One of the prominent rewards from the current GP is leaving me... very conflicted

ApoAlaia · July 11

Quick disclaimer: I am not trying to pin this on anyone in the development team. The current GP was in all likelihood set up well before the current 'happenings' took place and if anything they have much more of 'a horse in this race' (so to speak) than I do.

Said that getting rewarded with the artwork of someone whose employment was very recently terminated so unceremoniously, with no warning, no consultation, no communication, nothing, is leaving me... well, conflicted.

Would claiming this be a way to honour and celebrate his work? or is it disrespectful and cruel? Something else? I honestly don't know.

AzuraFan · July 11

When you create something for a company, the company owns the work. If I had to worry about the personal circumstances of the creators of stuff I buy, I'd never be able to buy anything. When I go into a brick and mortar store, I don't inquire as to the personal history of an artist or writer or creator. I buy based on whether I like the item or not.

Ilsabet · July 11

Given how much time, effort, and love Lucas put into that piece, I'd say that displaying and enjoying it would be a good way of honoring his work.

scrappy1342 · July 11

Ilsabet wrote: »

Given how much time, effort, and love Lucas put into that piece, I'd say that displaying and enjoying it would be a good way of honoring his work.

this. personally i feel like zos using it is probably in bad taste, but the players certainly have no say in that. i would think that the artist would appreciate us appreciating it. but that's just an assumption

Thysbe · July 11

ApoAlaia wrote: »

Said that getting rewarded with the artwork of someone whose employment was very recently terminated so unceremoniously, with no warning, no consultation, no communication, nothing, is leaving me... well, conflicted.

Hundreds of people just recently lost their job that way. Why does an artist stand out and deserve special treatment? Just because their work is more prominent or recognizable? They got paid as all the others who are gone and whose hard work and passion we still enjoy.

I think if you want to make a big issue of consuming products of a company that is treating their employees that way, you should do that in every regard and not just for the ones right in the spotlight.

So I think it´s rather disrespectful to mind only about the one person and ignore the contribution of all the others. To me that feels kind of hypocritical.

spartaxoxo · July 11

Thysbe wrote: »

So I think it´s rather disrespectful to mind only about the one person and ignore the contribution of all the others. To me that feels kind of hypocritical.

Layoffs are normal part of life. And we can't know the circumstances of every individual. However, we as consumer can expect some sensitivity towards the employees that are being show the door. And if we see something that we believe does not demonstrate that sensitivity, we can choose to withhold support with the level of support withheld depending on the severity of the perceived offense.

The argument that we can't choose to act on individual issues we may notice because we can't know about all of them and therefore can't act accordingly doesn't hold much water to me. Nobody knows everything.

I don't necessarily agree with the OP's take because I don't know all the details but I find the question to be considerate and will read this thread and make up my own mind

ApoAlaia · July 11

Thysbe wrote: »

ApoAlaia wrote: »

Said that getting rewarded with the artwork of someone whose employment was very recently terminated so unceremoniously, with no warning, no consultation, no communication, nothing, is leaving me... well, conflicted.

Hundreds of people just recently lost their job that way. Why does an artist stand out and deserve special treatment? Just because their work is more prominent or recognizable? They got paid as all the others who are gone and whose hard work and passion we still enjoy.

I think if you want to make a big issue of consuming products of a company that is treating their employees that way, you should do that in every regard and not just for the ones right in the spotlight.

So I think it´s rather disrespectful to mind only about the one person and ignore the contribution of all the others. To me that feels kind of hypocritical.

Where did this strawman come from?

Why this specific piece of art, the answer is in the thread title, because is a prominent reward in the current GP and is a very unique and recognisable piece of art that merited it's own livestream:

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/comment/8338928#Comment_8338928

The rest of your post is 100% of your own harvest.

DenverRalphy · July 11

It's nice that you're concerned about the artist being laid off. They deserve that compassion.

However it's not like it was a targeted termination with any dubious actions attached to it. I see nothing wrong with using the artist's work as a reward. If there were any objectionable taste to using the artwork, it would need to be pulled from any and all content. Not just the furnishig model.

TX12001rwb17_ESO · July 11

Didn't he say he plays ESO though?

I am sure he would still love to see it ingame.

Tandor · July 11

Where are we learning about which named individuals have been laid off?

ApoAlaia · July 11

Tandor wrote: »

Where are we learning about which named individuals have been laid off?

I personally have learned from a few of them because I follow their socials.

DenverRalphy · July 11

ApoAlaia wrote: »

Tandor wrote: »

Where are we learning about which named individuals have been laid off?

I personally have learned from a few of them because I follow their socials.

And has the artist via those socials criticized its use? Or shown any discomfort over its use?

ApoAlaia · July 11

DenverRalphy wrote: »

ApoAlaia wrote: »

Tandor wrote: »

Where are we learning about which named individuals have been laid off?

I personally have learned from a few of them because I follow their socials.

And has the artist via those socials criticized its use? Or shown any discomfort over its use?

Not to my knowledge, no, which is to say 'not publicly' as far as I can tell.

Major_Toughness · July 11

I don't even understand what this thread is about

tsaescishoeshiner · July 11

Imagine getting laid off and then a beautiful illustration you labored over was canned and never released just because you no longer work there.

Imagine if they deleted that work just because they thought a small number of fans might feel weird about it on your behalf.

Work isn't personal, but even so, there's nothing indicating disrespect here.

xencthlu · July 11

Good of you to care about and consider other people.

I have mixed feelings about this, too. The artist's work was so good they thought it was worth giving to every player in ESO, but not good enough to keep him employed? Ridiculous. Laughable. Microsoft's management of its games division has been catastrophic. It should have never been allowed to buy up as many studios as it has.

Carcamongus · July 11

I'm saddened to know the artist, Lucas Slominski, was fired, as I found this artwork beyond awesome. So awesome, in fact, I wished the in-game painting were bigger so we could better appreciate the small details. I don't know how the artist is feeling right now, so I'll have to go with the thought that displaying the small painting is a homage to his work.
Double pity he's no longer in the company, though: imagine what else he could have otherwise created. Finally, caring about this person's situation doesn't imply not caring about the others who also lost their jobs. As the OP already said, the topic is about a reward from the current golden pursuit. Nothing wrong in focusing the discussion there.

Edit: added the artist's name.

Sturmfaenger · July 11

Carcamongus wrote: »

I wished the in-game painting were bigger so we could better appreciate the small details

The ingame painting isn't, but you yourself can download it in different sizes as a desktop wallpaper or to see the small details: Here's the link to the News Post from earlier this year with different sizes of the painting for a download: https://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/67659

Carcamongus · July 11

Sturmfaenger wrote: »

Carcamongus wrote: »

I wished the in-game painting were bigger so we could better appreciate the small details

The ingame painting isn't, but you yourself can download it in different sizes as a desktop wallpaper or to see the small details: Here's the link to the News Post from earlier this year with different sizes of the painting for a download: https://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/67659

Thanks for the link. I downloaded the largest version available, as the artwork requires no less than that. It's just weird for the in-game version to be so small when the painting is so rich in details.

kargen27 · July 11

As others have pointed out the artist never owned this artwork. I was a commercial photographer for a long time and unless I had the client I was working for sign the rights of an image over to me they were never mine. Images I created on my own and sold I had to be very specific about what I was selling. A one time use, unlimited use or exclusive use. Copyright ownership can get messy sometimes.
Probably best way to support the artist would be to purchase personal art created by the artist.