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Posted on May 18, 2012, Ross Lincoln Diablo 3′s Botched Launch: 3 Reasons Gamers Should Care

You’re almost certainly aware that the launch of Diablo 3 has had a few hiccups. As of this writing, it’s been less than 3 days and already the game is notorious for the astonishing number of errors and general difficulties players have been subjected to. The result is predictable: fans aren’t happy, and Diablo 3 currently enjoys a 3.6 user score on Metacritic.

In a post that’s actually pretty funny, VG 24/7 decided to respond to that reaction with a jokey rant ‘excoriating’ outraged gamers for their frustration about D3′s botched launch. “Shut up. Seriously, stop whining,” the post says, adding “Save your bile for something that actually matters, like the fact you have little chance of achieving your life goals because you can’t stop playing computer games.” Yeah, OK, that’s kind of hilarious. But subtext matters, and the vitriol expressed in the sentiment, however jolly, uncomfortably reminds one of the way certain sectors reacted the last time gamers got a collective bee in their bonnet.

Loyal readers might remember that a couple of months ago, we managed to contribute to a growing firestorm when we took the fans’ side in the aggressive disagreement over the quality of the ending of Mass Effect 3. While we expected that the gaming industry itself might not see their point of view, one of the more frustrating offshoots of that fight was the way certain professional media outlets rushed to take BioWare’s side in the fight. Out of professional respect, we won’t name names, but while a small few defended the endings on their artistic qualities, a surprisingly large number of sites took umbrage with the fans themselves. Often in very personal terms better suited for trying to start a fist fight – Words like ‘whiny’ and ‘entitled’ were thrown around casually – the very idea that fans even have a right to complain was called into question.

This begs the question: are gamers really just overreacting to what ought to be considered rather mundane occurrences? Should we as consumers just accept that video games will be replete with bugs, fail to include promised features, or not even be accessible even after payment, at least for the first few weeks after launch?

Hell no.

In fact, the troubled launch of Diablo 3 is only the latest in a growing trend of bad landings that ought to have everyone who cares about gaming as entertainment, as business, even as culture, concerned. By pointing them out, gamers aren’t being ingrates, they’re actually performing an essential service, and they should be encouraged, not mocked. Read on as we explain why.