Do Personal Opinions Of Authors, Etc Dissuade You From Purchases?

[big dummy]

Look at it this way: when you're on the message board, you're talking to your customers. Even when you're having your lunch, or it's the weekend and you're at your parents, or you're on holiday in France, any time you appear on this message board as a games designer, you still are talking to the people who buy things from you.

I know that RPGs are a small hobby, and everyone who designs started out as a player and all that: and yes, plenty of people will disagree with you for stupid reasons, and you can't stop that. But you do have to conduct yourself like you would do any time you spoke to customers: civilly, with respect and patience where possible.



Well, that's very possible: for one thing, lots of jokes don't work written down that do spoken, so a message board post in jest may not come across as such. But since the only way I have of gauging people on ENWorld is through their posts, I don't feel that it's unfair to expect them to write with that in mind. (I know I've stopped or edited posts that, when I read them, risked coming across the wrong way once because they didn't sound so cool outside my head.)

The thing is, it's not just etiquette, but opinion which angers people. As a writer and a player I'm interested in making the game better... but (as we discussed in a recent thread) any mention of any kind of reform (or even the concept of the next version) can be a lightning rod for anger and hatred, whether you are as diplmatic as ghandi or an opinionated jerk like me

I mean, a lot of us get into writing because we love the hobby and want it to work and reach it's full potential. Want to do things like, change the negative image of table top gamers for example, or get more girls involved, or broaden the appeal of the game.

We certainly aren't in it for the money.

But if you are literally threatened with boycott every time you voice an opinion, man, thats stifling. And you have to say, no wonder the industry is the way it is and has the problems it has. I never fail to be amazed how reactionary many D&D players are. (By reactionary I mean reacting to something negatively without even really thinking about it just because it's different or new...)

BD.

 

[trancejeremy]

Me, I don't really care. I mean, two of my favorite authors of literature are Daishell Hammett and Jean Paul Sartre, both of whom had political views on the opposite spectrum of mine (and were political activists, too).

OTOH, if it intrudes into a product. For instance, I found some parts of Shadowforce Archer rather repugnant. So that turned me off the series (but not the company).

And the former netrep of TSR did really turn me off. But that had a lot more to do with his dishonesty than his constant flaming and insulting of people.

 

[Pants]

As well as the fact that "hearing an author is a jerk" in no way correlates to that author actually being a jerk.

Everyone has people who don't like them. Listening only to their opinion is hardly going to convey an accurate portrayal of the individual in question.

But how they convey their opinion will.

Yes, an author's personal opinions may affect my buying purchases, but so far, I haven't had to deal with that.

An author's attitude swayed me against their products, but that was a while ago and they never really published anything I wanted to buy anyway, so I guess it really didn't matter.

 

[Rothe]

Certainly, but based not so much on there opinion (do they like or dislike X) but how they treat those who disagree with them and how they treat their employees and customers. Egotistical bombast, not crediting former employees and disrespect for customers are unacceptable to me. Such authors (or companies) will never get my money, because being a decent person (company) is important to me no matter how creative you are. To me it is only a game, one I greatly enjoy, but a game none the less. Buying from a jerk only reinforces the belief that such behavior is OK as long as you are creative enough.

It takes a fair amount to get me to the point where I'd blacklist someone, a couple of rants can be overlooked especially if provoked, but a consistent pattern of behavior undertaken over years is another matter. Luckily there is only one author who has met this criteria where I will not buy their stuff no matter how good it is.

 

[Mouseferatu]

But how they convey their opinion will.

Yes, an author's personal opinions may affect my buying purchases, but so far, I haven't had to deal with that.

An author's attitude swayed me against their products, but that was a while ago and they never really published anything I wanted to buy anyway, so I guess it really didn't matter.

I think you misunderstood. My fault, perhaps, for not being clear. The "they" refers to the people who don't like the individual. If you only listen to the opinions of people who don't like Person X, you won't get a good view of Person X.

 

[Pants]

I think you misunderstood. My fault, perhaps, for not being clear. The "they" refers to the people who don't like the individual. If you only listen to the opinions of people who don't like Person X, you won't get a good view of Person X.

Ah
Yeah, I totally misunderstood that. My bad!

 

[big dummy]

Certainly, but based not so much on there opinion (do they like or dislike X) but how they treat those who disagree with them and how they treat their employees and customers. Egotistical bombast, not crediting former employees and disrespect for customers are unacceptable to me. Such authors (or companies) will never get my money, because being a decent person (company) is important to me no matter how creative you are. To me it is only a game, one I greatly enjoy, but a game none the less. Buying from a jerk only reinforces the belief that such behavior is OK as long as you are creative enough.

It takes a fair amount to get me to the point where I'd blacklist someone, a couple of rants can be overlooked especially if provoked, but a consistent pattern of behavior undertaken over years is another matter. Luckily there is only one author who has met this criteria where I will not buy their stuff no matter how good it is.

I hope you arent talking about me

BD

 

[nerfherder]

In theory, yes.

A couple of authors have come across as jerks on messageboards and I've thought "I'm not giving them my money". However, I have a terrible memory for names, so I can't remember who they were to boycott them...

Cheers,
Liam

 

[IcyCool]

Yes.

When I go to buy a product, I look for quality, affordability, and desireability. I don't generally go looking to see who wrote it (yet). If I'm in a FLGS and am treated rudely, I will leave, and buy the product I want elsewhere, because I won't give someone I know to be an hole my money. I have had this happen. I have also purchased items from a FLGS that was owned by someone who treated me respectfully, and was generally pleasant, even though I could get said items cheaper elsewhere, because I wanted to support his business. I have once, at a convention, been treated so rudely by an "artist" as I was trying to purchase one of his products, that I gave up and decided to spend the money on something else instead. Alternately, I desperately wanted to purchase one of the many fabulous works of art by Frank Wu at a local convention recently, mainly because he was a great guy (I lacked the funds for this, sadly, which is probably good, my wife would've killed me for buying a picture of a rock with wings). If a writer/artist/publisher insulted me, I'd avoid buying from them as long as I remembered the slight. And if it was bad enough, I'd be sure to memorize the name/company and never buy from them again. No one has achieved this level of irritation from me yet, however.

I think the big problem with those writers/artists/publishers that engage in this kind of negative behavior is that they somehow think that I'm going to buy their product just because it's good, so their behavior doesn't matter. I hate to break it to them, but they're selling a luxury product. I CAN live without their material.

 

[gamecat]

Opinion is opinion.

Forex: Sean K Reynolds is a very much left-leaning man. I, myself, lean ruthlessly to the right on most issues.

However, SKR is an incredible author, so I try to purchase his works, nonetheless.