Geez, that's like all the major news outlets for games. Is it really just IGN, Gamespot, and Kotaku now? I suppose this was inevitable since all journalism these past 8 years or so were on the...
Geez, that's like all the major news outlets for games. Is it really just IGN, Gamespot, and Kotaku now?
I suppose this was inevitable since all journalism these past 8 years or so were on the decline, and games journalism sure wasn't going to survive with a paywall since they are mostly relaying news from game studios. But I guess things just shifted so instantly.
Yeah Second Wind makes sense, since the escapist was mostly on the video pipeline way before YT blew up. But as a forum dweller it does seem like we're only going to see less and less written...
Yeah Second Wind makes sense, since the escapist was mostly on the video pipeline way before YT blew up. But as a forum dweller it does seem like we're only going to see less and less written journalism overtime. I do fortunately have a dozen or so youtubers that can offer deeper critique that aren't bound to release dates, but it's not quite the same.
I guess that reflects in my habits. the only site I really follow these days is Gematsu (slightly skewed towards Japaese releases), and that's purely news with very little editorial
This comment reminds me of my situation with Youtube. It is kinda szrange that Youtube with the amount of ads it has in past months has finally forced me to take my money and spend it on removing...
This comment reminds me of my situation with Youtube. It is kinda szrange that Youtube with the amount of ads it has in past months has finally forced me to take my money and spend it on removing ads from videos. But it took unexpected turn for them, as I put my money in Nebula instead of Youtube Premium. Big corporations will eventually force more and more people to pay for services - but it may not be their services people will actually pay for.
Long-time Staffers At RPS, GamesIndustry.biz, VG247 Surprised By Layoffs As IGN Buys Network: https://aftermath.site/ign-gamer-network-eurogamer-gamesindustrybiz-layoffs
This is awful. IGN publishes absolute dribble. RPS is the only publication on that list that I respected. I imagine that will soon be past tense. So, basically, there will be no useful or reliable...
This is awful. IGN publishes absolute dribble.
RPS is the only publication on that list that I respected. I imagine that will soon be past tense.
So, basically, there will be no useful or reliable game reviews any more.
I feel like RPS was already a pale imitation of what it used to be ever since it was acquired by the Gamer Network in 2017. It's been far more quantity than quality for a while, but IGN picking...
I feel like RPS was already a pale imitation of what it used to be ever since it was acquired by the Gamer Network in 2017. It's been far more quantity than quality for a while, but IGN picking them and Eurogamer up certainly won't be improving the situation.
I think the word you were looking for is "drivel," btw, and I agree completely. The only thing IGN has ever really been good for is hearing what publishers' marketing departments have to say about...
I think the word you were looking for is "drivel," btw, and I agree completely. The only thing IGN has ever really been good for is hearing what publishers' marketing departments have to say about a game, which can be informative after a fashion, but is not what I would call "journalism."
The real problem with games journalism is the same thing all trade journalism suffers from: in order to report on products and services, the journos need access to those products and services, and time is of the essence in industries like film or games journalism, though less so with games than cinema. In order to be impactful with criticism and reportage, journalists need access to products at or slightly before launch so that the purchasing decisions of consumers can be influenced. Since there's no extant way to ensure access regardless of an outlet's relationship to the publisher or developer, that means every piece of reporting has to be evaluated by editors for its potential impact on that relationship. Needless to say, this complicates an outlet's duty to report fairly and honestly immensely
It's not an easy problem to fix. We could get laws or regulations enacted that require pre-release to journalists, but then who would vet outlets to ensure only reputable outlets are on the list? How would that affect up-and-coming outlets? What level of governmental control over journalistic outlets would that necessitate? How would enforcement work?
It seems to me that the more honest and reputable outlets have decided that consumer education is the best way forward. Educate people on the weaselly tactics publishers and developers use to hide shoddy products, the thinking goes, and you'll fix the jacked-up incentive to release bad products. I haven't seen this emphasis usher in much progress yet, though, and I begin to doubt whether consumers actually want to improve this aspect of the industry. People like getting hyped about future releases, and if we're brutally honest, the number of games that are actually worth getting hyped about is never as great as fans would like. I think the big development and publishing houses are aware of this, and know that they're as much in the business of pumping up expectation as they are gratifying it–probably more, if we're honest.
More consolidation in games media is exactly what we needed - after all, it worked so well for game developers, right? <facepalm> I miss the time when both games themselves and game journalism...
More consolidation in games media is exactly what we needed - after all, it worked so well for game developers, right? <facepalm>
I miss the time when both games themselves and game journalism made me happy, excited and hopeful - so much of it recently just makes me angry, sad and/or defeatist...
Geez, that's like all the major news outlets for games. Is it really just IGN, Gamespot, and Kotaku now?
I suppose this was inevitable since all journalism these past 8 years or so were on the decline, and games journalism sure wasn't going to survive with a paywall since they are mostly relaying news from game studios. But I guess things just shifted so instantly.
All the more reason to support independent, worker-owned game news outlets like Second Wind.
Yeah Second Wind makes sense, since the escapist was mostly on the video pipeline way before YT blew up. But as a forum dweller it does seem like we're only going to see less and less written journalism overtime. I do fortunately have a dozen or so youtubers that can offer deeper critique that aren't bound to release dates, but it's not quite the same.
I guess that reflects in my habits. the only site I really follow these days is Gematsu (slightly skewed towards Japaese releases), and that's purely news with very little editorial
This comment reminds me of my situation with Youtube. It is kinda szrange that Youtube with the amount of ads it has in past months has finally forced me to take my money and spend it on removing ads from videos. But it took unexpected turn for them, as I put my money in Nebula instead of Youtube Premium. Big corporations will eventually force more and more people to pay for services - but it may not be their services people will actually pay for.
I don't know if you would consider them major, but there's also Polygon.
Long-time Staffers At RPS, GamesIndustry.biz, VG247 Surprised By Layoffs As IGN Buys Network:
https://aftermath.site/ign-gamer-network-eurogamer-gamesindustrybiz-layoffs
That is certainly a massive acquisition order.
This is awful. IGN publishes absolute dribble.
RPS is the only publication on that list that I respected. I imagine that will soon be past tense.
So, basically, there will be no useful or reliable game reviews any more.
I feel like RPS was already a pale imitation of what it used to be ever since it was acquired by the Gamer Network in 2017. It's been far more quantity than quality for a while, but IGN picking them and Eurogamer up certainly won't be improving the situation.
Yes and yes
I think the word you were looking for is "drivel," btw, and I agree completely. The only thing IGN has ever really been good for is hearing what publishers' marketing departments have to say about a game, which can be informative after a fashion, but is not what I would call "journalism."
The real problem with games journalism is the same thing all trade journalism suffers from: in order to report on products and services, the journos need access to those products and services, and time is of the essence in industries like film or games journalism, though less so with games than cinema. In order to be impactful with criticism and reportage, journalists need access to products at or slightly before launch so that the purchasing decisions of consumers can be influenced. Since there's no extant way to ensure access regardless of an outlet's relationship to the publisher or developer, that means every piece of reporting has to be evaluated by editors for its potential impact on that relationship. Needless to say, this complicates an outlet's duty to report fairly and honestly immensely
It's not an easy problem to fix. We could get laws or regulations enacted that require pre-release to journalists, but then who would vet outlets to ensure only reputable outlets are on the list? How would that affect up-and-coming outlets? What level of governmental control over journalistic outlets would that necessitate? How would enforcement work?
It seems to me that the more honest and reputable outlets have decided that consumer education is the best way forward. Educate people on the weaselly tactics publishers and developers use to hide shoddy products, the thinking goes, and you'll fix the jacked-up incentive to release bad products. I haven't seen this emphasis usher in much progress yet, though, and I begin to doubt whether consumers actually want to improve this aspect of the industry. People like getting hyped about future releases, and if we're brutally honest, the number of games that are actually worth getting hyped about is never as great as fans would like. I think the big development and publishing houses are aware of this, and know that they're as much in the business of pumping up expectation as they are gratifying it–probably more, if we're honest.
More consolidation in games media is exactly what we needed - after all, it worked so well for game developers, right? <facepalm>
I miss the time when both games themselves and game journalism made me happy, excited and hopeful - so much of it recently just makes me angry, sad and/or defeatist...
Anybody know who owns Polygon?
They're owned by Vox Media which also owns The Verge and Eater.