What was the father doing while Sean was being bullied?
For some reason, I doubt Patrick knew his son was being bullied, or at least to what extent. Bullied kids generally don't run crying to their parents, you know. Especially at 16. And especially individualistic kids. In my experience, that kind of kid will rather attempt suicide or burst out in another way (snapping at the bullies, assaulting them,...) than ask for advice to their parents.
From Sean's point of view, involving his parents would have made the situation worse, actually. The bullies would have had another round to shoot at him, metaphorically speaking.
There's also the generic idea that kids have to surmount social pressures. Kids have to grow some thick skin if they want to survive in the real world. Over-protecting your child is not a very good idea, and knowing where to draw the line between protection and over-protection is a difficult task.
Let's be realistic here. Bullying is a constant of all school systems in the world, it is something you've got to acknowledge. Two kids thrown together will first fight, then maybe develop a friendship. Homo humani lupus and all that.
To me this is yet more evidence that makes me believe EA knows very little about how to run businesses.
Well... I think that what I could teach the EA people about running a business could be written on a very, very small piece of paper. Probably the edge of a subway ticket...
Face it: they may not create good games, or fun games, or games full stop, but they do know how to milk a customer. And their "business" is not about making games, it's about milking customers. And they're very good at it.
Take a look at their sports series. Very, very good business. They've established themselves among the top sports game companies. They virtually killed off competition. Every year, most of their clients will spit out the $50 or so to get the newer, updated version.
I respect that. I may disagree with it, it may disgust me, but I have to respect that they do have a business here.
Great ideas are, well, great:-)... but money-driven business is, to this day, the real world, unfortunately.
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What was the father doing while Sean was being bullied?
For some reason, I doubt Patrick knew his son was being bullied, or at least to what extent. Bullied kids generally don't run crying to their parents, you know. Especially at 16. And especially individualistic kids. In my experience, that kind of kid will rather attempt suicide or burst out in another way (snapping at the bullies, assaulting them, ...) than ask for advice to their parents.
From Sean's point of view, involving his parents would have made the situation worse, actually. The bullies would have had another round to shoot at him, metaphorically speaking.
There's also the generic idea that kids have to surmount social pressures. Kids have to grow some thick skin if they want to survive in the real world. Over-protecting your child is not a very good idea, and knowing where to draw the line between protection and over-protection is a difficult task.
Let's be realistic here. Bullying is a constant of all school systems in the world, it is something you've got to acknowledge. Two kids thrown together will first fight, then maybe develop a friendship. Homo humani lupus and all that.
Don't blame the father.
- Sylvain.
To me this is yet more evidence that makes me believe EA knows very little about how to run businesses.
Well... I think that what I could teach the EA people about running a business could be written on a very, very small piece of paper. Probably the edge of a subway ticket...
Face it: they may not create good games, or fun games, or games full stop, but they do know how to milk a customer. And their "business" is not about making games, it's about milking customers. And they're very good at it.
Take a look at their sports series. Very, very good business. They've established themselves among the top sports game companies. They virtually killed off competition. Every year, most of their clients will spit out the $50 or so to get the newer, updated version.
I respect that. I may disagree with it, it may disgust me, but I have to respect that they do have a business here.
Great ideas are, well, great :-)... but money-driven business is, to this day, the real world, unfortunately.
/Sylvain.