We’ve all been affected by the recent hacking of the PlayStation Network, and as a result many are crying foul against Sony. Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford says that’s the wrong target, and we should be firing our anger at the real evil: hackers.
It’s difficult not to feel some sense of anger every time you tried to sign in and saw the “PlayStation Network is currently down for maintenance” message. The PS3 is right in front of you, making it easy to pick your target and blame Sony. The unfortunate fact is that no network is completely secure, and blame Sony all you will, the real cause of our frustrations is the seemingly faceless hacker(s). Most public word from various developers has been one of understanding, despite it causing possible declines in sales. Randy Pitchford on the other hand is outraged, but at the hackers. Speaking to Eurogamer earlier today, he emphatically expressed his opinion on the situation:
We should all be rallying our support, hating the terrorists, wishing to dismantle that problem, because that could strike at any time and disrupt our fun and disrupt our way of life as gamers. It’s freakin’ terrible. [The hackers] are evil, they’re criminal. We’re all throwing darts at Sony – we should all give ’em hugs and help ’em out. It’s the first time we’ve experienced it in the games industry and I think we’re failing in how we respond to it. Everyone who is attacking Sony right now is failing. We need to attack cyber-terrorists.
I personally couldn’t agree more. It’s similar to getting mugged, and then blaming the cops because they weren’t there when it happened. The real culprit has got away with our valuables, and we’re angry at the wrong people. Sadly, the recent hacks of Square Enix’s databases indicate we may be seeing a trend, which none of us want to see, including Randy:
Other people that want to feel that kind of result now have examples they can look at which could inspire them. Wow, cyber-terrorism is now an inspiration for other cyber-terrorists? We need to stomp this sh*t out and kill it. The best thing is to try and create a culture where that behaviour is not acceptable human behavior.
Stealing should never be accepted as normal behavior, and letting criminals get away with it only encourages them to do it again. No matter the method, criminal behavior is just that, and hiding behind a computer screen doesn’t make it any better. Luckily plenty of reasonable people are already well aware of this, but it’s great to hear that great game makers like Mr. Pitchford won’t just lie down and allow themselves to be walked on. The PlayStation Network finally appears to be getting back on it’s feet, with firmware 3.61 live, just in time for the release of Gearbox’s legendary game, Duke Nukem Forever. Hopefully the rest of the PSN’s features are back soon, so we can focus on what’s really important: playing great games, killing pig headed aliens, and saving the world’s babes from unearthly evil.
