Yeah, I really don't understand why Blizzard insists on being jerks. It's one thing to have the RMAH in the first place. It's another thing entirely to be jerks on the customer service side of it. They already make a gazillion dollars on it. There's maybe less than 10 horror stories involving it. Why not make good on them? It would cost a relative pittance in terms of dollars, but get a ton of good customer relations.
I agree, but with one Caveat - They should investigate first. If someone was genuinely doing something wrong, and they're one of the noisier complainants, there is no reason not to bring the hammer down on them. As much as it would be trivial for Blizzard to turn this into a PR victory, they don't get that by looking like pushovers.
However, people who weren't doing something wrong? Like I've said, Re-instate them, say sorry, and shower them with Tchotchkes. Compared to the amount that they're bringing in, even a few thousand dollars is a peppercorn payment in exchange for the goodwill it would garner them - and it's doubtful they'll be spending a few thousand.
Leigh Alexander does not like Cards Against Humanity. I can't really say that I disagree with her points. CAH is in fact a rude and pretty dumb game, and a lot of the fun is derived from simply being offensive. However, what she misses is that context matters. When you sit down to play CAH you know what you are in for and you assume a role inside the game. Sure there will be dumb people or if you sit down with people you don't really know who will attempt to assume things about your based on the game interaction, but that is overreaching.
I simply don't see how the game validates the obsession of channers etc. with being offensive and free speech. What these people don't understand is that they are not in the context of a game and that they are in fact interacting with real humans and their conduct isn't really something that is all that interesting or admirable.
Sometimes you want to eat great. Sometimes you just want to slouch onto your couch and eat pizza. The latter isn't great but there is room for it if one is careful and measured when doing it.
CAH is an awful experience with most people. Sure, with close friends, such jokes do have a broader context. But with acquaintances or strangers? I see too many people who really seem to be a little to invested in their cards and the jokes they're making...
CAH blew its load a long time ago, and I'm highly dubious of people who continue to play it with any regularity.
I simply don't see how the game validates the obsession of channers etc. with being offensive and free speech. What these people don't understand is that they are not in the context of a game and that they are in fact interacting with real humans and their conduct isn't really something that is all that interesting or admirable.
I do. It's the absolving of responsibility for transgressive behavior.
It wasn't you that said that racist thing, that's just the cards you had. You don't really believe that sexist thing that your play relies on to make it funny, it's just the cards, you're just trying to win the game, man. You have no responsibility, you're just along for the ride - and when all the points are tallied, and we've declared a winner, the cards go back in the box, and nobody thinks about all the horrible things you said. Because it wasn't you. It wasn't your thoughts or words, it was just how it played out with the cards you had. You had no choice, really.
Compare and contrast with typical excuses about how people just don't understand their "satire", or *chan culture, or how it's just that one guy who did something horrible and not the enormous howling mob encouraging him, or how they're not at fault for being super okay sharing a space with the shittiest people, because they value free speech, that means they're obligated to give johnny shitheap a platform to spew hateful nonsense. It always comes back to their behavior being someone or something else's fault.
I think I've said this before, but CAH has fallen into "unplayable" status for me. The people who most often want to play it are people who don't understand half the cards, don't get jokes, or can't even fucking read properly. Being stuck in these games make me wish I could play CAH with my only intelligent friends, BUT if I actually had that exact group together, CAH would quickly fall to the bottom of our list and we'd play a hardcor Euro.
Call me crass, but I honestly don't give a crap about the potential societal harm of the game. There are worse evils out there, even in the social realm, that we could focus our lasers on. Unfortunately, that still doesn't mean the game is fun.
If even one person is even a little dense, unworldly, or otherwise unbearable as a person, then the entire game is unbearable as you sit there once a round silently groaning as Captain Chucklefuck makes his incredibly lame and out-of-place joke because he's "just so random!"...
Last time I played Cards Against Humanity we always added a random card from the stack of cards to see if random chance could be just as funny as any of us.
Although random chance didn't win the game it did surprisingly well. We all felt a bit dumb and we probably were.
If even one person is even a little dense, unworldly, or otherwise unbearable as a person, then the entire game is unbearable as you sit there once a round silently groaning as Captain Chucklefuck makes his incredibly lame and out-of-place joke because he's "just so random!"...
There is no torture greater than the person who reads, at an incredibly slow pace, the entire question prior to reading every answer. Add in some mispronunciations, corrections, and stuttering.
When it is my turn to judge, I put a lot of work into making it an entertaining read, with proper comedic timing and such.
CAH is the gaming equivalent of forced familial interaction. "Sure Uncle Sven, tell me that same fucking joke you've told me for the last 15 straight fucking Thanksgivings."
There is no torture greater than the person who reads, at an incredibly slow pace, the entire question prior to reading every answer. Add in some mispronunciations, corrections, and stuttering.
When it is my turn to judge, I put a lot of work into making it an entertaining read, with proper comedic timing and such.
It's always your turn to judge. ;^)
(I'll bet the theoretical person you described above was among those we judged together at a certain AVGN showing...)
I'm a fan of Yamodo: Party Time. It's a bit like Balderdash-meets-Pictionary, but it's better than the sum of its parts. A gibberish word is revealed to everyone at the table. You then have 60 seconds or so to write a dictionary definition of that word, and then draw a small illustration of your definition.
The drawing pad has random scribbles on each page, so you have to work those into your drawing. There is also a second card, with a random English word on it, meant to serve as "inspiration" for you in coming up with your definition. Judges are encouraged to give favor to those who make great use of the scribbles or strong definition tie to the inspiration word.
The game quickly becomes a contest of "who can come up with the most outlandish shit in 60 seconds," but it only works if it's genuinely funny. The drawings, on the other hand, are almost always funny.
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However, people who weren't doing something wrong? Like I've said, Re-instate them, say sorry, and shower them with Tchotchkes. Compared to the amount that they're bringing in, even a few thousand dollars is a peppercorn payment in exchange for the goodwill it would garner them - and it's doubtful they'll be spending a few thousand.
I simply don't see how the game validates the obsession of channers etc. with being offensive and free speech. What these people don't understand is that they are not in the context of a game and that they are in fact interacting with real humans and their conduct isn't really something that is all that interesting or admirable.
Sometimes you want to eat great. Sometimes you just want to slouch onto your couch and eat pizza. The latter isn't great but there is room for it if one is careful and measured when doing it.
CAH blew its load a long time ago, and I'm highly dubious of people who continue to play it with any regularity.
It wasn't you that said that racist thing, that's just the cards you had. You don't really believe that sexist thing that your play relies on to make it funny, it's just the cards, you're just trying to win the game, man. You have no responsibility, you're just along for the ride - and when all the points are tallied, and we've declared a winner, the cards go back in the box, and nobody thinks about all the horrible things you said. Because it wasn't you. It wasn't your thoughts or words, it was just how it played out with the cards you had. You had no choice, really.
Compare and contrast with typical excuses about how people just don't understand their "satire", or *chan culture, or how it's just that one guy who did something horrible and not the enormous howling mob encouraging him, or how they're not at fault for being super okay sharing a space with the shittiest people, because they value free speech, that means they're obligated to give johnny shitheap a platform to spew hateful nonsense. It always comes back to their behavior being someone or something else's fault.
Call me crass, but I honestly don't give a crap about the potential societal harm of the game. There are worse evils out there, even in the social realm, that we could focus our lasers on. Unfortunately, that still doesn't mean the game is fun.
If even one person is even a little dense, unworldly, or otherwise unbearable as a person, then the entire game is unbearable as you sit there once a round silently groaning as Captain Chucklefuck makes his incredibly lame and out-of-place joke because he's "just so random!"...
Although random chance didn't win the game it did surprisingly well. We all felt a bit dumb and we probably were.
When it is my turn to judge, I put a lot of work into making it an entertaining read, with proper comedic timing and such.
(I'll bet the theoretical person you described above was among those we judged together at a certain AVGN showing...)
The drawing pad has random scribbles on each page, so you have to work those into your drawing. There is also a second card, with a random English word on it, meant to serve as "inspiration" for you in coming up with your definition. Judges are encouraged to give favor to those who make great use of the scribbles or strong definition tie to the inspiration word.
The game quickly becomes a contest of "who can come up with the most outlandish shit in 60 seconds," but it only works if it's genuinely funny. The drawings, on the other hand, are almost always funny.