It seems that the controversy surrounding Mass Effect 3 has been cranked to 11. An FTC complaint against BioWare is the latest individual action, and it's served to fan the flames of what's become a binary topic. People seem to either enjoy and/or accept the game's ending for what it is (Let's call these people Group A) or they are upset for a variety of reasons (or Group B). I have no horse in this race myself, as trying to play either of the first two Mass Effect games was met with rapid failure and disinterest that shortly followed, so it's interesting to observe this controversy from a distance.
Both groups are angry, and verbal attacks back and forth can be seen almost anywhere, but there's a whole lot of shouting and not a whole lot of listening. Group A is angry at Group B because of the various methods that they've employed to get their message heard. Group B is angry at Group A after being told by many in that group to basically "shut up and accept it". I can understand the anger on both sides, but it's all counterproductive. What's worse is that the anger level is increasing—fanned by the gaming press—and voices of reason are few and far between.
I fail to see how responding to angry reaction with more angry reaction gets anyone closer to a resolution of this issue, and it bothers me greatly to see members of the gaming press that I respect piling on. Perhaps it's an unfair expectation, but I expect gaming press to at least be able to acknowledge both sides of an issue. Seeing the "shut up" and "whiny entitled gamers" reactions continue to populate articles and Twitter feeds saddens me. I expect such behavior from the average message board poster who is upset over an issue, but not from people who are supposed to be looked upon as experts, professionals, or thought leaders.
That's what bothers me the most here. The theme has been constant over the past week, and this FTC complaint has only served to anger gaming press even more. Why? What's in it for them? Where does this hatred come from? One man's complaint—or one (allegedly small) group of vocal individuals—doesn't grant anyone the right to preside over an entire community, painting gross generalizations and haranguing anyone who reads his or her words. This approach just makes some people—especially in the opposing group—angry. It disappoints me, and I'm not even in either group. I'm saddened by the insults, the preaching, and the "holier than thou" stance that I've seen so much of. I won't even touch on the overuse of the "entitlement" term.
I don't think that outcry over Mass Effect 3's ending will change anything, and it probably shouldn't. BioWare has painted itself into a tight little corner, where there are consequences for every subsequent action. To me, the best course of action is for BioWare to take its medicine, acknowledge (or continue to acknowledge) public concern about the situation, and try to learn from the controversy. It's also a good sign that so many people are passionate and involved in this debate, even if some are taking it too far on both sides. It's evident how powerful the Mass Effect IP has been, and how many people consider it to be special. I believe that I saw a Twitter post recently putting Mass Effect in the same company as Seinfeld and The Sopranos, in terms of dubious endings. Both of those television series were critically acclaimed and continue to sport strong bases of fans long after their runs ended. It's telling to me that Mass Effect has drawn an even sharper division and reaction from its fans as to how the series ended.
It's a shame that the issue has devolved into the shouting match that it has. Perhaps a lesson can be learned once the smoke clears, and cooler heads can prevail. We can all agree and disagree—or agree to disagree—but I believe that we owe it to each other to at least hear out the opposing side of an argument and at least acknowledge that other side. Many of you will disagree with what I've been saying over the past week or so, and that's perfectly fine. If you've made it through reading this far and can at least acknowledge why I feel the way I do, that's all I can hope for.
Seeing the "shut up" and
And therein lies the problem; most of the gaming press consist of complete imbeciles. That may sound harsh, but the juvenile and superiority/elitist response of the majority of the gaming press has been, quite frankly, disgusting. Furthermore, it only evidences the obvious notion that most of the gaming media is either heavily biased or in publisher's pockets; dismissing clear flaws in a game as "entitlement" and "whining" is indication of publisher influence and/or misguided bias.
Of course, many journalists keep coming out and saying that back-hand deals are fiction, but the fact that they must continually defend their stupid, inaccurate reviews is making them appear less and less convincing.