Lani's voice coaching

[emikat80]

I really think that everybody needs to calm down and stop letting our nostalgia drive our judgement.
First of all, Lani Minella is an extremely prolific and well known voice actress who wears other hats in the business as well. She has a thriving career. She does not need to be defending herself to anybody, least of all, us. Her work speaks for itself.
Secondly, defending herself is not all she's been doing. She has been turning us against HeR, with nothing to verify her statements but our own love of her voice and the memories it brings. We have automatically believed everything she had to say, and disbelieved everything HeR had to say (on HeR's own message boards, no less), with no good reason whatsoever. Lani has been acting catty, and we have been being immature.
Thirdly, it really is none of our business why she was fired. We have been spoiled by HeR's openness, but there is a line, and divulging legally protected information is on the other side of that line. HeR has given us so much throughout the years, yet we keep demanding more and more transparency, never satisfied or grateful, when other video game companies are not nearly as open, because the fans do not actually have the right to know as much as we know about HeR. We've taken the neat bonus of the company tours, and the blog and videos, and the letters to fans, and started acting like we are entitled to it all, forgetting how lucky we are to be fans of such an awesome company. Normally, the company makes the product, and we buy it. The company gets money, and we get hours of enjoyment. Everything else, like I said, is a bonus, and we are spoiled.
Now I know that we are still worried about the direction in which the games are headed, and we are impatient for answers and for new games, but we need to just take it easy, recognize that HeR has not, contrary to popular opinion, wronged us, and give them the benefit of the doubt. And have fun replaying all of our older games while we wait for Midnight in Salem.

[Poppy Drew]

I believe that Lani wasn't fired for her abilities (or lack thereof) but rather for more political reasons. That may be why she's feeling more defensive.

But, honestly I don't think we'll ever know the full story and speculating just seems to get us all into trouble.

I have long ago ceased to think of HeR as a warm, open, personable company (there are business like that out there - so they do exist!). I have, in the past, liked their games and as such have purchased them. I am wary about this new direction, but I'll give it a chance and if it doesn't work out, that's that.

Truly tragic, but here we are.

[Lost+Dreaming]

I guess I just find it weird that we keep talking about HER as a static entity that has always acted the same over time. The fact is there is a new CEO, a new writer, new designers (that are being outsourced, probably), new voice, of course. The only people that have remained--from what I can tell--is the marketing team. I would defend the HER of two years ago, but this is a new HER. Before we didn't have HER administrators post on the boards unless it was about fun stuff like easter eggs. Now every time there is dissent on these boards about the direction of this company, HER has to post to defend themselves, but they never offer any explanations for anything. I think it is strange that some people accuse us of being nostalgic for Lani's voice when in reality in seems that those on the side of HER are nostalgic for a HER that is no longer with us.

[Ndfan1234]

I really think that everybody needs to calm down and stop letting our nostalgia drive our judgement.
First of all, Lani Minella is an extremely prolific and well known voice actress who wears other hats in the business as well. She has a thriving career. She does not need to be defending herself to anybody, least of all, us. Her work speaks for itself.
Secondly, defending herself is not all she's been doing. She has been turning us against HeR, with nothing to verify her statements but our own love of her voice and the memories it brings. We have automatically believed everything she had to say, and disbelieved everything HeR had to say (on HeR's own message boards, no less), with no good reason whatsoever. Lani has been acting catty, and we have been being immature.
Thirdly, it really is none of our business why she was fired. We have been spoiled by HeR's openness, but there is a line, and divulging legally protected information is on the other side of that line. HeR has given us so much throughout the years, yet we keep demanding more and more transparency, never satisfied or grateful, when other video game companies are not nearly as open, because the fans do not actually have the right to know as much as we know about HeR. We've taken the neat bonus of the company tours, and the blog and videos, and the letters to fans, and started acting like we are entitled to it all, forgetting how lucky we are to be fans of such an awesome company. Normally, the company makes the product, and we buy it. The company gets money, and we get hours of enjoyment. Everything else, like I said, is a bonus, and we are spoiled.
Now I know that we are still worried about the direction in which the games are headed, and we are impatient for answers and for new games, but we need to just take it easy, recognize that HeR has not, contrary to popular opinion, wronged us, and give them the benefit of the doubt. And have fun replaying all of our older games while we wait for Midnight in Salem.

I feel so split right now because I want to believe in both Lani and HeR... I have loved ND for so long and they are both the things that helped make it so special, so it's hard to want to choose a side to believe, yet because of everything that's happened within the past few game releases, I've garnered a sort of distrust for HeR, so I feel myself being on Lani's side more... But this is a really good post, emikat80! Makes me take a step back and reevaluate how I should look at this situation. Perhaps Lani is lying because she's bitter? I'd like to not believe that, but I now realize I need to drop my bias for one side and take a look at the validity of both to see who I believe the most. Or maybe they're both just misunderstanding... But I doubt that

[phoenix star]

oh my god can they just tell us the truth and tell us why they fired her and put all this to rest? it's been almost a year

[~ Jinkies Nancy! ~]

I'm not even sure what that means. Who gave us this forum? HeR did. Who listened when we asked for more fun things to do on the message board? HeR did. Who starting interacting more with the fans because WE asked for it? HER did! Who gave us fun contests to win?? HeR did. Who changed the rating of their brand because (some) fans felt it was needed? HeR did! Who included a "cooler" Nancy in the games? Her did. Or same gender relationships? OR anything else we've asked for in the games that we actually got? I believe HeR did!! Gee......how could any of that have happened if they weren't WITH us? If they weren't listening to us? Something doesn't go our way and wow.......we demand information and think we have a right to know the details. I'm embarrassed to think if I ever gave them grief over something that didn't go how I felt it should when it comes to the games.

THANK YOU HeR for all that you've given us over the past ....what....17 plus years now? Thank you for listening to us. For doing what you think is best for your company to survive in a struggling economy and very competitive field so you can keep producing games that many still find enjoyable. Thank you....Thank you!!!

[Tedbear2]

The fact is there is a new CEO, a new writer, new designers (that are being outsourced, probably), new voice, of course.

We were actually informed a short while ago that the Her Interactive game designer, Cathy Roiter, is still with the company. I was very glad to hear that, as I think she is very talented and creative.

[emikat80]

I think it is strange that some people accuse us of being nostalgic for Lani's voice when in reality in seems that those on the side of HER are nostalgic for a HER that is no longer with us.

We are still getting all the cool stuff, the blogs, the peeks inside, even though we still aren't entitled to it. HeR is even putting up with this drama on THEIR message boards, which, yes, has been going on for almost a year now, you'd think people would have gotten tired of it by now (you'd think a mature, inscrutable woman like Lani would've taken the high road by now and moved on with another of her many, many jobs). HeR is Still being good to us fans, even with the new people. And, as someone pointed out below, Cathy Roiter is still there, and that is awesome.
Now here is something to consider:
What if Lani was fired because of something she Actually did wrong? And HeR isn't telling us because they don't want to trash her good name, and she is taking advantage of that to turn us against HeR?
Obviously I have no idea, but my point is that we don't know Lani personally. We don't know the whole story, it is not our right to know the whole story, and it might actually be for the better that we don't know the whole story.
And for the record, nostalgia is not something you are "accused" of, and I have never said that I myself am not nostalgic for her voice (as a matter of fact, I have said the exact opposite in other posts). I love the old Nancy, and the games she is in, and I was just as mad when I heard she was replaced. But I have gotten over it, I can move past it, and the strange way in which Lani has acted like a bit of a sore loser, encouraging and reigniting the conflict, has helped me move past it.
One more thing. All the people who see this as having sides, HeR's side, or Lani's, and are choosing Lani's side, might want to consider the fact that they are still participating in the HeR community. What's the point of being in here if HeR is your enemy? What do you gain from staying where you apparently don't want to be? If you aren't willing to sacrifice these boards, maybe the fight isn't really that important.


Edit: Also, I wouldn't be surprised if HeR really did just decide (albeit overly hastily) to change to a different voice in order to freshen up the games, and Lani, unaccustomed to losing jobs (because she IS so great at what she does; that is in no way under dispute), reacted petulantly. That's pretty understandable.

Ok, now I will take my own advice and stop speculating over something that isn't my business. I hope I have given everyone different perspectives to think on. Sorry this is so long.

* merged *

As far as I know, HeR isn't run by animals, or robots. It's made up of People. Therefore, speculating about the direction of a company, or the soundness of their business decisions, IS speculating about People. And since speculating, and attempting to suggest different angles for consideration, can now be equated to starting gossip, then almost everyone on this thread (and many more) are guilty of that.

We seem to have forgotten that the people of HeR have already given us a reason for firing Lani; they wanted to try something new. The fact that many other people were let go at the same time really seems to corroborate that reason. They wanted fresh eyes, fresh minds, and a fresh voice. On the other hand, if that was not the true reason, the alternative can only be that it was because of Lani herself. But as paperstreet has pointed out, the termination of the others at the same time seems to make that scenario doubtful. So, two things that don't make sense to me:
1. Everyone's insistence that their Must be a different reason that HeR just hasn't told us yet.
2. Persistently believing that the people of HeR somehow have an obligation to explain their business decisions to us. We pay them money, and their obligation ends with providing us the games we paid for. Everything else you see before you is charity from HeR, and they have final say on how much or little they want to give us.

[bumblebeex3]

If we are talking about who is really being the bigger person and acting more professional, have we ever seen HeR badmouthing Lani? Or posting all over Lani's Facebook page or website saying things like she has said?

But anyway that's my final thought on this. It's saddening to see how this is causing a schism between members, among many other things this past year. Valid points have been made by everyone. I'll agree to disagree and leave it at that.

[paperstreet]

No company owes anybody anything but a product, but no consumer owes a company never-ending loyalty and money, so it goes both ways : ) a lot of people grew up with this game from childhood, and that is a very powerful and emotional connection, much more than with a normal product and I think for many it is like saying goodbye to something magical from childhood forever, which is kind of sad : (

I just hope the company can get back on its feet!

[tsukiakari]

At this point, I'm not on either side of this conflict. I don't have half the information I need to support Her or Lani, and I don't think I ever will, so I'm just watching things unfold.

But the one thing I want to say, if I can, is that in my humble and uninformed opinion Her has lost any opportunity they might have had to present this situation in a way that reflects well on themselves. I think they should have taken charge of the news immediately, officially announced it, and given whatever explanation they wanted to give - bad reaction or not. They would have been in command of what was being revealed and how it was being revealed.

Instead they let Lani announce it, or were beaten to an announcement by her, and now they've lost control of it. Now they have to issue hasty denials when things escalate, and their refusal or inability to clarify has helped many fans turn against them. No matter who's the "bad guy" here, if indeed anyone is the "bad guy" - Her's actions or lack thereof are casting them in a bit of a bad light.

They may not have done anything wrong, but the important part is that to uninformed fans they will look as though they have done something wrong.

I know the backlash has not spread throughout the entire fandom, but with a company of Her's size, actions like these reverberate strongly. The continued discussion of this news after so long, and the fact that these conversations are the most active places on the boards, is proof of that to me.

I'm still here because I still enjoy the majority of games that have been released in this series, because I'm waiting for MID's release to see how I feel about it, and because - up till now - Her has been very tolerant of the more negative posts made on the boards, which I greatly appreciate as I've said before. I've tried not to be overly negative myself, and I will continue to do so.

It's very possible that Lani is not blameless in all of this; I am not going to hypothesize because I have no cohesive data to work with about her side of the story. I'm making this post because, as I have believed for almost a year now, this could probably have been handled better.

In the beginning, Her could have issued a statement comprised of everything they've said anyway: Lani was not fired for monetary or vocal reasons and they hope to work with her in the future, but beginning in MID, Nancy will have a new voice.

[DPL_93]

At this point, I'm not on either side of this conflict. I don't have half the information I need to support Her or Lani, and I don't think I ever will, so I'm just watching things unfold.

But the one thing I want to say, if I can, is that in my humble and uninformed opinion Her has lost any opportunity they might have had to present this situation in a way that reflects well on themselves. I think they should have taken charge of the news immediately, officially announced it, and given whatever explanation they wanted to give - bad reaction or not. They would have been in command of what was being revealed and how it was being revealed.

Instead they let Lani announce it, or were beaten to an announcement by her, and now they've lost control of it. Now they have to issue hasty denials when things escalate, and their refusal or inability to clarify has helped many fans turn against them. No matter who's the "bad guy" here, if indeed anyone is the "bad guy" - Her's actions or lack thereof are casting them in a bit of a bad light.

They may not have done anything wrong, but the important part is that to uninformed fans they will look as though they have done something wrong.

I know the backlash has not spread throughout the entire fandom, but with a company of Her's size, actions like these reverberate strongly. The continued discussion of this news after so long, and the fact that these conversations are the most active places on the boards, is proof of that to me.

I'm still here because I still enjoy the majority of games that have been released in this series, because I'm waiting for MID's release to see how I feel about it, and because - up till now - Her has been very tolerant of the more negative posts made on the boards, which I greatly appreciate as I've said before. I've tried not to be overly negative myself, and I will continue to do so.

It's very possible that Lani is not blameless in all of this; I am not going to hypothesize because I have no cohesive data to work with about her side of the story. I'm making this post because, as I have believed for almost a year now, this could probably have been handled better.

In the beginning, Her could have issued a statement comprised of everything they've said anyway: Lani was not fired for monetary or vocal reasons and they hope to work with her in the future, but beginning in MID, Nancy will have a new voice.

I agree 100% , regardless of who did what I think the situation could have been handled better from both sides I'm not talking about what happened between HeR and Lani, just think the announcement of Lani leaving could have been handled better I think.

Saying that I think since a lot of people have made their concerns known the PR of HeR has improved, we got the August letter which explained a lot and some of the people at HeR have been kind enough to answers some questions on the forum. Its a lot more than other companies do.

[paperstreet]

At this point, I'm not on either side of this conflict. I don't have half the information I need to support Her or Lani, and I don't think I ever will, so I'm just watching things unfold.

But the one thing I want to say, if I can, is that in my humble and uninformed opinion Her has lost any opportunity they might have had to present this situation in a way that reflects well on themselves. I think they should have taken charge of the news immediately, officially announced it, and given whatever explanation they wanted to give - bad reaction or not. They would have been in command of what was being revealed and how it was being revealed.

Instead they let Lani announce it, or were beaten to an announcement by her, and now they've lost control of it. Now they have to issue hasty denials when things escalate, and their refusal or inability to clarify has helped many fans turn against them. No matter who's the "bad guy" here, if indeed anyone is the "bad guy" - Her's actions or lack thereof are casting them in a bit of a bad light.

They may not have done anything wrong, but the important part is that to uninformed fans they will look as though they have done something wrong.

I know the backlash has not spread throughout the entire fandom, but with a company of Her's size, actions like these reverberate strongly. The continued discussion of this news after so long, and the fact that these conversations are the most active places on the boards, is proof of that to me.

I'm still here because I still enjoy the majority of games that have been released in this series, because I'm waiting for MID's release to see how I feel about it, and because - up till now - Her has been very tolerant of the more negative posts made on the boards, which I greatly appreciate as I've said before. I've tried not to be overly negative myself, and I will continue to do so.

It's very possible that Lani is not blameless in all of this; I am not going to hypothesize because I have no cohesive data to work with about her side of the story. I'm making this post because, as I have believed for almost a year now, this could probably have been handled better.

In the beginning, Her could have issued a statement comprised of everything they've said anyway: Lani was not fired for monetary or vocal reasons and they hope to work with her in the future, but beginning in MID, Nancy will have a new voice.

Well said!!! It sums everything up in a very fair and balanced way. It was the handling that was regretful.

I just read an article on the show Mythbusters, and they recently got rid of 3 of their presenters without issuing any statement or reason, and reading some of the comments was like reading these boards lately. The fans of the show seemed more frustrated than anything. I guess it happens all the time!

As DPL said, things are definitely improving! so looking forward to seeing the app and MID!