Aye.

With reference to the trucker convoy (which is made clear earlier in the thread), I thought "human rights violations" and "atrocities" was overly dramatic and too much.

They had a cause, which to be fair was shared by some. They thought it gave them the right to just barge in the capital with all their trucks and make it an unlivable quagmire for a prolonged amount of time. It didn't.

And yet, it didn't specify what those human rights violations were. So he might as well have been referring to the natives and their mistreatment if you're so adamant about the focus on Canada instead of the general hypocrisy.

Yes, thank you. That is all :).

Bah. What’s the point.

Anyway - will gladly never pay for a GoG product ever again. Cheers for the moral vapidness.

The OP wrote: I think this is the core reasoning behind this outrage. All the other arguments, the claims that it doesn't work and the various whataboutism, none of this is what this is truly about.

In the same vein, notice the term "virtue signaling" which is a genetic complain about any kind of political engagement.

It sounds a bit like the same mentality we saw with the Gamergate movement, those angry men who "just want to play games".

Of course, from my point of view, the horrors of war is important stuff. So I have a hard time understanding how anyone can be so outraged that the war dares to slightly inconvenience ones video game hobby. When the OP dismiss an ongoing war, with people, you know, actually dying, when he dismiss this as merely "politics", which has no right to interrupt his fun, to me it sounds like he feels that Video Games are some sort of space where, to him, the war simply doesn't exist. It is "politics", ergo not part of his world.

I Figured as much. I Don't think steam ended sales to Russia directly more indirectly by having several developers refuse sales to Russia. I was looking through steam last night found articles about whats left of activision aside E.A. banning sales to Russia. What is really petty about it is E.A. is taking out Russian teams from their FIFA series. Their not exactly a mascot for their government or even diplomats just a sports ball team. Why not take out teams from games when they endorse other countries for whatever reason. I'm in the US and my sports ball team represented mexico for awhile.. Anyhow, I've tried zoom they don't really have anything I'm interested in except maybe Duke Nukem that I already have on disc.

Once a virtue signaler... always a virtue signaler. They've done it in the past... wont give them the benefit of the doubt now.

GOG, as the context of the exchange should have made clear. What gave you the impression it meant otherwise?
What is your proof GOG's stance is hypocritical?

No, claiming that war isn't politics is a lie. And no matter how many times you repeat that lie doesn't make it true.

I'm not asking what you said, I'm asking what you mean. People like you so used to mince words, that you often don't even understand what you say.

My point was not to compare. My point is that if something is legal that doesn't make it fair or beneficial to society.

Also, considering an importance of information today, controlling information about a person is almost the same as controlling a person. Or a country.
You completely miss the point. No one dismisses politics. However, some people think that we should have some private space, private lives, where we can be free from our government and their politics, where the state doesn't tell us what to do. There shouldn't be "Everything within the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state."

War is not politics.

I meant what I said.

The law isn't about being beneficial or fair.

What information have you provided GOG that could be used to control you?

It is.

You did not.

Then what's the purpose of the law?

That's not what I said.

Here are two simple facts Gog needs to understand about your customer base:

FACT # 1

People around the entire world play video games for the sole purpose of escapism from the real world and its manifold problems. Meaning what exactly?

When it comes to real-world politics, actual gamers DON'T CARE! We don't care about politics. So? Gog ought not to presume to involve Gog's customer base in needless and unjustifiable political axe-grinding and racial vendettas against Russia!

FACT #2

Gog sells video games; nothing more. Gog is a video game retailer; NOT a political platform. Gog's only purpose is to sell video games; NOT overstep itself by persecuting the citizens of a government they have absolutely no control over. If Gog cannot perform its intended function of selling video games, then Gog has truly outlived its purpose and needs to be shut down.

There! I've said it!

No business on this Earth has the right to persecute people for any reason. Yes, Putin is a dictator who can do whatever he wants, but Gog has made themselves look worse by punishing KIDS who are merely innocent bystanders who have no control over what Putin does. If the leadership of Gog can't handle the truth of the actual problem here... that's Gog's problem.

I'll just take my business elsewhere.

I think until someone is invading your direct neighbor, you're very much in a "never been in their shoes" territory. Find me a Polish company that is still doing business with Russia right now and we'll talk.

Usually, I'm of the opinion that companies are wh*res for money (don't get me wrong, they are still political, they'll just go with whatever politics maximizes the bottom line), but this might be a rare instance where this axiom is transcended. The situation is quite surreal.

Technically, given that GOG is a privately owned company, I'm pretty sure they can sell to whoever they want.

If you want to democratize this (I understand if you have that urge, I often do), then the business should be moved into the public space.

Don't the taxes go to Putin? Essentially, isn't each Russian sale helping finance an invasion on their next door neighbor?

Don't get me wrong, if someone was invading the US, we'd be in a world of trouble anyhow, but assuming for an instant that this was the case, would you really be throwing some extra tax money to whoever was invading them? I wouldn't.

Business IS in public space. That's why laws against discrimination exist. The only problem is that discrimination against black people is illegal (imagine if GOG would refuse to sell games to them!) while discrimination against Russians is okay.

What taxes? Do you pay taxes for the games you've bought?

Their actions and inactions.