I’ve been on SRK long enough to know a lot of you have the mental capacity and attention span of a wet t shirt or at best a contestant wearing one. Grown folks is talking so GTFO with that TLDR shit, If you don’t bother reading the article don’t post. And I’ve also been on SRK long enough to know most of you will do exactly that in a failed attempt to sound witty and get posrep I mean Likes/Agree (why do we need both?). Well at least Kromo will be funny.
Anyways this is one of the very best game related articles I’ve ever read and really shines a light on an issue we’ve all bitched about over the years, while also offering practical solutions. Most of us are too busy saying how much of a joke game journalism currently is that we forget like all media it is first and foremost a business that needs to profit to continue existing. We are all part of the problem, while we bitch about how shitty sites like IGN or the rumor factory Kotaku are we have given them more hits than we’d like to admit, it’s human nature to slow down on the highway to see the aftermath of a horrific car crash. It just so happens the ad driven business model game sites have adopted inherently encourages this bad behavior on both the consumer and content providers. I really hope this article gains as many hits as possible, awareness to shitty journalism’s root causes as well as what can actually be done right now about it is as good a start as you can ask for. I honestly didn’t think of the negative repercussions of using adblock until I read this and will definitely use it more judiciously in the future, although I don’t know if that will be the case for most of you guys even though I hope it is.
TL;DR Whitelist you’re favorite game sites on ADblock, post your favorite game articles on social networking sites, and don’t feel guilty for fapping to ponies, just kidding kill yourself if you do.
I sat through that long-ass article and beyond almost begging people to stop using ad-blocking software, it does have some good points.
However, the reason a lot of people use ad-blockers is because the ads themselves are extremely obnoxious. Take the ads on this very site for example… stupid ass audio clips of annoying voiced people hocking shit no one cares to buy? Pop-ups beyond pop-ups where the close box is a 1x1 pixel that makes it nearly impossible to close? Nobody wants to deal with that shit.
Why do you think DVRs became so popular? Beyond the ability to watch your favorite shows on your own schedule, you can also skip the shitty ass ads.
Business is business, I understand that. Unfortunately, excusing shitty writing and journalism because some guy doesn’t want to deal with ads is weaksauce.
You’re oversimplifying some of the points made. Kuchera only asked people to understand how Adblock hurts good writing, he even said he doesn’t blame people for continuing to use it so calling that begging is grossly inaccurate. Part of the issue is you, me, and everyone giving kotaku-esque sites hits whenever they make some outrageous claim, and anyone who denies doing so at least sometimes is most likely lying. Once we stop getting baited by sensational headlines and can start donating directly to writers we feel are worth throwing a few dollars at then we’ll have consistently great material to read about a medium we all deeply care for.
Anyone who browses forums would have to be retarded to not use Adblock however, not being willing to whitelist at least 1 or 2 of the sites you feel have quality writing makes you as much a part of the problem as the shitty business model itself.
Neogaf is the best and worst thing to ever happen to game journalism
I read through that article. It does explain the problems behind game journalism. I have always wondered why there were such stories on those sites like "Top 10 [insert List here] " and other stuff. I guess I know now. When I read this, I couldn’t help but think of that whole Doritosgate thing with Geoff Keighley
I mean, really guys. Stop visiting Neogaf. Maybe if I keep posting the same thing over and over, I’ll inspire at least one child on GD to do the right thing.
^ You get bite-sized summaries, but unlike forums including Stalin-esque Neogaf, it encourages you to go to the damn site for details and support the CPM system.
Neogaf is good for making news first, like when their socially inept community filled the void in their lives by figuring out The Phantom Pain was MGSV in 5 minutes. But using that site as a one-stop shop for all news is turning those hall monitor degenerates into millionaires, at the expense of the media sources they leech from.
Dunno if this is relevant enough, since you guys talking about ads and whatnot, but a friend of mine recently posted an article about what he thought was a problem with game journalism review habits.
tl:dr the need to score games is outdated in an era where almost everything that hits the mainstream is going to be technically solid (and thus can’t honestly be given a low score), and game reviewers need to start writing more about the experience of the game itself and less time thinking about where it falls on a 1-10 scale.
I can’t speak for anyone else, but I am a man of my word. I don’t visit Kotaku(hell, I’m usually the main one yelling at people here for linking to them), I quit buying Capcom games after SFxT/MML3 cancellation/DmC bull, and I haven’t bought an EA game since 2002.
Ben wants people to whitelist his site, he should tell his advertisers to not be douches with their ads(and if they don’t laugh his ass out of the building) I’ll consider not blocking their shit.
It feels like these guys wanna get paid for their writing as if they’re CNN correspondents in warzones, when all they’re doing is giving lip-service to idiots like CliffyB or Anita Sarkeesian or giving their opinion on yet another shitty ‘cinematic experience’ 99% of the time… fuck outta here with that noise.
EDIT: I know a lot of times I can come off as angry or aggressive, but I am extremely tired of people making excuses for being terrible at what they claim to do well. Be it a scrub online complaining about lag, or game devs/publishers crying about a game that sells 3-4 million being a ‘failure’ because they can’t budget or code without having a team of 600 people it’s really gotten tiresome.
Coming from a background of constantly having to overcome adversity, it disgusts me that there is such a prevailing attitude of weakness coming from people who have basically been handed everything on a silver platter their whole lives.
Journalism across the board has gotten worse with increased monetization, not better. And entertainment journalism has always been the ghetto of journalism. And video game journalism has always been the ghetto of entertainment journalism. That was true even when print publishing was still healthy and not the dying husk that it is now.
There are good reasons why certain sites might be whitelisted, but I don’t buy this argument.
This part of your post is only shown when I quote you, weird. Anyways like I said Gaf is pretty awesome as a treasure trove of information, and believe it or not some great nerdy discussion, but it’s also shitty for reasons you’ve said too. Still I think a sizable number of users like myself actually prefer reading the links instead of the out of context quotes posted in the threads.
Somewhat relevant. As someone who prefers the 1-10 scale but hates the way it’s applied I love the shit of your boy’s article, agree with every fucking word :tup:
Good for you, I’m guilty of clicking on kotaku’s links once in a blue moon like the “We need better video game publishers” article recently which I kind of agree with. By the way you I don’t know what Ben you’re talking about (Ben Perkins has a site?) but both of you should really read Jaffe’s awesome response here even if you haven’t read kotaku’s article: http://criminalcrackdown.blogspot.com/2013/04/you-are-not-as-good-as-you-think-you-are.html
Boycotting developers/publishers on principle is retarded. For example I fucking hate EA as much as most other game nerds like you however, they are partially responsible for 3 of the greatest games I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing (Mass Effect 2, Dead Space 1 and 2) so I’m going to continue supporting them with my wallet as long as they make games I enjoy. If Platinum made DMC5 but it was published by EA I’m sure you would still buy it, well same thing with me and the ME and DS series.
Which guys are you talking about specifically that liken themselves to news reporters? I’m not saying you’re wrong, I just personally don’t know of any in the limelight who write with that condescending attitude…besides the guy at Game Trailers (Shane something?) who made that video basically saying gamers are stupid and didn’t like ME3’s ending because they aren’t smart enough to understand it. I haven’t played ME3 but insulting your entire demographic in the obnoxious way he did is just wrong.
Also yeah in your posts you do come off as one of those overly defensive, angry interwebz warriors because it seems you automatically hate any game made after 1993, but I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt that it’s because you care so much about games and hate seeing what you love become so corrupted.
Well that’s just one reason not to support Gaf, apropos to the topic. the other is the community and owners are mostly sacks of shit. I moderated a “spinoff” Gaf site years ago, and I know all the dirty laundry. Credit where it’s due for the information on that forum but handing them money via visits/ads doesn’t sit well with me.
I appreciate what you’re trying to accomplish with this thread, @orochizoolander so don’t take any of my vitriol as if it is directed towards you. I had GT’s so-called journalists in mind when I made that last post.
I disagree in part with your assumption that boycotting bad publishers as ‘retarded’ but that may be because I’ve never really found Dead Space or Mass Effect all that appealing, but FPS isn’t my cup of tea, and I play games for the gameplay, not the ‘experience,’ and beyond those titles(RIP Need For Speed) EA’s practices have been the principle contributors to this current malaise the industry finds itself in. Capcom I won’t get into, as that would take several paragraphs and this is already off-topic as is.
I’m a big ‘vote with your wallet’ guy, so I walk the walk and talk it. I have high standards irl, and in my entertainment choices. I don’t care how ‘decent’ a DmC is… If it’s a step back from classic DMC in any way, I ain’t buying it.
Ultimately, my problem with the entirety of the gaming industry, from publishing, developing, advertising, reviews, journalism, trade shows, and the consumers themselves is all the wasted potential out there. Instead of working hard, developers phone it in and publishers lie, cheat, and steal, and instead of putting our foot down, consumers shrug their shoulders and let video game Stockholm syndrome take over and keep buying shitty products and then bitch about why there’s a new Call of Duty every year…SMDH.
Perhaps this is just the inherent self destructive nature of capitalism. As companies are mandated to, one way or another increase profits in a market where,1, consumers are constantly inundated with new products, and 2, is all too eager to cannibalize profits from competing distribution models (IE, steam sales), they must seek out new sources of revenue, such as DLC and season passes, or produce products at lower costs (sequels, unfinished products). This has created wary consumers, who does not trust once beloved brands. Ironically, they game journalism which they seek out to make wise consumer choices is paid for by the very same companies urging them to consume haphazardly.
Sometimes I wonder if gaming culture has an merits at all…or if it is just crass materialism. The days when communities would play a single game for a decade seem gone. Now all I feel is the call to consumption, novelty and modest. incremental improvement being the siren song to another bout of cheap, disposable entertainment.
Also, if you change a few key words, you can make it sound like the story of a battered hooker.
I thought game journalism sucked because a lot of it is more concerned about things in games that aren’t mechanics, objectives, depth, etc. You know, the things that make games games.
It’s like “man, storytelling in games needs to grow up and that’ll be the next step in game design” instead of “hey, look at how this game’s story meshes with how it plays” or “hey, look at how well/badly this game plays.”
The day when a lovingly designed, 45 minute bullet hell shmup can get a perfect score just like a 100+ hour adventure game, that’ll be the day when game journalism is good.
Sounds like they need to implement a better way of making money. Selling yourself out, or making excuses for your lack luster craft, but to point fingers at anyone but yourself is pathetic. I’ll continue using ad blocker and avoid shitty websites.
I don’t really think quantitative scoring for anything artistic makes much sense. You can just as easily say in the text of your review “this game handles like shit” such that you don’t need a number to reflect mechanical failures. The numbers are just for lazy people.
Yeah, um, don’t turn my post into some soapbox for whatever genre you really want pushed. Don’t misunderstand; I like shmups more than adventure games, but that 45-minute shmup might actually be poorly designed by comparison. Or better. DISCLAIMER: subjectivity, etc.
