Thoughts on cultural differences. Take it as you will.

It's quite illuminating watching a mostly American audience in this section of the forums using stereotypical forcefulness when talking to SE.

Now, I am not saying that there is anything wrong with being frustrated, so if you guys wish to be rude then more power to you!

However as a person with a small amount of experience dealing with the Japanese I proffer this advice.

In Japan respect is very important. Being polite matters.

If we cry, kick and scream then we are seen as petulant young children, and the treatment we get will to be basically ignored.

I am sure that we would all like a meaningful discourse with the developers. While we probably have no right to talk with Yoshida-san himself, we should be able to talk to the developers, but we need to change our long standing cultural ideals and manners to get this interaction.

We have to tone down our usual "rantage" a touch.

The people yelling "YOSHI DO WHAT I SAY NOW" are especially obnoxious and ignorant of any of the realities of developing a game. I really hope the devs don't see those posts. It's embarrassing for us English speakers.

Someone's going to come into this thread and say "but I paid for the game therefore the devs need listen to what I have to say! And I mean now!!!"

This is mostly a side-effect of how business is run in America. If you are a customer who needs something, or has a problem with something and you are polite about it, then companies tend to ignore you. If you yell kick and scream at them, then they will get stuff done just to make you go away. I recently had to deal with this when my new refrigerator had problems. When I was polite calling the (under warranty) repair desk at the store I bought it from nothing got done. When I went into the store, I was yelling and making a huge scene they realized it wasn't good for their business to have an irate customer yelling in their store and it got fixed later that day.

Yes there is a cultural thing, but its not because Americans are spoiled or anything. That is just how our system works.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Vantwan

Someone's going to come into this thread and say "but I paid for the game therefore the devs need listen to what I have to say! And I mean now!!!"

---

Indeed, probably with a threat of a complaint to the BBB or class action suit as well.

I paid for the game and the devs need to listen to what I have to say and I mean now!

This thread only serves as flame bait. SE isn't going to change how they operate even if "Americans" start sounding more polite about complaints. They are working to the best of their abilities and since you're happy with that you shouldn't be wasting time with this.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Shibi

If we cry, kick and scream then we are seen as petulant young children

---

I'm afraid it's too late, far too late. I wouldn't pay attention to 95% of the posters here if I was one of the devs, most of them cannot form a complete sentence, much less a coherent thought or valuable suggestion on how to improve the game. Most of the suggestions are just incredibly short-sighted ideas with zero consideration for balance followed by a "just fix it now" or "I'm sure you know what needs to be done."

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Shibi

If we cry, kick and scream then we are seen as petulant young children, and the treatment we get will to be basically ignored.

---

Really?

Seemed to work for people who kicked and screamed about regional servers.

Why don't they just build a bridge and over it. I love it how they keep saying majority of user base if from America, Unless I'm barking up the wrong tree... Europe and Oceanic, make up a good amount of the user base.

I'm pretty sure most people aren't like that. But it's like a friend of mine said: The 'loud' people just get noticed more.

It would be nice if this forum was somewhat less toxic, but the developers and their moderators knew it would be this way. They are certainly more aware of cultural differences than anyone posting a rant. Square Enix consumes our "feedback" with an appropriate amount of salt.

If our collective behaviour is embarrassing, we may at least take comfort in it being the embarrassment that everyone expected. :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Nekotachi

Why don't they just build a bridge and over it. I love it how they keep saying majority of user base if from America, Unless I'm barking up the wrong tree... Europe and Oceanic, make up a good amount of the user base.

---

but but.... murica

It's sort of shameful when we have to consider "polite" as a Japanese value and generally not a North American one. But the fact is, it happens to have a lot of weight behind it. However, since you can put that weight of cultural values behind it, you therefore can't easily ask someone from one culture to act more like someone from another. The whole point of culture is that it is somewhat engrained... sadly, for everyone, our culture is one of entitlement.

I hate to be the one to say it, but some of the people whining and screaming are way, way beyond the point of help. They can't choose to act a different way because it's just who they are.

Other people (separate from those), as that certainly doesn't account for everyone, are just a product of anonymity. Anonymity creates jerks out of people who may be perfectly normal when not seated behind a computer screen tapping away at a keyboard as a method of communication.

Whatever it is though? It's not changing just because you (the OP) or any of the rest of us address it.

It is what it is.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Shibi

petulant young children

---

Why is petulance always paired with children? I think we've proven by now you can be a full-grown adult and as petulant as any child.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Nekotachi

Why don't they just build a bridge and over it. I love it how they keep saying majority of user base if from America, Unless I'm barking up the wrong tree... Europe and Oceanic, make up a good amount of the user base.

---

How many European and Oceanic servers are there? ...Yep, exactly.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Merix

This is mostly a side-effect of how business is run in America. If you are a customer who needs something, or has a problem with something and you are polite about it, then companies tend to ignore you. If you yell kick and scream at them, then they will get stuff done just to make you go away. I recently had to deal with this when my new refrigerator had problems. When I was polite calling the (under warranty) repair desk at the store I bought it from nothing got done. When I went into the store, I was yelling and making a huge scene they realized it wasn't good for their business to have an irate customer yelling in their store and it got fixed later that day.

Yes there is a cultural thing, but its not because Americans are spoiled or anything. That is just how our system works.

---

This is unfortunately true.

Yep because ONLY Americans can be rude, mean, and annoying.