Activision Blizzard Hires Notorious Union-Busting Firm WilmerHale • Hacker News Board

Re: Activision Blizzard Hires Notorious Union-Busting Firm WilmerHale

#211

Post by bhelkey » Thu, Jul 29, 2021, 7:26 PM UTC

cletus wrote: post #148

The Steve Jobs quote on why Xerox failed [1] strikes again. The finance people have taken over Acti-Blizzard and they've been coasting for 10+ years on their original franchises. All we have is annual CoD releases and Blizzrad coasting on their old properties where Blizzrd hasn't had a significant original release in 10+ years. This effort seems like it's part of the ruthless approach to controlling costs that slowly…

> The finance people have taken over Acti-Blizzard and they've been coasting for 10+ years on their original franchises. All we have is annual CoD releases and Blizzrad coasting on their old properties where Blizzrd hasn't had a significant original release in 10+ years.

Hearthstone was release March 11, 2014. Overwatch was released May 24, 2016. Both of these were hugely popular titles.

Re: Activision Blizzard Hires Notorious Union-Busting Firm WilmerHale

#212

Post by bakuninsbart » Thu, Jul 29, 2021, 7:26 PM UTC

kelnos wrote: post #142

brainfish wrote: post #26

I cut my teeth on Diablo, and played Diablo II for probably fifteen years after its release off and on as a way to stay connected with a friend who loved it similarly. More recently, I have consistently played Starcraft II since its release and enjoy a sense of mastery over that game unparalleled by my experience in any other. I haven't purchased new Blizzard products since the Hong Kong censorship debacle[1] and qui…

I don't really understand this attitude, or line of reasoning, or whatever you want to call it. Sure, if a company does something that you find reprehensible, not giving them further money (or attention) is certainly a reasonable -- and honorable! -- thing to do. But if you've already purchased a standalone[0], non-subscription product from that company, and that company doesn't gain any benefit from your further use…

Some of the best fiction was written by people with absolutely despicable opinions like Francois Céline or Knut Hamsun. You can see it in their art, but their art isn't limited to it, and still holds a lot of value. Friedrich Nietzsche's opinions on women and politics are plain dumb, yet his other thought can be extremely compelling, and he is rightfully one of the most influential thinkers of modern times.

Going back further in time will only make you miserable if you hold the work closely accountable to the person. Terrible people can still say really good things, and I don't believe it is different with games or modern entertainment in general. Old Blizzard games are still good, and old Louis CK sets are still funny.

Re: Activision Blizzard Hires Notorious Union-Busting Firm WilmerHale

#213

Post by vmarva » Thu, Jul 29, 2021, 7:28 PM UTC

afavour wrote: post #182

dnzkw wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's called virtue signalling. See how virtuous this guy is, giving up the precious entertainment he already paid for a decade ago for no reason other than internet points - it's not like these girls are going to be ungroped by this guy's actions, if the allegations are to be believed.

The thing that gets me about “virtue signalling” is this built-in assumption that no one does anything earnestly, and that every action is performed according to how it’ll be received. I just don’t believe that’s how the vast majority of people live their lives. OP did what they did because the status quo made them uncomfortable. People don’t have to be soldiers in a mythical cultural war, sometimes they’re just peop…

No one here said that not a single person in the world doesn't do it just to feel good inside but any person that shares this stuff on any kind social platform clearly does it because they crave approval from others.

Re: Activision Blizzard Hires Notorious Union-Busting Firm WilmerHale

#214

Post by stale2002 » Thu, Jul 29, 2021, 7:29 PM UTC

elicash wrote: post #82

screye wrote: post #53

I am usually against unions in tech because the free market tends to allow a proper balance of supply and demand. However, gaming might just be the perfect sub-domain of tech to benefit from unionization. The supply is massively saturated, with dreamy eyed programmers ready to give their lives to work in gaming. On the other hand, a very small group actually gets to make any of the creative decisions that every gamer…

Collective bargaining is not at all incompatible with a "free market." It's just a smarter way to negotiate (more power collectively) and the end result is a contract between a company and a group of workers. It's not like, say, a minimum wage where government sets a price.

Collective bargaining takes away my right to bargain for certain agreements for myself.

That is definitely a free market restriction on my rights as a worker, to have a mutual agreement with that specific company.

Re: Activision Blizzard Hires Notorious Union-Busting Firm WilmerHale

#215

Post by waterhouse » Thu, Jul 29, 2021, 7:30 PM UTC

anoonmoose wrote: post #181

Phenomenit wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yet Michael Jacksons music is still played on the radio and in other media contexts.

Better comparison would be R. Kelly who, like Cosby, was actually convicted of what he was accused of, and did end up having a lot of radio stations (and other media contexts) stop using his music. Not all, but a good number.

I googled around, and ... has R. Kelly been convicted? Searching https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._Kelly for the string "convict" yields only the sentence saying "R. Kelly had not ever actually been convicted of any crime", quoting a news article from 2019. There is mention of a "sentencing trial", but the cited article (from Dec 2020) says he has pled not guilty and that evidence will be presented, which also sounds like it hasn't reached the conviction stage. And recent news results don't mention convictions (other than "If convicted") either.

Do you have a citation?

Re: Activision Blizzard Hires Notorious Union-Busting Firm WilmerHale

#216

Post by Phenomenit » Thu, Jul 29, 2021, 7:32 PM UTC

yaseer wrote: post #203

Phenomenit wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yet Michael Jacksons music is still played on the radio and in other media contexts.

Aside, but there seems to be a much higher level of collective cognitive dissonance with Michael Jackson, perhaps because of his stature in popular culture. I'm guilty of this myself - my brain sets a higher bar for evidence, perhaps unreasonably.

Yeah, his music is so deeply ingrained in my mind that the "new" information doesn't stick. I have to many fond memories associated with his music and art that it always takes a few seconds for my mind to change course.

Re: Activision Blizzard Hires Notorious Union-Busting Firm WilmerHale

#217

Post by supercanuck » Thu, Jul 29, 2021, 7:32 PM UTC

kelnos wrote: post #142

brainfish wrote: post #26

I cut my teeth on Diablo, and played Diablo II for probably fifteen years after its release off and on as a way to stay connected with a friend who loved it similarly. More recently, I have consistently played Starcraft II since its release and enjoy a sense of mastery over that game unparalleled by my experience in any other. I haven't purchased new Blizzard products since the Hong Kong censorship debacle[1] and qui…

I don't really understand this attitude, or line of reasoning, or whatever you want to call it. Sure, if a company does something that you find reprehensible, not giving them further money (or attention) is certainly a reasonable -- and honorable! -- thing to do. But if you've already purchased a standalone[0], non-subscription product from that company, and that company doesn't gain any benefit from your further use…

In 2021, your attention is a more valuable currency than you're wallet.

Re: Activision Blizzard Hires Notorious Union-Busting Firm WilmerHale

#218

Post by mcguire » Thu, Jul 29, 2021, 7:35 PM UTC

acituan wrote: post #196

ctrl-j wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is your comment just anti-virtue signaling then? Sometimes people just want to share their opinions, and they actually feel those feelings. Sometimes those feelings are about ethical issues.

Feelings alone do not make a rational standpoint. This ex-pressing (pressing outwards) of our feelings was the problem of romanticism, and it has to be balanced with what the reality tells back at us. In other words, people don't seem to be saying they shouldn't have shared their feelings, but when they did they should have been ready to receive the criticism especially on logical results of their reasoning. Not usin…

From a rational standpoint, buying and playing games is a waste of time and money.

Re: Activision Blizzard Hires Notorious Union-Busting Firm WilmerHale

#219

Post by mrits » Thu, Jul 29, 2021, 7:35 PM UTC

beebmam wrote: post #170

brainfish wrote: post #26

I cut my teeth on Diablo, and played Diablo II for probably fifteen years after its release off and on as a way to stay connected with a friend who loved it similarly. More recently, I have consistently played Starcraft II since its release and enjoy a sense of mastery over that game unparalleled by my experience in any other. I haven't purchased new Blizzard products since the Hong Kong censorship debacle[1] and qui…

I was sexually abused as a child, and having learned in the last week that Blizzard management has actively protected and covered up the sexual abuse and harassment that some of their high level employees have enacted on others, I have felt extremely sick to my stomach and it has been highly triggering for me. Seeing that they're making literally no changes at all to management or executive leadership, I'm having a h…

I hear you. We need a better way of society to punish the individuals. The company is made up of mostly innocent people. Interns new to the industry, people that just got promoted and had dinner with their family last night to celebrate, and the actual victims of this behavior.

I never feel good about boycotting a company. I certainly understand the people that do though.

Re: Activision Blizzard Hires Notorious Union-Busting Firm WilmerHale

#220

Post by tcbawo » Thu, Jul 29, 2021, 7:35 PM UTC

XMPPwocky wrote: post #160

kelnos wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't really understand this attitude, or line of reasoning, or whatever you want to call it. Sure, if a company does something that you find reprehensible, not giving them further money (or attention) is certainly a reasonable -- and honorable! -- thing to do. But if you've already purchased a standalone[0], non-subscription product from that company, and that company doesn't gain any benefit from your further use…

I don't think it's entirely unreasonable to feel weird about watching old DVDs of the Cosby Show, for example. With the "benefit" of context, the vibes are sort of irrevocably off.

Bill Cosby's character was a gynecologist whose office was in his basement (!)