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Do you think modern gaming "media" has actually helped gaming in anyway?

AmuroChan

Member
I honestly don't know why people still go to sites like IGN and Gamespot. They're typically super late on news, they've become overtly political, they talk down to their audience, and they're not nearly as knowledgeable as they claim to be.
 

Drew1440

Member
Haven't visited any of those sites for the past few years, never found them appealing.
YouTube and Odysee is where I get a lot of game recommendations from, and from Steam/Xbox recommendations itself. That said I have been watching IGNtv on the PlutoTV app which is OK, thought it's a bit repetitive.
 

Crayon

Member
It is so bad that I got a subscritption to Edge so I could read some decent shit about games.

Surprise surprise, Edge sucks now, too. I need to cancel this shit.

News is going to show up here really fast and youtube takes it from there.
 

MacReady13

Member
I fucking loathe gaming media today. It is full of shills and idiots who were never gamers to begin with but activists wanting to espouse their bullshit beliefs onto us gamers.

I would challenge ANY of those fuckers to 1 game of Mega Man 3 on the NES and see if they could beat that game. I doubt 80% of these morons even know what Mega Man 3 is! And before any of you start having a go at me cause I'm saying if you can't beat Mega Man 3 you can't be a gamer, that isn't what I'm saying. I just pulled that game cause it's one of my favs. But take almost any NES game- Battletoads. Terminator 2. Alien 3. ANYTHING! I don't care the game or console but before gaming became all about tying to appease the "minority".... These idiots wouldn't know any game unless they were paid to promote it. Journo's like Colin Moriarty are a long dead breed.
 

MiguelItUp

Member
I feel like a lot of gaming related media done a single thing to help gaming. Especially over the last few years. Especially news/information sites and journalists, as a lot of them post articles "seeking justice" to help the betterment of gaming, but so much of it feels like it's just nonsense. People want video game information that they care about, not articles on ridiculous opinions, etc. Kotaku is a huge example of this, but I feel like so many others aren't far behind them.

If anything, the availability of YouTube, Twitch, and similar platforms have helped a great deal IMO, because it allows people to stay clear from sites like that to actually check out game footage. Or something that can help them form their own opinion. Though, of course, you still have influencer/content creators/and personalities that are just as bad, if not worse. It's a mixed bag, but the outcome is still better than a lot of those cesspool sites IMO.
 
yongyea is proof that modern gaming media is actually good. if it weren't for him i'd say no, though
I don't like YongYea...
No.

Because it is not about games anymore, it is about how big BOOBS the "reviewer" have or what kind of minority of minority they represent or about their retarded political agendas that dont have anything to do with the game.

Maybe it is caused more because of video reviews, because before reviewer were just faceless or small face on the pages of a magazine, now it is more of some asshole acting 10000000 emotions/s to gain views and if they are a woman they must be half naked.

If the sexuality of reviewer and their political agenda is more important than the game, their review is less meaningful than counting dog shits on the side walk and rating games by that.

Dog shits are at least somewhat real thing, unlike these imaginary problems of main character not being fat trans male-to-dog-thing.

Games (and movies/any media) is form of art and if reviewer cant separate their personal characteristics and views from that, they arent suitable for the job
Many years ago, and I can't remember where I read it, but there was an article on some mainstream gaming site (might have been Kotaku) that talked about the experiences of women and how they felt as gaming journalists. I think two of the women said that they felt afraid in conferences when they had to ask a question.

I do find these remarks interesting... Especially as we have so many girl gamers on YouTube / Twitch etc who show no fear.

It's all for show... Nothing to hide.
Games journalism has become largely redundant as anything useful to the average gamer, because it has become so reliant on the goodwill and support of the games industry.

At some point, a collective effort should have been made to distance gaming journalism outlets from accepting any gifts, back handers or favours from the very people they are meant to be reviewing. This did not happen.
I think this is a major problem... in that games journalism is so reliant on ad revenue. And very few gamers are prepared to pay subscription charges for what could potentially be quality journalism.

Time is money. And if journalists aren't being paid, then the vast majority of good journalists will end up leaving for other professions. Which therefore will result in an worse talent pool.

If gamers aren't prepared to pay for quality journalism, and if the only way journalists can make money is by cozying up to the industry, is it any surprise that the overall caliber of quality journalism will suffer?

I think there needs to be a shift in attitudes and spending. Quality journalism should be paid for. And more sites should make an effort to promote subscriptions as a form of funding.
I honestly don't know why people still go to sites like IGN and Gamespot. They're typically super late on news, they've become overtly political, they talk down to their audience, and they're not nearly as knowledgeable as they claim to be.
Eurogamer have become like this... They were pretty good about 10 years ago. Now, not so much.
 
I have to say... Edge during its early years did a LOT to challenge the perception of games.

Edge was a grown up magazine at a time when everyone and their grandma thought videogames were for kids.
 

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
Immensely

missing-the-point-whoosh.gif
 

FunkMiller

Member
I think this is a major problem... in that games journalism is so reliant on ad revenue. And very few gamers are prepared to pay subscription charges for what could potentially be quality journalism.

Time is money. And if journalists aren't being paid, then the vast majority of good journalists will end up leaving for other professions. Which therefore will result in an worse talent pool.

If gamers aren't prepared to pay for quality journalism, and if the only way journalists can make money is by cozying up to the industry, is it any surprise that the overall caliber of quality journalism will suffer?

I think there needs to be a shift in attitudes and spending. Quality journalism should be paid for. And more sites should make an effort to promote subscriptions as a form of funding.

Eurogamer have become like this... They were pretty good about 10 years ago. Now, not so much.

I would happily pay money for a digital gaming review mag that made a point of keeping away from games company money, ignored the vagaries and stupidities of the politics around gaming culture, offered demos and other freebies, and set an upbeat, well written and attractive tone.

Basically what we had years ago in paper.
 

skit_data

Member
I don’t know many journalistic subjects that has such a low barrier of entry in terms of knowledge. It’s often embarassing to listen to.

I like Last Stand Medias output and even there I sometimes get irritated when incorrect statements are made. Usually they correct them in the following episodes though.
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
They use to matter when they was our eyes and ears on the industry, now they try to be our voice with very little of reporting news we can't get anywhere else.
When gaming events stopped so did their importance.
 
I would happily pay money for a digital gaming review mag that made a point of keeping away from games company money, ignored the vagaries and stupidities of the politics around gaming culture, offered demos and other freebies, and set an upbeat, well written and attractive tone.

Basically what we had years ago in paper.
There's websites like Substack that allow people to pay a subscription charge to their favorite writers.
 

GHound

Member
The bad of the past decade alone far outweighs any good one might find throughout the entire history of the "profession."
I'm just glad that some sites like Gematsu still exist. 🤷‍♂️
 
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Heimdall_Xtreme

Jim Ryan Fanclub's #1 Member
I fucking loathe gaming media today. It is full of shills and idiots who were never gamers to begin with but activists wanting to espouse their bullshit beliefs onto us gamers.

I would challenge ANY of those fuckers to 1 game of Mega Man 3 on the NES and see if they could beat that game. I doubt 80% of these morons even know what Mega Man 3 is! And before any of you start having a go at me cause I'm saying if you can't beat Mega Man 3 you can't be a gamer, that isn't what I'm saying. I just pulled that game cause it's one of my favs. But take almost any NES game- Battletoads. Terminator 2. Alien 3. ANYTHING! I don't care the game or console but before gaming became all about tying to appease the "minority".... These idiots wouldn't know any game unless they were paid to promote it. Journo's like Colin Moriarty are a long dead breed.

If I beat Megaman 1, 2, 3 Ninja Gaiden 1,2,3 on the NES... Then am I a real gamer?
 

jigglet

Banned
Not with gaming, but me personally - yes.

It's helped me understand that the far left is every bit as toxic as the far right. I used to think it was just the far right red necks that were dangerous. Now I know better.
 

Aenima

Member
yongyea is proof that modern gaming media is actually good. if it weren't for him i'd say no, though
Lol, the outrage chaser? His content is terrible. His reviews are decent, but his outrage videos are just reading other ppl outrage without doing his own homework to make sure the outrage is acurate or not, and some of the times is not even acurate.

"Professional Videogame Media" is no more than hype machines to certain titles, and click bait shit to other titles. Not to mention the SJW opinion pieces that many like to puke.
Gematsu is the only videogame website that i know, that report about games the way they should be reported.

Streamers are also worth watching if you are on the fence about a game as they do long playthroughs you can have a good idea if the game is something you would like to play as well or not just by watching them play.

So thers still some "media" that are good for videogames, but alot of the modern professional media is just a cesspit of failed/wannabe journalists that landed a gig in a videogame website and just talk about shit.
 
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ButchCat

Member
Gaming journalism is a marketing device and nothing more, it's always been this way for the most part, why do you think most reviews stay above a 70 Metascore? Even when a gaming media outlet does review a game harshly the previews and impressions/ hands-on are usually positive.
 
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hemo memo

Gold Member
When you have documentaries and informative topics about gaming produced by individual creators rather than the big gaming media, you realize that something is seriously wrong with the industry.

Publishers are their bread and butter and they wouldn't say anything to upset them. So when they have the choice of the consumer getting screwed or the publishers, they would always side with the publishers in fear of getting ditched-blacklisted etc. It is dump.
 
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shaddam

Member
I really dont care about journalists or clickbait youtube e-celebs. There is 1 maybe 2 games per year which is 0 day buy for me and dont read about it because the spoilers. The rest of it I ask my friends, or if there is a big backlash on twitter (imagine bf2042) I decide not to care about the game. Twitter is really helpful for information if you filter out all the retards
 

Optimus Lime

(L3) + (R3) | Spartan rage activated
If you have brains/taste, the only 'gaming media' you should ever take seriously when deciding whether to purchase something is a no-commentary let's play. Just footage of the game, without some fuckhead inserting themselves over the top.

Gaming 'journalists', Youtubers, Twitch streamers, and any kind of e-celebrity can go die in a fucking fire.
 

supernova8

Banned
Unfortunately, your description of traditional media can be increasingly applied to YouTubers. They’re essentially PR and marketing departments for gaming companies, but without health benefits or 401k/pension.
Yeah you can see how Battlefield 2042 came out in October 2021 and yet (for example) jackfrags didn't really say anything negative until loooooong after the game came out (and he probably got his paycheck from EA). There's no way he wasn't already playing/playtesting it. He would've known. I guess he may have been under NDA or some sort of contract where he wasn't allowed to say anything negative but yeah all the same thing, no excuse he chose to sign those agreements.

At least with "official" gaming medi outlets you can sort of tell, but with these youtubers they don't make it super clear (or just hide it completely).

Absolute bollocks. He hypes everything and then 6 months after release is like "oh yeah actually it's shit but.. tough shit you already bought it lolz"
 
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StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
If you have brains/taste, the only 'gaming media' you should ever take seriously when deciding whether to purchase something is a no-commentary let's play. Just footage of the game, without some fuckhead inserting themselves over the top.

Gaming 'journalists', Youtubers, Twitch streamers, and any kind of e-celebrity can go die in a fucking fire.
100% agree.

When I watch gameplay videos I always try to find ones with no commentary. Most YTers are annoying as hell or promote their ugly mug shot in the corner. Just give me a clean video. You can tell some YTers realize this and even have in the video title "No Commentary". That's what I'm looking for.

Only time I purposely seek out videos with commentary are gun guides where I want to hear the guy's opinion on bullet spread, damage fall off etc...
 
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Filben

Member
Only small YouTubers who don't monetise their videos. But even those I only watch on occasion.

There are also rarely any well-written articles and reviews and most could have been written by someone with the tiniest talent fresh out of high school or in the beginning of University.

How do these guys even get jobs? In ten years you could probably program an AI to do that level of quality.
 

MacReady13

Member
If I beat Megaman 1, 2, 3 Ninja Gaiden 1,2,3 on the NES... Then am I a real gamer?
Re-read what I said smart ass. I said I don't care the console or games. These people aren't real gamers was my whole purpose, but go ahead and find whatever meaning you want from it.
 

Heimdall_Xtreme

Jim Ryan Fanclub's #1 Member
Re-read what I said smart ass. I said I don't care the console or games. These people aren't real gamers was my whole purpose, but go ahead and find whatever meaning you want from it.
The objective that I said in the paragraph is that we are better than those analysts.
 

Fredrik

Member
Professional game reviews are essentially used as ads today.

Publishers let critics test a day 0 version of the game, which the public will usually never touch, to get great metacritic scores to help increasing hype for the launch.

After launch the game might change for the better or worse, we never know, and the score will stay the same no matter what. This means that you can no longer look at review scores as a detailed purchase guide, since you never know what’ll change through post-launch updates, but can still be used as a rough hint on how things are.

So not so helpful for consumers but still helpful for publishers.

Digital Foundry and NX are absolutely helpful though, people may think they’re nitpicking but it’s because of those technical deep dives that we get performance updates.
 

BennyBlanco

aka IMurRIVAL69
Unfortunately, your description of traditional media can be increasingly applied to YouTubers. They’re essentially PR and marketing departments for gaming companies, but without health benefits or 401k/pension.

There are a ton of shills on youtube but there are also channels I know do a good job like ACG and smaller channels like Mortismal Gaming. Then you have the crazy long form 3+ hour review channels. Just watching a youtube video of someone playing a game is more useful to me than a written IGN review from some purple haired zoomer from San Francisco.
 
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No, in fact it hurt it tremendously. Everything is phoned in even the fake outrage over every trivial political opinion. Once something turns from a passion into a formula all hope is lost.
 
No, in fact it hurt it tremendously. Everything is phoned in even the fake outrage over every trivial political opinion. Once something turns from a passion into a formula all hope is lost.
You're talking about massive companies in general, right?

Like Activision and EA...

GameStop and CEX...

IGN and Kotaku...
 

SeraphJan

Member
In terms of ability to best evaluate a video game: Gamer Designer > Serious Gamer > Game Journalist > Troll Gamer

Game Journalist are good writers, but terrible at evaluate games
 
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I think you're probably misrepresenting what gaming "media" is now. Those old stalwarts who did press previews, etc, aren't needed anymore, and companies try to keep it in the ecosystem. The Kotaku of 10 years ago is much different than the Kotaku of today; it doesn't even seem like a gaming site anymore. A click foray over to their site shows 6/8 articles that aren't even r elated to games themselves on their front page.

IGN tried to become more of a media company, and they seem to have started to balance back to games, but I don't really visit them anymore. I am not sure what gamestop does, but there's typically nothing there to see.

Companies are controlling the narrative even stronger than they did previously; they pay people to pander to potential customers; they can guarantee positive press that way.

I never really adapted to the switch to youtube reviews, and I don't care for streaming. I am not sure how this affects my purchase of games, but we do get to see a lot of how games function by watching semi-useful [gameplay] trailers.

Also for posterity: think of how much efforts went into earlier websites put out by companies like Blizzard. They had massive compendiums for Warcraft, Starcraft, and World of Warcraft. Sometime around 2006 companies seemed to put less information in them, and now websites dedicated to game releases seem completely worthless.
 

JPSLotus97T

Member
The modern gaming media has made what was a fun hobby that let you escape from the every day world into a hobby where the every day world has to intrude on it. I play games as a distraction, not because I want to see whether a game is diverse or inclusive enough by the standards they have.

I used to read/buy a lot of the monthly magazines 25-30 years ago and there was far more journalism to be had back then. Did they get everything right? Of course not, but it wasn't overrun by SJW's/left-leaning writers who think the medium needs to apologize for every last thing they've done that offends their delicate sensibilities. That's to say nothing of the endless quid pro quo of gaming reviews where you can't even get a straight answer on how good or bad a game is because no one wants to upset their overlords at the gaming companies. It's gotten fucking stupid now.
 
Kotaku is pretty great! They made me realize that I as a white male am the sole reason games are extremely problematic.
LMAO.

Kotaku is such fucking garbage. They doubled, then tripled, down on their massively shitty political opinions. Their writers think they're so smart, too -- they have this supremely annoying snarky tone, all the time -- but that self deception is likely due to the neverending activity of them smelling their own farts.

ONE positive thing I'll say is that I'll always be thankful to classic (circa 2012-2013) Kotaku for being the reason I found GAF in the first place.
 
LMAO.

Kotaku is such fucking garbage. They doubled, then tripled, down on their massively shitty political opinions. Their writers think they're so smart, too -- they have this supremely annoying snarky tone, all the time -- but that self deception is likely due to the neverending activity of them smelling their own farts.

ONE positive thing I'll say is that I'll always be thankful to classic (circa 2012-2013) Kotaku for being the reason I found GAF in the first place.
How Dare You Greta GIF
 
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