@GrandHarrier said:

And gaming journalists continue to attack their listener base and belittle them for having opinions. Oh. I'm sorry that there happen to be "worse" companies in the world. How dare I express any opinions outside of condemning the worst of the worst. There are starving children in Africa, should I spend all of my free time doing charity work and donate every last disposable penny? Or am I allowed to be outraged at the continued abuse I receive, as a customer, from a company that only continues to get worse, more anti-consumer, and more flagrant in their disdain?

first world problems

Man EA isn't all that bad. I mean they have put out some really stand out games even though their business practice isn't always the best. Origin isn't all that bad and is inoffensive. And people have really blown Mass Effect 3 out of proportion. At least they have tried to put out new IPs along with modernizing older ones, and at the same time try to keep some current IPs fresh.

@Floppypants: And man, I'm going to believe you are joking, because being out of a home is waaay worse than losing out $60 and some hours of your time.

@Maelstrom said:

Congrats EA, this award is fully deserved.

But there are those who will mindlessly shrug this off by "the vocal minority haters" when in fact this was the vocal majority. Full stop.

What do you think of the representative sample? Was it a good cross section that would indicate it is a "vocal majority"?

Just showes how spoiled and stupid big portion of gamers are. Sadly.

A bunch of children and manchildren would think EA is worse than Bank of America. "WAAAH MY MASS EFFECT 3 ENDING." I mean seriously, Bank of America are borderline traitors to this country and a fucking video game publisher is the worst company in their minds? God dammit.

Are video games art or aren't they? Because EA undermines any effort the industry takes to make itself something more than just novelty entertainment. That's certainly worse than simply "anti-consumer" or "deplorable" marketing techniques. I'm not saying they necessarily deserved this award, but it seems like there's a little double-speak coming from the journalists who have lately acted more like EA apologists.

heh, I boycotted EA a couple of years ago. looks like I had good reason.

but still BoA has had GLOBAL effects, and has contributed to screwing up the world economy, and is part of the reason why prices are constantly rising over here along with job cuts. as much as I despise EA's soulless practices, BoA's head honchos should be all arrested and given life in prison.

Everyone always picks on the little guy...

@pw2566ch said:

please tell me what Gamestop does that isn't nice.

Since they haven't, I will. If you ask for a recent game, they will 'assume' you want the used, cheaper copy (which will sometimes be only $5 less, despite if it comes with an online pass or new copy-only DLC), taking money away from the developers. Also, they tend to not have shrink-wrapped copies of new games. I'm not going to buy a game labeled NEW when the package has been open. These are just a couple examples, and there's much, much more, but I've already typed enough.

While I agree EA is far below companies like Bank of America, GS, or even Microsoft, these slew of articles with this incredibly condescending attitude (IE pretty much EVERY article that even somewhat mentions ME3) really need to be knocked the fuck off. It's starting to read like Kotaku.

This is like when a child tells his/her parents that they hate them because they didn't buy them a toy they wanted.

There wouldn't be this much hatred toward them if gaming sites took EA's dick out of their mouth and called them out on stuff.

I now know what the Jews felt in the concentration camps after beating ME3. Watching the ending was like Hitler flying a 747 into the world trade centers of my mind.

@algertman said:

There wouldn't be this much hatred toward them if gaming sites took EA's dick out of their mouth and called them out on stuff.

But then how will all the fine people involved line their pockets with EAs gold?

@yinstarrunner said:

/v/ bombed this poll because it was funny. Nobody actually thinks that EA is worse than BofA.

Nah bro, it was Reddit. What are you talking about.

So the internet's a bunch of angry self-centered 12 year olds then. Great.

@GrandHarrier said:

And gaming journalists continue to attack their listener base and belittle them for having opinions. Oh. I'm sorry that there happen to be "worse" companies in the world. How dare I express any opinions outside of condemning the worst of the worst. There are starving children in Africa, should I spend all of my free time doing charity work and donate every last disposable penny? Or am I allowed to be outraged at the continued abuse I receive, as a customer, from a company that only continues to get worse, more anti-consumer, and more flagrant in their disdain?

If only you had the option of not buying their shit...

@Dallas_Raines said:

I now know what the Jews felt in the concentration camps after beating ME3. Watching the ending was like Hitler flying a

747 into the world trade centers of my mind.

@Dallas_Raines said:

I now know what the Jews felt in the concentration camps after beating ME3. Watching the ending was like Hitler flying a 747 into the world trade centers of my mind.

I certainly hope you are joking, because if you aren't, go fuck yourself.

Even if you are joking, poor taste.

@Andorski said:

If only you had the option of not buying their shit...

Oh stop asking people on the internet to be responsible. You know it will never happen. *Laughs*

@ThievingJacob said:

Nice that a website covering video games takes the line of "games don't matter" when mud is slung at one of the corporate giants of the industry. Everyone knows that banks are terrible and have a more significant detrimental effect on people's lives, but a greater evil doesn't cancel out at lesser one. Tailoring an entire article around downplaying the importance of EA's anti-consumer practices and that they have been the great innovator on that front lately with their online passes and day one dlc, just gives the impression of suckling at the corporate teat. The best thing this award can do is raise awareness of bad practices. Only an idiot would take an online poll as the authoritative voice on the worst company in America, most people aren't well informed enough to make that call. By dismissing legitimate qualms like this you are just sweeping it under the rug and giving EA the go ahead to continue.

Actually a greater evil does cancel out a lesser one when it's a part of a poll of which is the greater evil…

All this hate for EA will dissipate when people remember Kotick exists.

http://www.cinemablend.com/games/EA-Viral-Marketing-Exposed-Big-Buyout-Horizon-40885.html

With this out there it doesn't surprise me, but yeah their list of evil things are the better half of the evil decisions they make.

I don't think anyone's disputing BoA's status as Platinum Poo.

@GrimFandango9 said:

All this hate for EA will dissipate when people remember Kotick exists.

Not sure if gasbag CEO = Company dedicated to ripping off consumers. The reaction to EA may be overblown, but the reaction people have to Activision is outright irrational.

@Root_of_All_Evil said:

http://www.cinemablend.com/games/EA-Viral-Marketing-Exposed-Big-Buyout-Horizon-40885.html

With this out there it doesn't surprise me, but yeah their list of evil things are the better half of the evil decisions they make.

WoW, and I thought GameSpot was bad for sourcing Kotaku....

EA isn't at fault so much as it's consumers are fucking idiots.

and reading comments about this, I couldn't be more right.

EA: Worse than foreclosing your house without your knowhow and destroying your life forever, as well as the lives of millions of people around the world.

This just reeks of nerd entitlement. EA is pits and falls under a lot of much worse companies, but because they tripped up on one lowly game nerds are outraged and flock in kind. Although a lot of them live with their parents so I guess the threat of losing housing is minimal at best.

@algertman said:

There wouldn't be this much hatred toward them if gaming sites took EA's dick out of their mouth and called them out on stuff.

I think you mixed some opposite metaphors there man. Gaming sites having EA's dick in their mouth would imply having good will, not bad, thus not calling them on anything.

I just remembered their love of online passes and all the stupid account shit they've done over the years, I guess I don't mind this decision after all. Perhaps they'll try harder to make people happy.

@Grilledcheez said:

I just remembered their love of online passes and all the stupid account shit they've done over the years, I guess I don't mind this decision after all. Perhaps they'll try harder to make people happy.

Doubtful, especially with every gaming "journalist" tripping over themselves to defend EA and condemn unhappy consumers.

EDIT: Again, not saying the poll is legit.

@MattyFTM said:

And yet everyone still buys their games. What use is it voting in a poll to say they're the worst company in America if you still run out and throw money at them everytime they bring out a new game?

I don't give my business to companies I dislike and would do the same to EA if I had any major issues with them. I personally don't have any major problems with EA though.

It'd be okay if nobody cared about their games, but they release good games in bad ways. I think people who don't consume their products have less of a case against them. They argument I'm trying to articulate is "I want to play these games, but I don't want to play these games with all the bad EA stuff around them, but that's the only choice I have, so when I do play the games I have bad feelings towards EA." Basically, the good outnumbers the bad, but you have to get through all the bad to get to the good.

I understand the boycott thing all too well, but in this instance I want more of a guarantee that my part will make an impact before I start missing all of these experiences the games offer. If a boycott looks promisingly big, I'll join in.

No rage beats internet rage...especially when on the internet. Lets face it EA won because there are a lot of youngin's out there who think they got screwed if they have to pay an extra ten bucks for a game, or a completely cosmetic costume for a character. People who actually got screwed by BoA, probably don't have a house in which to put a computer to whine on the internet with.

No they didn't deserve it, but as many other people stated, the other contenders have been there for a long time, while EA's extreme assholery is more recent. I think the award, while losing some of its credibility, will have more impact on the winner this way.

Well, Alex, I'm sure online passes, on-disc paid DLC, retailer-exclusive pre-order incentives, expiring in-box codes, and the shutting down of servers for games that people still play, even ones that are sometimes less than a year old, all contributed to it. I just heard they are shutting down the servers for The Saboteur. That's right, a singleplayer game. Rendering any DLC you've paid to play in your SINGLEPLAYER game, useless. That is a scary thought to me going into the future, and something I like to see EA held accountable for.

Sorry if I find it difficult to muster up any sympathy for them or pump my fist in triumph at their "Oh snap" comment they made basically spitting at consumers in their faces for feeling this way about the way they've treated customers.

EA: Worse than Blackwater.

EA's only a dick if you give them an opening in your ass hole, and by fucking God that gap is huge.

Stop buying bad shit so they don't sell bad shit to you. End of story.

Really? EA is worse than At&t's near monoply on telecommunications, Gamestop's anti-publisher used game sales, and Bank of America's LIFE RUINING credit shenanigans?

Good call, internet. Good call.

Big News: Popular Opinion seldom reflects reality.

EA deserves all the negative PR it can get, even if it clearly isn't the worst company on that list. EA is more in-tune with people who use the internet, so it getting this award is more damaging than Bank of America, or whatnot.

Meh, i hate other companies way more

I feel torn now. Things like EA shutting down servers is bad, and people have a right to be angry... but I feel like some irrational, butt-hurt gamers kind of deserve it. I want EA to do more terrible evil acts every day until heads just start exploding.

That is what the internet does to people.

I'm glad you took EAs cock out of your mouth and hands long enough to write this review.

@mrfunnyguy79 said:

I'm glad you took EAs cock out of your mouth and hands long enough to write this review.

Review of what exactly? Do you read the "review"?

ALEX N:

"Look, I'll be the first to admit that many of EA's business practices are fairly anti-consumer and occasionally even straight-up deplorable, but looking down the list of offenses the Consumerist post lists as justification for why it totally makes sense that EA had won--shipping games that required major patching later on, nickel-and-diming players with held back content as DLC, and acquiring independent developers and their innovative products in lieu of innovating with their own products--these could be lobbed at practically any major publisher in the video game industry."

Seems pretty even handed and rational to me. But I guess that has no place on the internet.

@Splodge said:

@mrfunnyguy79 said:

I'm glad you took EAs cock out of your mouth and hands long enough to write this review.

Review of what exactly? Do you read the "review"?

ALEX N:

"Look, I'll be the first to admit that many of EA's business practices are fairly anti-consumer and occasionally even straight-up deplorable, but looking down the list of offenses the Consumerist post lists as justification for why it totally makes sense that EA had won--shipping games that required major patching later on, nickel-and-diming players with held back content as DLC, and acquiring independent developers and their innovative products in lieu of innovating with their own products--these could be lobbed at practically any major publisher in the video game industry."

Seems pretty even handed and rational to me. But I guess that has no place on the internet.

It's a troll account.

Man gamers can be so dumb sometimes... So dumb...

If gamers hate something there's a shit ton of channels on the web for them to find like minded people and let it be know vs almost everything else. I have a feeling that someone saw this and spread it around on gaming related sites, if that's the case then of course EA would win.

I'm not the biggest fan of EA myself but I've asked some people why they hate EA and got the answer "because fuck them" multiple times. They're getting to the point that people just hate them now without knowing the history of their bullshit. I can see certain game company's trying to re brand themselves in the future if people start actually boycotting products on top of showing their displeasure, it's getting that bad.

Box Juices know all your secrets, they're always watching....

@Enigma777 said:

Man gamers can be so dumb sometimes... So dumb...

This.

@darkdragonmage99 said:

@Allison: That's is why I hate the short memory and attention span of the internet It's not just one game it's over 10 years of systematically buying up developers and destroying them it's 5 years of taking it's consumer base for every dim it can without really providing any value. they treat their employees like dirt they treat their consumers with contempt and they treat their developers like disposable garbage.

EA is not the worst offender in any category though, and I think they have tried to do more new things and support independent developers more than other publishers have. I don't think they are great, they still have their issues, but there are worse publishers. And this is the worst of ALL COMPANIES in America. People's homes are more important than them shutting down old servers, sorry that's the truth.

polls like this is why we need a total perspective vortex

I really don't see the point in this poll, like WHY the fuck do we make an issue about it when NO ONE cares? I mean including the nominated companies, just look at EA's response, they don't fucking care, because no matter how terrible they are, there are still customers who will buy their shit....not the games (They do have good games I admit) but shipping out buggy games, first-day DLCs and stuff....and the companies know this. So it won't matter even millions of people throw shit at their front door, they will just keep up with their evil scheme, because they know there are people will stand at the front door and clean it up.