RANDOM VIDEO GAME NEWS

[Bester]

The first rule of journalism is that you have to extract yourself as a journalist from the story. Only report facts. What happened is a self-referential story about a journalist who got a "bugger off" and went on to write threats of not giving objective opinions and coverage in the future, which angered an already nervous man to abandon his game project. I'd fire the "annoyed gamer" douchebag in an instant. He cost the gaming community a game. ****ing retard.

Edited July 28, 2013 by Bester

[Spider]

He's basically admitting the lack of integrity of the gaming journalism scene, which is disheartening. On his twitter, he has straight up stated "I would have been happy with no comment" so it is clearly not the lack of information that he received, but he's effectively paying it forward because he felt the response was rude, and as such he should deny information about a game that readers are presumably interested in because he had his feelings hurt.

 

As much as I believe gaming journalism has ethical problems, what seems to have transpired here is by no means unique to the gaming scene. This is how journalism works across the field. Someone who has a good relation with the press is more likely to get their message out when they need word spread compared to someone who tells journalists to blow themselves.

 

Sure, news is news and had Fez 2 turned out to be the second coming of indie gaming I'm sure Beer would begrudgingly have covered it. But had it only been just as good as the original, it's not necessarily the same news priority and then it would be beneficial for the developers to be on friendly terms with the gaming press.

 

After all, journalists are people too, and their biases and interests will factor in to determine what is and isn't worth writing about. They should try to be impartial, but no journalist ever is to 100%.

[mute688]

Despite having bought and played every TW game, I doubt I'll be getting Rome 2.  The last TW game I have been able to play was Medieval 2.  I bought Empire and Napolean and have been unable to play them due to being steamworks games.  Soon after purchase they release 5+ gig patches that steam insists I download before I can play the games.  Being in a remote area I only have access to wireless internet with extremely limited download limits.  To download the patches would cost more than the games themselves so they are simply deleted and forgotten.  Then we come to Shogun 2 which wont even allow me to install from disk any more.  The base game files have been patched to such an extent that steam now requires that the entire 12 gig be downloaded.

 

I have finally learned my lesson.  No more TW games for me.

[Bendu]

Game journos. Nobody needs them anymore. They are so '90s.

[Morgoth]

Game journos. Nobody needs them anymore. They are so '90s.

 

But they're part of the system. And the system has become self-righteous.

[Bester]

After all, journalists are people too, and their biases and interests will factor in to determine what is and isn't worth writing about. They should try to be impartial, but no journalist ever is to 100%.

 

Oh? I can name a few. The journalists in game industry realize they're worthless and talentless hacks and are therefore acting accordingly, that's all. They're probably drinking their life away when not writing another boring to death game review that nobody's going to read anyway.

Edited July 28, 2013 by Bester

[NOK222]

I can't get excited about a Total War game anymore because I know I'll never finish it so why even bother?

I once passed Medievel 2 as Spain

 

Once. 

[BruceVC]

Game journos. Nobody needs them anymore. They are so '90s.

 

I don't think this view is accurate. If gaming journalists were irrelevant why would Publishers ensure that certain gaming review websites and there gaming correspondents have early access to games and interviews? The reality is that there are still many people that place credibility in what gaming journalists say and what they think so they still play an important function

Edited July 28, 2013 by BruceVC

[GhostofAnakin]

 

Game journos. Nobody needs them anymore. They are so '90s.

 

I don't think this view is accurate. If gaming journalists were irrelevant why would Publishers ensure that certain gaming review websites and there gaming correspondents have early access to games and interviews? The reality is that there are still many people that place credibility in what gaming journalists say and what they think so they still play an important function

 

 

I think that's more due to the free advertising/exposure those gaming sites give the games, rather than because the actual "journalism" aspect is seen as necessary or respected.

[trulez]

 

Game journos. Nobody needs them anymore. They are so '90s.

 

I don't think this view is accurate. If gaming journalists were irrelevant why would Publishers ensure that certain gaming review websites and there gaming correspondents have early access to games and interviews? The reality is that there are still many people that place credibility in what gaming journalists say and what they think so they still play an important function

 

It has nothing to do with credibility, instead it's simple blanket marketing tactics. Get your game seen, and preferably in positive light, as much as possible and the drones will follow.

 

EDIT: Anakin beat me to it

Edited July 28, 2013 by trulez

[alanschu]

 

 

As much as I believe gaming journalism has ethical problems, what seems to have transpired here is by no means unique to the gaming scene. This is how journalism works across the field. Someone who has a good relation with the press is more likely to get their message out when they need word spread compared to someone who tells journalists to blow themselves.

Sure, news is news and had Fez 2 turned out to be the second coming of indie gaming I'm sure Beer would begrudgingly have covered it. But had it only been just as good as the original, it's not necessarily the same news priority and then it would be beneficial for the developers to be on friendly terms with the gaming press.

After all, journalists are people too, and their biases and interests will factor in to determine what is and isn't worth writing about. They should try to be impartial, but no journalist ever is to 100%.

 

I understand this, but with journalism (gaming or otherwise) coming under more scrutiny, I'd expect a bit more effort to not come across as ostensibly pouty.  I think it's a bit more telling in that "game journalists" are a bit more clearly "just some regular guy that happened to get picked up to talk about games."  His grievances become difficult to filter away from your average youtube commenter, which is not something I would consider a positive trait.

[Dream]

 

 

I understand this, but with journalism (gaming or otherwise) coming under more scrutiny, I'd expect a bit more effort to not come across as ostensibly pouty.  I think it's a bit more telling in that "game journalists" are a bit more clearly "just some regular guy that happened to get picked up to talk about games."  His grievances become difficult to filter away from your average youtube commenter, which is not something I would consider a positive trait.

 

 

The way I see it he's a personality (which even mainstream media has).

 

Not everyone has to be C-SPAN.

[Zoraptor]

 

 

Game journos. Nobody needs them anymore. They are so '90s.

 

I don't think this view is accurate. If gaming journalists were irrelevant why would Publishers ensure that certain gaming review websites and there gaming correspondents have early access to games and interviews? The reality is that there are still many people that place credibility in what gaming journalists say and what they think so they still play an important function

 

 

I think that's more due to the free advertising/exposure those gaming sites give the games, rather than because the actual "journalism" aspect is seen as necessary or respected.

 

 

Exactly. It's not just games though, games journalists impart crucial information like which carbonated beverage or compressed quasi mexican corn wafer makes me good at Halo!

 

Interviews and the like are pure quid pro quo/ goodwill/ exposure propositions, this whole Fez2 debacle indicates that pretty conclusively. What, you thought all our interviews were freely done and without obligation? Nope, we expect something back...

Edited July 28, 2013 by Zoraptor

[Lexx]

Never heard of Fez before two days ago.

 

Couldn't really care less about this story. Yeah, it kind of shows how ****ty the industry is, but again, I personally don't really care anymore. There is just no reason to get so attached to this stuff... Somehow reminds me of all the people who are reading magazines like InTouch and such. Just that there are way more insults involved.

[alanschu]

 

The way I see it he's a personality (which even mainstream media has).

 

Not everyone has to be C-SPAN.

 

 

Alex Jones is a personality as well.  Doesn't mean I think he's a positive contribution to anything.

 

Much like how Beer tells Fish that he "can't have it both ways," I say the same about Beer.  Going and crying about it when a source isn't giving you the sound byte that you'd like, and then threatening to blacklist said source as a consequence (while taking credit for said source's success) is quite an Alex Jones type thing to do.

 

Beer is a personality, but at some point he needs to step out of said personality.  I am wondering if a part of the problem is that he's so used to be "AnnoyedGamer" that he takes on the persona more than he should.

[BruceVC]

Okay I disagree with what some of you guys are saying about the influence gaming journalists have around there opinion about games.

 

Personally I always go to sites like Eurogamer, GameBanshee and Gamespot to get opinions of various journalists. I also read the user reviews and check forums like Steam for general perspectives which I find most interesting.

 

If I am doing this I can guarantee you thousands of other people are also doing this.

 

No offense but I think you guys are being jaded, myopic and dismissive if you think that no one listens to gaming journalists

Edited July 29, 2013 by BruceVC

[alanschu]

Who here is saying that people don't listen to gaming journalists?

 

What I am saying is that, if you support a gaming journalist that decides to NOT cover a popular game due to some petty, personal grievance, then that gaming journalist is doing you, his customer, a disservice.

 

I'm also referring to this idea that people like Blow and Fish owe their success to the gaming journalists for promoting their games.  It glosses over the idea that the gaming press promotes those games because the gaming press feels that that is what their customers want.  I will not deny that the exposure games like Braid and Fez get help their success.  I will say, however, that a lot of the exposure that those games get is a result of their quality.  Unless we're supposing that someone like Beer decides to promote games he feels are subpar because of personal motivations.  At which point, you shouldn't check out the gaming journalists because they aren't actually providing you with what you want.

 

Yes, there will be situations where excellent games fall under the radar.  That's an issue with ignorance (not used as a pejorative here) towards the product that the gaming press (and fans) will have, though.  If there are indie games out there that blow Braid and Fez out of the water, and the gaming press knows about it, then the gaming press is epically failing you by not reporting more on those games, and less on the poorer games.

 

 

TL;DR  The gaming press promoted the crap out of games like Braid and Fez, because the gaming press felt it was in their best interests to promote those games over other games.  It's as simple as that.  The principle reason for the gaming press to feel this way towards indie games, in my opinion, is because those games are seen as impactful.  In other words, Blow and Fish are the ones responsible for the gaming media feeling that their games should be promoted, by providing the gaming media something to promote.

[Dream]

 

 

The way I see it he's a personality (which even mainstream media has).

 

Not everyone has to be C-SPAN.

 

 

Alex Jones is a personality as well.  Doesn't mean I think he's a positive contribution to anything.

 

Much like how Beer tells Fish that he "can't have it both ways," I say the same about Beer.  Going and crying about it when a source isn't giving you the sound byte that you'd like, and then threatening to blacklist said source as a consequence (while taking credit for said source's success) is quite an Alex Jones type thing to do.

 

Beer is a personality, but at some point he needs to step out of said personality.  I am wondering if a part of the problem is that he's so used to be "AnnoyedGamer" that he takes on the persona more than he should.

 

 

I think the issue was more about how they said no. Beer himself said that if Fish and Blow had just replied with a "no comment" he'd have been fine, but instead they decided to bitch on twitter about being asked.

Edited July 29, 2013 by Dream

[BruceVC]

@ Alan

 

I don't disagree with what you are saying but my comments weren't directed at you.

 

There have been several comments that suggest gaming journalists are not relevant anymore as a source of information around there opinions on games.

 

You can see this view from Bendu's comment onwards from some people

He  said "Game journos. Nobody needs them anymore. They are so '90s."

 

His view around the importance of gaming journalists can't be more clearly expressed than this type of comment. That's where I'm getting the opinion " that people don't listen to gaming journalists"

[Malcador]

No offense but I think you guys are being jaded, myopic and dismissive if you think that no one listens to gaming journalists

Plenty listen to them, which is the sad and funny thing. People don't need them, can't really think of anything they've uniquely provided other than social justice outrage (woo RPS) or just funny drama.

[BruceVC]

 

No offense but I think you guys are being jaded, myopic and dismissive if you think that no one listens to gaming journalists

Plenty listen to them, which is the sad and funny thing. People don't need them, can't really think of anything they've uniquely provided other than social justice outrage (woo RPS) or just funny drama.

 

 

Okay so how would someone who doesn't have access to forums like these get an opinion on a new game that has been released without reading a gaming journalists review?

[Malcador]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23489293 - EVE made the BBC (slow news day I suppose)

 

Shame I never got involved in alliances due to paranoia.

[Rosbjerg]

4000 players at once? wow.. That sounds awesome..

[Mamoulian War]

Hmm wasn't this in gaming news few months ago???

[Malcador]

Different battle. This was the last stand of the Reddit alliance in a region.

Edited July 29, 2013 by Malcador