A couple of years ago, our staff did a piece on problematic faves – you know, games or IPs or studios or whatevers that you know have some serious problems but you still love them. The idea’s come back up the last month or so as gamers have tried to wrestle with the morality and ethics of playing Blizzard games, knowing that their money and MAU is supporting the bad guys as well as the good guys.
I noted at the time that it might even happen to us more than to typical gamers, as we see a lot of behind-the-scenes chicanery that isn’t always reportable, and yet when I know a studio is playing dirty pool, I feel gross playing its games. LOTRO is the game that is frustrating me the most right now, as I genuinely love the game, and yet the IP has long-running issues and the parent company is… well, you know.
What are your “problematic faves” in MMOs?