Would you work with a spyware co?

[Ray Beez]

Would you license your games (for $$$ obviously) to a company that has a known reputation for distributing spyware?

Discuss.

Things to consider: This client is offering to pay you for your game. Your game is not necessarily going to be distributing spyware, but it will certainly be affiliated with the company in some way (just being playable on their site, for example). And you can rebrand your game so that there is no evidence you made it. Does this change your perspective at all?

[chriserrorplain]

no, simply as ti would be a false economy.

Doing that sort of work once could come back and haunt you easily when trying to work with big clients, who may take a very harsh view of such things.


Chris

[Ray Beez]

no, simply as ti would be a false economy.
Doing that sort of work once could come back and haunt you easily when trying to work with big clients, who may take a very harsh view of such things.
Chris

Consider that you can rebrand your game and remove all evidence you made it, and then sell it to that spyware client.

[chriserrorplain]

still not I think, but then it's easy to say that without any real offer of life changing money in front of me, can I say for sure I wouldn't then? I really don't know....

[lesli_felix]

Chris what you talking about?

I've worked for a well known sweatshop sports manufacturer, several online gambling companies, one military organisation, one petrol firm, one hard liquor brand and a very unscrupulous soft drinks co. All big brands, all of which I'm probably going to hell for.


It would seem silly after all that to turn ones nose up at a company that used spyware.

[WilloughbyJackson]

Chris what you talking about?

I've worked for a well known sweatshop sports manufacturer, several online gambling companies, one military organisation, one petrol firm, one hard liquor brand and a very unscrupulous soft drinks co. All big brands, all of which I'm probably going to hell for.


It would seem silly after all that to turn ones nose up at a company that used spyware.

I think the difference is the potential effect. What if your game appears on a page and a bunch of people get infected with spyware and associate the game with spyware?

To twist the question to back to you, lesli_felix, who would you NOT work for? I guess it would a different topic...

[VENGEANCE MX]

This question doesn't pose much of an issue to Unix users.

[Squize]

I'd like to say no, but I would more than likely say yes.

I'm with lesli on this, I've already whored myself out to various large brands who aren't whiter than white.

It's what puts the food on your table. You can still make a quality game even if it is to promote something you don't agree with, and Ray's set it up in his question that there's no come back.
Ok, you don't get to pimp it yourself, but that's the same with a lot of games these days, even getting a credit is a treat.

There are lines that shouldn't be crossed, but I don't think personally for me this is one of them.

Squize.

[lesli_felix]

...brands who aren't whiter than white.

"Whiter than white"... so you've worked for Unilever as well?

Willoughby, I'm far more fussy about the nature of the work than the nature of the client.

I also think what I do with my money is a better reflection of my ethics than how I earn it.

That said I'd think carefully before doing work that promoted any political or sexual extreme.

[chriserrorplain]

"that promoted any political or sexual extreme"

dang. I had some work for you and squize next week, but I guess I'll have to find someone else now...

[Gamebrew]

Just a side note, I noticed a spyware flash game company that has recently heavily advertised itself on Google called internetgamebox dot com. They charge to play common Flash games offline, and I didn't try it myself, but from what I searched, they install spyware.

Working for spyware, I'd say absolutely no, but I guess there is always some amount that will change my mind. It has to be really high tho :P

[AzraelKans]

Definetily NO Like I said once, a lot of people think the EA way of getting crappy games out and gaining some money with a bunch gives you the big bucks, it may work at first or for a while But eventually you'd get a reputation of being a shovelware developer. Where's tony hawk and the bunch of shovelware for the Wii now? -exactly.

Case in point If anyone catches you putting spyware on a game you can kiss your career goodbye. No one will buy or install any game from your company anymore, and dont be naive thinking they wont eventually realize your game had the spyware

Ask Wild tangents and their awesome 3D plugin. (who?... exactly my point)

Treat your customers as you'd want to be treated.

[lesli_felix]

"that promoted any political or sexual extreme"

dang. I had some work for you and squize next week, but I guess I'll have to find someone else now...

Mentuat's busy. Looks like you'll have to do it yourself.

[renderhjs]

I guess it also depends in what situation you are into- like if you have better opertunities (money, creativity, fun,... wise) or really depend on that one because of the money.

[691175002]

I'd go yes, and probably for only slightly more than otherwise.

You do have to weigh the advantages and disadvantages for yourself, if the game would be clearly linked to you I would want a *lot* of money, however as a business if you wont get any disadvantages from doing so, why not?

[EvilKris]

Would probably have to say no simply due to the ethics behind assisting a company that profits vicariously from what is in essence white-collar crime.
"It's big money and it's only spyware" some might say, but just remember the little guy DOES make a difference, and thinking that he doesn't and other such cumulative thinking is the reason behind most of Africa being in the state it is. It all comes down to him in the end.

They're the bad guys, dudes.

[Ray Beez]

I think the difference is the potential effect. What if your game appears on a page and a bunch of people get infected with spyware and associate the game with spyware?

You've nailed the dilemma square on the head here.

[tomsamson]

spyware can be really ugly and unlike with various other things seen as not so nice a big part of its ugliness comes from it often getting installed on the user machine without him noticing. So yeah,dunno, if you don´t desperately need the money and have other ways to earn money i wouldn´t do it.

[Squize]

How about if it was a dream project ? ( I'm just being devils advocate as we never talk about morales on here ).

If spyware company said "We need a monkey island style game, you get complete creative control and our budget will match what you pitch at us" and no one will ever know you've done it, you're just doing it for arts sake ( And big wads of cash of course ) would that affect anyones choice whose already said no ?

And looking at it conversely, who would turn work down from a big name brand, who would allow you full credit and the project was a gem, who you know didn't support fair trade ( ie, used sweatshop labour ) ?

Squize.

[mentuat]

i agree with general consensus I think, it'd depend on the type of project first, how much money second and the moral implications of working for a particular company a distant 5th behind how far I'll have to travel and whether or not they have a pool table

I used to think I'd indignantly reject work from disreputable/ethically dubious companies if it came up, but after a healthy (*cough*) stint on a philip morris project (free office cigs!) a few years ago and the realisation that no organisation is particularly fluffy if you look close enough I came to the conclusion that I'm not all that bothered - hey I'm doing a job for the government at the mo, doesn't get any lower than that surely!