Journalism and Bias in the Gaming Industry

[Nonek]

Well what a surprise, the media turns to another trusted whipping horse, i'm sure none of us could see this coming.

 

Of course the fact that the blanket coverage of the terrorist atrocities is playing right into extremists hands, that news organisations are tempting possible Jihadis with all of the fame they crave, and that their blown out of proportion scare mongering is aiding and abetting an atmosphere of fear and racism is not brought to light during their 24hr, up to the minute news bulletins is hardly surprising. Journalism, a sickening profession.

[Barothmuk]

 

Pony with a nazi hat is the cherry on top.

Edited November 18, 2015 by Barothmuk

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

Pony with a nazi hat is the cherry on top.

An internet squabble is comparable to the Spanish Civil War?

 

Ponies, not even once.

[Meshugger]

 

Pony with a nazi hat is the cherry on top.

 

I am awaiting the "For whom the Bell Tolls" of our generation, inspired by the events surrounding GG.

Edited November 18, 2015 by Meshugger

[GhoulishVisage]

In the future there will be no countries, there will be no political parties.

There will be no borders or religions, no wars for resources or land.
There will only be one question.

One conflict.

One battle for the minds and hearts of humanity.

 

This battle will fuel humanity's expansion into the deep void of space. It will make us question the very essence of our beings.

We will burn our trails across the stars, the vast majesty of our creations will outshine the millions of suns we will conquer in our ever-expanding contest and the thunderous detonations of our ceaseless war will shake the very gates of heaven itself.

 

Eventually when make contact with another sapient species we will only have one question for them;
Are they pro- or anti- Gamergate?

[GhoulishVisage]

Alternately:

[Zoraptor]

 

 

Pony with a nazi hat is the cherry on top.

 

I am awaiting the "For whom the Bell Tolls" of our generation, inspired by the events surrounding GG.

 

 

Homage to Catalonia GamerGhazi, Eric Blair's memoirs of joining a movement for idealism and its slow decay as its eats itself. May or may not involve literally being shot in the neck by someone from KotakuInAction/ 8chan.

Picasso's Guernica Brianna Wu commemorating a tragedy visited upon the innocent by mercenaries of the Breitbart Legion.

Anthony Beevor's Gamergate, perfect fit to go with Anthony Beevor's Stalingrad, Spanish Civil War, Berlin '45 etc.

 

(I'm actually rather amused by the flags, to be honest)

Edited November 19, 2015 by Zoraptor

[HoonDing]

Nippon will never fall to SJW oppression

 

[Oerwinde]

Crazy that used to be a fighting game franchise.

[Barothmuk]

Nippon will never fall to SJW oppression

Always found it weird that a series that is pure waifu bait has all the female characters look essentially the same

except for the "I-can't-believe-it's-not-paedophilia" character

[Fighter]

Japan aside from all the anime stuff is a pretty sexually repressed culture, isn't it?

[HoonDing]

Nah.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

Japan aside from all the anime stuff is a pretty sexually repressed culture, isn't it?

No, they've managed to commodify most parts of a relationship actually. In addition to prostitution, you can pay someone to go on a date with you dressed as an anime character or to cuddle for about an hour.

[Fighter]

I see. I don't really know but I've seen it said. They certainly have weird quirks.

[Amentep]

From the news stories I've read the Japanese work ethic/work schedule is such that many employees don't have time to do anything other than work, eat and sleep.  Not having time for relationships, the birth-rate dipped drastically.  So I think over the last few years there's been a lot of attempts to "shore up" certain aspects that are lost in relationships.  IE need to go to the office party but don't have a wife?  Rent a date.  Want some snuggling but no time for a relationship, pay for it.

[Oerwinde]

I see. I don't really know but I've seen it said. They certainly have weird quirks.

They have some pretty puritan anti-obscenity laws left over from the post WW2 occupation they just haven't bothered to change yet is my understanding. The culture isn't repressed, but the laws are 40s era US values.

[Darkpriest]

From the news stories I've read the Japanese work ethic/work schedule is such that many employees don't have time to do anything other than work, eat and sleep.  Not having time for relationships, the birth-rate dipped drastically.  So I think over the last few years there's been a lot of attempts to "shore up" certain aspects that are lost in relationships.  IE need to go to the office party but don't have a wife?  Rent a date.  Want some snuggling but no time for a relationship, pay for it.

 

That does not differ that much from people trying o climb fast in the corporate world. I knew of at least one case when a manager in a big global corpo died of a heart failure before 30y old. He worked hard but he also was not unfamiliar with various "burners" that help you keep focus and boost your energy for various parties (quite often mid week) and meetings with either girls that liked to be paid in cash or the ones which were more playful and played slightly more difficult ones... (still had to pay for drinks etc,)

 

I mean, any work is your choice and how you wish to live your life but my generation seems to see quite an increase in 30+ singles, corporate careers, ease of meeting new people and open world.

Edited November 19, 2015 by Darkpriest

[Fighter]

So apparently Kotaku has been "blacklisted" by Bethesda and Ubisoft: https://archive.is/vXYZu

 

It also spawned this. Boogie seems like a stand up guy so I believe him.

 

[Ineth]

So apparently Kotaku has been "blacklisted" by Bethesda and Ubisoft: https://archive.is/vXYZu

 

As terrible as Kotaku is, I don't think that this practice on the part of game publishers is something to be celebrated.

 

After all, it's not like they ignore Kotaku because they realized that Kotaku is just a politically slanted blog which shouldn't be indulged in its pretense of being journalism.

They blacklisted Kotaku after Kotaku landed a scoop about a not-yet-officially-announced game from each of those publishers, which angered the publishers because they are control freaks about the publicity their games get.

 

I don't think it's in the interests of gamers to let the publishers remain unchallenged in this.

[Zoraptor]

I suspect their Beth blacklisting (wonder if they filter kotaku to ILoveOblivion.com like they do for the 'codex?) had far more to do with the very highly embarrassing Prey 2 email leaks rather than any coverage of a game every man and his dogmeat knew was being made like F4. Makes no real difference either way though, guess they miss out on weekends in swanky hotels and complementary bottles of 'real' nuka cola, the poor chaps.

[Ineth]

The Kotaku blacklisting thing seems to be making waves.

 

Lots of snark from the industry side on social media, like this guy whose twitter profile says he's a "Lead Game Designer" at Ubisoft:

 

 

[archive]

 

 

Or this "Production Designer at HBO":

 

 

[archive]

 

 

Or the creator of Minecraft:

 

 

[archive]

 

 

Penny Arcade made their latest comic about it, too:

 

 

 

 

 

As usual, the most thoughtful analysis comes from Erik Kain:

 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2015/11/20/why-kotaku-was-right-to-tell-all-when-they-were-blacklisted-by-major-video-game-publishers/

Edited November 21, 2015 by Ineth

[Volourn]

Funny. That article while trying to defend Kotaku just makes me side with the publishers/developers. And, I loathe Betehsda.  Why the hell would anyone share info with someone else who  is going to flat out lie, betray, and treat you like crap? LMAO

\

EPIC FAIL OF AN ARTICLE.

[Nonek]

Perhaps this is not blacklisting, perhaps it is simply a developer/publisher deciding that they don't really have to deal with a publication which is corrupt, unethical, hypocritical and incapable of doing their job. I am hardly the biggest fan of Bethesda, this is fairly obvious, they get a free pass for no reason other than blind fanboyism, as we have seen in the latest round of reviews, but one has to ask whether being accountable to Kotaku of all publications would make them any better. We all know the answer.

 

There are changes that need to happen in the industry, in the publisher - developer relationship, in the model of this changing entertainment form, and in how consumers are treated but I don't think Kotaku should play any part in that: Indeed they should be cut out like the harmful matter which they are, along with RPS, Polygon and many others.

Edited November 21, 2015 by Nonek

[Keyrock]

I flat out don't like Kotaku and I avoid them like the plague, that said, if Kotaku didn't actually break any NDAs, then blacklisting them seems kinda, well, wrong.  As far as Kotaku blacklisting Boogie, it's a separate issue as far as I'm concerned.  Even if that is true, and I'll admit a modicum of perverse satisfaction from, for lack of a better term, poetic justice, I still don't think it's right that they get blacklisted if they didn't break NDA.  I side with two wrongs don't make a right even when that is to the benefit of a publication I find rather distasteful.  I mean, from a strictly legal standpoint, publishers can send review copies and invite to pre-release events womever they damn well please and, likewise, refuse those same benefits to whomever they damn well please, but if they're only give those benefits to those publications that give them favorable coverage and shun those that criticize them and/or leak unfavorable information (again, as long as no NDA has been broken), that's not something we consumers should be celebrating, even if a publication as loathsome as Kotaku are the ones getting the short end of the stick.

Edited November 22, 2015 by Keyrock

[Volourn]

Kotaku praised FO4 and other Bethesda games. This was about them leaking info about future products and games not released. Kotaku can do that as they please but Betehsda doesn't have to share information with them if they feel they'll betray their trust. Afterall, would you tell something stuff if theya re going to turn around blab it? Nope.; betehsda doesn't owe them squat.

 

Now, if I thoguht Bethesds wae blacklisting them simply because of poor reviews than I'd have an issue.

 

 

Plus, I don't care about poor Nazi SJW feelz so anything that makes Kotaku and their supporters butthurt makes me smile. then again, I like it when Bethesda butthurt. I say, let themd estory eahc other.