Game journalists are maggots.

[Shockeye]

What am I talking about? Well, Colin Campbell has written a piece about gaming journalism over at Next Generation. He uses a blog entry by David Jaffe, developer of God of War, to shine a light on gaming journalism. Frankly, much of what Colin has to say is quite forgettable so I would like to highlight something from David Jaffe instead.

I want game journalism- at least 50% of it- to be more like music or film journalism of old. I want it to challenge us and tear our shit apart and analyze it and- when we do a good job- champion it and bring the message to the masses.

I'd like to believe that this is what we do at f13.net. I'd like to believe that when a developer gets it right, we acknowledge it. I certainly know that when they miss the mark we are quick to point it out. There are a lot of websites out there that like to keep publishers happy by writing reviews that are nothing but a sloppy knob-job. What good does that do for the game industry? Sure it might sell a few more copies of Big Mother Truckin' 17, but when the consumer gets home and plays the game and realizes it's a steaming pile of shit, you've just lost yourself a reader. Do we always get it right? Of course not. No one can get it right 100% of the time, but the thing we can guarantee 100% of the time is honesty. If a developer or publisher can't read something honest, how can they make their game better the next time?

[dusematic]

Someone should write something about how glorious Civ IV is.

[Hoax]

There are like 7 pages of oooh's and aaah's in the game release forum.  But yeah that frontpage needs a workout.

I didn't read the links, because you told me not to.  I think.  This thread was confusing.

[Shockeye]

There are like 7 pages of oooh's and aaah's in the game release forum.  But yeah that frontpage needs a workout.

I didn't read the links, because you told me not to.  I think.  This thread was confusing.

Check out David Jaffe's blog entry. It's an interesting read. Feel free to ignore Themis pimping their Escapist shit in the comments, however.

[ahoythematey]

I think there are times when game journalists do tear the shit out of other games, but they do it in such an ass-backwards way that nobody really gives them credit for it.  So many times I see a written review just tearing apart a game, and then the score reads something like 75%.  Of course, it could just be used as further proof that numeric game reviews are a fucking sham and should be done away with in favor of a "liked/disliked" system.  Binary FTW.

[Shockeye]

So many times I see a written review just tearing apart a game, and then the score reads something like 75%.  Of course, it could just be used as further proof that numeric game reviews are a fucking sham and should be done away with in favor of a "liked/disliked" system.  Binary FTW.

It may be that the person doing the review did it honestly but the editor had to assign a higher score to it because of the money thrown their way for advertising.

[Azazel]

Reminds me of that Black and White review I read a week or two ago. Pretty sure it was linked here, too.

[dusematic]

Seriously, someone should write a gushing review of Civ IV and front page it.  It's the best game I've played all year.  I give people like Schild props for expounding on the virtues of little known Japanese niche games, but let's be honest, I'll never play Makai Kingdom.  I think I may even come out ahead for not doing so, I guess people just expect Civ IV to be sweet.  I know I did.  Sorry, this really isn't about Civ IV, bigger companies deserve props.  I would never say "props" out loud.  Although once I bought a Sean John velvet jumpsuit.  But only because George Castanza always orgasmed about "draping himself in velvet."  I had to feel it for myself.  It's pretty great.  OK, deep shame starting....now.

[stray]

I pledge to slam and spew a venomous tirade on to every game I do not like. Or at the very least, every type of game.

[Daeven]

Civ IV is the Robot Jesus of PC Gaming that will save us from the raving hoards of dumbed downed console travesties like that Deus Ex sequel. If you like gaming and haven't bought Civ IV you are either a complete poltroon or a quisling consoler twit.

Or maybe it's jsut a fun game that I'm enjoying the hell out of. Whichever really.

[Morfiend]

I think Haemish needs to get a job at PC Gamer, and any review they feel would get below a 50 score, they stop review, and make Haemish give it the go around it deserves.

Haemish: Suffering So We Dont Have to, Since 1999.

[Paelos]

I like games. I write about them sometimes. But in truth I hate bad movies more than bad games, and that's usually because I can find something redeeming in every game. The same cannot be said about movies for me.

[stray]

Just a little thought on Jaffe's blog:

I think, if anything, good gaming journalism is going to stem from concern. A true critic is not going to see themselves as part of "the industry" per se (or someone trying to be an "insider" to it), but someone who sees themselves as a guardian of it (Yes, guardian is the right word. However arrogant that sounds). Someone who loves and percieves the potential of an artform, but doesn't write to become a participant in it, or sees their job as "their big break" to meet those participants.

Secondly, on a more general note (and this isn't completely relevant here), all great film, music, or art critics had one thing in common, no matter what their particular opinions. Read Lester Bangs or Pauline Kael -- Whenever they reviewed an album or film, they never just talked about that album or film alone --- They applied it, saw it, and related it to the entire artform itself. They were concerned about impact. All good critics write about the art itself more than they do particular works....Even when they reviewed particular works. Nothing was seen in a microcosm. 

Anyways, to expect a bunch of gaming rag reviewers to do a Bangs or Kael is probably unrealistic. I don't know. Most of them are kids and uncultured idiots. Shallow. Opportunistic.

[edit] Oh yeah, and f13 fits the bill, of course. Hell, I almost have 4000 posts here, and I'm neither admin, mod, or writer --- If I didn't like the place, then that wouldn't be case  :-D.

[Rodent]

Someone should write something about how glorious Civ IV is.

In a patch or two, the game has less stability then Bloodlines, quite a feat.

[eldaec]

http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php?date=2005-05-13&res=l


Money exists, this is something I guess you file under 'things outside my sphere of influence'.

In many ways a broken media is healthy. It forces people to make their own damn mind up for a change.

[stray]

In many ways a broken media is healthy. It forces people to make their own damn mind up for a change.

It also lets the good critics be that much more distinguishable.

As for people making up their own minds, that's all well and good. It's more than that: It's great.

It's just that.....People could use sincerity every once in a while. They could use a signpost that says "Turn here. You won't regret it", and have that actually be true.

[Merusk]

Sincerity, like Ethics, are a hinderance in modern industries. Not just the Media, but every facet of business. If you're not blowing smoke you'll never make the big bucks, because some other asshole will steal your innovations AND blow smoke.  You have to decide if you like the shiney or your soul more.  Me, I kinda like not feeling hollow when I go home.

[Shockeye]

Sincerity, like Ethics, are a hinderance in modern industries. Not just the Media, but every facet of business. If you're not blowing smoke you'll never make the big bucks, because some other asshole will steal your innovations AND blow smoke.  You have to decide if you like the shiney or your soul more.  Me, I kinda like not feeling hollow when I go home.

I don't know how important it is to make the "big bucks". Since when is being comfortable and not filthy rich a crime?

[Margalis]

I actually don't think the issue is money, as much as pure amateurism.

Film review and literary criticism are respected as real jobs. Video game reviewer is not. In addition most game reviewers are quite young.

One the money side it's  important to note that book and film reviews will appear in newspapers, whereas game reviews tend to appear in gaming mags that make ad money off of games. (Whereas newspapers make ad money off of whatever) I've seen a few papers that carry video game reviews and they tend to be a lot less blustery.

It's like the difference between reading the NYT and reading Fangoria. In Fangoria you're going to see exciting looking previews for things that are going to end up being shit. I remember reading an old Cinescape or Fangoria where they were talking up Jason X as a great movie before it came out.

That's the way those sort of dedicated magazines work. They aren't part of a broader journalism and are mostly populated by fanboys. They constantly rub elbows with people in the industry and rely on the industry for ad money. And a lot of them just buy into the hype themselves.

Someone should create a website that is purely reviews with no ads and no previews. Just a list of games, ratings, and 3 or 4 independent reviews by staff.

[Azazel]

In many ways a broken media is healthy. It forces people to make their own damn mind up for a change.

The problem with that being, more or less, that making your damn mind up for a change costs you about US$50/AU$90 a pop when dealing with games, with no return option in most places.

If you buy from EB, you can change your mind, but how many times do you make your mind up before the staff begins to look at you like you've been abusing their system and/or pirating merrily away as you go?

[Shockeye]

If you buy from EB, you can change your mind, but how many times do you make your mind up before the staff begins to look at you like you've been abusing their system and/or pirating merrily away as you go?

Most EBs around here will not let you return once you open it. I suspect that with the merger with Gamestop no EB will allow it in the future if any EBs continue to exist. The only reason I was able to return a game to EB once is because I came up with a truly heartbreaking story that involved a ferret and a boy in a wheelchair with a heart of gold.

[stray]

Now that my local EB's are Gamestops, I can't even sell PC games, let alone return them.

[schild]

Someone should create a website that is purely reviews with no ads and no previews. Just a list of games, ratings, and 3 or 4 independent reviews by staff.

If there were a decent way to make money off of it - we'd be that. Seriously. We're actually trying to figure out a way to do that right now (I mean, ads are fine, just not gaming ads. It's not easy).

[Shockeye]

I really hate shit like this.

[Fabricated]

I really hate shit like this.

#24: fits snugly into the anus of system fanboys after heated discussion at local Gamestop.

[AOFanboi]

I really hate shit like this.

Heh, funny stuff. Really.

#6 is wrong though: A pithy few games ran on Windows CE, most ran SEGA's own OS.

[Lt.Dan]

Game publishers paying game media companies for advertising is only the first problem in getting intelligently written reviews.  What about the content where a game is almost totally derived from a previous game.  Imagine being a reviewer when everything you review is the same or trivially different so as be close to being the same.  Oh good Age of Empires 3...well lets see that's a RTS.  File->Open->RTS Review.doc.  Now insert some comments about recent RTS games since last RTS Review - rating 3 stars - Conclusion: if you enjoy RTS games this is another one, similar to all others, and you might enjoy it.

At least "give it to the intern" bad and hardly worthy of any critical analysis.

[Hanzii]

Game publishers paying game media companies for advertising is only the first problem in getting intelligently written reviews. 

This is not the problem.
Really it is not, and you should just stop saying it. The game magazines aren't corrupt. At least not more corrupt than film or music magazines, and that business manages lots of intelligent and highly critical writers.
If you have a large readership, then you can survive without a pissed of large advertiser, thus being more powerful than them - and they know it. Bribing journalists is just really bad pr.

Film review and literary criticism are respected as real jobs. Video game reviewer is not. In addition most game reviewers are quite young.

This is the problem.
Game journalism is made by gamers.  This isn't a journalistic field. This is a field where kids that think they can write armed with a lot of gaming under their belt enters and get sent on a lot of amazing junkets - it's hard to be jaded and critical writing a preview from a beach in the bahamas (while the developer is at the bar getting more free drinks) if you're a kid fresh out of high school content with recieving free games in lieu of an actual paycheck.
... and in the end it all the fault of the readers for not demanding more.

[Hoax]

Game publishers paying game media companies for advertising is only the first problem in getting intelligently written reviews. 

This is not the problem.
Really it is not, and you should just stop saying it. The game magazines aren't corrupt. At least not more corrupt than film or music magazines, and that business manages lots of intelligent and highly critical writers.
If you have a large readership, then you can survive without a pissed of large advertiser, thus being more powerful than them - and they know it. Bribing journalists is just really bad pr.

I disagree completely do you really think that even the bigger computer review mags have more power then the major publishing giants?  Has there ever been a review of a Madden title that even hinted at "boy it must be nice nobody else can even make football games anymore, expect the additions each year for this franchise to get even more minuscule and unnoticeable".  Hell I'd settle for an editorial lambasting the NFL for selling them the exclusive rights.

Your theory is totally sound but no computer mag can survive without being able to review the titles comming from EA or whoever and if you read the response's to Jaffe's blog it doesn't take too much tinfoil to believe that currently there is a major problem.  I think this problem is compounded by the fact that the mags currently rely on all this Sneak Preview EXTREME EDITION garbage and you need the game companies to want to give you those looks.

[Hanzii]

I still believe this comment shows the greatest problem with games "journalism":

I am a game journalist. I'm 19 and I've been in the field for six years. I've never made a cent off of my publication (which is growing thankfully) and so I have no corporate masters to please with the editorial content of my site.

Excuse me? I wrote for the same amount of time calling myself (at most) a writer (more often I was 'contributor'). Then I spent 4 years at journalism school. THEN dis I begin using the term journalist about myself.
There's too much gamer and too litle journalism in 'games journalism'.

Steve Bauman, whom I think is the editor in chief of CGM, has some good points in the blog comments, which I agree with.

[Shockeye]

There's too much gamer and too litle journalism in 'games journalism'.

I completely agree.

[Merusk]

Having read-through the blog and some of the comments, I agree as well.  Jaffe is spot-on that the writers and magazines are all cozying-up too much.  So many of them seem like they would love to get a spot in some development company and are just whoring for it.  It seems, more often than not, that if they were to lose their job the next day resumes would be sent to EA, and Take 2 and THEN to other magazines.  That doesn't promote journalism, or quality reviews.  If you're thinking of getting a job at a game company, I don't want to read your review.  Kthxdrvthru.

[HaemishM]

The reason most "game journalists" consider themselves a part of the industry goes back to the whole setup of the industry. It's an interactive medium; it's all about the interaction, about putting yourself IN the game and performing these actions. Movies, music, books, they don't have that. So naturally, so much interaction builds a sense of ownership in the fan.

Now do I consider game journalists a part of the industry? Sure, but probably not for the reason they should be. I consider them a part of the industry because they are nothing more than a tool of the PR machine. Look at most of the paid game journalist magazines and sites. What is the majority of their content? It's either reviews of new games that get done from a preview copy and released the same day the game is released, or it's previews of games that won't be out for six months or longer. Almost the entire content of gaming-oriented publications is what PR people call "advertorial," which is editorial content written to advertise a company or product. It looks like independent thought, but it isn't really.

Game journalists are advertorial tools of the marketing apparatus of the games industry. But I've said this before.

There are no standards for games journalists, no editorial precepts from which to base your journalistic ethics on. There is no objectivity, because all game journalism HAS to take the Hunter S. Thompson line of being a part of the story. You have to interact with the product to write about it, and thus you have become a participant in the story itself. There is no, none, ZERO expectation of absolute honest in games journalism. There is only hype and letdown.

Have you ever read a game preview that made the game sound like derivative shit? Why is that? Could it be the previews are set up so that the writer only sees the best shit? PR tool.

That's why I don't consider myself a game journalist. I dont' pretend to some journalistic ethics that doesn't exist for this industry. I'm a writer who loves games, and that's all I'll ever be. If someone wants to pay me for it, great. They'll get the same writing, only I won't have to spend $50 a game to write it. The difference between honest writing and the typical game journalist whoring is the expectation that getting some for free from the developer will net them a positive writeup.

[Furiously]

Hello I am 10 years old and I am a video game profesional. I have been playing toontown for almost a year now and I really would like to give this a thumbs up. I like this game the best because of its graphics, multiplayer online action, and its mouth droping server can hold very many toons at the same time, also how it is safe for kids. But I give this a four star because it gets kind of old after 6 months. But then they made Goofey Speedway in September 2005 so I got back into it for another month but I noticed every month another thing happens in toontown.

It's hard to put the word professional and video game together. It's like putting professional and drinker together. I'm pretty sure the wine and beer mags that have come out in the past few years have the same problem.

BTW - WHEN DID SOE TAKE OVER TOONTOWN??

[Margalis]

At some point someone would have said you can't put professional and film together.

The problem isn't being maggots - the problem is just not being very good.