The rumours that Microsoft is poised to purchase EA.
Wow. Just wow.
@sonicbooming Fuck EA, fuck Microsoft, and fuck the US government if they don't smack this down on antitrust grounds.
@sonicbooming @starbreaker I don't see how it would be antitrust? Microsoft is already a games publisher, and there's dozens of competing games publishers. I mean yes it would form one very large games publisher but I'm not sure that would give them an advantage over say Activision Blizzard?
Microsoft isn't just a game publisher. They also make consoles, and are a convicted monopolist.
Right now, EA games aren't necessarily tied to a particular platform. Most EA titles eventually come out on Windows as well as Xbox and PlayStation. I suspect that would change if the merger were permitted to go through.
That doesn't bother me much, but it might upset PS4 owners who want their annual Sportsball 20XX fix.
Also, both corporations are too fucking big already.
@sonicbooming @starbreaker I'd argue that EA is already in monopoly within the sports arena due to its control of all the popular licenses, and that that monopoly should be broken up. however every console maker is also a games publisher. Sony and Nintendo both have in-house game development and publishing as well.
Microsoft already has in-house game developers. Who do you think paid that no-talent assclown Peter Molyneux to inflict the Fable franchise upon the world?
@sonicbooming @starbreaker exactly so I don't see what the problem with him having more in the house game developers in provided they still have plenty of competition. however I do have a problem with one company controlling an entire genre of games, but I think the only way to do that would be to legislate that the NHL can't sign exclusive contracts with people, which I'm not even sure would be legal to do.
Then don't mind me. I just want to see every big corporation broken up until they're as small as Grover Norquist thinks government should be.
IMO, the ideal corporation is one that's small enough to drown in a toilet.
@starbreaker *tips hat* excellent imagery, sir!
@MissSnarkerson It's only fair, IMO. Capital should be subject to the rule of law under a democratic republic. When capital can subvert law and democracy, you end up with a shithole country like the United States.
@starbreaker you're not wrong....corporations having the same rights as individuals is literally nauseating...
@MissSnarkerson @starbreaker how's it nauseating? corporations should have the same rights as individuals...
and by that, I mean we shouldn't have them, and they should be made of a single individual. this means you can sue specific individuals.
@SoniEx2 @starbreaker I don't think I understand your point....
my original comment was from my personal frame as a cis woman and corporations (i.e. Hobby Lobby) being granted the right to "sincerely held religious beliefs" that deprive women employed by them of (what I consider) basic preventive/basic health care...
@MissSnarkerson @starbreaker just remove corporations. instead, you should have direct contracts with individuals.
Tempting, but it's possible that corporations might be useful to handle long-range ventures that are outside the purview of government, but too financially risky for individual proprietors or partnerships.
They should perform a single function defined in their charter, be accountable to government and employees as well as stockholders, and expire after ten years with their IP entering the public domain.
In addition, corporations be legally obligated to serve the public interest, forbidden to turn any profit other than a 10% return paid to investors at the end of the corporation's life, and be subject to immediate dissolution without due process at the first sign of malfeasance.
@starbreaker @MissSnarkerson I don't know what you mean but I wanna be required to fire 90% of my employees if I wanna fire one of them. (because I wouldn't be allowed to fire my employee's employees, I'd only be able to fire my employee directly.)
@MissSnarkerson @starbreaker Oh and also: managers that know wtf they're doing. We need more of them.
@starbreaker @SoniEx2 Well, there's also a conflation of people who know the work of their employees vs. people who know how to manage....they're two very different skill sets (in a very high percentage of workplaces, that is)
@SoniEx2 @MissSnarkerson Good luck getting programmers to form a trade union. We would first have to accept that we're no different from carpenters, plumbers, and electricians.
@starbreaker @SoniEx2 there is definitely some classism that kicks in for many people when they think of unions...
@starbreaker @MissSnarkerson I'd happily do it if I knew anything about it.
Also electricians are rad. They can blow stuff up with volts and amps.
@SoniEx2 @MissSnarkerson
Speaking as a programmer: the only good manager is a manager who stays out of my way and keeps other managers from pestering me.
Just give me a detailed specification, a reasonable deadline, and the tools I need to do the job. Then leave me alone and let me work.
Is that too much to ask?