games

If i had to break down people's motivations by degree of how "real" those motivations are, by what is actually motivating the people doing it instead of what they claim or think is motivating them, i'd do it like this;

• first and most important, a certain probably small percentage of gamers are reactionary scum who take visceral pleasure in harassment and doxxing of whoever they've convinced themselves is there enemy. This kind of thrumming "we as consumers must rise up and terrorism a small game development firm!" Sentiment has been building since release. It's grown stronger every patch with the small active poster group finding things to become extremely aggrieved about, and then organizing campaigns to "make their voices heard" that amount to little more than blunt harassment. I think it's a false class consciousness, the vicious little shits think they"re "customers" and that if they just harass and doxx enough people at the target company they'll achieve utopia or something. They're rising up, not against capitalism or capitalists, but against whatever gaming company pissed their aggrieved little brains this week. It's 4chan witch hunting with a veneer of consumer activism, but it's really just a bunch of angry powerless white men screaming red faced at the internet

• under that, people are upset because they believe Sony is going to make them use a picture to confirm their ID. As far as I can find out this is only a policy in the UK and occupied Ireland. Sony is doing it to comply with the UK surveillance state and never actually sees your picture. That's handled entirely by a british company

• people are upset about Sony mishandling data and having data security breaches. At least in the us all the data sony asks for is a matter of public record - name, address, dob, email. Giving companies information is bad, but this isn't ssns or bank accounts or really anything that justifies the degree of grievance

• people are upset about the rug pull. They're being told to do something and they're refusing (or making a public show of refusing) out of obstinacy because it gives them an illusion of control over their lives. They have no control over any part of their lives, no political mobilization or class conscious, and they're completely atomized and without community. This gives them some of the rush of participating in mass political action, of feeling like they're taking control of their lives

• and down at the bottom, concern about fellow players in regions that are getting fucked over by Sony. A lot of these people, I think, aren't really aware of just who is getting fucked over, as it's mostly Africans, Russians, SEA, and the Baltics, they just know someone is getting fucked over, feel some degree of solidarity with those people due to the general feeling of good will and comradery between people who play the game, and are upset that folks they feel a connection with are getting a short stick.