Originally posted by efefia

Originally posted by ArcAngel3

Originally posted by efefia

Originally posted by Abrahmm

Originally posted by Wizardry

I don't see it woudl affect anything at all,as to why it would be mentioned at all?I for one am fully capable of thinking for myself,no matter what anyone else says ,it will not influence my purchses or my  subscriptions.

There  is a 50/50 flip tothis anyhow,it is just as possible someone really does endorse something with an honest approach as it is likely they do not.Someone feeding bull ,just for the purpose of getting merchandise? well look no further than games feeding the entire public bull with their scripted movies that have zero bearing on their game.

Every single PR statement of a game tells the players exactly what they want to hear,it is always BS.Every single fanbois of a game claims that game is 100% perfect,they will argue any and every flaw with their game,it is a bunch of BS going on everywhere,so to point out one other area of possible lies,is just sideswiping the real facts.

As far as i am concerned if anyone can get something for giving a game a little hype go for it,like i said it won't mean squat to me anyhow.

 

His issue wasn't the fact that they were getting stuff, it's that they were mis-representing who they were or what their affiliations were with said company, which he points out is actually illegal.

Frankly, I think most of us knew Badger wasn't pushing the viral marketing and straight out lying just because he liked the game.

So you think he's on an internet crusade to show the game in a favourable light... because he was given some t-shirts?
 

Is that what you guys are saying?... I mean really?

Because if that's the case then I think some of you folks are every bit as deluded as Badger is when he says shit like the servers are as populated as they were pre-cu etc.

He likes the game, he'd like other people to like the game too... ya know, it is an mmo and while we might not all agree with his love of the state of the current game, he's only doing what many of us did (ie: promote the game) before SOE fucked it up.

 

No, that's not what I happen to think at all.  I simply think that if anyone receives perks from a company whose products they are endorsing, they should be open about those perks and not describe themselves as the "voice of the average SWG player who is enjoying the game today."  That's a direct quote from Badger btw, in the same discussion where he says,  "I am usually able to get someone on the SoE Community Team to send me a box of goodies over, T-Shirts, stickers, pens etc."

Promote all you want, heck get free stuff from companies while you're at it; AND simply be open and honest with everyone about this, and do not misrepresent yourself as something you are not.

Again, if any average player can contact SOE and get a box of free stuff to share with friends at their own SWG party, I'll stand corrected.  I'll happily acknowledge that this is what the average player gets from SOE.  I'll admit I was wrong.  As I've said, however, I highly doubt that this is the case.  If what Badger says is true though, a lot of people stand to benefit from this information.  Free t-shirts folks (and pens, stickers etc.), just contact the SOE community team and get the goods for your annual party.

 

He said when he made the thread organising the "SWG get together" that he was hoping to get some freebies from SOE, not sure how more "open" he can be about it?

 

And to clarify, If he makes ludicrous claims about the game I'll be the first one to rip him a new one with some well placed arguments to counter his point but honestly, this whole thing is pretty fucking laughable, you've got a desperate attempt here to try and discredit him, which is pathetic when two of the people involved had ongoing subscriptions throughout the NGE, one of them received an all expenses paid trip to Vegas courtesy of SOE and did a complete U-turn and started blowing smoke up their arse.

Badger is a fanboi, an extreme case maybe, think Obraik on acid lol... but a harmless fanboi all the same, quite why some people feel so threatened by his presence frankly amazes me, particularly when his overly positive arguments for the game can be so easily countered.

And when did I start to blow smoke of someone's arse? How could that be the case when just a few weeks after my trip, DeadMeat actually flamed me publicly for being overly negative and critical about the C6CD?

Sorry, once again the facts prove you wrong.

Plus, what is wrong with paying customers complaining about changes they do not like to a product that they pay for?

You arguments are completely irrational and bear no relation to the actual facts.

Originally posted by efefia

Originally posted by ArcAngel3

Originally posted by efefia

Originally posted by Abrahmm

Originally posted by Wizardry

I don't see it woudl affect anything at all,as to why it would be mentioned at all?I for one am fully capable of thinking for myself,no matter what anyone else says ,it will not influence my purchses or my  subscriptions.

There  is a 50/50 flip tothis anyhow,it is just as possible someone really does endorse something with an honest approach as it is likely they do not.Someone feeding bull ,just for the purpose of getting merchandise? well look no further than games feeding the entire public bull with their scripted movies that have zero bearing on their game.

Every single PR statement of a game tells the players exactly what they want to hear,it is always BS.Every single fanbois of a game claims that game is 100% perfect,they will argue any and every flaw with their game,it is a bunch of BS going on everywhere,so to point out one other area of possible lies,is just sideswiping the real facts.

As far as i am concerned if anyone can get something for giving a game a little hype go for it,like i said it won't mean squat to me anyhow.

 

His issue wasn't the fact that they were getting stuff, it's that they were mis-representing who they were or what their affiliations were with said company, which he points out is actually illegal.

Frankly, I think most of us knew Badger wasn't pushing the viral marketing and straight out lying just because he liked the game.

So you think he's on an internet crusade to show the game in a favourable light... because he was given some t-shirts?
 

Is that what you guys are saying?... I mean really?

Because if that's the case then I think some of you folks are every bit as deluded as Badger is when he says shit like the servers are as populated as they were pre-cu etc.

He likes the game, he'd like other people to like the game too... ya know, it is an mmo and while we might not all agree with his love of the state of the current game, he's only doing what many of us did (ie: promote the game) before SOE fucked it up.

 

No, that's not what I happen to think at all.  I simply think that if anyone receives perks from a company whose products they are endorsing, they should be open about those perks and not describe themselves as the "voice of the average SWG player who is enjoying the game today."  That's a direct quote from Badger btw, in the same discussion where he says,  "I am usually able to get someone on the SoE Community Team to send me a box of goodies over, T-Shirts, stickers, pens etc."

Promote all you want, heck get free stuff from companies while you're at it; AND simply be open and honest with everyone about this, and do not misrepresent yourself as something you are not.

Again, if any average player can contact SOE and get a box of free stuff to share with friends at their own SWG party, I'll stand corrected.  I'll happily acknowledge that this is what the average player gets from SOE.  I'll admit I was wrong.  As I've said, however, I highly doubt that this is the case.  If what Badger says is true though, a lot of people stand to benefit from this information.  Free t-shirts folks (and pens, stickers etc.), just contact the SOE community team and get the goods for your annual party.

 

He said when he made the thread organising the "SWG get together" that he was hoping to get some freebies from SOE, not sure how more "open" he can be about it?

 

And to clarify, If he makes ludicrous claims about the game I'll be the first one to rip him a new one with some well placed arguments to counter his point but honestly, this whole thing is pretty fucking laughable, you've got a desperate attempt here to try and discredit him, which is pathetic when two of the people involved had ongoing subscriptions throughout the NGE, one of them received an all expenses paid trip to Vegas courtesy of SOE and did a complete U-turn and started blowing smoke up their arse.

Badger is a fanboi, an extreme case maybe, think Obraik on acid lol... but a harmless fanboi all the same, quite why some people feel so threatened by his presence frankly amazes me, particularly when his overly positive arguments for the game can be so easily countered.

My point is simply that Badger describes himself as "the voice of the average SWG player who is enjoying the game today."  He did this recently in a public conversation with me, and he has consistently presented himself in this manner.

Can the average player contact SOE and have them send him (or her) a box of free merchandise to hold their own SWG party?  If not, then Badger (and anyone else receiving such perks) should not refer to himself as "the voice of the average player."

This, in my view, is where the misrepresentation of self takes place; and I've asked people to be good enough to correct it.

You mean I coulda been getting free swag to annoy SWG vets all these years?

Originally posted by Torak

You mean I coulda been getting free swag to annoy SWG vets all these years?

 

 

Lol apparently.  Man that's funny, thanks for the chuckle.

Originally posted by ArcAngel3

Originally posted by efefia

Originally posted by ArcAngel3

Originally posted by efefia

Originally posted by Abrahmm

Originally posted by Wizardry

I don't see it woudl affect anything at all,as to why it would be mentioned at all?I for one am fully capable of thinking for myself,no matter what anyone else says ,it will not influence my purchses or my  subscriptions.

There  is a 50/50 flip tothis anyhow,it is just as possible someone really does endorse something with an honest approach as it is likely they do not.Someone feeding bull ,just for the purpose of getting merchandise? well look no further than games feeding the entire public bull with their scripted movies that have zero bearing on their game.

Every single PR statement of a game tells the players exactly what they want to hear,it is always BS.Every single fanbois of a game claims that game is 100% perfect,they will argue any and every flaw with their game,it is a bunch of BS going on everywhere,so to point out one other area of possible lies,is just sideswiping the real facts.

As far as i am concerned if anyone can get something for giving a game a little hype go for it,like i said it won't mean squat to me anyhow.

 

His issue wasn't the fact that they were getting stuff, it's that they were mis-representing who they were or what their affiliations were with said company, which he points out is actually illegal.

Frankly, I think most of us knew Badger wasn't pushing the viral marketing and straight out lying just because he liked the game.

So you think he's on an internet crusade to show the game in a favourable light... because he was given some t-shirts?
 

Is that what you guys are saying?... I mean really?

Because if that's the case then I think some of you folks are every bit as deluded as Badger is when he says shit like the servers are as populated as they were pre-cu etc.

He likes the game, he'd like other people to like the game too... ya know, it is an mmo and while we might not all agree with his love of the state of the current game, he's only doing what many of us did (ie: promote the game) before SOE fucked it up.

 

No, that's not what I happen to think at all.  I simply think that if anyone receives perks from a company whose products they are endorsing, they should be open about those perks and not describe themselves as the "voice of the average SWG player who is enjoying the game today."  That's a direct quote from Badger btw, in the same discussion where he says,  "I am usually able to get someone on the SoE Community Team to send me a box of goodies over, T-Shirts, stickers, pens etc."

Promote all you want, heck get free stuff from companies while you're at it; AND simply be open and honest with everyone about this, and do not misrepresent yourself as something you are not.

Again, if any average player can contact SOE and get a box of free stuff to share with friends at their own SWG party, I'll stand corrected.  I'll happily acknowledge that this is what the average player gets from SOE.  I'll admit I was wrong.  As I've said, however, I highly doubt that this is the case.  If what Badger says is true though, a lot of people stand to benefit from this information.  Free t-shirts folks (and pens, stickers etc.), just contact the SOE community team and get the goods for your annual party.

 

He said when he made the thread organising the "SWG get together" that he was hoping to get some freebies from SOE, not sure how more "open" he can be about it?

 

And to clarify, If he makes ludicrous claims about the game I'll be the first one to rip him a new one with some well placed arguments to counter his point but honestly, this whole thing is pretty fucking laughable, you've got a desperate attempt here to try and discredit him, which is pathetic when two of the people involved had ongoing subscriptions throughout the NGE, one of them received an all expenses paid trip to Vegas courtesy of SOE and did a complete U-turn and started blowing smoke up their arse.

Badger is a fanboi, an extreme case maybe, think Obraik on acid lol... but a harmless fanboi all the same, quite why some people feel so threatened by his presence frankly amazes me, particularly when his overly positive arguments for the game can be so easily countered.

 

My point is simply that Badger describes himself as "the voice of the average SWG player who is enjoying the game today."  He did this recently in a public conversation with me, and he has consistently presented himself in this manner.

Can the average player contact SOE and have them send him (or her) a box of free merchandise to hold their own SWG party?  If not, then Badger (and anyone else receiving such perks) should not refer to himself as "the voice of the average player."

This, in my view, is where the misrepresentation of self takes place; and I've asked people to be good enough to correct it.

 

Well lets look at what he did and some of the facts,

1) He posted on the official forums (followed by a posting here) to see if there was any interest in a piss up for SWG players in London

2) He said he would try and obtain some freebies from SOE

3) He arranged the event in a pub in London, in the same manner that hundreds of thousands of people arrange nights out 7 days a week

4) SOE sent said freebies which were distributed at the SWG players piss up

At this point it's worth noting that SOE have NO European presence, their UK office closed years ago so any social gatherings for players of any SOE game in Europe have to be arranged by the players. Doesn't it make sense for SOE to support and encourage that?

You're pissing in the wind Arc, he's done nothing wrong. If you and your compadres wanted to have some fun with this SWG "event" there's a far better and more amusing point you could have targeted ;)

Originally posted by efefia

Originally posted by ArcAngel3

Originally posted by efefia

Originally posted by ArcAngel3

Originally posted by efefia

Originally posted by Abrahmm

Originally posted by Wizardry

I don't see it woudl affect anything at all,as to why it would be mentioned at all?I for one am fully capable of thinking for myself,no matter what anyone else says ,it will not influence my purchses or my  subscriptions.

There  is a 50/50 flip tothis anyhow,it is just as possible someone really does endorse something with an honest approach as it is likely they do not.Someone feeding bull ,just for the purpose of getting merchandise? well look no further than games feeding the entire public bull with their scripted movies that have zero bearing on their game.

Every single PR statement of a game tells the players exactly what they want to hear,it is always BS.Every single fanbois of a game claims that game is 100% perfect,they will argue any and every flaw with their game,it is a bunch of BS going on everywhere,so to point out one other area of possible lies,is just sideswiping the real facts.

As far as i am concerned if anyone can get something for giving a game a little hype go for it,like i said it won't mean squat to me anyhow.

 

His issue wasn't the fact that they were getting stuff, it's that they were mis-representing who they were or what their affiliations were with said company, which he points out is actually illegal.

Frankly, I think most of us knew Badger wasn't pushing the viral marketing and straight out lying just because he liked the game.

So you think he's on an internet crusade to show the game in a favourable light... because he was given some t-shirts?
 

Is that what you guys are saying?... I mean really?

Because if that's the case then I think some of you folks are every bit as deluded as Badger is when he says shit like the servers are as populated as they were pre-cu etc.

He likes the game, he'd like other people to like the game too... ya know, it is an mmo and while we might not all agree with his love of the state of the current game, he's only doing what many of us did (ie: promote the game) before SOE fucked it up.

 

No, that's not what I happen to think at all.  I simply think that if anyone receives perks from a company whose products they are endorsing, they should be open about those perks and not describe themselves as the "voice of the average SWG player who is enjoying the game today."  That's a direct quote from Badger btw, in the same discussion where he says,  "I am usually able to get someone on the SoE Community Team to send me a box of goodies over, T-Shirts, stickers, pens etc."

Promote all you want, heck get free stuff from companies while you're at it; AND simply be open and honest with everyone about this, and do not misrepresent yourself as something you are not.

Again, if any average player can contact SOE and get a box of free stuff to share with friends at their own SWG party, I'll stand corrected.  I'll happily acknowledge that this is what the average player gets from SOE.  I'll admit I was wrong.  As I've said, however, I highly doubt that this is the case.  If what Badger says is true though, a lot of people stand to benefit from this information.  Free t-shirts folks (and pens, stickers etc.), just contact the SOE community team and get the goods for your annual party.

 

He said when he made the thread organising the "SWG get together" that he was hoping to get some freebies from SOE, not sure how more "open" he can be about it?

 

And to clarify, If he makes ludicrous claims about the game I'll be the first one to rip him a new one with some well placed arguments to counter his point but honestly, this whole thing is pretty fucking laughable, you've got a desperate attempt here to try and discredit him, which is pathetic when two of the people involved had ongoing subscriptions throughout the NGE, one of them received an all expenses paid trip to Vegas courtesy of SOE and did a complete U-turn and started blowing smoke up their arse.

Badger is a fanboi, an extreme case maybe, think Obraik on acid lol... but a harmless fanboi all the same, quite why some people feel so threatened by his presence frankly amazes me, particularly when his overly positive arguments for the game can be so easily countered.

 

My point is simply that Badger describes himself as "the voice of the average SWG player who is enjoying the game today."  He did this recently in a public conversation with me, and he has consistently presented himself in this manner.

Can the average player contact SOE and have them send him (or her) a box of free merchandise to hold their own SWG party?  If not, then Badger (and anyone else receiving such perks) should not refer to himself as "the voice of the average player."

This, in my view, is where the misrepresentation of self takes place; and I've asked people to be good enough to correct it.

 

 

Well lets look at what he did and some of the facts,

1) He posted on the official forums (followed by a posting here) to see if there was any interest in a piss up for SWG players in London

2) He said he would try and obtain some freebies from SOE

3) He arranged the event in a pub in London, in the same manner that hundreds of thousands of people arrange nights out 7 days a week

4) SOE sent said freebies which were distributed at the SWG players piss up

At this point it's worth noting that SOE have NO European presence, their UK office closed years ago so any social gatherings for players of any SOE game in Europe have to be arranged by the players. Doesn't it make sense for SOE to support and encourage that?

 

You're pissing in the wind Arc, he's done nothing wrong. If you and your compadres wanted to have some fun with this SWG "event" there's a far better and more amusing point you could have targeted ;)

Well, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree, though I'm still not sure you're hearing what I'm actually saying.  I have nothing against the guy for having an SWG party, or for getting freebies.  Both are great.  I also  liked his bug reports back in the day.

When he presents himself as the voice of the average SWG player today, I think he's misrepresenting himself.  That's it.  Do you really think any player can contact SOE and get a box of free goodies to host a party?

Originally posted by ArcAngel3

When he presents himself as the voice of the average SWG player today, I think he's misrepresenting himself. 

I like to think of myself as slightly above average, sometimes I think I am awesome but usually a friend will be able to put me back in my place.

Originally posted by ArcAngel3

Originally posted by efefia

Originally posted by ArcAngel3

Originally posted by efefia

Originally posted by Abrahmm

Originally posted by Wizardry

I don't see it woudl affect anything at all,as to why it would be mentioned at all?I for one am fully capable of thinking for myself,no matter what anyone else says ,it will not influence my purchses or my  subscriptions.

There  is a 50/50 flip tothis anyhow,it is just as possible someone really does endorse something with an honest approach as it is likely they do not.Someone feeding bull ,just for the purpose of getting merchandise? well look no further than games feeding the entire public bull with their scripted movies that have zero bearing on their game.

Every single PR statement of a game tells the players exactly what they want to hear,it is always BS.Every single fanbois of a game claims that game is 100% perfect,they will argue any and every flaw with their game,it is a bunch of BS going on everywhere,so to point out one other area of possible lies,is just sideswiping the real facts.

As far as i am concerned if anyone can get something for giving a game a little hype go for it,like i said it won't mean squat to me anyhow.

 

His issue wasn't the fact that they were getting stuff, it's that they were mis-representing who they were or what their affiliations were with said company, which he points out is actually illegal.

Frankly, I think most of us knew Badger wasn't pushing the viral marketing and straight out lying just because he liked the game.

So you think he's on an internet crusade to show the game in a favourable light... because he was given some t-shirts?
 

Is that what you guys are saying?... I mean really?

Because if that's the case then I think some of you folks are every bit as deluded as Badger is when he says shit like the servers are as populated as they were pre-cu etc.

He likes the game, he'd like other people to like the game too... ya know, it is an mmo and while we might not all agree with his love of the state of the current game, he's only doing what many of us did (ie: promote the game) before SOE fucked it up.

 

No, that's not what I happen to think at all.  I simply think that if anyone receives perks from a company whose products they are endorsing, they should be open about those perks and not describe themselves as the "voice of the average SWG player who is enjoying the game today."  That's a direct quote from Badger btw, in the same discussion where he says,  "I am usually able to get someone on the SoE Community Team to send me a box of goodies over, T-Shirts, stickers, pens etc."

Promote all you want, heck get free stuff from companies while you're at it; AND simply be open and honest with everyone about this, and do not misrepresent yourself as something you are not.

Again, if any average player can contact SOE and get a box of free stuff to share with friends at their own SWG party, I'll stand corrected.  I'll happily acknowledge that this is what the average player gets from SOE.  I'll admit I was wrong.  As I've said, however, I highly doubt that this is the case.  If what Badger says is true though, a lot of people stand to benefit from this information.  Free t-shirts folks (and pens, stickers etc.), just contact the SOE community team and get the goods for your annual party.

 

He said when he made the thread organising the "SWG get together" that he was hoping to get some freebies from SOE, not sure how more "open" he can be about it?

 

And to clarify, If he makes ludicrous claims about the game I'll be the first one to rip him a new one with some well placed arguments to counter his point but honestly, this whole thing is pretty fucking laughable, you've got a desperate attempt here to try and discredit him, which is pathetic when two of the people involved had ongoing subscriptions throughout the NGE, one of them received an all expenses paid trip to Vegas courtesy of SOE and did a complete U-turn and started blowing smoke up their arse.

Badger is a fanboi, an extreme case maybe, think Obraik on acid lol... but a harmless fanboi all the same, quite why some people feel so threatened by his presence frankly amazes me, particularly when his overly positive arguments for the game can be so easily countered.

 

My point is simply that Badger describes himself as "the voice of the average SWG player who is enjoying the game today."  He did this recently in a public conversation with me, and he has consistently presented himself in this manner.

Can the average player contact SOE and have them send him (or her) a box of free merchandise to hold their own SWG party?  If not, then Badger (and anyone else receiving such perks) should not refer to himself as "the voice of the average player."

This, in my view, is where the misrepresentation of self takes place; and I've asked people to be good enough to correct it.

 

I wonder if SOE is going to pay for whatever theoretical therepy that person needs when SWg finally karks it.

Originally posted by BadgerSmaker

Originally posted by ArcAngel3

When he presents himself as the voice of the average SWG player today, I think he's misrepresenting himself. 

 

I like to think of myself as slightly above average, sometimes I think I am awesome but usually a friend will be able to put me back in my place.

Well played. 

The funny thing is no one is on a crusade to call out shills from opposing companies who come into forums to derail the competition.

So in the end, what is the forum psyche? Fanbois are paid off by the game they love, but no one seems to suspect haters as being paid off by the competition to the 'hated' game.

So many glass half empty people. Taking hate at face value and taking love with skepticism. Sad state of reality.

Originally posted by Zorgo

The funny thing is no one is on a crusade to call out shills from opposing companies who come into forums to derail the competition.

So in the end, what is the forum psyche? Fanbois are paid off by the game they love, but no one seems to suspect haters as being paid off by the competition to the 'hated' game.

So many glass half empty people. Taking hate at face value and taking love with skepticism. Sad state of reality.

 

That's not entirely true.

I was once accused of working for the competition, but that doesn't make much sense to me as nobody does as much harm as SoE does to themselves. Who would hire someone to sabatage SoE when they seem so capable of doing it to themselves?

Originally posted by Suvroc

Originally posted by Zorgo

The funny thing is no one is on a crusade to call out shills from opposing companies who come into forums to derail the competition.

So in the end, what is the forum psyche? Fanbois are paid off by the game they love, but no one seems to suspect haters as being paid off by the competition to the 'hated' game.

So many glass half empty people. Taking hate at face value and taking love with skepticism. Sad state of reality.

 

 

That's not entirely true.

I was once accused of working for the competition, but that doesn't make much sense to me as nobody does as much harm as SoE does to themselves. Who would hire someone to sabatage SoE when they seem so capable of doing it to themselves?

Just in general.....not SOE specific.I agree that SOE seems to intentionally piss off their own base.

Originally posted by Zorgo

Originally posted by Suvroc

Originally posted by Zorgo

The funny thing is no one is on a crusade to call out shills from opposing companies who come into forums to derail the competition.

So in the end, what is the forum psyche? Fanbois are paid off by the game they love, but no one seems to suspect haters as being paid off by the competition to the 'hated' game.

So many glass half empty people. Taking hate at face value and taking love with skepticism. Sad state of reality.

 

 

That's not entirely true.

I was once accused of working for the competition, but that doesn't make much sense to me as nobody does as much harm as SoE does to themselves. Who would hire someone to sabatage SoE when they seem so capable of doing it to themselves?

 

Just in general.....not SOE specific.I agree that SOE seems to intentionally piss off their own base.

You make a good point, and in some cases I've seen the same posters rally behind each and every game one company makes, while at the same time posting on other forums running down the competition.
 

I've often wondered what motivates people to do that.  I'm sure part of it is simply that they love their online happy place and want it to prosper.  I've also wondered, however, whether or not MMO companies would give rewards or perks to those who post so vigorously in their favour.   I now believe I've had at least that question answered.

Tbh, for me this simply served to further undermine the credibility of those who claim to be no more than the average player, but post as if they're trying to sell me something. 

Originally posted by Daffid011

Originally posted by BadgerSmaker

Originally posted by ArcAngel3

When he presents himself as the voice of the average SWG player today, I think he's misrepresenting himself. 

 

I like to think of myself as slightly above average, sometimes I think I am awesome but usually a friend will be able to put me back in my place.

 

Well played. 

Lol, indeed.  I still wish he'd just say, "SOE sends me boxes of free stuff" in his sig; especially on forums where he does promotional work for them.  I also wish he'd stop referring to himself as the voice of the average player.  I sincerely believe this is misleading.  The average player doesn't do nearly as much promotional work on so many different forums; and the average player doesn't get boxes of free swag sent to him (or her) to host parties, imo.

Like I said though, I think anyone receiving perks from companies should be open and honest about this if they are going to endorse their goods or services.  I don't think this is an isolated case.  It simply made me aware of an issue I wanted to comment on.

I think at this point I'd like to frame the debate as a question that anyone can weigh in on.  First, I'll provide the relevant information from the FTC standards as they relate to viral marketting.  Here they are:

Viral marketing is impacted by the Endorsement Guides in any situation where a person has been used to promote the advertiser's message in a manner that suggests that such person endorses or otherwise uses the advertiser's products. Any connections between the endorser and the advertiser that might materially affect the weight or credibility of the endorsement (i.e., the connection is not reasonably expected by the audience) must be fully disclosed. When the endorser is neither represented in the advertisement as an expert nor is known to a significant portion of the viewing public, then the advertiser should clearly and conspicuously disclose any payment or promise of compensation.

Similarly, in the U.K., any "affiliations, connections, assets, awards or distinctions" that the person doing the promoting enjoys via his relationship with the company being promoted must be fully disclosed.

In light of this, if someone is endorsing a product or service (in this case an MMO), and they are receiving boxes of free mechandise from the company they are promoting, should he or she clearly and conspicuously disclose this?

In my opinion, yes: receiving free mechandise from the company being promoted should be clearly and conspicuously disclosed, any time the product is endorsed.  Endorsing the product, failing to disclose this, and identifying oneself as nothing more than the average player enjoying the game seems to violate this principal.

 I would say to the OP: it's no one's business what gamers receive or do not receive from ANY company, for whatever reason.

 If you think that they are getting free junk, go sign up and get some. Otherwise, this is not a government run building, and no one has to say anything about any company. I, myself have been called a paid shill many times. The funniest part? I don't care if people think that, as if I or any other blogger, podcaster or fan needs to answer to anyone but themselves.

 Beau

Originally posted by ArcAngel3

Originally posted by Daffid011

Originally posted by BadgerSmaker

Originally posted by ArcAngel3

When he presents himself as the voice of the average SWG player today, I think he's misrepresenting himself. 

 

I like to think of myself as slightly above average, sometimes I think I am awesome but usually a friend will be able to put me back in my place.

 

Well played. 

Lol, indeed.  I still wish he'd just say, "SOE sends me boxes of free stuff" in his sig; especially on forums where he does promotional work for them.  I also wish he'd stop referring to himself as the voice of the average player.  I sincerely believe this is misleading.  The average player doesn't do nearly as much promotional work on so many different forums; and the average player doesn't get boxes of free swag sent to him (or her) to host parties, imo.

Like I said though, I think anyone receiving perks from companies should be open and honest about this if they are going to endorse their goods or services.  I don't think this is an isolated case.  It simply made me aware of an issue I wanted to comment on.

I agree. It the exact same as with the television commercials for various products. They most often carry a disclaimer that the celebrity in the commercial is being paid for the endorsement. Course, the better route in my opinion is to just view the majority of these folks as having their own personal agendas (and not giving a damn about your happiness or even being capable of understanding that your happiness is different from theirs) and just trying to cull the factual information from their rantings and writings and then making an educated choice for yourself.

Never rely on someone you've never drank a beer (or soda for those not old enough) with's opinion. You'll be let down more times than not.

 Alright, fine. Some of you think there is some kind of rule that says that a game company cannot give out anything to any fan unless all items are divulged to everyone.

 Ok, so I am telling you that you will never know. Take the people to court, I guess.

 My guess is that you will drop it and move on. After all, what are you trying to prove, anyway? That a gaming company might give out a free account or poster once in a while? Wow. Breaking news.

 Again, understand that no one cares to divulge anything to anyone, and doesn't have to. I am not trying to sound like a jerk, but c'mon...this is actually being discussed as if anything would become of it? lol

 Beau

Originally posted by Erstok
<Mod Edit:  Nothing important to read here>

 Was I typing to you?

 And how would I make sense of what you just typed anyway? "massly known?" "there handing out"? "others of us?" I'm not sure if you actually don't know basic "Engrish" and are that stupid, or just are attempting some form of hip mental sluggishness.

 Either way, pay attention to who is talking to you and you'll come out shinier next time.

 Now let's let this thread go slowly away, like it was meant to.

 Beau

Originally posted by Khalathwyr

Originally posted by ArcAngel3

Originally posted by Daffid011

Originally posted by BadgerSmaker

Originally posted by ArcAngel3

When he presents himself as the voice of the average SWG player today, I think he's misrepresenting himself. 

 

I like to think of myself as slightly above average, sometimes I think I am awesome but usually a friend will be able to put me back in my place.

 

Well played. 

Lol, indeed.  I still wish he'd just say, "SOE sends me boxes of free stuff" in his sig; especially on forums where he does promotional work for them.  I also wish he'd stop referring to himself as the voice of the average player.  I sincerely believe this is misleading.  The average player doesn't do nearly as much promotional work on so many different forums; and the average player doesn't get boxes of free swag sent to him (or her) to host parties, imo.

Like I said though, I think anyone receiving perks from companies should be open and honest about this if they are going to endorse their goods or services.  I don't think this is an isolated case.  It simply made me aware of an issue I wanted to comment on.

 

I agree. It the exact same as with the television commercials for various products. They most often carry a disclaimer that the celebrity in the commercial is being paid for the endorsement. Course, the better route in my opinion is to just view the majority of these folks as having their own personal agendas (and not giving a damn about your happiness or even being capable of understanding that your happiness is different from theirs) and just trying to cull the factual information from their rantings and writings and then making an educated choice for yourself.

Never rely on someone you've never drank a beer (or soda for those not old enough) with's opinion. You'll be let down more times than not.

I sense great wisdom in this post.  /qfe