I'm going to be the bad guy here on my opinion on just a part of this topic.
Everytime I hear someone criticize the merger, I keep thinking of another website.
The website www.ffxiplayers.com also knows as www.rpgfaces.com
Now, I don't follow up on what corporation owns what business, but if you click your way through the site, you'll see there are what seems to be permanent banners for representation of selling gil, gold, and other numerous types of virtual currency.
There seems to be a very tight relationship between who owns www.ffxiplayers.com and a company that sells game money.
I hope those who are reading this post can see where this is heading.
I'll be the first one to say that I, myself, have a picture up on www.ffxiplayers.com
So in an indirect way, I have supported the buying of gil, and so has everyone else who has posted a picture on that site.
A few who are posting in this very thread who actually criticize this merger have posted pictures of themself on that website. I find this disturbing.
Allakhazam, on the other hand, has openly said that this website will still never have banners that supports gil buying, and still act as a separate organization.
Even with this encouragement, I was still appalled. At this time, I was feeling betrayed. I was ignoring the whole picture of everything and became narrow-minded.
I still don't necessarily like the merger, but at the same time I don't believe I have the justification to denounce it either other than saying:
I don't like gilbuying, so I don't like IGE, and since IGE is a sister company of the sorts now, I don't like Allakhazam.
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I believe this topic has many colorful parts, but at the same time, these parts are black and white.
Colorful meaning~ there are so many correct answers for one question.
Black and white meaning~ it is only this way or the other.
The black and white part that comes to mind are those who criticize the merger, and claim they will leave the website; yet supported gil buying indirectly, knowingly.
You can't have it both ways is what I'm trying to say I guess.
You can't speak this on this side of the web world, yet go to the other side and let your actions speak otherwise.
You can't turn a blindeye in one area because at that point in time you felt like it, and now, all of sudden, stand on moral ground.
It doesn't work that way. Breaking those rules forces you to cross the lines of black and white.
Lets stop the hypocrisy AND the double-standards, please.
Edited, Mon May 8 16:04:40 2006 by Guyfrombastok