Gaming Journalism Is Over

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This guy seriously gets it. If you only read one editorial today, make it this one.

Why on Earth would I start a column with this thesis? There is no faster way to alienate my audience—that is, the people who pay my bills. And yet, this is exactly what writers at not one but half a dozen online gaming publications did to their audiences last week, and it points to a significant shift in the business of gaming. Gamers are not over, but gaming journalism is.
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I saw this on Reddit yesterday and I could not agree with him more. It is an antiquated concept.
 
I'm of the opinion that a lot of writers simply have no clue what they're talking about. They're given a job because they have writing experience, but they don't have much experience in what they are responsible for covering. In the end, they resort to writing fluff and dramatic opinion pieces that become toxic.

Like that guy who writes for PC Magazine or something but never built a PC. The fuck?
 
I completely agree with these, among other points

As Florence said, so much of the game journalist’s job has indeed been glorified PR, and the rest is not reportage but cultural think pieces, like the ones that have earned so much opprobrium over the last week.

...

Maybe gamers don’t trust their press as much as they trust the enthusiasts because the press doesn’t seem as engaged with the games themselves. Compared with the enthusiasts, the journalists’ hearts aren’t in it.
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I can't tell if it's just from getting older (I'm 26 now), but it seems like the quality of tech and game related journalism has declined significantly over the last 10 years. It all feels like advertising rather than professionally written perspectives from real users.
 
My question is, why is this coming out now? It's not new "news". Still, more awareness is good I guess.
 
DeathFromBelow said:
I can't tell if it's just from getting older (I'm 26 now), but it seems like the quality of tech and game related journalism has declined significantly over the last 10 years. It all feels like advertising rather than professionally written perspectives from real users.
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There is a whole lot of that going around.....
 
Much ado about nothing I think. What exactly is a "gamer" beyond anyone that plays computer games?
 
I think the articles to which Auerbach refers prove, if nothing else, that writers and video game "figures" like Leigh Alexander, Zoe Quinn, and Anita Sarkeesian are "over"; or, more to the point, their crusade to end the largely phony problem of so-called "video game misogyny" is over because it was hyperbole to begin with and became ever more contrived the longer they tried to force it to grow.

Sadly for these instigators, most video gamers and the industry at large is not anti-women, anti-feminist or misogynistic - it is steeped in fantasy and is often set in time periods where gender roles are perhaps more defined, but it is as much "reality" as it is dragons and aliens.

As Auerbach pointed out - "gamers" aren't over, they are simply not the monsters that the gaming media has attempted to paint them to be.
 
I see a massive echo chamber problem. That's a problem for any media. You get an industry where one viewpoint is successful through intellectual nepotism (hiring/firing practices) virtually eliminating opposing views. Then people carrying the winning viewpoint begin to think its ok to champion their views.
 
I find it funny how PC Accelerator had more game reporting and factual content than the entire world of games journalism does now.
 
DeathFromBelow said:
I can't tell if it's just from getting older (I'm 26 now), but it seems like the quality of tech and game related journalism has declined significantly over the last 10 years. It all feels like advertising rather than professionally written perspectives from real users.
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It has always been advertising.
 
heatlesssun said:
Much ado about nothing I think. What exactly is a "gamer" beyond anyone that plays computer games?
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A cynical community that does not respond well to some Political Correctness pressure. They must be dismantled.
 
DeathFromBelow said:
I can't tell if it's just from getting older (I'm 26 now), but it seems like the quality of tech and game related journalism has declined significantly over the last 10 years. It all feels like advertising rather than professionally written perspectives from real users.
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I am 32, and I can tell you it's been that way since you were a wee little lad. You are just now noticing. That's all.
 
Thank you. I had read that Dan Golding and thought it was pretty damn stupid. Glad to hear it get called out. And I'm always glad to see Kotaku get called out, because they are terrible.
 
jimmyb said:
It has always been advertising.
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True, but I think the fact that there is more money flying around nowadays the more it has poisoned the writers. Now people are just getting into writing about games for the cushy perks big publishers are offering for giving good reviews on the latest overhyped product. 10+ years ago it felt like the writers were more passionate about actually playing and covering games, and it came out in their writing.
 
I loved the part where that chick writer quit because she couldn't take the "unfair" criticism. She writes on the internet. Yet can't take the criticism. Seems like a poor life choice.
 
DeathFromBelow said:
I can't tell if it's just from getting older (I'm 26 now), but it seems like the quality of tech and game related journalism has declined significantly over the last 10 years. It all feels like advertising rather than professionally written perspectives from real users.
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You're still pretty young, but you're dead on. Broadcast and print media both went through a phase of simply being propaganda and advertising channels for people with the money and the agenda to make that happen. Gaming journalism is no different, they just trumpet whatever company X tells them to trumpet and the produce an endless flow of introspective, masturbatory drivel to fill the gaps between articles written on behalf of their sponsors.

It's going to be much, much harder for games journalists to survive this though. Their primary medium is the internet and the internet isn't a selection of three channels that all broadcast the same paid content from the same sponsors. We can avoid their bull shit, they don't matter. The author of the topic article understands that, the internet is hyper-competitive (at least when it comes to content) and you're never far from being forgotten.
 
I'll tell you whats dying...
Shitty dumbass "journalists" SJW's and feminist sluts. Useless websites like Kotaku, Gamasutra and other clickbait "article" regurgitation sites..etc

There also seems to be a rise in men's rights as a result off years of utter BS that feminist sluts have been throwing around.

I miss the days of the old Adrenaline Vault and The old Gamestop website.
 
jimmyb said:
It has always been advertising.
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Oh I know. I always assume that reviews are biased to some degree, but I get the impression that the real insight vs advertising ratio has changed substantially. Maybe it's just because there are so many more 'journalists' in the field that quality has gone down and the dishonesty has become more transparent. TechTV could have been blowing smoke up my ass about products all day, but at least Leo and Patrick were fun to watch.
 
MetalX said:
I am 32, and I can tell you it's been that way since you were a wee little lad. You are just now noticing. That's all.
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The difference though is that it used to be that those who wrote articles about games were actually very passionate about games and gaming. These days, thats few and far between when it comes to game journalists.
 
heatlesssun said:
Much ado about nothing I think. What exactly is a "gamer" beyond anyone that plays computer games?
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Actually, these big self-aware articles by rags like Slate prove that there is a big problem in the games reporting industry. The fact that columns that are typically used to write about games themselves are now being used to write about the state of gaming culture shows that there is a massive shift taking place/about to take place.

The core gamer audience are no longer sitting on their laurels and taking everything the gaming media shovels their way in stride. That's a huge leap from the status quo of the past decade.
 
SRTie4k said:
The core gamer audience are no longer sitting on their laurels and taking everything the gaming media shovels their way in stride. That's a huge leap from the status quo of the past decade.
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Given that companies like EA on top... Yes, gamers are mostly still falling for this shit. But hey - if someone buys an EA game and uses Origin, they absolutely deserve all the bad experiences. But I still hate it because the stupid decisions made by other people still affect the market for games, which affects all gamers.
 
heatlesssun said:
Much ado about nothing I think. What exactly is a "gamer" beyond anyone that plays games?
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FTFY

Seriously, limiting the term "gamer" to merely "computer games", is missing a HUGE swath of the industry.
 
drlawyer said:
I think the articles to which Auerbach refers prove, if nothing else, that writers and video game "figures" like Leigh Alexander, Zoe Quinn, and Anita Sarkeesian are "over"; or, more to the point, their crusade to end the largely phony problem of so-called "video game misogyny" is over because it was hyperbole to begin with and became ever more contrived the longer they tried to force it to grow.

Sadly for these instigators, most video gamers and the industry at large is not anti-women, anti-feminist or misogynistic - it is steeped in fantasy and is often set in time periods where gender roles are perhaps more defined, but it is as much "reality" as it is dragons and aliens.

As Auerbach pointed out - "gamers" aren't over, they are simply not the monsters that the gaming media has attempted to paint them to be.
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Nay they are worse than portrayed. It's hard finding gaming groups that are unfiltered, but have members that are intelligent and have common decency. It is damn annoying to have to kick all of these "The more I cuss the better I can play" types out of your clan. Anonymity + the ability to speak to others over VOIP has made an entire generation of idiots.

I'd rather game with a group of 10 decent people than cringe listening to a clan of buffoons hollering that they are going to rape a family, fuck their dog, and shit on a baby. Yes, these are the easy subjects that I've heard discussed. I have MUCH worse stories to tell.
 
Big business, advertisers and sponsors now rule the Internet. $$$

Oh..and The NSA and CSIS

Internet 1990-1999 RIP
 
cageymaru said:
Nay they are worse than portrayed. It's hard finding gaming groups that are unfiltered, but have members that are intelligent and have common decency. It is damn annoying to have to kick all of these "The more I cuss the better I can play" types out of your clan. Anonymity + the ability to speak to others over VOIP has made an entire generation of idiots.

I'd rather game with a group of 10 decent people than cringe listening to a clan of buffoons hollering that they are going to rape a family, fuck their dog, and shit on a baby. Yes, these are the easy subjects that I've heard discussed. I have MUCH worse stories to tell.
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The problem though, is with the assertion (made by many) that attitudes such as what you describe are somehow limited to gamers or 'gaming communities'. Yet, you can go literally ANYWHERE on the internet and find the same or worse behavior from people.

This is what bothers me most about these dumb ass articles about how gamers are misogynistic etc... its not GAMERS its fucking people, a subset of people who are given a voice by the very people that are offended by it. If this shit just got ignored it would be half the problem people think it is.
 
You can't even get an honest game review anymore since everything has shriveled up to just a few publishers.
You can keep your integrity and say how bad the game really is, then the publisher threatens to cut off advertising revenue to your employer unless you're fired never to work in the business again, or you can write a 5 star love letter to a glaring piece of shit and everyone knows you've sold out.
Then there's the women....
5% of the industry bitching that they're not 100% at the top and they're being held back by men. They expect special favors, special treatment and less criticism because of their gender, anything else is "unfair" and "gender biased."
 
DeathFromBelow said:
I can't tell if it's just from getting older (I'm 26 now), but it seems like the quality of tech and game related journalism has declined significantly over the last 10 years. It all feels like advertising rather than professionally written perspectives from real users.
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I'm almost 40 and agree completely I've got to the point I don't bother looking at what they "gaming journalists" have to say but I've always formed my own opinions on what I like.
 
I haven't read or reviewed a "Game Review" in years. I watch real gamers play games and give their opinions on Youtube and in the forums at times.
The only game review I read is when it's linked to a GPU review, and that's not talking about the game itself.

Game Reviews are watered down trash. Given the broken and unfinished state of games these days, journalist are turning a blind eye to the real truth of gaming today, and gamers are ignoring them entirely.
 
8du8 said:
The problem though, is with the assertion (made by many) that attitudes such as what you describe are somehow limited to gamers or 'gaming communities'. Yet, you can go literally ANYWHERE on the internet and find the same or worse behavior from people.

This is what bothers me most about these dumb ass articles about how gamers are misogynistic etc... its not GAMERS its fucking people, a subset of people who are given a voice by the very people that are offended by it. If this shit just got ignored it would be half the problem people think it is.
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See I could agree with you wholeheartedly and say ignore the jackasses and everything will be better. But I can tell you that these jerks randomly show up at Twitch streamer's houses and ask to come in. Now go back to your statement about ignoring the idiots and it going away. Now think about what I just said; that these jerks are coming to people's real houses! They are posting your address, pictures, phone numbers of your home, job, pics of your kids, etc on the internet to get others to harass you.

I don't see how anyone can blame the victim for this happening. But they do. And they tell them to just ignore it. Which is hard to do when there is a group of individuals looking into your bedroom window.

I think that many people don't understand to what depths that anonymity empowers individuals on the internet to think they can get away with.
 
Chas said:
FTFY

Seriously, limiting the term "gamer" to merely "computer games", is missing a HUGE swath of the industry.
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I thought about this for a second but went with computer games as they seem to be the ones mostly at core of this "debate" such that it is. But I agree with you.
 
cageymaru said:
See I could agree with you wholeheartedly and say ignore the jackasses and everything will be better. But I can tell you that these jerks randomly show up at Twitch streamer's houses and ask to come in. Now go back to your statement about ignoring the idiots and it going away. Now think about what I just said; that these jerks are coming to people's real houses! They are posting your address, pictures, phone numbers of your home, job, pics of your kids, etc on the internet to get others to harass you.

I don't see how anyone can blame the victim for this happening. But they do. And they tell them to just ignore it. Which is hard to do when there is a group of individuals looking into your bedroom window.

I think that many people don't understand to what depths that anonymity empowers individuals on the internet to think they can get away with.
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And they are just doing this to random people for no reason, they are not retaliating in anyway to anything that may have been said/done?

I don't disbelieve that people are randomly assholes, but please show me an example of someone being harassed in IRL completely randomly. That part I find hard to believe. Not in anyway condoning it, but if I went and poked a hornets nest should I not expect to get stung?
 
cageymaru said:
See I could agree with you wholeheartedly and say ignore the jackasses and everything will be better. But I can tell you that these jerks randomly show up at Twitch streamer's houses and ask to come in. Now go back to your statement about ignoring the idiots and it going away. Now think about what I just said; that these jerks are coming to people's real houses! They are posting your address, pictures, phone numbers of your home, job, pics of your kids, etc on the internet to get others to harass you.

I don't see how anyone can blame the victim for this happening. But they do. And they tell them to just ignore it. Which is hard to do when there is a group of individuals looking into your bedroom window.

I think that many people don't understand to what depths that anonymity empowers individuals on the internet to think they can get away with.
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Showing up at someone's house isn't illegal. If you're asked to leave it's illegal to stay, and it's illegal to make threats, and you should be arrested and charged. So when we see some police reports and people charged, then we can take people seriously.
 
Between this article and the one the same writer posted earlier about Zoe Quinn, these show without a shadow of a doubt, that the best form of review for a game your going to get, is a youtube playthrough or a twitch stream.

Sorry, gamer JOURNALISM is a dying art, because no one practices ART anymore, they throw tracing paper on the last article and do it again. And some youtubers who offer reviews (except for a handful few) are paid off.
 
jimmyb said:
It has always been advertising.
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I disagree. When I used to read printed PC magazines 10-15 years ago they had real reviews and articles.

I think what changed things is the internet. In those days by the time they were published game reviews were at least a month old and hard copy sales were a significant portion of the magazine's revenue. Game patches were mostly distributed on cover disks so any bugs & issues were there for a while at least. Most importantly, negative reviews & complaints were isolated so even bad games had a fair window to sell in.

These days people want patches instantly and negative reviews & complaints show up on searches. To counter this the games companies have done their best to control & manipulate information to ensure a window where a game will sell (however bad it is). On top of flooding every possible avenue with advertising they bribe, coerce and do whatever they can to ensure any negative information is lost in the noise. Most online journalists are just easy to manipulate because they rely on the games companies for early access & advertising.
 
One of the issues in this whole kerfuffle is internet commenters. For every person that expressed a viewpoint, either reasoned or unreasoned, there was some idiot screaming "I am going to track you down, find where you live and ....censored..." At which point, the gaming media, pointed to them and said "this is the opinion of the opposition". Sarkeesian, wrote she had to move to friends place because one of these idiots tracked her down.

Unfortunately, this is the internet age and if you want to play in the sandbox, you have to deal with the screaming kids. Some of them might even hurt you. I am not saying it is right, but you can't point to those idiots and say the represent something, knowing full well they exist in every sandbox. We definitely should talk about these screaming kids, but in the context of idiot children, not as voices in the conversation.
 
Technikal said:
I'll tell you whats dying...
Shitty dumbass "journalists" SJW's and feminist sluts. Useless websites like Kotaku, Gamasutra and other clickbait "article" regurgitation sites..etc

There also seems to be a rise in men's rights as a result off years of utter BS that feminist sluts have been throwing around.

I miss the days of the old Adrenaline Vault and The old Gamestop website.
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Feminism and being a slut aren't always, but very frequently not things that go together in the same person. I think you're being irrational and looking for someone to blame about how something that used to be a private niche occupied by like-minded people is now a mainstream recreational activity wherein many who partake have very different attitudes. It's change, which is usually scary when your expectations have been conditioned, and I think that you can overcome your fear if you calm down a little and act rational about your hobby rather than assigning a socio-political self-victimizing agenda to it that makes it a lot more serious and dread-filled than it is in reality.
 
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