I've always been fascinated by the gamer community's tendency (need?) to personify games companies, its quickness to vilify what it sees as the "bad" guy (those who prioritize profits, natch), and its preoccupation with the personas of various individuals in our field (even journos)!
Of course, it's understandable -- in an entertainment technology biz, the focus is on the products and rarely on the folks behind them. I'm always interested in those folks, and anyone who enjoys team sports knows what happens when a passionate, focused audience plays favorites. It's impassioned, polarizing and just plain fun.
As his public profile has increased at a rate congruent to Activision's coffers, the publisher's chairman, Bobby Kotick, has fast taken his spot dead center of the gamer community's crosshairs. The frequency with which he throws around words like "exploit," "pessimism" and "raise prices" don't earn him any fans, nor do his aggressive biz tactics. So has he earned all the hatred, or is the man just doing his job for his investors -- and a great one at that?
I took a look at the issue for my column this month in Kotaku, hitting up industry insiders, analysts and his own employees to analyze the anti-ATVI sentiment from all sides. Give it a read! And if you dig it, kindly Digg it?
Bonus material: Another excellent parody song from our friends at IdleThumbs, "inspired by the teachings of Kotick." Brought to you by the mind of Chris Remo, who you might recall also brightened our lives with the "Senior Super Douche"-inspired "Stop Doing Interviews," also Activision-oriented.
PS: Big ups to Twitter follower Vahn16 for the Kurtz comparison -- "Love @leighalexander's Kotick article, but is anyone else having flashbacks to Heart of Darkness? 'He's a great man!' but few have met him."
PPS: Also big ups to The_Game_Boy for making reference to division-winning Yankees and their ol' figurehead -- "@leighalexander @pkollar It isn't a bad thing that gaming now has its George Steinbrenner."
(Follow me on Twitter so I can quote you one day, too!)
