Slashdot Mirror
On Videogame Journalism
Michael_Blessed writes "The most incisive critique of games journalism currently out there. I would say that as I participated, but there's some real illuminating stuff in there. And it's all true - I should know, being a games 'journalist' myself." It's a whole long series - read all 11 parts.
No.
This is Slashdot, most people have trouble reading more than the headline.
Fvck terrorism, global epidemics, war, senseless murder, and the economy. I'm gonna report on... video games!!
crowd cheers
I guess it's better than reporting on Kobe Bryant.
It's almost as funny as journalism about sports, or journalism about porn, or journalism about journalism.
Journalism means analysing things that are interesting and important. Games - sorry - are mental masturbation, neither interesting nor important.
Now, journalism about the games industry, that is possible. Journalism about developing games, or about how the freakish death of twelve games writers in similar toaster-joystick-bathroom accidents. OK.
But journalism about games? Gimme a break, it's almost as irrelevant as journalism about Slashdot.
Ceci n'est pas une signature
wtf do you mean "no?" rtfa or die motherfucker! michael hath commanded thee!
You're right, I wouldn't steal a car. But if it were possible, I sure as hell would download one!
Chapter 1 - Get Ready (A Prologue)
by brandon sheffield
You might call me a moderate fan of videogames. I'm really not being facetious either. I'm about half player, half collector. I should hope that this comes across less in what I write than in what I choose to write about. It's just that there are things I'm more a fan of.
Here's an example: I enjoy having opinions about things. This is probably the greatest impetus behind unpaid writings of any sort - the desire to share your opinions about things you are interested in.
I have a lot more opinions about pornography than I do about games. This is probably because I quantifiably like pornography more than I do games. My collection of vinyl, latex, rubber dicks and 8-inch cocks outweighs my 600+ console software collection by nearly four multiples. So why aren't you reading "Insert Cock" right now? The reason is, like many things, rather unnerving.
Too much has been written about music for me to have a really meaningful opinion. I cannot just whip something out of the air that will give you a greater appreciation for, let's say Hella, or the Minibosses. Well, I could probably, but someone else would always do it better, or be better suited to do it.
So here I am, with my paltry 600 game collection, only half of which I've played much, and only a third of that half have I beaten - here I am telling you what I think about videogames? Just what gives me the gall to do something like that? What could I have to say that would be meaningful to you?
Tells you something about how immature our industry of game journalism is then, doesn't it?
Yes, I feel - surmounting the inherent self deprecation that all thoughtful human beings hold dear - that I have something to say about videogames that hasn't been said before, at least not in just the way that I say it. Those metaphorically under/oversigned to this article feel the same or similarly.
He or she who denies that videogames are trying for something different these days is not listening. And I hope to the high heavens that they've taken up some profession outside of the gaming industry. Games are striving to legitimate themselves as art, under the direction of 'names' like kojima, naka and Tetsuya Mizuguchi. Hell, even that Denis Dyack character. Even games that do not strive for art have a cultural influence. Even BMXXX makes us think.
Game journalism is not keeping up. Games have a profound influence on youth culture. Pokemon is as deep as you need to get to realize it. Whether these games cause violence or an alarming propensity for sharing is another issue. What's certain is that children, adults, moms and senators think about videogames.
Major news outlets have picked up on this, and are starting to do legitimate coverage of gaming trends. This is on the web exclusively, mind. Print newsstand journalism is still utter rot.
But this says, if nothing else, that we game journalists are way the god-spitting-hell behind.
Objectivity has got to go, for one thing. Anyone who says that the personal experience of interacting with a game can be discussed objectively - well they're just flat out wrong to even try. Experience colors everything we write, being humans and all. What we have to do is weigh our desire to share our opinion, the one we're sure is right, against the fact that no two persons will experience something in the same way.
* * *
The internet, this magical opinion database, was created as an alternative in many ways. Game journalism on the internet is...kind of an alternative to print journalism. We get the news faster, that's for sure. But is our writing significantly different? I submit that by and large, we're merely imitating the established trends set out for us by the Game Informers of the world. That's not bad, if that's what you want.
But you, friends, should want something more from the writings you read and the readings you write. Doesn't it sound reasonable that game journ
It's a known fact that video games "journalists" are intellectual wankers. Sometimes just plain old wankers but most of the time they're huge intellectual wankers.
Here's a brief rundown of how each video game house reviews games:
IGN - Is the company advertising the game on IGN? Yes? Then add 5 to the score.
Gamespot - Is this game popular? If yes, demolish the score by at least 20% and make sure to have completely unrealistic expectations of the game.
Gamespy - THIS GAME IS SO COOL! GET THE DOWNLOAD NOW FROM FILEPLANET FOR ONLY $9.95/MONTH!!!!! MAKE SURE TO LOOK AT ONE OF OUR KEWL FEATURES DUDE!
HTH. HAND.
that or the article is just really not that exciting
It takes
11 parts
because of all the
space between the
one line
paragraphs.
"Write about a game set in the 80s as though you were writing it from the 80s. Do this without being trite, and you're on the track."
You know, I'd REALLY like to read his review on Sim Ant.
Hey, guess what. You're commenting on a comment on an article about an industry that reviews, rates, and comments on content. Quick, someone reply to me so this goes even further.
Help I'm a rock.
Wow. I never believed that the whole "humor-impaired" condition actually existed, but it looks like I have been wrong all this time!
"Humor, this is nacturation. Nacturation, humor."
That's why I will not reply to your reply to my reply to the comment on the comment on the article that comments on an industry that comments on a different industry. I will merely...
***KABOOOM***SPLAT***
never mind
Help I'm a rock.