Slashdot Mirror
Carnival of Gamers Rolls Into Town
Buttonmashing.com has gotten together several intelligent, reasoned folks who regularly opine about video games to form the Carnival of Gamers. The first carnival covers such topics as Guild Wars, GTA, E3, danking, and the Lady Antonica star search. From the post: "Here you will find the best and brightest video game bloggers from around the world! Never before has such a group been assembled to bring to you the latest insights and observations from the gaming blogosphere. We're a diverse group here, as you'll see from the posts but we all have one thing in common -- we are passionate about video games."
.. and there was me thinking it was going to be actual games journalists.
If I wanted uninformed opinion on games from random people on the net I'd go to Slashdot.
Oh wait..
"Here you will find the best and brightest video game bloggers from around the world! Never before has such a group been assembled to bring to you the latest insights and observations from the gaming blogosphere" Gee. A little full of ourselves aren't we?
Because obviously, if you play a role in a game, it's an RPG, .....oh wait....
Also, the need for someone to say "yes, according to Microsoft leetspeak is the language of the hour, and I'm down with it just as much as the next guy", and link to not only one, but TWO different explanations of leetspeak. Jesus, I wouldn't read this crap if it was the only opinion available on games. I would just go back to the old days and friggin rent video games.
Also, is it just me, or do these blogs have some sort of rule that you have to have at least 5 links per sentence??
In contrast to you, yes YOU, the reader, I checked out the site and looked at a few of the articles (about 5). In short - it's alright really. 2 said interesting things, 2 said uninteresting things in a reasonably clear and grammatically sound way, and 1 rapidly showed itself unworthy of further reading, spending the first 3 paragraphs talking about the length between the last update and this one.
But the fact that this is "the best" just shows the poor quality of the usual games blog.
Meine Schwester ist sehr, sehr reizvoll - Nietzsche
I actually read a lot of these guys off an on throughout the week. When Tony mentioned he was going to organize this, I thought about doing it ... but I have an awful track record when it comes to sticking to things like this and didn't want to lame out on it.
And blogs don't have to be hard hitting journalism, and jesus - hearing slashdotters bitch about that is simply hilarious. Some of them are just funny or personal. You aren't going to like all of them because they aren't simple neutral voices like journalism. But something like this offers people a wide range to read from, and maybe you'll find a couple you do like and then you can keep up with them.
I mean dang, worse thing that happens is that you find a few new websites that broaden the news and opinions about games. But I guess slashdotters only need to feed from one source? Whatever.
Give it a browse. You might find something you like. And if you don't, well you'll probably live to fight another day.
As the host of the Carnival of Gamers, allow me a chance to answer some of the criticism/mud slinging being thrown at gaming bloggers. I know this is slashdot and arguing on the internet is like the special blah blah blah, but indulge me.
First, the "best and brightest" comment. There needs to be a <tongue-in-cheek> markup tag because that's all that was. I enjoyed most of what was included but calling it the best was a simple attempt at humor (which obviously failed).
Second, I requested links to be submitted for inclusion and I linked everyone who participated. I didn't see fit to include the ones I thought were great (most of them) and exclude the ones I thought lacked creativity or anything new (a couple). When you go to the Carnival do you ride all the rides? Me either. I pick and choose the ones that look fun and I avoid the tilt-a-whirl.
Third, I didn't submit this as a story to /., someone else who obviously thought some gamers might like it did, so lay of the "slashvertisement" accusation. I appreciate the traffic and hopefully a few slashdotters will appreciate the blogs included in the Carnival.
This was an opportunity for other gamers to express their opinions in an open forum. But hey, this is /. so let's put everyone who doesn't agree with us down with our pithy insults and brave swagger! That's exactly the mentality that bloggers avoid by ... wait for it ... blogging. I know we can all be bad-asses here on Slashdot but cut these guys some slack. They like games, they like to blog, and they wanted to have a little fun with this. If read some of them and like them, great! If not, move along, there will be another fantastic news story here in a few minutes!
James Madison, a sure advocate for freedom of religion said in 1774, "Religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprize, every expanded prospect." That doesn't sound like a man whose faith guided him to write the Constitution.
Source: The Heritage Foundation
OddManIn: A Game of guns and game theory.
We're a diverse group here, as you'll see from the posts but we all have one thing in common -- we never bathe."
It does sound like a man whose Humanist principles required him to prefer a religion which did not bind its followers to self-righteous and inhumane precepts.