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[Liliana Eileen]

I pay the same entity regularly money not because of personal sympathy but because I like their service (most of the time).

...what?

You pay rent to live in their property, otherwise you're out on the streets. Most people live in their apartments not because they like their "service," but because they have to for various reasons (affordability, commute to work, schoolzone, etc.).

 

[LQX]

Nintendo is like an uncle to me.

 

[Doug Heffernan]

Kamiya hasn't blocked me yet, does that make us friends?

 

[Liliana Eileen]

Man... do you not remember the Cola Wars?
People were straight up getting shived over that stuff.

Didn't Coca-Cola use cocaine or the same plant cocaine comes from as an ingredient back in the day, though?

 

[Falchion]

They aren't friends, but they do inspire certain loyalties. I've been an Xbox primary gamer since the 360 and am even willing to overlook certain flaws with the system to continue playing on it.

 

[DeathoftheEndless]

Not him but without videogames my life has precious little value

Bruh, get some help.

 

[pastrami]

Nintendo Directs basically means Nintendo and I are BFFs.

 

[Rellik]

laserfrog lul

I would post here.

 

[Banderdash]

Didn't Coca-Cola use cocaine or the same plant cocaine comes from as an ingredient back in the day, though?

Once upon a time... in like the 1800s.
The Cola Wars were during the 1980s, and was one of those apex of consumerism things that advertising people get wet over.

 

[Herp Derpington]

They've clearly never had Whataburger's ketchup

Whataburger ketchup is best ketchup.

 

[Liliana Eileen]

Whataburger ketchup is best ketchup.

Only the spicy variant

 

[Breads]

Post purchase rationalization/ reinforcement.

 

[VibratingDonkey]

Listen man, videogame companies are sorta pitchy. They're not your friends. Stop it now.

 

[jdmonmou]

I don't see it as people thinking their companies are friends. I think people just really like to debate. If you like something, part of the fun is convincing other people to like it too and talking with other like minded people. Anything someone says to oppose your view is like a challenge to your personal tastes which you will defend. Some people are just more aggressive than others with thinking that they are 100% right and the other person 100% wrong.

 

[jond76]

I like Heinz tho

Wrong! Whataburger spicy ketchup for life!

 

[Ivan A Nguyen]

I bet you're fun at parties

I had great feedback from my son's birthday party so I'd like to think so.

Currently, I'm studying for my Principals of Retailing exam so a lot of this info is top of mind for me. There is a weird push for the personification of brands and people love it. Here's a gem that showed up in my twitter feed this morning.

 

[Herp Derpington]

Only the spicy variant

Yeah I'm starting to warm up to it. Still prefer regular but I'll mix them if I'm feeling jaunty.

 

[Lee]

It's the worst when places have their own fancy house ketchup that doesn't taste at all like ketchup should.

 

[MC Safety]

What if I own significant stock shares?

Nintendo still won't show up to hear you read your awful slam poetry.

Sorry.

 

[NEO0MJ]

It's crazy to see adults getting so personally invested in a company. I won't deny it, I was a crazy Nintendo fanboy as a kid that was more than a decade ago. It's all right to be excited about what a company offers or loving a specific brand but to wrap your life around them is crazy. This also extends to celebrities and sports teams.

You don't have to tell me twice. Sakurai cutting snake from smash and capcom making Dino Crisis 3 confirms they're just bullies

Thanks for reminding me that it exists

 

[DataGhost]

Sure, they're not my friends. However, you sort of want them to do well, especially if you invest your time and money into their company by buying their products and playing their games.

 

[SlipperyFishes]

Might not be your friends but remember those words the next time you read an interview from a high profile JRPG maker where terms such as "we both chuckle together" are included.

Companies might not be consumers friends but that has never stopped some writers on certain blogs from being on personal terms.

 

[afternoon delight]

Nintendo still won't show up to hear you read your awful slam poetry.

Sorry.

!

 

[Jaguar Victory]

Exactly.

Anyone using mental gymnastics to justify why they like their favourite companies simply haven't seen any business seminar for the last decade.

"Customer relationship", is the buzz-phrase and making customers feel special is easily the best marketing you can do right now. Away from gaming look at the DisneyWorld Magic Bands. They're basically marketing tools but because it links seamlessly into the systems at the parks, it makes visiting feel more personal and special for the visitor.

The result? Customers with them spend on average 30% more than people without them. You make customers your friends and they repay you.

Yes, it's a bit cold but when companies, be it gaming companies or whatever try to make you feel good about them or indeed yourself remember they're only after your wallet, one way or the other. The image of money grabbing evil companies is not entirely without merit but it's the nice money grabbing companies you must be wary of.

The unintended consequence though is that consumers have shaped corporate practices by being vocal on their social media presence. In a way it has given power back to the consumer and created a 24/7 feedback loop.

 

[Liliana Eileen]

What if I own significant stock shares?

Significant, you say?

 

[Toad.T]

Heinz > Hunts

Look at this Hein$ fanboy shitting up this thread. When they finally get bought out by Hunts, the whole industry will dance in the streets.

 

[RecRoulette]

Neither are video game blogs.

 

[Salvadora]

Fanboyism is rampant here and many threads end up in shit-flinging contests.

It's a shame really.

 

[L Thammy]

can we still get food fanfiction though

 

[Jaguar Victory]

Here's a gem that showed up in my twitter feed this morning.

These are all wrong lol

 

[Gai Murakumo]

Game companies are not my friends, they are just acquaintances I happen to buy products from. Game companies are out there to make money like all companies do. They care about loyalty not friendship.

 

[Theosmeo]

WHAAAAAT? i had no idea?!?!?!?!?

I don't trust kotaku either lol

 

[UserDoesNotExist]

The "enthusiast" press needs to learn this lesson more than the gaming audience.

Amen to this. Look at what's happened to Bioware: most of the enthusiast audience uses their name as a slur at this point. It's the enthusiast press that's still clinging to the "but guys, give them a fourth chance, their devs work REALLY, REALLY hard" line.

I'm a little pissed off that Kotaku had the gumption to "remind" us of this hottest-of-takes when they've been the ones regurgitating corporate propaganda and spin lately (the Horizon and Bethesda articles.)

 

[Pámpano]

Nintendo is just an old acquaintance

 

[benicillin]

Amen to this. Look at what's happened to Bioware: most of the enthusiast audience uses their name as a slur at this point. It's the enthusiast press that's still clinging to the "but guys, give them a fourth chance, their devs work REALLY, REALLY hard" line.

I'm honestly a little pissed off by Kotaku "reminding" us of this hottest-of-takes when they've been regurgitating corporate propaganda lately (the Horizon and Bethesda articles.)

lol I would not use the overdramatic hysterics of people against Bioware as evidence that the enthusiast press is out of touch and think devs are their friends.

 

[Jaguar Victory]

Nintendo is just an old acquaintance

Nintendo is that childhood friend you have fond memories of but you stopped hanging out with years back. Once every few months you might hit them up to grab a beer.

 

[Bold One]

The memefication of culture has gone a long way to anthropomorphize corporate entities.

It's always hilarious to watch these companies' twitter 'personalities' labouriously jumping on the latest trends in the most transparent attempts with often cringe-worthy results.

fuck Salt bea

 

[faridmon]

Sports teams are not your friends

This comment is just plain dumb

Sports team are built on foundation of community and neighbourship.

 

[Calm Mind]

Of course not. They are family.

 

[Ahasverus]

When shinobi was in his prime, we had a thread for every article.

He's the prime example of why this article rings true.

 

[Fredrik]

it's strange you don't really see the same thing in other consumer areas

But you do. I've seen fanboyism regarding guitars, mobile phones, projectors, loudspeakers, bluray players, movies, directors, authors, tablets, monitors, GPUs, cars, bikes, watches, fishing gear, burgers, cameras... etc. As soon as there are people with a core interest in a product but no money to buy it all there will be fanboyism. Just learn how to ignore that chatter and enjoy what ever hobby you have.

 

[shawnbuddy]

Ketchup brand fanboyism make MORE sense than video game company fanboyism. Ketchup is one consistent, predictable product that people develop a firm preference for over a lifetime. I know I'm a Hunt's guy. It's got a nice tartness and Heinz just tastes too sweet.

Video game companies, on the other hand, often release inconsistent products. Bioware makes some great games, but it also put out Mass Effect: Andromeda. Even Nintendo, the most consistent and ketchup-like of developers, has put out some stuff that I didn't like.

 

[Kanann]

They're my enemies.

 

[Sword Of Doom]

Sports teams are not your friends

What sports teams are selling you is competition. Video game companies are selling you games

 

[alemmon]

What sports teams are selling you is competition. Video game companies are selling you games

Uhhh... sports team are selling you merchandise. They are selling commercials for air time on the radio or TV. They are selling tickets to a game.

 

[Yeezus]

What's up with this new movement online of feeling the need to call out companies for not actually caring/being your friend/etc? No shit dude, everyone knows. Also your waiter couldn't give less of a shit if you like your food and the cashier at the grocery store doesn't actually care if you have a nice day, oh the horror of these large companies playing with our hearts!

Maybe to some people such distinctions are obvious, but maybe not to others. Friends are people I spend lots of time with that make me laugh and engage me throughout the day. If you spend more time online than you do popping around outside, you'll wind up spending a lot of face time with your preferred brands. They're gonna talk to you on social media, share funny images, and even give you swag and discounts. Not a far leap from this concept to celebrity culture, either. If you feel like you know a celeb, you're more likely to see their movies or buy their album.

And yeah, the cashier and the store clerk usually don't actually care, but the people at the bank are still going to make small talk with me like they know me because they want us to be friends.

 

[InsaneTiger]

They've clearly never had Whataburger's ketchup

Spicy Ketchup is the bomb

 

[alemmon]

This comment is just plain dumb

Sports team are built on foundation of community and neighbourship.

Just to play devil's advocate here, but after attending the last 3 Playstation Experiences I felt a great feeling of being part of a community. I still think its okay to be a fan of Playstation as long as you dont go around shitting on the competition. These companies hold a mutual respect for each other and so should the fans.

 

[The Wart]

Amen to this. Look at what's happened to Bioware: most of the enthusiast audience uses their name as a slur at this point. It's the enthusiast press that's still clinging to the "but guys, give them a fourth chance, their devs work REALLY, REALLY hard" line.

I'm a little pissed off that Kotaku had the gumption to "remind" us of this hottest-of-takes when they've been the ones regurgitating corporate propaganda and spin lately (the Horizon and Bethesda articles.)

I think this post is demonstrating the opposite of it's intended point...

 

[BackwardCap]

Time for a "Wendy's has quite the art following" thread

PM me when it happens.