Obviously, I have no official/specific comment to make about my business dealings with certain websites at this time. Those who know what that is in reference to, eh… probably know what that is in reference to, I guess. That’s not meant as a dodge, or cryptic language, or a “clue,” or a wink-wink, or anything of the sort – what everyone has heard on either end is all I am aware of and/or privy-to and at this time I have nothing to add.
That having been said, I want to echo what others have said and say that @ExtraCreditz are good guys and that I wish them all good luck wherever they land. I’d also like to ask that folks please keep in mind that, while obviously everyone is free to draw their own conclusions when business-issues go spilling out into the public record, businesses are made up of many levels and “hands,” and not every action is attributable to to every hand at every level – and as such, one should not be too hasty in assigning “guilt by association” to parties under that sort of umbrella when they may not have had anything to do with wrongdoing (percieved or otherwise.)
MOVIEBOB CENTRAL 
@BS Digital Q
Fair enough, but notice how nothing you said negated, or even addressed my point. Also I would appreciate it if in the future you spared me the insults and instead used that time to actually develop your reading comprehension skills. If you're going to address me personally (as you did by directly quoting me), make sure you are not creating an ignorant straw man. I realize opportunity cost of actually understanding the person you're replying to could perhaps be better spent elsewhere, but it saves us both time in the end if you get it right the first time and does nothing to actually stimulate any sort of discussion.
@TheAlmightyNarf
Again, fair enough. It's not the quality, it's the quantity. I get that. I've seen some of Alison's other work and it is more or less aesthetically pleasing. But even though you weren't addressing me personally, I still feel the need to clarify at this point, I do not think Alison's is overpaid, I was paraphrasing someone else who does, to a person who, incidentally, has their economics wrong. I tend to have the opinion that James, in paying all of his Escapist money to Alison, is doing bad business, not that Alison's work isn't worth it. Hope that clears things up a little.
@motyr
The issue is the “however much someone is willing to pay for it” model quite frankly doesn't work here, as the Escapist is not willing to pay $20,000 for Alison's work, they're willing to pay $20,000 for the entirety of Extra Credits. While Daniel's work may be the least intensive (I bet maybe an hour a week unless he also does the audio editing, I'm not sure), the Escapist is paying for his voice as much as Alison's drawings, and James' insight as much as Alison's drawings. If we were to follow the “however much someone is willing to pay for it” model, it follows that Daniel's work is worthless (assuming there's no economic discrepancy between visual art and providing audio, which I can't seem to find an argument against — they both help create a consistent tone, they both require hard work and dedication under tight deadlines, they both require a skill-set that not everyone has, etc…).
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“Fair enough, but notice how nothing you said negated, or even addressed my point.” That her work is not worth the money paid to her? Yeah, every artist out there that works would like to have a word with you on that…
“Also I would appreciate it if in the future you spared me the insults and instead used that time to actually develop your reading comprehension skills. If you're going to address me personally (as you did by directly quoting me), make sure you are not creating an ignorant straw man. I realize opportunity cost of actually understanding the person you're replying to could perhaps be better spent elsewhere, but it saves us both time in the end if you get it right the first time and does nothing to actually stimulate any sort of discussion.”
Then it'd be nice if you, you know, actually addressed what I said, instead of more or less acting like that person who demeans the other by saying their grammar sucks.
But nope, we gotta use ad hominem.
BTW, despite my constant use of the pronoun “you,” my point was directed at more than just you, even if it was your post that inspired me. Hence the “a person is/you are” qualifier. Not to mention the “stick figures drawn in MS Paint” wasn't an insult you made. My point was to the others insulting the art, not just you. So do try and actually pay attention to what I write. It'll save you the trouble of looking like a hypocrite when you go after somebody regarding “reading comprehension” (which is a real funny insult, since I know better than you on that front).
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Well, I only just heard about this, and I guess it's time to stand up and be counted. I'm an Escapist contributor, and I got paid 110 days after my article was published (and that was after threatening to find them in breach of contract and take appropriate action). I'm firmly on the Extra Credits side here.
The sad thing is, when I started contributing to them, they were a class act. They tried to pay within 30 days, and while that often meant within 60 days, they were good for it. This situation, well, the only conclusion I can draw is that they have badly overextended themselves, and rather than consolidate and bring themselves back to sustainability, they want to keep expanding.
Anyway, until they get themselves sorted out, I'm not contributing to them again.
Robert B. Marks
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“”Fair enough, but notice how nothing you said negated, or even addressed my point.” That her work is not worth the money paid to her? Yeah, every artist out there that works would like to have a word with you on that… “
Boy that's sure going to take up a lot of my time. Especially since their word is with me regards me saying something that I never said, nor does it express an opinion I share. Funny, as the rest of your post amounts to what is fundamentally a 'no u' reply regarding your lack of reading comprehension, and yet you demonstrate in your very first sentence that is is a skill you lack.
Secondly, I did address your point. In fact, I agreed with it.
Thirdly, it wasn't an ad hominem, please add “learning what words mean” to your list of skills to acquire if you wish to have an intelligent conversation.
Fourthly, 'no u' (what did Shakespeare say about brevity again?)
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“Especially since their word is with me regards me saying something that I never said, nor does it express an opinion I share.”
“James is not a very strong businessman for paying a $20,000 salary for stick figures.”
“…just because someone is payed X dollars, doesn't mean their work is worth X dollars.”
“Funny, as the rest of your post amounts to what is fundamentally a 'no u' reply regarding your lack of reading comprehension, and yet you demonstrate in your very first sentence that is is a skill you lack.”
I'm not accusing of lacking reading comprehension. That would be assuming you even read my post or payed attention to it.
“Secondly, I did address your point. In fact, I agreed with it.”
Evidence.
“Thirdly, it wasn't an ad hominem, please add “learning what words mean” to your list of skills to acquire if you wish to have an intelligent conversation.”
Ad hominem is the attempt to undermine a person's argument by going after a negative characteristic of that person. Your entire “reading comprehension” shtick is such a case.
“Fourthly, 'no u' (what did Shakespeare say about brevity again?)”
No u ain't.
Meme war is declared.
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“Especially since their word is with me regards me saying something that I never said, nor does it express an opinion I share.”
“James is not a very strong businessman for paying a $20,000 salary for stick figures.”
Nice quote mine, here's the full sentence “I don't think he's making the argument that the contract is null and void at all, but simply that James is not a very strong businessman for paying a $20,000 salary for stick figures.”
“…just because someone is payed X dollars, doesn't mean their work is worth X dollars.” is not a statement about artists at all, it's a statement about economics.
“Evidence.” What do you think “fair enough” means?
“Ad hominem is the attempt to undermine a person's argument by going after a negative characteristic of that person. Your entire “reading comprehension” shtick is such a case.” Incorrect. I was making a ancillary argument about why it's best to not make errors in your own argument. I had no intention to undermined your argument as, as I said in my last point, I agree with it.
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Matt/
All you have been writing in this thread have been about how James is some sort of shady figure who tries to scam his fans and trash the Escapist, or how else am I supposed to interpret it? And it doesn't matter if the Escapist are paying Allison or paying James to pay Allison: they still have a contract! Allison's drawing skill are just so completely beside the point that I fail to see why anyone would bring it up. Look it's noting personal, I just get so frustrated when people immediately starts to gossip and throw dirt. You're no better the all those people basically calling the Escapist's management the Devil on their own forum.
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Matt/
And on the last point: Is a movie star “worth” what they make? A politician? A businessman? A nurse?
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@Matt
Ah yes, of course, how could I forget? The Escapist does not deal with Allison, they deal with James. It's James' decision to pay Allison the entirety of the $20000, which is inconsequential to the conversation regarding the dealings between The Escapist and James. Sorry if I came across as being contradictory, I never meant to.
@garwulf
Your dealings with The Escapist are irrelevant to James' case. If you feel The Escapist has wronged you, by all means do what you feel is appropriate to better your situation, but please understand there were many factors in the EC case that do not seem to apply to yours.
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Motyr: I was writing out of solidarity with other Escapist contributors. Sorry if it didn't come across that way, but that was how it was intended.
(That's what I get for writing a blog post while hopped up on anti-histamines, I guess.)
At any rate, this is a big problem. I would not break my own silence if it wasn't. Speaking up on something like this is very dangerous for a writer. If there isn't a lot of solid ground beneath your feet, it can affect your ability to get work in the future. And it can do that even if there is no shortage of solid ground.
What happened to the folks at Extra Credit was a severe case of it, but the fact remains that a lot of people contributing to the Escapist are not being paid in a reasonable amount of time. And, for this problem to be fixed, people have to come forward and support the contributors who are currently fighting for what is owed to them. So, here I am. Perhaps this was not the best place to announce it, but standing up and being counted is the right thing to do.
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This comment has been removed by the author.
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Matt/
I'd like to add the (somewhat late) disclaimer that I certainly came off sounding way more like a douche than I intended, so perhaps I should give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you didn't mean it the way I interpreted it.
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@jojjo
I replied to you comment… twice… and they both didn't go through for whatever reason. Quite frankly I don't want to type it out again for a 3rd time to find it won't get posted.
Either way I understand your concern and even agree with it. No worries.
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Well, I don't actually think this is likely to have effect.
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Nice to see collective guilt is seen as a bad thing by Bob. I've not personally been a part of the retake Mass Effect movement, but I hated the ending and am quite vocal about my right to hate it. Please feel free to apologize at your own pace…
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