(P.S. I haven't played constructed paper magic since 2008. I have bought zero cards (not including fewer than 3 sealed tournaments per year) for over a decade because of WotC crap. Someone said something about holding a company's disagreeable behavior against them. That person was right, just a little misguided about what action to apply.)
You just defeated your own argument. Extreme greed in the pursuit of short-term profits at the expense of the goodwill and trust of their own consumers is a terrible business model and is entirely indefensible no matter what angle you take. If you think it's just a nice thing for the people who want exclusive stuff it's indefensible because the price is absurdly inflated for literally no good reason aside from unadulterated greed. If you think businesses have no responsibilities aside from making profit then it's indefensible because it leads to failure.
Um, yeah, a few things. When someone makes a multi-point statement, responding to only one of those points is generally a weak move. First, you give the impression that you could not respond to any of the others. Which means therefore, that you have to be very sure you nail the one point you make, because you've put all your rhetorical eggs into that basket.
In this case, in order for me to have defeated my own argument, you would have to show evidence for WotC learning their lesson from me (or even people like me) having shut off my former revenue stream to them. You would have to show that their earnings dropped in response, and that they changed their behavior accordingly.
That hasn't happened. If my Hasbro earnings report is to be believed, WotC has grown in profitability since I stopped supporting them. Not just WotC, not really any gaming company which has taken similar actions (prioritizing short term profits at the expense of long-term player stability) has suffered, and you'd be hard pressed to find any company at all which has suffered for similar actions (the half dozen or so global examples over the last century or so can be found in business-college textbooks, because that's how rare they are).
Customer goodwill just isn't worth much long-term. We as a consumer base are diffuse, fickle yet forgiving enough that we just suck at sending corporations messages like this. Trusting us to keep paying them little bits of money over the long term just isn't as attractive to companies as getting large cash right now- come whatever may later.
And again...that's our fault collectively. We've shown them the way they get to make the most money. Not their fault if they listen.
You know what you wrote makes me want to start complaining instead of stop
Complain if you like, but he's right. This is all our (customer pool at large) fault.
The entry barrier to our fun is increasing, limiting who can have fun with us. But this is just a continuation of existing trends.
And actually, charging large dollars for functionally identical game pieces is so much better than chase-mythics and tournament-staple buy-a-boxen. So while WotC are undeniably wh0res, you can't really blame them for it. Blame the johns.
So the business making the decision to price-gouge it’s customers bears no responsibility? It’s all on us, even though no one here has expressed any interest and even social media seems to be 100% against this product? Why shouldn’t we hold WotC’s lack of morals or respect for their customers against them?
Yes. Full stop.
1) You don't have to buy this stuff....even if you play Magic. Even if you play Magic at the most competitive, highest level. There is no functional difference between this fluff and the regular versions of the cards. You can still play Magic exactly as effectively as before.
2) If it makes you happy to play Magic with different-looking, strategically identical cards....that's all on you. Decide how much it is worth to you do to that, and if it is worth more than the price, buy. If not, quitcher *****in'.
3) This of course leaves aside the fact that you do not have to play paper Magic, or constructed Magic, or even Magic at all. If a corporation which has the legal obligation to be wh0res with respect to money, and without respect of much of anything else, upsets you, then don't do business with them. Posting on a message board is just not on their radar.
4) Your reporting of "100% against this product" is ridiculous. It will sell, therefore some people aren't against it. It will sell out, just like the other similar products before it. That is the evidence that I use to call your statement ridiculous, as a matter of fact, not of online-flame-opinion..
(P.S. I haven't played constructed paper magic since 2008. I have bought zero cards (not including fewer than 3 sealed tournaments per year) for over a decade because of WotC crap. Someone said something about holding a company's disagreeable behavior against them. That person was right, just a little misguided about what action to apply.)
You know what you wrote makes me want to start complaining instead of stop
Complain if you like, but he's right. This is all our (customer pool at large) fault.
The entry barrier to our fun is increasing, limiting who can have fun with us. But this is just a continuation of existing trends.
And actually, charging large dollars for functionally identical game pieces is so much better than chase-mythics and tournament-staple buy-a-boxen. So while WotC are undeniably wh0res, you can't really blame them for it. Blame the johns.
Um, yeah, a few things. When someone makes a multi-point statement, responding to only one of those points is generally a weak move. First, you give the impression that you could not respond to any of the others. Which means therefore, that you have to be very sure you nail the one point you make, because you've put all your rhetorical eggs into that basket.
In this case, in order for me to have defeated my own argument, you would have to show evidence for WotC learning their lesson from me (or even people like me) having shut off my former revenue stream to them. You would have to show that their earnings dropped in response, and that they changed their behavior accordingly.
That hasn't happened. If my Hasbro earnings report is to be believed, WotC has grown in profitability since I stopped supporting them. Not just WotC, not really any gaming company which has taken similar actions (prioritizing short term profits at the expense of long-term player stability) has suffered, and you'd be hard pressed to find any company at all which has suffered for similar actions (the half dozen or so global examples over the last century or so can be found in business-college textbooks, because that's how rare they are).
Customer goodwill just isn't worth much long-term. We as a consumer base are diffuse, fickle yet forgiving enough that we just suck at sending corporations messages like this. Trusting us to keep paying them little bits of money over the long term just isn't as attractive to companies as getting large cash right now- come whatever may later.
And again...that's our fault collectively. We've shown them the way they get to make the most money. Not their fault if they listen.
Yes. Full stop.
1) You don't have to buy this stuff....even if you play Magic. Even if you play Magic at the most competitive, highest level. There is no functional difference between this fluff and the regular versions of the cards. You can still play Magic exactly as effectively as before.
2) If it makes you happy to play Magic with different-looking, strategically identical cards....that's all on you. Decide how much it is worth to you do to that, and if it is worth more than the price, buy. If not, quitcher *****in'.
3) This of course leaves aside the fact that you do not have to play paper Magic, or constructed Magic, or even Magic at all. If a corporation which has the legal obligation to be wh0res with respect to money, and without respect of much of anything else, upsets you, then don't do business with them. Posting on a message board is just not on their radar.
4) Your reporting of "100% against this product" is ridiculous. It will sell, therefore some people aren't against it. It will sell out, just like the other similar products before it. That is the evidence that I use to call your statement ridiculous, as a matter of fact, not of online-flame-opinion..
(P.S. I haven't played constructed paper magic since 2008. I have bought zero cards (not including fewer than 3 sealed tournaments per year) for over a decade because of WotC crap. Someone said something about holding a company's disagreeable behavior against them. That person was right, just a little misguided about what action to apply.)
Complain if you like, but he's right. This is all our (customer pool at large) fault.
The entry barrier to our fun is increasing, limiting who can have fun with us. But this is just a continuation of existing trends.
And actually, charging large dollars for functionally identical game pieces is so much better than chase-mythics and tournament-staple buy-a-boxen. So while WotC are undeniably wh0res, you can't really blame them for it. Blame the johns.