EA's Origin

[luckton]

Let's split this off from the SWTOR thread and discuss the ramifications of this new thang.

www.origin.com

By default, people can find you via your real name(!) on the system regardless of their own setting, and the EULA clearly states that your habits, system usage and platform details will be shared with advertisers for marketing purposes.

While the ladder isn't really anything new (Steam does it, though you are asked before it collect and sends your info if it's ok), but the former?  Hello RealID 2.0 

[Ingmar]

So it's what people were incorrectly afraid RealID was going to be? Figures it would be EA. 

[Sky]

Hell, I don't even allow my rl friends access to my f13 steam info. What about this Origin doesn't scream OUTCAST UNCLEAN? Serious question.

[Morfiend]

I don't think its going to steal any of Steams thunder. They are mixing PC and console stuff, and you know how PC people don't like to mix with their unwashed console playing inbred cousins.

[Malakili]

Well, thats that then.  Is this tied to Battlefield 3 as well(I assume it is)?  If so they've managed to fuck up the opening Activision created with their sub fee thing.  That didn't take long.

[luckton]

This is, in fact, EA's 4th attempt/rebranding of its download service.  The first two, EA Downloader and EA Link, were the ones responsible for "download insurance", to which one could pay extra money in order to download the game again for up to 18 months post-purchase.  

From what I can see, starting with the last and now current generation, you can download the games you buy as often as you want.  It also has Facebook, XBL and PSN integration.

[Paelos]

Yep, I'm never buying anything I have to associate my real name to publically.

[Fordel]

The entire reason I use steam, is because steam has managed to gain my trust. I'm not worried that a year from now Steam will be gone and all my shit will be useless or whatever.


EA has consistently done the exact opposite of that. 

[kildorn]

"Why does everyone use steam?"
"Must be all the social aspects of it! Quick, let's out social network that rival digital distribution company!"

I want meeting minutes of all the companies who have decided that the next leap in online marketing will be instead of selling customer data, just flat out displaying it.

Maybe this is just a reaction to sony. "Oh yeah? We don't have anything to steal, hackers! We made it all public already!"

[Paelos]

Steam wins because I can just buy something. They do nifty sales. They aren't going to up and cancel stuff I bought 3 years ago on another computer simply because I haven't played it in a while. I mean hell I load up stuff from the past and replay it all the time.

[MuffinMan]

Yep, I'm never buying anything I have to associate my real name to publically.

But will you use free things that show your real name, Ben?

[NiX]

But will you use free things that show your real name, Ben?

I get your point, assuming you actually found his personal info, but still very creepy.

[Paelos]

Yep, I'm never buying anything I have to associate my real name to publically.

But will you use free things that show your real name, Ben?

Sure. That doesn't bother me. My gaming is about escaping reality, not craming more of it down my throat by making real life connections with other dorks.

EDIT: And by that I should say if you're working at it, my online handle is very unique. I'm not hard to track down if people wanted to try.

[MuffinMan]

I'm not hard to track down if people wanted to try.

Don't look out the window, it's just the wind rustling the bushes.

fakedit: It's just interesting to me how people choose what to and what not to provide their personal information for.

[Amaron]

I'm more concerned about the download service itself.   If the privacy is fucked up they will get raked over the coals about it eventually.   I'm having visions of running some crappy Origin client and it screwing with my computer though.  It will probably force itself to start at startup and disabling/closing it will be like trying to remove a virus.   Not to mention it'll probably cause SWTOR to crash left and right.

That said I can't exactly blame them.  For game devs Steam is an extremely scary thing right now.  

[MuffinMan]

On a related note, terrible name. When I saw the thread title I thought of Origin Systems which ended up getting owned and dissolved by EA.

[Koyasha]

I did as well, but most game players today probably never heard of Origin nor played Ultima, while many of us here played UO as well as other previous Ultima games.

If this is the only place to download SWTOR, I'll probably get a physical copy.  If they wind up providing a good service, good and all, but I'm not going to be an early adopter on this sort of thing, just like I didn't touch Steam for a very long time until they made it good and lots of people thought it was good.

[Ingmar]

You may be stuck with it for login/patching/whatever, of course.

[luckton]

You may be stuck with it for login/patching/whatever, of course.

That's really the thing that a lot of the fanbois on the TOR forums aren't getting.  So what if we can get a physical box?  If the gateway to logging on to the service requires an Origin account, or worse yet the patcher system is integrated, we're all boned. 

THAT'S what we need clarification on, and if they can't give us an answer before or during E3, many bothans are gonna die...

[Hutch]

On a related note, terrible name. When I saw the thread title I thought of Origin Systems which ended up getting owned and dissolved by EA.

That's funny, my first thought was "radioactive spider".

[Morfiend]

You may be stuck with it for login/patching/whatever, of course.

That's really the thing that a lot of the fanbois on the TOR forums aren't getting.  So what if we can get a physical box?  If the gateway to logging on to the service requires an Origin account, or worse yet the patcher system is integrated, we're all boned. 

THAT'S what we need clarification on, and if they can't give us an answer before or during E3, many bothans are gonna die...

Or they just don't give a fuck cause they know the entire internet full of neckbeards will still buy it cause of the SW license, crappy launcher or not. Really, its moot. Having to use this Origins thing even if its the worst crap in the world wont effect sales of SWTOR more than like 0.2%.

[Reg]

I've already sacrificed a throwaway email address to EA so I'm assuming this Origin thing will probably use the same one I've already used for Spore, Dragon Age and Mass Effect.

[tgr]

That said I can't exactly blame them.  For game devs Steam is an extremely scary thing right now.

Game devs? I would've thought they would love steam, it's the publishers that I'd assume would be scared.

[Fordel]

Steam seems like a Godsend for all those little indy houses. Games I would never know existed I buy up for 5 dollars on steam.

[eldaec]

If the gateway to logging on to the service requires an Origin account, or worse yet the patcher system is integrated, we're all boned.  

We're not boned at all. Unless this service turns out far better than I expect and has massive positive rep before SWTOR launches, if I have to set up a specific download service for SWTOR it just means I won't try SWTOR. I don't see how that makes me the guy who is boned.

Playing the odds, it probably means the opposite.


But you're working with no real info here. EA are going to need your credit card and personal info here no matter what. Assuming you can acquire SWTOR through other means, the only thing thing EA/Origin has to sell is 'this throwaway email address plays SWTOR' and I don't really see what nefarious bullshit you think EA can do with that.

[UnSub]

That said I can't exactly blame them.  For game devs Steam is an extremely scary thing right now.  

Steam basically is the PC gaming market, given the strength of its distribution network. If you are EA or Activision or similar, and want to remain in the PC space, you either have to kowtow to Valve or spend the time and effort trying to take them on.

[sinij]

By default, people can find you via your real name(!)

I don't understand, please explain to me how "real name" garbage gets brought out time and time again? Is it not clear that people DO NOT want to share real identities and gaming? Sure, some 12 year old might not mind, but all adults (with real spending power) would have none of that. It has _clear_ potential do real harm.

So why pushing this worth so much to execs? Are they getting that much money out of blasting our identities all over the web?

[Xanthippe]

I don't trust EA and won't use their product unless I have no other choice and somehow by some miracle their product is not some buggy piece of shit that I will have access to for as long as I want.

Which doesn't describe EA currently.

[tgr]

If EA were to ask me why I didn't want my real name as my gaming identity, I'd have two answers for them.

1) I have a gaming identity. It's called "tgr".
2) Sony.

[sinij]

Exactly tgr, when I finally become King of New California I don't want anyone to know that before shit hit the fan I spent lots of time in online simulators preparing for that day.

[Merusk]

So why pushing this worth so much to execs? Are they getting that much money out of blasting our identities all over the web?

Yes. 

[UnSub]

I don't understand, please explain to me how "real name" garbage gets brought out time and time again? Is it not clear that people DO NOT want to share real identities and gaming? Sure, some 12 year old might not mind, but all adults (with real spending power) would have none of that. It has _clear_ potential do real harm.

So why pushing this worth so much to execs? Are they getting that much money out of blasting our identities all over the web?

In a word: Facebook.

The funny thing is that people consider Facebook to be a social networking site, but if you look at its revenue sources it is really a personal data aggregator and advertising platform. It's important to note that even Zuckerberg doesn't get the whole 'anonymous on the net' thing either, which is why Facebook can be so slow on its own privacy issues.

There's probably been 1000s of words written on why Facebook is so successful, and I'm sure some of them say, "because people like to connect with people they know / used to know". That's a little bit true, but it isn't as important as some people think it is (imo).

Has Valve taken a stab at a true social network thing for gamers? I think (as much as I resist their stranglehold on the PC gaming industry) that they'd probably do it mostly right.

[Chimpy]

Pretty much what UnSub said.

Facebook is and always has been about making money off of selling consumer information to the highest bidder. Everyone with a Facebook account is the product. All "social networking" in general does is give advertisers "better data" to use in pitching their product (advertising) to their customers (companies paying for advertising). Any company on the web that does not sell a product or a service but gives you a lot of stuff "free" is using you as part of a product to sell to someone else.

With stuff like this, it is just the companies that do sell something directly to consumers seeing that they might be able to get into the "turn joe public into a product to be sold" game as an added benefit.

[Ingmar]

all adults (with real spending power) would have none of that.

This is very clearly bullshit, plenty of adults have their names and info all over the internet without caring at all.

[koro]

Steam seems like a Godsend for all those little indy houses. Games I would never know existed I buy up for 5 dollars on steam.

It's a godsend until Steam denies approving your indie studio title over and over, usually citing too many similar games. They're still one of the biggest, best supporters of the indie scene on the PC, but they're far from the perfect.