[LHN91]

I'll just leave this here.

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/12/05/ea-origin-bans-update-edition/

[Nuke]

i refuse to play any game where i can not say words like **** or **** on the forum.

[Klaustrophobia]

as much as EA sucks and this is wrong, i can't help but think that a huge portion of these affected players genuinely got what was coming to them.

[LHN91]

I'm inclined to agree, at least in the multiplayer portions of games. But what I don't agree with is the fact that they are also apparently locked out of playing single player as well. If you read the thread linked in the article, Apparently the person is even blocked from playing EA games (Bad Company 2) he purchased from Steam.

[Nuke]

as much as EA sucks and this is wrong, i can't help but think that a huge portion of these affected players genuinely got what was coming to them.

yes, but banning people from playing a game that they spent money on for something they did in the forum kinda sounds like a cheap way to cheat your customers. even if they troll the **** out of the forum they shouldn't be allowed to forfeit their valid license to use the software. the fact that they even go as far as banning you from single player is ****ing evil. when i hear **** like this it really turns me off from wanting to buy any games for them. if there is one thing i dont like is the trend of anti-consumer policies being adopted by the games industry in the last several years.

[Mongoose]

The best part is how a game that they're also locked out of a game they bought on a completely different service, i.e. Steam.  That's a very special sort of bull****.

[TwentyPercentCooler]

This is why it's becoming less surprising every day that more people are buying single player games and then removing the DRM. Not that I would directly admit or advocate that kind of activity, of course.

[Unknown Target]

Can I ask: why do people buy EA anymore? I mean really, I keep reading these posts, here and on other sites, *****ing about EA's service, customer support, etc...yet people still buy their games? Why?

Granted, I have one more game I'm going to buy from EA, unless they do something ridiculous to it: Mass Effect 3. I'm so invested in the series, I really want to see how it ends. But that's it, and I know what I'm getting into; I'm not going to use their forums, I'm going to avoid their ****ty Origin service as much as possible, and once I'm done with the game I'm done with EA.

Really, with gamers it's like crack addicts, it's disgusting sometimes. Anyone remember that whole thing with COD:MW2 or whatever, with the Steam "we're not going to buy MW2" all playing it on release day?

[Klaustrophobia]

the "stupidity of the masses" effect in the gaming industry is rivaled only by that of the music industry.  it doesn't surprise me a bit that the vast majority of consumers will just roll over and take it, and therefore it doesn't surprise me that the companies continue on what seems to those of us with some sense to be a self-destructive path.  why should they fix things, when they are turning their profits anyway?

[Ghostavo]

I can't see why some of those users can't sue the **** out of EA, seriously.

Most exceptional perhaps is Aaron, who after receiving a 72 hour ban was told by EA support they couldn’t help because “the game developers control this”. Pardon? His crime? Someone else swearing on the forum, with his username in their post. Trying the live chat support instead, he was then informed that his account was permanently banned, and that “all property, items, and characters associated currently are or will soon be deleted.” Followed by, “Is there anything else I can do for you?” Aaron tried again, pointing out that forum bans shouldn’t affect games. And then came this incredible reply:

“Please be informed that your account not only suspended, But it is also Banned, So you will no longer to play the game in single player.”

He should be laughing his way to the courthouse...

[LordPomposity]

This is why "some people" pirate EA games.

[yuezhi]

the story at the bottom is the worst case of justification and customer service i've ever seen. if EA doesn't lift these bans in time then i'm betting the hacktivists will counterattack .

[deathfun]

This is utterly ridiculous. Locking out of singleplayer? God damn

[Fury]

Let's all hope Steam never falls this down. I have to remind myself of double-checking games I buy whether they are EA's and even more if they require Origin. I really want Mass Effect 3 though, but now I'm not too sure about that. I'll have to see how things are when ME3 comes out. One thing is for sure, I will definitely play it through at least once. It's up to EA whether they'll get anything from me for it though, I wish I could reward Bioware while skipping EA. The devs deserve it.

And that comes from someone who does not currently have a single pirated game or software stored anywhere digitally or otherwise.

[JCDNWarrior]

the story at the bottom is the worst case of justification and customer service i've ever seen. if EA doesn't lift these bans in time then i'm betting the hacktivists will counterattack .

I'm in customer service, among others; If I respond to customers in that manner I'd probably be 'banned' from my job in no time.

[newman]

The only way to send them a message is to not buy their stuff and be vocal as to why you don't intend to buy it. It's easy to be a prick to everyone when your profits are up. When they start going down, they'll be forced to look into why that's happening and maybe fire some of the asshats responsible.
I don't like UbiSoft's dick move with "must stay connected at all times" on certain games. Even though I'd have liked to try some of them, the DRM scheme made it unacceptable to me. I don't want more games to use this kind of "must check every single second whether the game you paid us for is stolen" kind of scheme, so I don't want to support that scheme. I know it can be tempting to try the latest shiny game that piqued your interest, but people really need to learn to control themselves and simply not buy stuff that basically throws their consumer rights out the window. Hurt their profits by not buying their stuff. That's a message they'll understand best.

[Starman01]

I see it exactly as "unknown target". I must have Mass Effect 3, it's impossible for me to not play this game. And I will buy it, to support Bioware (one of the best gaming smith around), but i will certainly not buy anything else from EA.

And I will definitly NOT install Origin. After I bought the game, I will play it with a crack.

[karajorma]

Let's all hope Steam never falls this down.

That's the risk you take with any system that includes an online component to its DRM.

Which is one reason why I completely avoid them. Give me liberty or give me something else instead for my money.

[newman]

Steam has so far been rather non-jackass-ish regarding DRM. I used to dislike it but I changed my mind. To get a game, I don't have to stand in line with a bunch of pimple-faced kiddies sneezing on me. I can go from deciding to buy to actually playing a game in as much time as is needed to download a game. Usually not too long with today's speeds. I always have the games I bought. I can't lose it's box. I can't have the DVD scratched and rendered unusable. I can't lose the CD key because the dog ate the piece of paper it was printed on. Hell I even have access to my savegames no matter what machine I access my account from. Of course, no system is perfect and Steam does have it's downsides - but the convenience it gives me is something I consider worth it.

[Nuke]

i cant use steam till the internet providers in this state support unlimited transfer. i prefer the hard copy approach for now. i have a system. i take a sharpie, and write the cd key right on the silkscreen of the disk. that way no loosing it. i then make a backup and file away the original (i use disc visualization whenever possible to avoid damaging media and not needing to flip discs ever, physical copy when that fails, and nocd crack otherwise). but i bought it and i dont feel that any of this is wrong.