game developers go the same route? Outsourcing to India and China, creating QA facilities in Eastern Europe. It’s essentially the same thing: cutting cost of production, increasing the profit margin. Exploiting those that can be exploited, so that our western capitalist society can keep their high standard of living.
And no, I am not having a go at Apple or Sony; I just use them as current cases. Few, if any, capitalistic driven companies are better. We might just not have heard about other cases – but then again how can we hear it with our heads in the sand?
Filed under: GAMES, GAMES INDUSTRY Tagged: Apple, BBC, Exploitation, Forced Labour, Foxconn, Microsoft, Panorama, PS4, Sony
