Today’s Topic Summary
Group: http://groups.google.com/group/GameJournoPros/topics
- If we’re all going to be unemployed in five years and you know it, clap your hands [43 Updates]
- Aggregation [2 Updates]
- Print is NOT dead… [12 Updates]
- SimCity review issues [6 Updates]
- Good LA-based freelancer now available for assignments (Jeff Mattas) [3 Updates]
If we’re all going to be unemployed in five years and you know it, clap your hands
Nathan Meunier <XXXXXXXX@hotmail.com> Feb 28 03:09PM -0800: [On Tuesday, February 26, 2013 4:23:27 PM UTC-5, mike.rougeau wrote: > sharing their personal stories and maybe speculating a bit about our > collective role going forward, please get in touch with …more]
Andrew Groen <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 05:21PM -0800: It’s not about getting screwed. It’s about the product becoming less valuable. If one day it starts raining milk, the milkman is going to go out of business. Unfotunately for us, …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 08:24PM -0500: As someone said earlier, this isn’t exclusive to game journalism. We’re in the middle of the biggest period of transition for news reporting probably since the widespread adoption of the TV, and the …more
Kevin Kelly <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 05:26PM -0800: If you want to continue that analogy, I prefer milk that is pasteurized and vetted for me. I don’t want to have to stick a bucket in the yard and hope it fills up if I want a glass of milk. The …more
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 05:37PM -0800: I’ll try to answer briefly, mainly because I’m busy (but also because the subject line is somewhat offputting…sorry). And I’ll try not to be too cranky, though I think I’ll fail. …more
Jason Wilson <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 05:40PM -0800: “You need to diversify and spread out. You need to do a lot of pitching to new outlets…and mainstream or non-traditional outlets.” And not just about games. If you’re going to FT freelance, you …more
Kevin Kelly <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 05:42PM -0800: I find it hard to believe that this guy can get that cranky. (and well, said Andy) …more
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 05:43PM -0800: When it starts raining soy beans, you’ll be the one who gets rich selling soy milk, trust me…and be ready for that to happen.
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 08:44PM -0500: oldgamehardwareontv.tumblr.com MAKE IT HAPPEN -KO
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 06:03PM -0800: Personal case study: About ten years ago, I connected with nVidia do a trio of articles, with each one being an overview of how one of the new-chipset demos was created. (Sample: …more
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 06:05PM -0800: Hoo, boy…Intertubez is foreverz.
thegamegoat <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 06:23PM -0800: I was about to post my two cents, but then saw Andy had already covered pretty much everything I was going to say. I will reiterate his point that putting all your eggs in one–or even a half …more
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 09:45PM -0500: I’m out for the night, but I’ve been following this thread and wanted to chime in. Mostly to echo everything Andy and Matt said. I was completely fucked in 2008 when UGO axed all freelancers and I …more
Samit Sarkar <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 09:57PM -0500: I can confirm that in private, Adam is a GIANT ASSHOLE. -Samit
Andrew Hayward <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 06:58PM -0800: I’ll affirm a lot of what Matt, Andy, and others who don’t consistently talk about the impending dissolution of their careers already mentioned. Like all other longtime freelancers, I’ve lost my …more
Matt Clark <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 10:40PM -0500: While there’s plenty of ups and downs with freelancing, I still think it has some major perks over working on staff for an outlet. But those perks rely heavily upon what Andy, Matt, and Andrew have …more
Andrew Groen <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 07:43PM -0800: Jeez, you guys make it sound like I’m weeping in my bed instead of working. A little shop talk on the board helps me sort out my thoughts. It was a comment about the increasing rarity of the …more
Matt Clark <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 10:46PM -0500: While we’re on the subject, I have a question for you Bay Area/LA/NYC freelance folks. Does living and working in those “hub” areas provide enough location-specific work to justify the cost of living? …more
Dan Crabtree <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 10:53PM -0500: Slasher<http://www.nbcnews.com/business/freelancer-growth-giving-rise-slasher-careers-1C6539645>or slasher <http://deadspace.wikia.com/wiki/Slasher>? … slashers …more
Michael Rougeau <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 08:04PM -0800: I know that living in LA has been a huge boon to me. Junkets often make up a significant chunk of my income (during certain times of year at least). And I know that friends of mine who live in …more
Jason Venter <XXXXXXXX@honestgamers.com> Feb 28 08:14PM -0800: It seems like there are two approaches to take if you’re serious about working as a full-time freelancer: 1) Live near LA or San Francisco and be prepared to travel a bit as you …more
“Yanier Gonzalez (Niero)” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 11:27PM -0500: You can dig up more content and network ops in san francisco, no doubt. There’s a gaming networking event (or three) every week, and in between much to see and do. Ive been here for 3 years and …more
Joseph Leray <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 10:45PM -0600: In comparison, I own a (gorgeous, if I do say so) house in Nashville. I’ve only been to one press junket ever. Almost everything worthwhile thing I write is post-launch coverage or done via early …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 11:49PM -0500: I’ve done this job from Laurel, MD and Pittsburgh, PA, and my freelance career was much like Joseph described, plus occasional trips to big shows like E3 and GDC. The downside is missing out on a …more
Jason <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 08:52PM -0800: Can’t speak for others, but when I could charge a lawyer $60/hour for copyediting, yep.
Garrett Martin <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 11:54PM -0500: All my San Francisco friends move once they hit their 30s and start making kids. Too expensive for us regular joes.
Sam Machkovech <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 10:11PM -0800 Just to add to the “which city?” dogpile: Please don’t move to Seattle. I’m already plotting to murder Steve Haske, and I can’t have any more blood on my hands.
“mike.rougeau” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 02:36AM -0800: Sorry for the subject line, Andy. It was a joke – I didn’t mean for this to turn into a whole discussion.. I just need to talk to a few people for a little article 🙂 Hopefully we’re not all …more
Susan Arendt <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 06:45AM -0800: I’m going to underline something a few folks have said about networking – be pleasant, be professional. Everyone has bad days, of course, but if you’re consistently a jerk (who, for example, feels …more
Dennis Scimeca <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 06:53AM -0800: As someone who dipped his toes in the water in 2010, this has been an awesome discussion to listen in on. I’m glad it turned into “a whole discussion” Mike! The absolute question “Is this line …more
Harold Goldberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 10:55AM -0500: “All the successful freelancers I know either have trust funds or spouses who support them.” Man, I don’t know if that’s always true, Dennis. I know that among the Circle members here in NYC, we’re …more
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 11:08AM -0500: That’s a great quote, Harold. I’m 35 and I live alone in NYC. No trust fund or supporting spouse over here either. I borrowed $2,000 from my mother once after I left MTV and almost moved to LA …more
Jared Newman <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 08:22AM -0800: I am bringing home sufficient bacon, but my wife’s job does provide the health insurance. Good deal if you can get it.
Dennis Scimeca <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 09:17AM -0800 : Harold, those were my wife’s words. Not mine. I thought it was a funny anecdote that spoke to the unstable nature of freelancing and how some people account for it. I meant no offense. …more
Harold Goldberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 12:44PM -0500: Hey, Dennis, I didn’t take it as an affront at all, man. Sorry if it sounded that way. There are a lot of folks in the arts who are supported by their parents or spouses, or get their feet in the …more
Dennis Scimeca <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 09:59AM -0800: Just wanted to make sure. You know I like you and stuff. 🙂
Russ Pitts <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 11:03AM -0800: To underline what Matt (a great freelancer) and Susan (I’m biased, but I think you’ll agree a grey editor) have said: Relationships are key. This may go back to pre-school stuff, but good people …more
Russ Pitts <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 11:12AM -0800: Susan is a *great editor that should have read. Thank you very much, auto-correct. Oh what I wouldn’t give for a chance to run that last post by her before sending. -R
Kevin Kelly <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 11:30AM -0800: You’ll pay for it later. …more
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 11:50AM -0800: It’s okay, Mike. It’s just that, while I’ve been doing this 25 years, I’ve never managed to stay at any place more than five, so I’ve got PTSD when it comes to unemployment discussions. …more
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 11:58AM -0800: If you had the chance to run it by her, I’m sure she would have corrected it to say “gray editor.” (I learned that it’s “grAy” in America and “grEy” in Europe…) ~8-)
“mike.rougeau” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 12:00PM -0800: But “grey” looks better, and.. and the internet has no borders! Yeah, I’m sticking with “grey.”
Matt Cabral <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 03:03PM -0500: I thought it all looked just fine, Russ. Especially those first few words 🙂 …more
Aggregation
Jason Schreier <XXXXXXXX@kotaku.com> Mar 01 11:28AM -0500: Another example of what I see as the “right” way to aggregate: http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2013/02/28/rumor-lucasarts-has-stopped-work-on-star-wars-1313.aspx …more
Jared Newman <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 08:47AM -0800: This thread has talked a lot about the “right” way to aggregate in a short blog format. I’d be interested to hear what people think about longer posts. I’m often asked to “advance the story” if …more
Print is NOT dead…
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 04:59PM -0800: And please try to be somewhat respectful for those who are still in print…at least for the time being.
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 08:05PM -0500: Dude, I have tons of respect for you, and most everyone working on print magazines, and I really hope the format continues in some way. But that doesn’t change my perception of the general business …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 08:09PM -0500: Just realized my link at the beginning of this thread was actually the 2011 numbers. Looks like they’ve just gotten worse since then =\ …more
Jason Venter <XXXXXXXX@honestgamers.com> Feb 28 06:17PM -0800: I’m so thankful that I got to write for Hardcore Gamer Magazine, because writing for a magazine that I could find at the local supermarket was a dream of mine for YEARS, and the magazine made that …more
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 06:22PM -0800: Sorry if I got oversensitive on you, but I’m riding a cranky wave. (hehe) My point is, commenting about how print is headed for obsolescence is reality–just not yet for some of us, obviously. …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 09:25PM -0500: Again, I’m just reading the tea leaves here, or describing the coming “reality” as you put it. Sorry if the Monty Python bit came off as insensitive, but I’ve been heading posts here with “Print is …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 09:27PM -0500: @Jason: I still remember the first time I saw my byline in Electronic Gaming Monthly. Showing that to my parents made a much bigger impression on them then telling them I had a regular gig writing …more
Samit Sarkar <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 09:40PM -0500: Hah, I’m in the same boat, Kyle. Thanks to Wil and Andy, I got to be published in two issues of *@Gamer* last year, and showing my parents the beautifully laid out pages along with my byline was an …more
Jason Venter <XXXXXXXX@honestgamers.com> Feb 28 06:46PM -0800: I have all 40 or so issues of Hardcore Gamer Magazine that printed and they’re not going anywhere. I plan to hold onto those as long as I’m coherent and living amid four wall walls and a roof. …more
Matt Clark <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 10:19PM -0500: The first time I had something printed in GamePro, my grandfather bought one, cut out the article, and laminated it. Haha. That was kind of cool. …more
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 08:27PM -0800: I honestly can’t tell if I’m supposed to be flattered or insulted. (hehe) Either way, it sounds disgusting and makes me feel like I’m a very good gravedigger.
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 08:28PM -0800: That is very cool. And one of my biggest regrets is that my father didn’t live long enough to see this part of my life
SimCity review issues
Dan Crabtree <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 05:15PM -0800: Polarized approaches to the same question about server availability: Kirk: http://kotaku.com/5987645/faith-check-will-simcitys-servers-hold-up-next-week Arthur: …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 08:17PM -0500: Kirk’s post doesn’t strike me as “optimistic” so much as “cautious.” And with good reason. Arthur is his usual crabby self, and that’s why I love him. -KO
Samit Sarkar <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 09:47PM -0500: To clarify, I believe Arthur tweeted that in regards to a different game that’s also coming out on Tuesday. (It’s *MLB 13 The Show*, which I’m reviewing. I’ve been playing debug code this week, and …more
Kevin Kelly <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 06:50PM -0800: So, we can’t cross-platform Home Run Derby it out right now? …more
Samit Sarkar <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 09:55PM -0500: We can’t do *anything* right now. Half the selections in the *MLB 13* menu ask me to input my Online Pass code. And an addendum: If you’ll recall, Arthur made a bunch of tweets earlier …more
Matt Clark <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 10:21PM -0500: That’s scary news about Show 13. I love that series, but it has a long history of bug-ridden online. Baseball is the only sport I truly care about — I just want it to work! …more
Good LA-based freelancer now available for assignments (Jeff Mattas)
Jared Newman <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 02:43PM -0800: Hope I did this right. Should be visible/editable to anyone with the link. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AmRG6M6SkmP1dEE1dWo2X1kyaWpnVGtaMGs1NmJMRUE&usp=sharing …more
Scott Nichols <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 04:04PM -0800: Everything about this topic is why I love this group and everyone in it.
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Feb 28 06:12PM -0800: It really sucks having to lay off good people, so sympathies to Garnett…and best of luck to Jeff as well.
Today’s Topic Summary
Group: http://groups.google.com/group/GameJournoPros/topics
- If we’re all going to be unemployed in five years and you know it, clap your hands [18 Updates]
- Top tech/gaming blog demographics [1 Update]
If we’re all going to be unemployed in five years and you know it, clap your hands
Susan Arendt <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 01:36PM -0800: It’s ok – being a grey editor is like being a Grey Warden! Except with slightly less blood drinking and death. …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 04:39PM -0500: http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Helena_Ravenclaw -KO
Russ Pitts <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 01:41PM -0800: Let’s be real: We’re all grey editors. Grey or bald. Because freelancers are adult children.
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 04:42PM -0500: Kind of off topic (even more so than we were already) I have this Magic: The Gathering card sitting above my desk: http://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=73941 -KO
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 04:45PM -0500: HEY, WAIT JUST A GOSH-DARNED SEC– …no. I really can’t argue with that assessment. …more
Jason Venter <XXXXXXXX@honestgamers.com> Mar 01 01:48PM -0800: I’m not very good at networking, but most of my best opportunities in this industry have come along when editors were willing to look past that and give me a chance. I try to repay that treatment …more
Danielle Riendeau <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 02:33PM -0800: I’m still stuck on the “is it worth it to live in a crazy expensive city?” question. I have a rather strong opinion. Here goes. So, I moved from Boston (3rd highest cost of living in USA) to San …more
Christopher Grant <XXXXXXXX@polygon.com> Mar 01 06:14PM -0500: Guys, have I told you how great Philly is lately? … guys? (Susan knows what I mean!) …more
Matt Clark <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 06:23PM -0500: Thanks for all the insight, everyone. Interesting stuff. @Chris Pat’s King of Steaks would certainly make it worthwhile …more
Jared Newman <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 04:35PM -0800: Every time you try to talk steaks with someone from Philly they turn their noses up and name some random-ass place that is not Pat’s. I still think it’s delicious. In Cincinnati we can only …more
Susan Arendt <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 04:50PM -0800: Chris speaks the truth. God, I miss Philly. …more
Samit Sarkar <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 07:52PM -0500: Philly’s cool, except for the Flyers and Eagles fans. -Samit
Christopher Grant <XXXXXXXX@polygon.com> Mar 01 08:17PM -0500: Hey look, Pats is okay. Geno’s is racist and weird. Jim’s is better. But if you want the GOOD SHIT, you’ll go here: [image: Inline image 1] It’s not much to look at and closes at 3pm, and …more
Matt Clark <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 08:39PM -0500: What part of town is this John’s you speak of? The way I always remember to find Pat’s and Geno’s is the amazingly awesome King of Jeans sign, a.k.a. the best retail sign ever made. …more
ryanflemingpdx <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 06:18PM -0800: I live in Portland, OR which has presented issues at times, but it really just made me change the way I did things. It would be much easier in some ways to be in SF or NY (and I love both cities …more
ryanflemingpdx <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 06:19PM -0800: [On Friday, March 1, 2013 5:39:00 PM UTC-8, Matt Clark wrote: …more]
ryanflemingpdx <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 06:28PM -0800: Props to Philly and all, some of the guys I know from Philly have the best intense and creepy stares, but Arthur Bryant’s in Kansas City is the bee’s knees. And the original is in such a shitty …more
Nathan Meunier <XXXXXXXX@hotmail.com> Mar 02 07:34AM -0800: Just getting caught up after being out of the “office.” Great discussion folks! Really like and want to echo what Andy said when he was throwing out all of those ideas. It’s easy to get blinders …more
Top tech/gaming blog demographics
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 01 11:04PM -0500: I’m not sure how reliable this data is (Ars Technica has NO readers below 25 or above 64?!?!?!) but interesting to gander at nonetheless. …more
Today’s Topic Summary
Group: http://groups.google.com/group/GameJournoPros/topics
- Top tech/gaming blog demographics [1 Update]
Top tech/gaming blog demographics
Tim Stevens <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 02 02:59PM -0800: FWIW the Engadget numbers are pretty close. Can’t speak to the others, of course. …more
Today’s Topic Summary
Group: http://groups.google.com/group/GameJournoPros/topics
- SimCity review issues [19 Updates]
- The Industry [5 Updates]
- “It’s like the Internet doesn’t have my best interests at heart” [1 Update]
SimCity review issues
Charles Husemann <XXXXXXXX@gamingnexus.com> Mar 04 07:17AM -0800: So after all the drama about this it looks like they found a solution as a lot of reviews have gone up this morning…
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 10:19AM -0500: OK, so we can talk about this now? Apparently, EA made concessions by allowing a lot of people to get pre-release code without attending the event. The global servers still weren’t on over the …more
Dale <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 07:21AM -0800: We got in on that early access, but we’re still holding back with our review for more ‘real’ time with the game.
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 10:24AM -0500: Polygon explains their reasoning here: http://www.polygon.com/forums/simcity-2013/2013/3/4/4062146/about-the-polygon-review-of-simcity PAR’s got what seems like a review: …more
Ben Gilbert <XXXXXXXX@engadget.com> Mar 04 10:31AM -0500: It seems wholly disingenuous to readers to judge an online-based product running on servers that aren’t reflective of the final retail product. There are plenty of things to say about the game …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 10:47AM -0500: RPS gives the British view: “You’re probably wondering why US sites have SimCity reviews, but UK ones don’t. So are we.”
https://twitter.com/rockpapershot/statuses/308603348930686976 …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 11:22AM -0500: PAR wins the provacative headline of the day award: Why you shouldn’t trust our SimCity “review” http://penny-arcade.com/report/editorial-article/why-you-shouldnt-trust-our-simcity-review …more
Dean Takahashi <XXXXXXXX@venturebeat.com> Mar 04 10:42AM -0800: we added this disclaimer to our review: We played the game with early access review code and not on launch servers and tested the interaction between cities in a group with other journalists. …more
Justin McElroy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 12:11PM -0800: I don’t think any thing is “disingenuous” if you’re honest, direct and forthright with your readers about the conditions under which the review was conducted. I’d rather constantly provide the …more
Ben Gilbert <XXXXXXXX@engadget.com> Mar 04 03:21PM -0500: But what value does a review have then, even with these disclaimers, if it’s not providing any insight into how the online works (thusly affecting a huge proportion of the rest of the game’s …more
Cory Banks <XXXXXXXX@gamerswithjobs.com> Mar 04 12:25PM -0800: It’s valuable to see how the game performs under the best of online conditions. Comparing Polygon’s review with Kyle’s first impressions story shows that there are differing opinions on the game …more
Justin McElroy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 12:25PM -0800: The only lingering question in our review is whether or not EA’s servers would have any problems. I don’t think it’s out of step to assume that servers will work as intended, that assumption has …more
Christopher Grant <XXXXXXXX@polygon.com> Mar 04 03:26PM -0500: two things: 1) We’ll change the score – that’s exactly why we built that feature into the site. 2) Larger debate of image versus object. We review video games, not online services. …more
Michael Zenke <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 03:30PM -0500: > broken, we’ll move the score down until it’s not. But I fail to understand > how the Mona Lisa is a bad piece of artwork because there’s always a line > in front of it and they stashed it away …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 03:37PM -0500: To strain this analogy even further, I can view the Mona Lisa many other ways — online, in an art book, on a poster, on a postcard, etc. Those might be facsimiles, but essentialyl the same …more
Michael Zenke <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 03:44PM -0500: That’s what I was driving at: More and more games are becoming integral to the services they’re set atop. If the service is awkward or nonfunctional that impacts your play experience just as much as …more
Ben Gilbert <XXXXXXXX@engadget.com> Mar 04 03:46PM -0500: I’m under the impression (given by the pieces i’ve read today) that online in SimCity isn’t just a component of the game, but crucial to the experience of playing it. Not just in components of the …more
Michael Rougeau <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 12:51PM -0800: This is getting into the distinction between consumer-facing reviews and critiques. They’re two very different forms of evaluation with very different goals. If you’re reviewing from the perspective …more
Philip Kollar <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 01:23PM -0800: This discussion on stand-alone product versus service is literally exactly the reason we decided to come up with a system at Polygon that allows us to revisit reviews with updates and score changes. …more
The Industry
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 01:44PM -0500: Ambitious looking new business-focused online game mag, publishing bi-monthly on iOS and Kindle Fire, and on the web. No ads, $4.99 an issue. …more
Jason Schreier <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 01:49PM -0500: Cool. Always good to see more professional, paying media outlets pop up. Best of luck to these guys. …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 01:52PM -0500: Meant to say bi-weekly in my first post. Every two weeks. -KO
Michael Rougeau <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 11:10AM -0800: This is what that article I made the topic about last week is for. I’m in the first issue as well – dudes who started the magazine are nice guys. Their rates aren’t ideal right now but they’re giving …more
Matt Clark <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 02:12PM -0500: Very cool. I hope this does well. I’ll definitely support the effort with a sub. …more
“It’s like the Internet doesn’t have my best interests at heart”
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 09:57AM -0500: Or, y’know, it’s like impressions can change between previews and a final product. EITHER/OR! http://www.myextralife.com/comic/you-lied-to-me/
Today’s Topic Summary
Group: http://groups.google.com/group/GameJournoPros/topics
- SimCity play (not the review debate) [5 Updates]
- The Atlantic [9 Updates]
- SimCity review issues [26 Updates]
- Game Score Changes: What If They Get Better? [4 Updates]
SimCity play (not the review debate)
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 05 12:22AM -0500: I figured I’d create a separate thread for SimCity players among us, both fans and those who are still/starting to work on reviews. My Origin ID is geminibros and I’m on the North America East 1 …more
Britton Peele <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 11:47PM -0600: I probably won’t get to play at all until after I work tomorrow, but if there’s still room to play with you guys by then I’ll be Talebearer on Origin. *—*
Kevin Kelly <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 11:01PM -0800: I’m shazammyorigin on, uh, Origin. …more
Greg Tito <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 05 02:57PM -0500: I finally got in and through the tutorial. I’ll be adding you guys so if you get a request from jinglehopper, you know I’m not crazy. Well, that crazy.
Susan Arendt <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 05 02:18PM -0800: Maj1013, but none of my friend requests are going through at the moment. …more
The Atlantic
“Timothy J. Seppala” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 05 07:07AM -0800: http://natethayer.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-freelance-journalist-2013/ …more
“William O’Neal” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 05 07:16AM -0800: His last email was like 250 words. He was 20% toward that 1200 word count.
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 05 08:14AM -0800: If you read the article that spawned all of this (http://www.nknews.org/2013/03/slam-dunk-diplomacy/), you’ll see that a 250-word e-mail is a drop in a big bucket. (Talk about TL;DR…) The dude …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 05 11:24AM -0500: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ydqjqZ_3oc
Matt Clark <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 05 11:46AM -0500: “Ironically, a few years back I was offered a staff job with the Atlantic to write 6 articles a year for a retainer of $125,000, with the right to publish elsewhere in addition” 0_0 …more
“Timothy J. Seppala” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 05 11:35AM -0800: I’m not smart by any means, but something like that seems it could’ve contributed to the current financial situation at The Atlantic. …more
Jonathan Ross <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 05 11:39AM -0800: In other relevant news, Nate Silver just put up a big post about people working for free at the Huffington Post: …more
“Timothy J. Seppala” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 05 01:12PM -0800: From my Twitter feed: http://bit.ly/14pZdHV …more
Jonathan Deesing <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 05 01:58PM -0800: This is unbelievable and, as Thayer said, offensive.
SimCity review issues
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 04:35PM -0500: That’s fine as far as it goes, Phil, but until then a lot of people are seeing the 9.5 and taking it as “the score.” Some may never see an amended score, and certainly won’t before they buy the …more
Jason Schreier <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 04:39PM -0500: To add onto Kyle’s point, it’s worth noting that Metacritic won’t change your score on their page, even if you change yours – or even if your review is pulled for inaccuracies. ( …more
Dean Takahashi <XXXXXXXX@venturebeat.com> Mar 04 01:41PM -0800: Revising a score gets tough when you consider the timing for it. On day one, a lot of game-related online services are screwed up. Look at Blizzard, which should be the best in the business at it, …more
Russ Pitts <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 01:41PM -0800: Back to the question of whether the drama was overblown: I don’t think so. I wish it hadn’t been necessary, but it’s hard to argue that it was without result.
Nick Chester <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 01:41PM -0800: So what these initial reviews assume is that the game (and the server, which is required for the game) work as intended, and that given that server/game communication experience is smooth, it’s a …more
Russ Pitts <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 01:46PM -0800: Have you ever read a movie review that had anything to say about the quality of the seat cushions? Or the ability of the house lighting to go all the way down (or up)? Or the reliability of the …more
Justin McElroy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 01:47PM -0800: Listen, if we’re dealing with the honest facts of the matter, the number of people who read reviews actually looking for buying advice is a minority, and once you’ve waited to publish until after …more
Ben Gilbert <XXXXXXXX@engadget.com> Mar 04 04:48PM -0500: Have you ever watched a movie that depended on the seat cushions to be viewed? Or depended on the house lighting to be viewable? Etc. etc.
Russ Pitts <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 01:53PM -0800: So, what do you do if you go to the movie theater and your seat breaks? And there isn’t another one available? Or the lights won’t go down and the screen washes out? I’m genuinely curious. …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 04:55PM -0500: Also a bad analogy, Russ, as everyone is going to have a different experience with the seat cushions at their local theater, but EVERYONE who plays SimCity will have to deal with EA’s online …more
Justin McElroy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 01:57PM -0800: I imagine it’s different when millions of people are playing, but isn’t that like every mulitplayer game that’s ever had a release day review? This doesn’t seem like new ground. …more
Russ Pitts <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 02:00PM -0800: And yet there are multiple servers, and everyone has different connectivity. So, in reality, the experiences will not be homogenous. I’m just wondering if our analogous movie goer, when he goes …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 05:12PM -0500: If it’s really a matter of “will it be crowded,” then there really isn’t much point in withholding judgment. But if it’s a matter of “Will this game be substantially different when played as …more
Russ Pitts <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 02:21PM -0800: All due respect, I think the question “Will the experience suffer if the servers don’t work?” is kind of an obvious one. But I respect that opinions differ on that.
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 05:27PM -0500: I don’t think you’re understanding the distinction I’m raising, Russ. As I said in my last message, the “will it be crowded” (i.e. will the servers work) question is probably worth assuming at this …more
Russ Pitts <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 02:37PM -0800: So it’s less ‘Will the servers work?” and more “Will there eve more people to play with potentially offering a more varied tapestry of interactions?” Am I understanding you correctly? Again, not …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 05:41PM -0500: Yes, that is more what I’m getting at. And it’s fine to address in a review, but at this point you’re just assuming what that “more varied tapestry of interactions” will be like. And as I mentioned …more
Dean Takahashi <XXXXXXXX@venturebeat.com> Mar 04 02:42PM -0800: Having played the game, Kyle, I would say I don’t think so. I sold my coal to other cities, and I bought electricity and garbage from other journalist neighbor cities. That’s nice. …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 05:44PM -0500: I don’t know about that either, Dean, but the way EA is talking about the importance of that stuff, I’m not comfortable assuming it’ll be the same as the experience I had playing with a few people …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 06:02PM -0500: VentureBeat addresses the issue and defends its review:
http://venturebeat.com/2013/03/04/simcitys-always-online-functionality-trips-up-the-review-process/ -KO
Russ Pitts <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 03:09PM -0800: Yeah, I have to agree with Dean on this. I do think (I’m almost certain, in fact) that the availability of a wider variety of personality types will impact the experience, but I can’t see it doing …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 06:28PM -0500: I’m not so much worried about the impact of playing with “a different personality type” so much as the impact the collective whole of SimCity players will have on the way SimCity’s overly complex …more
Russ Pitts <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 03:31PM -0800: I don’t think it’s an invalid concern, I simply question whether or not answering it is within the reasonable bounds of a review. But review styles vary about as much as play styles, so take my …more
Susan Arendt <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 04:41PM -0800: I’m going a bit off the current point here, for which I apologize, but I think it’s important to point out that the greater game-playing public isn’t the hardcore audience that’s jumping on …more
Matt Clark <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 09:11PM -0500: Apologies for the long post, but I would appreciate your input: If nothing else, I hope this Sim City situation brings about some honest conversation about how game criticism moves forward. …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 05 12:09PM -0500: DToid’s official take: http://www.destructoid.com/our-simcity-review-is-coming-soon-247801.phtml Those of you super obsessed with videogame news may have noticed some *SimCity* reviews are …more
Game Score Changes: What If They Get Better?
Michael Zenke <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 05:19PM -0500: I couldn’t help but bring this up, based on conversation in the thread about SimCity: With Polygon (and perhaps other sites, apologies) now having the ability to modify a games review score after …more
Justin McElroy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 02:26PM -0800: This is a better question for Arthur to field, but it seems like you’ve outlined our intent and reasoning pretty much perfectly.
Philip Kollar <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 04:18PM -0800: Yeah, speaking from Polygon’s perspective, our intent is absolutely to adjust based on improvements as well. We’re still playing with stuff and figuring out when/how often to revisit which types of …more
Britton Peele <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 04 11:54PM -0600: Speaking personally, this sort of feature would have been a big help to me when reviewing the Wii U version of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed for GameSpot. At launch, the Wii U version had a …more
Today’s Topic Summary
Group: http://groups.google.com/group/GameJournoPros/topics
- The Atlantic [9 Updates]
- EA accuses VideoGamer.com of ouright lying about Dead Space 4 [3 Updates]
- SimCity play (not the review debate) [1 Update]
- SimCity review issues [5 Updates]
The Atlantic
Jason Venter <XXXXXXXX@honestgamers.com> Mar 05 02:56PM -0800: I wasn’t familiar with the Huffington Post model until I read the article in this thread, and I found it very interesting because my own site currently uses a similar model with similar results. …more
Sam Machkovech <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 05 03:15PM -0800: Since I rarely get a chance to tell this story: I was tapped to start a column at The Atlantic when its web site began its Andrew Sullivan-fueled resurgence, and they actually paid. …more
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 05 07:29PM -0800: In all fairness, that’s not a new post…but I do wonder how the numbers match up with where Huffington Post is today.
Jonathan Ross <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 05 07:33PM -0800: Yeah, sorry about that — Samit pointed out to me it was old. I think I misclicked when I was reading the front page earlier this morning and got taken back in the archives. …more
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 05 08:14PM -0800: And I’m not sure why Google doesn’t enable editing on messages in Groups. I’ll have to talk to my son about that… (hehe)
“Timothy J. Seppala” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 06 07:40AM -0800: http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2013/03/05/the-problem-with-online-freelance-journalism/
…more
Yannick LeJacq <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 06 10:42AM -0500: Matthew Ingram had a good response to Salmon’s piece up at GigaOM: http://bit.ly/Yy9EbH Felix Salmon tried to analyze what happened to Thayer in a blog post at Reuters, and came to the conclusion …more
Yannick LeJacq <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 06 01:56PM -0500: What do y’all think of Alexis Madrigal’s response? http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/03/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-digital-editor-2013/273763/
Harold Goldberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 06 03:36PM -0500: I think Alexis is brilliant, and I’ve worked for them online for the kind of money Alexis suggests in this long piece because I like working with smart people. If I were Thayer, and I’m not, I may …more
EA accuses VideoGamer.com of ouright lying about Dead Space 4
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 06 11:56AM -0500: Well this just got interesting: http://kotaku.com/5988891/ea-exec-accuses-video-game-website-of-making-up-dead-space-cancellation-story
Britton Peele <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 06 12:04PM -0600: Jason tweeted this not long ago: VideoGamer.com is standing by their original report and denies that they outright lied. http://www.videogamer.com/news/dead_space_4_videogamer_com_statement.html …more
Jason Schreier <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 06 01:16PM -0500: I find this whole story fascinating, and hopefully more information comes out in the near future. On one hand, the rumor was sketchy to begin with, and already a number of Visceral employees have …more
SimCity play (not the review debate)
Dale <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 05 05:03PM -0800: I’m dalewnorth on Origin. This is the first time I’ve ever shared that info
SimCity review issues
Samit Sarkar <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 05 06:51PM -0500: Aaaaaaaaaaand we’ve just updated our review. Arthur, Russ, and Justin decided to drop the score from a 9.5 to an 8 for now. http://www.polygon.com/game/simcity-2013/2630 -Samit
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 05 07:10PM -0500: So the crowded theater ended up mattering after all, Russ?
Russ Pitts <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 05 04:25PM -0800: How good did that make you feel, Kyle, on a scale of 1 to 10?
Samit Sarkar <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 05 07:27PM -0500: Analogy relevance aside, our review team did exactly what our review policy says we’d do in situations like this: update the review as soon as we felt necessary. The system — our system, at least …more
Russ Pitts <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 05 04:42PM -0800: Also worth noting that a review score change isn’t an admission of error. Our original review specifically pointed out that these issues could be a problem and were worth watching. …more
Today’s Topic Summary
Group: http://groups.google.com/group/GameJournoPros/topics
- Double Fine Adventure [14 Updates]
- Sorry Kyle! [9 Updates]
- EA accuses VideoGamer.com of ouright lying about Dead Space 4 [1 Update]
- SimCity review issues [1 Update]
Double Fine Adventure
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 07 03:35PM -0500: Raising this dead thread to bring up a new practical issue. So Ouya and Oculus Rift are both set to ship to Kickstarter backers relatively soon. Personally, I did not back either out of concern …more
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 07 03:44PM -0500: I backed Ouya and I’ll be covering it at launch, though the particulars of that have yet to be mapped out. I’ll put the requisite full disclosure in there as a nod to the perceived ethical questions …more
Matt Clark <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 07 04:06PM -0500: Yeah, I’m kind of lost on the conflict, here. If you pay money to back a Kickstarter, what’s the incentive in having a bias on the product’s success? It’s not like there’s a return on investment …more
Jason Venter <XXXXXXXX@honestgamers.com> Mar 07 01:13PM -0800: I’ve backed the Ouya and a number of PC games (and some CDs, and a movie, and a graphic novel) on Kickstarter so far and I have yet to receive anything, but that’s all about to change. …more
Julian Murdoch <XXXXXXXX@rabbitcave.com> Mar 07 04:13PM -0500: I find it ironic that anyone could think reviewing something you PAID FOR has more inherent conflict than reviewing something you were simply sent a copy of to review! Do you own stock in …more
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 07 04:16PM -0500: Exactly my point. It’s absurd. One could try to make a case that there’s uncertainty in the early stages of a Kickstarter effort. That’s hogwash though. How many of us have seen some early version …more
Ben Gilbert <XXXXXXXX@engadget.com> Mar 07 04:16PM -0500: Kickstarting is investing, not buying. Thus the conflict. That said, I bought into Ouya for coverage purposes. And now here we are.
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 07 04:17PM -0500: To me, backing something on Kickstarter isn’t simply “buying a product,” but more giving your financial support for something that is still just a concept. Yes, you get a promise of that product in …more
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 07 04:18PM -0500: Investment implies you’re seeing a return (or stand a chance of seeing one). No sane economist would tell you that there’s a return on an investment to be had on Kickstarter. …more
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 07 04:21PM -0500: You’re absolutely correct there, Kyle. We all discussed this at length and it mostly just seems that it boils down to a differing of opinions over what your cash expenditure on a Kickstarter effort …more
Matt Clark <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 07 04:30PM -0500: I think Julian’s comment is pretty succinct. Everything you purchase is an “investment.” If you buy MLB The Show 13 on Amazon, you’re investing in the game and its developer. Your money will be used …more
Conrad Zimmerman <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 07 01:39PM -0800: I think that the “investment” aspect becomes irrelevant once the project has been successfully funded. This isn’t the same as participating in the long-term success of a project with the objective …more
Andrew Groen <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 07 01:47PM -0800: I don’t think any of it is absurd. I just think it speaks to how far Kickstarter has come since we first had this argument something like 18 months ago. In the past, backing a Kickstarter was …more
Jason Wilson <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 07 02:11PM -0800: For what it’s worth: This is VentureBeat’s/GamesBeat’s official policy: Editorial staff are not prohibited from donating money to causes or projects, such as political campaigns or Kickstarter …more
Sorry Kyle!
“William O’Neal” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 06 03:46PM -0800: “Games Journalism in the Age of Independence?” https://twitter.com/hiphopgamer/status/309352558131048449
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 06 06:47PM -0500: I actually saw this yesterday and was conducting an experiment to see how long it would be until someone mentioned it in the group. You did not disappoint, Wil. -KO
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 06 06:49PM -0500: I was IMing about this yesterday with some on this list. I think you’re good Wil; this is very much relevant and worthy of discussion. I don’t really know how PAX panels end up being organized, but …more
Richard Clark <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 06 06:49PM -0500: Seems relevant though. The moderator was taking a bunch of heat on twitter about this yesterday and seemed to be openly reconsidering by the end of the day. He seemed determined to reign him in so …more
“William O’Neal” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 06 04:05PM -0800: I still don’t understand why HHG insists on calling himself a journalist.
Scott Nichols <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 06 04:41PM -0800: Yeah, I was talking with Kyle McIntosh, who apparently will be moderating the panel, yesterday and the main concern I had was that HHG will take over the panel discussion. I mean, it’s part of …more
Dan Crabtree <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 06 08:22PM -0500: Isn’t that part of what moderators do? Keep the conversation on track, not let one voice dominate, etc? I don’t know HHG personally, but I’d bet that a pre-panel convo about equal time would suffice …more
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 06 07:56PM -0800: My favorite part is where you said “‘Games Journalism in the Age of Independence?’ This should be interesting” and his very next post seems to be saying he’ll be wearing a pair of HeydayFootwear …more
Dennis Scimeca <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 07 10:55AM -0800: I’m fuzzy on whether any of these ventures actually make money, which is the crux of the panel, isn’t it? “This panel will discuss the opportunities, methods, and benefits of …more
EA accuses VideoGamer.com of ouright lying about Dead Space 4
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 07 12:07PM -0500: FYI, here’s my post on the matter, including a pretty harsh on-the-record assessment of VG.com from Gamasutra’s Kris Graft. …more
SimCity review issues
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 06 05:55PM -0500: Good analysis from Joystiq’s Alex Sliwinski here: http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/06/editorial-simcity-diablo-3-and-a-review-of-customer-service/ I think the restaurant analogy he mentions is damn …more
Today’s Topic Summary
Group: http://groups.google.com/group/GameJournoPros/topics
- Congrats to Phil Kollar and his impending spawn [6 Updates]
- Editors: Anyone need a LEGO City Undercover Wii U review? [1 Update]
- Your pirate Crecente moment of the day [2 Updates]
- SimCity review issues [1 Update]
- EA accuses VideoGamer.com of ouright lying about Dead Space 4 [4 Updates]
- Sorry Kyle! [4 Updates]
Congrats to Phil Kollar and his impending spawn
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 08 02:42PM -0500: Just saw his very moving announcement that our own Phil Kollar he’s expecting a boy in August: http://thelattice.tumblr.com/post/44875158965/heres-a-story-about-me-that-you-probably-dont …more
Matt Clark <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 08 02:50PM -0500: Grats, Phil! Being a dad is the best. You’re going to love it. …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 08 02:55PM -0500: Can I also say, Phil, that I think it’s adorable you included “my love of superheroes” as an implicit genetic trait, rather than one learned from the adoptive parents. -KO
Michael Zenke <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 08 02:56PM -0500: Congrats, sir. 🙂
Jason Schreier <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 08 03:21PM -0500: I give this news a 10/10, and that’s not changing. …more
Philip Kollar <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 08 01:32PM -0800: Love of superheroes isn’t genetic?! Also, thanks, friends!
Editors: Anyone need a LEGO City Undercover Wii U review?
Nathan Meunier <XXXXXXXX@hotmail.com> Mar 08 01:02PM -0800: I have an early retail copy of the game here on my desk and no outlet to cover it for at the moment. Game doesn’t hit retail until March 18th. If you pay decently and would like a timely, (well …more
Your pirate Crecente moment of the day
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 08 12:07PM -0500: http://i.imgur.com/TMyXdwv.png
Greg Tito <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 08 12:18PM -0500: I had a dream about Brian Crecente last night. We talked about raising kids, then played paintball … I wish I was joking
SimCity review issues
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 07 10:38PM -0500: For those keeping track at home, Polygon’s review is down to a 4/10(!), after a lengthy update http://www.polygon.com/game/simcity-2013/2630 Our own Dennis Scimeca wrote some thoughts about …more
EA accuses VideoGamer.com of ouright lying about Dead Space 4
Ludwig Kietzmann <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 07 03:07PM -0800: There are so many weird wrinkles to this story. It’s almost amusing when you get to this part: “There was a failure to verify and that’s just basic stuff.” Was there? Has THAT been verified? …more
Patrick Klepek <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 07 03:09PM -0800: Heh, yeah. I’m with Ludwig here. Why are we so quick to trust EA in this scenario, and doesn’t the fact that Peter Moore is climbing into comments threads striking everyone as seriously overreactive? …more
Christopher Grant <XXXXXXXX@polygon.com> Mar 07 06:44PM -0500: Also worth asking, what would EA say if they had a multi sourced story that was really accurate? “Yup, you got us! Dead Space is *dead meat.”* …more
Jason Venter <XXXXXXXX@honestgamers.com> Mar 07 05:48PM -0800: I think what we’re assuming is that in that case, EA would simply refuse to comment. The comment here, which is a break from tradition, is the reason people find that denial credible. …more
Sorry Kyle!
Sebastian Haley <XXXXXXXX@venturebeat.com> Mar 07 03:49PM -0800: To those from the last thread that felt HHG was humorous and harmless, when’s your panel on journalism?
Matt Clark <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 07 06:51PM -0500: HHG will not destroy the future of journalism with his PAX panel. It’s going to be OK. The man is a goofball, not a trendsetter.
Samit Sarkar <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 07 06:58PM -0500: @Sebastian:
http://east.paxsite.com/schedule/panel/why-would-you-want-to-be-a-video-game-journalist -Samit
“William O’Neal” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 07 04:08PM -0800: HACKS!
Today’s Topic Summary
Group: http://groups.google.com/group/GameJournoPros/topics
- SimCity review issues [6 Updates]
- A raisin in the sun, part deux: Gaming sites and Ad-blockers [11 Updates]
- Congrats to Phil Kollar and his impending spawn [4 Updates]
- SimCity play (not the review debate) [2 Updates]
- Andrew’s future intern [8 Updates]
- Double Fine Adventure [1 Update]
- EA accuses VideoGamer.com of ouright lying about Dead Space 4 [1 Update]
SimCity review issues
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 08 08:31PM -0800: And a new statement from EA’s Lucy Bradshaw… http://www.ea.com/news/a-simcity-update-and-something-for-your-trouble
Matt Clark <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 09 01:53AM -0500: So……are they saying anyone who activates before March 18 gets a free game? Because that actually seems like a decent incentive to jump in now, and wait for the game to fix itself. …more
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 09 12:43AM -0800: Yep, looks like it’s a buy-one, get-one-free deal all of the sudden.
Sam Machkovech <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 09 01:27AM -0800: Wake me up when they say what game it’ll be. Or if they incite further wrath by instead offering free Battlefield Heroes hats. …more
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 09 08:06AM -0500: Is anyone out there on GJP still having troubles connecting? If so, on which server? Yesterday was a bit spotty on North America East 1, but it fired right up when I got home last night and fired …more
Dean Takahashi <XXXXXXXX@venturebeat.com> Mar 09 07:31AM -0800: i got in fine last night. west
A raisin in the sun, part deux: Gaming sites and Ad-blockers
“Yanier Gonzalez (Niero)” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 08 05:25PM -0500: I recently discovered that 42-46% of our readers block our advertisements. I recall Susan saying something about Escapist also bing hit hard. Its no surprise, as gamers are so tech savvy that I’m …more
Christopher Grant <XXXXXXXX@polygon.com> Mar 08 05:32PM -0500: Interesting story: http://techcrunch.com/2012/08/23/okcupid-ad-blocker/
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 08 05:40PM -0500: Here’s that ars post, btw: http://arstechnica.com/business/2010/03/why-ad-blocking-is-devastating-to-the-sites-you-love/ I’m all for raising awareness of this, but I’m skeptical it’ll have any real …more
Brandon Justice <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 08 02:45PM -0800: That, sir, is awesome.
ryanflemingpdx <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 08 02:47PM -0800: This may be a bit off the topic from what you’re talking about, but it brings up another, related problem my company used to have (and I assume sites do or did at one point or another as well). …more
“Yanier Gonzalez (Niero)” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 08 06:30PM -0500: I don’t disagree with Kyle. Your phalanges are precious. Still, it is going to get ugly if the only way an independent site can pay their bills and writers is based on their ability to sell avatar …more
Jason Wilson <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 08 03:32PM -0800: No, you’re right — I tweeted about turning off ad blockers and got a number of people responding that they wouldn’t because 1) they didn’t want ads and why can’t we find another revenue model or 2) …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 08 06:53PM -0500: My phalanges? Are you saying I shouldn’t crack my knuckles?
“Yanier Gonzalez (Niero)” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 09 03:33AM -0500: That would be tragedy! Thanks everyone for your feedback. Here’s how it turned out:
http://www.destructoid.com/half-of-destructoid-s-readers-block-our-ads-now-what–247904.phtml …more
Sam Machkovech <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 09 01:24AM -0800: I must be out of the adblocking loop, but isn’t the issue that ads are hosted on a different IP address than the content? That’s how a HOSTS file adblock works, anyway… I employ one to block known …more
Jason Venter <XXXXXXXX@honestgamers.com> Mar 09 03:14AM -0800: Ads are done the way they’re done so that advertisers can easily track data and get a feel for how much traffic a site is sending (and probably other stuff too). That’s a crucial part of most …more
Congrats to Phil Kollar and his impending spawn
Jared Newman <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 08 01:44PM -0800: Congratulations Philbert!
Dalibor Dimovski <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 08 01:50PM -0800: Congrats duder! Fatherhood is epic fun. 🙂 Also: get your rest now, because you won’t get more than 2 hours of sleep at a time. 🙂
Samit Sarkar <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 08 06:31PM -0500: I’m trying to picture Phil at a county fair, and it’s been making me laugh all afternoon. -Samit
Philip Kollar <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 09 01:27AM -0800: I grew up in small-town MN! I went to county fairs all the damn time! (and always felt/looked horribly out of place)
SimCity play (not the review debate)
Matt Clark <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 09 03:13AM -0500: I’m TheCryptRocket on Origin. –Matt …more
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 09 03:13AM -0500: YES. East Coast Server 1. DO IT. …more
Andrew’s future intern
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 08 04:33PM -0800: While we’re talking about life events, note that Andrew Hayward and his wife brought a new family member into the world earlier this week: *Andrew Hayward* <https://twitter.com/ahaywa> @ahaywa …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 08 08:14PM -0500: Boy, this baby thing is really getting around, innit?
Jeffrey Matulef <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 08 05:50PM -0800: Gus Mastrapa had a kid a day or two apart from Hayward. Madness! …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 08 10:29PM -0500: JC Fletcher is currently waiting in the hospital for his wife to pop, according to Twitter. E3 was roughly 9 months ago… was there something in the water? -KO
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 08 10:31PM -0500: Oh, an Jessica Chobot! http://instagram.com/p/WjCfmXhRa2/ She didn’t let he spouse do all the hard labor! -KO
Matt Clark <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 09 01:50AM -0500: Wow. You’re right. 9 months ago = E3. Maybe these are “I’m so happy to be home” babies. As a guy who attributes his first kid to a night out to see Reverend Horton Heat, all of your reasons are …more
“William O’Neal” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 08 11:26PM -0800: He owes TechRadar some reviews. Get cracking Hayward.
Kevin Kelly <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 09 01:30AM -0600: And we are due in July. THANKS FOR READING MY FACEBOOK PAGE, NO ONE.…more
Double Fine Adventure
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 08 04:16PM -0800: Not to put a lot into the debate again, but when you fund a Kickstarter, you’re not buying a product like at Amazon (though that may be an end result). Your money is at risk if the product isn’t …more
EA accuses VideoGamer.com of ouright lying about Dead Space 4
Justin McElroy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 08 02:45PM -0800: Yeah, Graft’s assertion that this all could have been cleared up with a quick check with EA is predicated upon the idea of (1) actually receiving an answer to said check and (2) it being honest. …more
Today’s Topic Summary
Group: http://groups.google.com/group/GameJournoPros/topics
- StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm [2 Updates]
- Warface Beta [3 Updates]
- SimCity review issues [4 Updates]
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm
Kevin Kelly <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 10 04:01PM -0500: Has anyone received this yet, or gotten definitive word from Blizzard? As usual, I haven’t gotten a lot of straight answers from them. I’ve been told that a boxed copy is coming, but not when, and …more
Jason Schreier <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 10 05:04PM -0400: We got boxes on Friday. Don’t worry, though – the game doesn’t unlock until Tuesday at midnight Pacific, so it’s no disadvantage if you wind up getting a code tomorrow. …more
Warface Beta
Dennis Scimeca <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 10 11:06AM -0700: Is anyone else in the closed beta for the North American Warface servers? I’d really like to get a co-op group going with people other than randoms. 🙂 …more
Ben Gilbert <XXXXXXXX@engadget.com> Mar 10 02:54PM -0400: I’m not in the closed beta. However, may I offer this? WARRRRRRFAAAAAAAAAAAACE
ryanflemingpdx <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 10 01:58PM -0700: Seconded.
SimCity review issues
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 09 05:49PM -0800: I couldn’t get into any of the West servers Friday night, but this morning it was fine. Couldn’t get in just now, though (Saturday, 6pm PT).
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 09 05:52PM -0800: Correction: I couldn’t get in just now until I shut it down and restarted.
Kevin Kelly <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 10 10:52AM -0500: There was a fair-sized patch yesterday that I had to download before I could connect at all. …more
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 10 10:26AM -0700: Another update from Lucy Bradshaw: …more
Today’s Topic Summary
Group: http://groups.google.com/group/GameJournoPros/topics
- “Inside Forbes: Journalists Need to Understand the Ad Business, Not Sulk and Go Home” [1 Update]
- A Day in the Life of a Digital Editor, 2013 [2 Updates]
- Anomaly Warzone Earth 2 [1 Update]
- SimCity review issues [1 Update]
- StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm [5 Updates]
“Inside Forbes: Journalists Need to Understand the Ad Business, Not Sulk and Go Home”
“William O’Neal” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 11 01:29PM -0700: //BEGIN RANT I just had a long and interesting meeting with my publisher about this article and the Future (see what I did there) of our business: …more
A Day in the Life of a Digital Editor, 2013
Jason Schreier <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 11 09:15AM -0400: This is sort of part of that “should writers work for free?” conversation but it’s really worth a thread on its own: …more
Greg Tito <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 11 10:24AM -0400: Best line about this business I’ve read so far: “You stare at Chartbeat and ask yourself, ‘Why am I doing this? It is two in the morning and I should be asleep and even my cat is giving me the …more
Anomaly Warzone Earth 2
“Timothy J. Seppala” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 10 08:57PM -0700: Anyone else playing this? I’m at the end of the second mission and finish destroying the last set of Scramblers I’m getting a mission failed message. Anyone know what’s up? …more
SimCity review issues
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 10 07:03PM -0700: And yet another update: http://www.ea.com/news/simcity-sunday-update-from-lucy-bradshaw I had a feeling the “XXX hours of gameplay” (in this case, 8 million hours) would be paraded out. …more
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm
Andrew Groen <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 10 04:14PM -0700: I heard the exact same thing, Kevin. And a friend heard the same as well.
Kevin Kelly <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 10 06:19PM -0500: Jason, even for the single-player portion? Sent from the Beyond …more
Leah Jackson <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 10 05:21PM -0600: You still need to be online to play the single-player portion, so I think that even the single player wouldn’t be unlocked until Tuesday at midnight. …more
Dean Takahashi <XXXXXXXX@venturebeat.com> Mar 10 06:53PM -0700: another always-connected title? gulp.
Jason Schreier <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 10 09:54PM -0400: I think you can play it offline – you just have to connect to their servers to authenticate your game first. That’s how Wings of Liberty does it, anyway. …more
Today’s Topic Summary
Group: http://groups.google.com/group/GameJournoPros/topics
- Get well soon to Ben Kuchera [4 Updates]
- PAX East [5 Updates]
- “Inside Forbes: Journalists Need to Understand the Ad Business, Not Sulk and Go Home” [3 Updates]
Get well soon to Ben Kuchera
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 12 03:20PM -0400: Ben is laid up in the hospital with a recurring condition, and Sophie is away, so Penny Arcade Report is gonna be slow for a bit. https://twitter.com/BenKuchera/statuses/311556414197866497 …more
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 12 12:26PM -0700: Get better fast, Ben. There are thousands of gamers waiting on your next words…
Jared Newman <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 12 01:09PM -0700: Get well soon, Ben. Better now than in the middle of PAX/GDC, right?
“Timothy J. Seppala” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 12 01:43PM -0700: Little comes close to talking to Ben Kuchera on painkillers. Mitch knows this, too. …more
PAX East
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 12 03:38PM -0400: Might any of you be able to suggest the best way for me to go about procuring PAX East credentials at the extreme last minute? I hadn’t planned on going because of the proximity to GDC, but an …more
thegamegoat <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 12 12:54PM -0700: I was in exact same boat. I tried reaching out to them, see if they could make an exception, but they weren’t responding. When they finally did–after I asked on Twitter if anyone had a contact …more
Joseph Leray <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 12 02:59PM -0500: I haven’t had to deal with late PAX credentials since … 2007, I think?, but Robert Khoo was very helpful at the time. I’m assuming he’s still there?
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 12 04:03PM -0400: Thanks for the advice all. Wheels are now in motion to make this work. I guess 2013 will officially (probably) be my first PAX. Woo! …more
“K. Cox” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 12 04:03PM -0400: Last year I showed up on Thursday to registration only to find that most of the Kotaku staff had no badges. Oops. Talk about last-minute… The EIC (Stephen) contacted Robert Khoo and it was …more
“Inside Forbes: Journalists Need to Understand the Ad Business, Not Sulk and Go Home”
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 11 07:05PM -0700: This rant has no end…it just takes a break until the need for the next one.
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 12 09:52AM -0400: Does this mean that Future is actively asking you to include advertorial in your outlets, Wil? I remember their mags were notorious for multi-page advertorial inserts back in the early 2000s. …more
“William O’Neal” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 12 08:35AM -0700: Thankfully no.
Today’s Topic Summary
Group: http://groups.google.com/group/GameJournoPros/topics
- Best. Product. Placement. Ever. [12 Updates]
- Good analysts for PC gaming? [2 Updates]
- Gears of War: Judgment multiplayer [12 Updates]
- Assigning a Static IP [3 Updates]
- PAX East [1 Update]
Best. Product. Placement. Ever.
“William O’Neal” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 01:18PM -0700: http://videogum.com/687111/this-is-just-a-good-example-of-product-placement-in-television/webjunk/viral-marketing/
Kevin Kelly <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 03:24PM -0500: I bet Microsoft told them how this had to be shown to be used. Good god, it’s like a commercial for the thing. …more
“William O’Neal” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 01:25PM -0700: He’s sitting on the toilet.
Kevin Kelly <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 03:26PM -0500: Wow, I’m going blind. I totally missed that much. …more
Jared Newman <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 02:39PM -0700: I thought the PS Vita product placement in House of Cards was way tackier. Unfortunately this is as close as it gets to a video: …more
Kevin Kelly <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 04:40PM -0500: The funniest thing about that was hearing the Minority Whip stop in mid sentence, point to it on the table, and say “Is that a PS Vita?!”
Jared Newman <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 02:40PM -0700: CORRECTION: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QqkZP_SScg It’s even worse in the context (or lack thereof) of the full episode.
Richard Clark <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 05:42PM -0400: I had in my mind that House of Cards did the product placement well, but this clip went and ruined that idea. He literally gives a sales pitch and the other guy is like “okay?” …more
ryanflemingpdx <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 03:10PM -0700: So what I’m taking from this is that Bing is good for finding rapists in NYC. Good to know, I guess.
Jason Venter <XXXXXXXX@honestgamers.com> Mar 13 04:08PM -0700: I commented about that product placement the night it happened, on Twitter, and Microsoft’s account for Surface thanked me for noticing and enjoying the product placement. I can’t find the tweet …more
Britton Peele <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 06:12PM -0500: When’s Sherlock going to use a Hopper when trying to find a piece of evidence in a single frame of that night’s news broadcast? *—*
Alex Rubens <XXXXXXXX@alexrubens.com> Mar 13 04:26PM -0700: This is nothing compared to Hawaii Five-O which has so much Windows product placement they had to make a joke about it one episode. That’s also CBS.
Good analysts for PC gaming?
Jared Newman <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 07:54AM -0700: Hey folks, Can anyone recommend any good go-to analysts who are knowledgeable about PC gaming in particular? Much appreciated. Also, did we ever post a database of analysts/experts to talk to? …more
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 01:25PM -0700: I haven’t made analyst calls in a while, but P.J. McNealy (http://digitalworldresearch.com) has always been a good source for industry commentary. I’d recommend Billy Pidgeon also, but it looks …more
Gears of War: Judgment multiplayer
“Timothy J. Seppala” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 08:14AM -0700: The press sheet doesn’t mention any scheduled sessions and Edelman hasn’t sent an email about scheduled play times, so that’s what this thread is for. I’m available every night this week and all …more
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 11:16AM -0400: Yep. Same for me. Though watch out for Seppala. He has a knack for dying in a corner. GT: OscarZetaAcosta
Max Parker <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 11:23AM -0400: Good call. I will also be on for most of the weekend. Gamertag: GameGuyPGH. -Max Parker
Joseph Leray <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 10:27AM -0500: I’ll be on periodically as well: jOrcist.
“Timothy J. Seppala” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 09:00AM -0700: Dying in a corner is much more honorable than a steady stream of absolutely horrible (is there any other kind?) puns. COUGH, RUBENS, COUGH. …more
Britton Peele <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 01:38PM -0500: I’ll probably be on most this weekend, but maybe a few nights here and there during the week. My gamertag is: Talebearer Note: I really, really suck at Gears of War multiplayer. *—* …more
“Alex Rubens” <XXXXXXXX@alexrubens.com> Mar 13 11:42AM -0700: I have no idea what you’re talking about, Tim. My puns weren’t un-Baird-able or anything.
“Timothy J. Seppala” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 12:38PM -0700: http://i.imgur.com/PjVv3.gif …more
Kevin Kelly <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 02:44PM -0500: Most. Underwhelming. Gif. Ever. I kept thinking it was going to explode, or turn into a robot.
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 03:46PM -0400: I thought it could have used a better edit. The whole thing worked for me until it ran away. …more
Matt Clark <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 04:09PM -0400: I’ll give that GIF a 4, but I’ll change the score if the end is edited later. …more
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 01:21PM -0700: I had trouble getting the image off the server. Wait…we are riffing on SimCity here, right? (hehe)
Assigning a Static IP
Kevin Kelly <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 03:09PM -0500: Anyone have any experience with this? Most routers use a range to hand out addresses to devices on your network, but I need to lock into one for a review. Any advice? I’m using an Apple Airport …more
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 04:09PM -0400: I do. We’re IMing now. Let’s talk. …more
Dan Crabtree <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 04:19PM -0400: For the record, I’m happy to help with these kinds of tech issues. I’m a full-time IT guy/part-time freelancer, and know some boring, useful things about networking, servers, email clients, etc., …more
PAX East
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 10:01AM -0400: Khoo is the man. -KO
Today’s Topic Summary
Group: http://groups.google.com/group/GameJournoPros/topics
- “Okay, this bread really looks like vaginas” [6 Updates]
- Google Pulls The Plug On Reader [19 Updates]
- Best. Product. Placement. Ever. [8 Updates]
- Gears of War: Judgment embargo bumped up 24 hours [3 Updates]
- Gears of War: Judgment multiplayer [1 Update]
“Okay, this bread really looks like vaginas”
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 14 01:20PM -0400: So I make it a point not to dwell on the Brian Ashcraft stuff on Kotaku, partly because I can usually just accept that it’s part of his shtick and partly because if I really dwelled on it this group …more
Chris Dahlen <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 14 01:54PM -0400: Didn’t they just do this with the map from Richard Garriott’s new game? Or was that someone else? P. S. I seriously just googled “kotaku richard garriott vaginas”.
Jason Venter <XXXXXXXX@honestgamers.com> Mar 14 01:37PM -0700: I think what you’re trying to say is that sexually-charged posts are Brian’s bread and butter.
Andrew Groen <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 14 02:23PM -0700: Credit where it’s due. The dude really knows his readership. To wit: He turned what should have been a mildly forgettable Tweet into an 87,000 pageview revenue machine.
Andrew Groen <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 14 02:25PM -0700: Credit where it’s due. The dude really knows his readership. He turned a forgettable Tweet into an 90,000 pageview revenue machine.
Kevin Kelly <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 14 04:32PM -0500: Well, I could post a ton of porn and point people to it and get tons of hits. Does that make it worthwhile? …more
Google Pulls The Plug On Reader
Matthew Hawkins <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 05:52PM -0700: Most of us are bitching about this on Twitter already, but since it does impact pretty much every one of us (me thinks), I figured an actual topic is appropriate… …more
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 08:56PM -0400: Being that I’m between daily news assignments, it’s less shitty than it could be. It’s still shitty though. I use Reader extensively. …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 09:17PM -0400: Brainstorm time, group… what are some good alternatives to migrate to. Free or paid. GO -KO
Dan Gmail <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 09:18PM -0400: Snarfer – free n simple. http://www.snarfware.com/ -Dan
Matt Hawkins <XXXXXXXX@fort90.com> Mar 13 09:20PM -0400: My problem with the two often cited alternatives… Flipboard and Feedly… is how they put your feeds in a magazine-like shell. That’s fine and dandy, provided that you only follow like three sites …more
Matt Clark <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 09:22PM -0400: As someone who writes news everyday for two outlets, just let me say: THIS SUCKS. …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 09:22PM -0400: Personally, I’d like something as close to Reader as possible. Web-based, keeps track of what’s read on multiple devices, uncluttered interface. I would pay for such a thing. -KO
Richard Mitchell <XXXXXXXX@joystiq.com> Mar 13 08:23PM -0500: I would suggest checking Joystiq as many times and as often as possible. For reals: protest to Google?
Matt Hawkins <XXXXXXXX@fort90.com> Mar 13 09:24PM -0400: Yeah. The makers of the popular iOS/OS X app Reeder says that they’ll still be around. And that’s great, but I’m not a fan of having a separate app. Which means you’ll have to constantly go back and …more
Matt Hawkins <XXXXXXXX@fort90.com> Mar 13 09:26PM -0400: The worst part is how Reader functionality will more than likely end up being baked into Google+ as their latest desperate attempt at getting people to actually use the damn thing.
Samit Sarkar <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 09:41PM -0400: For people on Windows, I recommend FeedDemon (pro: free; con: desktop program, not web app). You could use it like Reeder — i.e., sync it up with your Google Reader subs — but you can also …more
“Yanier Gonzalez (Niero)” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 09:41PM -0400: Some alternatives: …more
Dean Takahashi <XXXXXXXX@venturebeat.com> Mar 13 06:45PM -0700: This double sucks.
Alex Rubens <XXXXXXXX@alexrubens.com> Mar 13 08:51PM -0700: I found using Twitter lists to be the best alternative, and switched a while back. It doesn’t cover everything (some outlets manually tweet stuff), but it’s so much easier once you get used to it. …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 14 12:03AM -0400: Don’t you find it hard to catch up if you are away from the computer using Twitter? Also, don’t non-link things kind of get in the way when you are scanning for the latest news. …more
Alex Rubens <XXXXXXXX@alexrubens.com> Mar 13 09:20PM -0700: I have my regular timeline, which is people, and then I have a list called “Official” that only contains the Twitter accounts of news sites, like Kotaku, IGN, GameInformer, etc. …more
“K. Cox” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 14 09:40AM -0400: I do the Twitter lists thing, too. It’s not quite the same but I have one list for outlets (Kotaku, Gamasutra, Polygon, etc) and another for big companies (EA, BioWare, Bethesda, etc) and between …more
Jason Schreier <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 14 09:47AM -0400: The downside of Twitter lists is that you can’t star/keep things as new like you can on Google Reader. 🙁 …more
Nick Chester <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 14 02:29PM -0700: This is really the worst. When covering the industry, Google Reader was invaluable to keeping up with dozens and dozens of different sources, quickly and easily. Even today, I can spend an entire …more
Best. Product. Placement. Ever.
“Timothy J. Seppala” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 06:51PM -0700: How did everyone else forget the Boost Mobile placement on Aqua Teen Hunger Force? http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xxhk0_aqua-teen-hunger-force-57-boost-mob_fun#.UUEtDRy9ysY …more
Samit Sarkar <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 09:53PM -0400: Some of the best product placement is what *Chuck* did with Subway. -Samit
Rollin Bishop <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 09:57PM -0400: If we’re going to talk Subway placement, the episode of Community featuring Subway absolutely must be mentioned. Also, Kentucky Fried Chicken. …more
“Dave Tach” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 07:01PM -0700: Nothing beats Wayne’s World. http://youtu.be/KjB6r-HDDI0
“Timothy J. Seppala” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 07:05PM -0700: You realize kids don’t know Wayne’s World, right, Dave?
“Dave Tach” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 07:07PM -0700: Sh’yeah!
“Timothy J. Seppala” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 07:17PM -0700: If you were a president, you’d be Baberham Lincoln.
Alex Navarro <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 09:47PM -0500 Sent from my iPhone …more
Gears of War: Judgment embargo bumped up 24 hours
“Timothy J. Seppala” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 07:23PM -0700: From Martin at Edelman. Hi there,**** ** ** By now you should have received your copy of “Gears of War: Judgment.” *Please note that the embargo has moved up by 24 hours.*The new …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 10:35PM -0400: Yeah, I got that too. If you can get me something by Sunday, great, but if not Monday around noon will still be fine. I’m not chuffed if this doesn’t go up the second the embargo breaks. -KO
Samit Sarkar <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 10:36PM -0400: I asked our European/Australian writers about “chuffed” once. Apparently it means “pleased,” whereas I thought it meant the opposite for some reason. -Samit
Gears of War: Judgment multiplayer
“Timothy J. Seppala” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 13 05:48PM -0700: http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5te0aIIHj1rnsvi6o1_400.gif …more
Today’s Topic Summary
Group: http://groups.google.com/group/GameJournoPros/topics
- Best. Product. Placement. Ever. [7 Updates]
- Congrats to Phil Kollar and his impending spawn [1 Update]
- “Okay, this bread really looks like vaginas” [3 Updates]
- Google Pulls The Plug On Reader [1 Update]
- Official: God Of War Song “Music Video” Presented By HipHopGamer INC. [2 Updates]
- Best. Product. Placement. Ever.
Xav de Matos <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 14 05:31PM -0700: On an episode of Workaholics this season one character was playing God of War Ascension (back in February). Adam: “Is this God of War?” Blake: “Ascension. God of War Ascension. …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 14 08:38PM -0400: Sow the Tivo, Reap the Whirlwind. Seriously, I can’t help but feel there’s a lesson here that’s applicable to the ad-blocker conversation. -KO
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 15 11:56AM -0700: If I heard correctly, *Chuck* was able to do its last season and have a finale because the producers did the product-placement deal with Subway, in essence getting Subway to subsidize the show. …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 15 03:01PM -0400: “Honey, we need a new monitor” “Oh, let’s get the one Halle Berry looked at in that movie!” -KO
Garrett Martin <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 15 03:09PM -0400: Subway also advertised heavily in the third season of Delocated, which probably bummed Nicky’s Grinders out. I went to a comedy show at SXSW this week that wound up being sponsored by …more
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 15 03:11PM -0400: How about THIS shameless bit of product placement, which I’m sure all of us have seen now: CAPCOM AND VALVE ANNOUNCE RESIDENT EVIL 6 X LEFT 4 DEAD 2 CROSSOVER …more
Christopher Grant <XXXXXXXX@polygon.com> Mar 15 12:30PM -0400: See the buzz on “native advertising” …more
Congrats to Phil Kollar and his impending spawn
Will Tuttle <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 15 11:14AM -0700: I just got back from a two week “vacation” with my 2.5 year old twins. When we got back, I was more mentally and physically exhausted than after any E3 (and I worked online for 8 years). …more
“Okay, this bread really looks like vaginas”
Sebastian Haley <XXXXXXXX@venturebeat.com> Mar 14 03:16PM -0700: What kind of porn is it?
Kevin Kelly <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 14 05:17PM -0500: Pastry related.
Christopher Grant <XXXXXXXX@polygon.com> Mar 15 12:30PM -0400: linkz or gtfo …more
Google Pulls The Plug On Reader
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 15 07:43AM -0700: I’d have to think that, in the next three months, someone will create something to closely replicate Google Reader, perhaps with the help of Google open-sourcing Reader. There are clearly enough …more
Official: God Of War Song “Music Video” Presented By HipHopGamer INC.
“William O’Neal” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 14 07:30PM -0700: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mc_MJk8R0dE&feature=youtu.be
Jeffrey Matulef <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 14 08:26PM -0700: The best thing about this is that it lead me to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QbtxdJ3_WE. “This guy had a review on Metacritic and he’s not even on the STAFF page?! SHOTS FIRED!!!” …more
Today’s Topic Summary
Group: http://groups.google.com/group/GameJournoPros/topics
- “Okay, this bread really looks like vaginas” [1 Update]
- Best. Product. Placement. Ever. [1 Update]
“Okay, this bread really looks like vaginas”
Ludwig Kietzmann <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 15 03:19PM -0700: Safety first, guys. Always remember to baguette.
Best. Product. Placement. Ever.
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 15 05:54PM -0400: So everyone knows, Chris’ last message was marked as possible spam by Google Groups. tl;dr: Chris is PROBABLY a spambot. -KO
Today’s Topic Summary
Group: http://groups.google.com/group/GameJournoPros/topics
- Shots fired! (Sorry, not HHG related…) [2 Updates]
- Does anyone have a contact for the WarZ? [2 Updates]
- Google Pulls The Plug On Reader [1 Update]
- Gears of War: Judgment multiplayer [1 Update]
Shots fired! (Sorry, not HHG related…)
“William O’Neal” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 18 09:50AM -0700: But I thought PC gaming was dead…again…just like before…<http://www.techradar.com/us/news/gaming/consoles/nvidia-compares-ps4-specs-to-a-low-end-cpu-1138051>
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 18 03:13PM -0700: Is that nVidia’s sour grapes dissertation…they didn’t get the contract to supply GPUs to the platform, so they point, laugh and say how backward the platform is?
Does anyone have a contact for the WarZ?
Jeffrey Matulef <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 18 09:00AM -0700: I’m trying to contact Sergey Titov, creator of The WarZ, but can’t seem to find any contact info for him. Anyone have that? …more
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 18 01:55PM -0700: Last e-mails I got (from October ’12) on it were from Alex Josef, VIM Global Consulting, XXXXXXXX@vimglobal.com.
Google Pulls The Plug On Reader
Kevin Kelly <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 18 03:19AM -0700: Another helpful article on the issue from Lifehacker: http://lifehacker.com/5990881/five-best-google-reader-alternatives …more
Gears of War: Judgment multiplayer
“Timothy J. Seppala” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 17 04:52PM -0700: Anyone wanna jump in for some last-minute rounds? I’m on all night. GT: skurd0ne
Today’s Topic Summary
Group: http://groups.google.com/group/GameJournoPros/topics
- Alien Spidy [3 Updates]
- FYI: All Tiger 14 DLC is Free [Xbox 360] [1 Update]
- It’s PAX East. PAX East. Party Time! Excellent! Woowoowoowoowoowoo [4 Updates]
- Part-time Assistant Editor… [1 Update]
- Yay journalism [3 Updates]
- Shots fired! (Sorry, not HHG related…) [2 Updates]
Alien Spidy
Danielle Riendeau <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 19 01:12PM -0700: Is anyone else playing this for review? I may be an idiot, but I can’t, for the life of me, seem to be able to find my way out of the forest area… …more
Jason Wilson <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 19 01:25PM -0700: Danielle — Ask Arthur to add you to this Facebook group for reviewers. You may also find some help there. Videogame Reviewers Match-Up 2.0 (I would add you but we’re not Facebook friends. …more
FYI: All Tiger 14 DLC is Free [Xbox 360]
Devin Kofsky <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 19 11:54AM -0700: Just a quick heads up for those reviewing Tiger Woods 14 on the Xbox 360. All the DLC for the game is currently free, and only available on the console. They usually charge $100+ for all the …more
It’s PAX East. PAX East. Party Time! Excellent! Woowoowoowoowoowoo
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 19 12:24PM -0400: For all your carousing needs: http://www.sidequesting.com/2013/03/the-big-pax-east-2013-party-list-more-parties-added-tickets-selling-fast/
Jason Schreier <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 19 12:39PM -0400: BioShock party is Saturday? So IGN gets in on Wednesday? …more
Greg Tito <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 19 01:01PM -0400: Zang! Also, I’m totally crashing the Sugar DVD party to talk loudly about microtransations and the future of online journalism. Who’s with me????!!!!
Xav de Matos <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 19 10:03AM -0700: I think they want people to bring something, Jason. Vagina-shaped pastries will do nicely.
Part-time Assistant Editor…
“William O’Neal” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 19 09:30AM -0700: http://www.futureus.com/2013/03/19/part-time-assistant-editor/ The particulars: – The position is in our horribly-located South San Francisco office – It’s an entry level position that …more
Yay journalism
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 19 08:53AM -0400: A friend of mine forwarded this along. The subject line sort of says it all. http://beingliberal.upworthy.com/this-is-what-happens-when-a-journalist-forces-a-banker-to-actually-answer-a-ques-2?g=2 …more
“Timothy J. Seppala” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 19 06:28AM -0700: I had to interview a lawyer for my reporting class recently, dude would not give me straight answers about ANYTHING. Me: How many years have you been with the Grand Rapids Bar Association? …more
Jared Newman <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 19 07:17AM -0700: <https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-IXLVIYDzoYA/UUhyuFLMOCI/AAAAAAAACxE/B50qRoQvzig/s1600/journalist.jpg> I think if you grow old enough in this profession and don’t end up looking …more
Shots fired! (Sorry, not HHG related…)
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 18 06:18PM -0400: I’m surprised at you Andy. That is a perfectly reasonable assessment from an industry insider who has absolutely no conflicting concerns that might cause him to embrace a doom-and-gloom scenario for …more
“Timothy J. Seppala” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 19 05:41AM -0700: There’s this really cute, and tall, brunette in my PR class. We went out a few times but now she won’t even talk to me or act like I exist. Basically, she’s going to be forever alone. …more
Today’s Topic Summary
Group: http://groups.google.com/group/GameJournoPros/topics
- Mail theft [9 Updates]
- Steam Press Accounts getting nuked? [33 Updates]
- Schreier on Sessler [5 Updates]
- Website help? [2 Updates]
- Xbox 360 debug in boot loop [1 Update]
- Part-time Assistant Editor… [5 Updates]
Mail theft
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 03:27PM -0400: So apparently our apartment building is having a problem with theft in our shared package delivery room, which has caused me to lose at least three review copies of games I was sent in the last two …more
Brad Gallaway <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 12:31PM -0700: I had this happen a few times at our old location. The only answer was to make sure that people send packages that require a signature, but even that isn’t foolproof. We had somebody sign for …more
Kevin Kelly <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 12:31PM -0700: The USPS/FedEx/UPS drivers always just leave things on the porch at our house, which isn’t really visible from the street, but we’ve never had a problem here. However, at my old apartment complex, …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 03:35PM -0400: Kevin, for “one of those postal service places” do you have to get a specific PO Box address, or can they just hold everything for your normal address that won’t fit in the standard mailbox? -KO …more
Michael Zenke <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 03:36PM -0400: When I was in Madison the local post office rented PO boxes that used a street address. That got around most issues with shipping things; I imagine they offer this service elsewhere as well. …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 03:40PM -0400: Did they use _a_ street address or _the_ street address that you usually use? I’m loathe to have to tell everyone I work with a new address (but I will if necessary, I suppose). -KO
Michael Zenke <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 03:47PM -0400: It’s *a* street address; usually the street address of the physical post office location. They just jiggery-pokery it into working on a name-by-name basis.
Kevin Kelly <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 12:48PM -0700: Kyle, They give you a street address, and a number. UPS or FedEx (maybe both, I forget which) won’t deliver to a PO Box, but with this is not a PO Box. They hold everything in the back room for …more
Richard Mitchell <XXXXXXXX@joystiq.com> Mar 20 04:08PM -0500: Relevant note for those of you who often ship games to freelancers, always ask if they’d like to sign for it. Not a big deal here in Tulsa, but if I’m shipping something all the way to (country …more
Steam Press Accounts getting nuked?
Kyle Orland <kyle.orland@gmail.com> Mar 20 03:34PM -0400: http://twitter.com/pkollar/statuses/314458023949123584 http://twitter.com/Xav/statuses/314458595041349632 http://twitter.com/Xav/statuses/314459245502418945 …more
Patrick Klepek <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 12:41PM -0700: They’ve glitched out in the past–could possibly be that or they were nuked. Either way, why are people talking about this on Twitter? It’s of zero interest to the reader whatsoever, and I say that as …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 03:45PM -0400: Twitter is a bit different from, say, writing a real article about it (though I’m betting it’ll be hitting the post-everything-and-the-kitchen-sink sites post haste). That said, I can …more
Greg Tito <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 03:44PM -0400: It looks like it’s related to the release of Steam Early Access today. The library has a few of those games listed, so I assume it is a glitch with opening the new feature.
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 03:48PM -0400: I’m seeing a lot of complaints that this is affecting personal accounts that had personal purchases for some people. To me, that suggests a glitch, or possibly just not thinking things through …more
Xav de Matos <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 12:53PM -0700: I mean, it’s just my personal account and was responding to other people who were asking if it was also happening to them. Like I said, I’m not bothered by it either way. Their service, they can …more
Nick Chester <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 01:04PM -0700: My gut tells me this is a database glitch, but given that it only affects press (and how many, I don’t know), I don’t know what the process to getting it cleared up would be. Earlier today, I …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 04:06PM -0400: Based on what I’m hearing, it appears that games you’ve actively downloaded will still appear in your library, but ask you to purchase them when you try to launch. -KO
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 04:09PM -0400: My press account — which was tied to my personal account — appears to be borked too. If I’m missing anything that I legitimately owned, I can’t find it. I see a few titles in my library list that …more
Nick Chester <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 01:13PM -0700: I don’t even know what the Kinetic Void is, you guys.
Xav de Matos <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 01:13PM -0700: That might be the nature of Steam though. Going through my purchase history I’m like, “Did I install that?” The only thing I’m not a fan of is some stuff is off my account that was …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 04:15PM -0400: Kinetic Void is one of the new “Early Access” games, which does suggest that this is a glitch related to the launch of that service. Are you guys seeing other games in your library from the new …more
Greg Tito <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 04:16PM -0400: Yep, that’s what I believe is happening too, Kyle.
Jonathan Ross <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 01:17PM -0700: Yeah, I have all of the Early Access games showing up in mine. It looks like what probably happened is that there are two separate “Marketplaces” now, and the access accidentally switched to the new …more
Ben Gilbert <XXXXXXXX@engadget.com> Mar 20 04:18PM -0400: My Steam press acct is separate from my personal. In my press account, anything I had downloaded for benchmarking is gone. The only things left are a few (not all) of those early access games. …more
Nick Chester <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 01:22PM -0700: This is my library. Some of this stuff I bought. Other things I’ve never purchased and don’t know why they are there (the non-early access games — Lugaru, Samorost 2, for example). …more
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 04:24PM -0400: Good point, Jonathan. Press Master is still in my purchase history too. I am sort of tickled that none of us really regard emailing Lombardi as a viable option for getting answers here. …more
Nick Chester <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 01:24PM -0700: On second thought, those games must have been part of this Humble Indie Bundle thing I purchased, and therefore the sky has fallen and everything is ruined.
Ben Gilbert <XXXXXXXX@engadget.com> Mar 20 04:24PM -0400: I just wasn’t gonna bother for a day or two. If this is a glitch and sorts itself, no reason to bother pinging them.
Jonathan Ross <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 01:25PM -0700: Has anyone ever actually gotten a direct response from Lombardi on anything? Before I just gave up on even emailing him questions I don’t think I ever got a single answer from him. …more
Ben Gilbert <XXXXXXXX@engadget.com> Mar 20 04:26PM -0400: Yes, though he fully chooses when he wants to respond.
Nick Chester <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 01:26PM -0700: Can somebody who has a legitimate reason to be in touch with him about a press account please email him and find out what’s up because I can’t do that but I really gotta play that Far Cry 2 that I …more
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 04:27PM -0400: Once or twice. I have all of his direct responses to me (ie not press releases) filed away in a separate folder, called Miracles. …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 04:28PM -0400: I remember exactly ONE TIME Lombardi helped me set up an interview with someone at Steam regarding the launch of Greenlight. Otherwise, it’s all one sentence, unhelpful replies. …more
Nick Chester <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 01:32PM -0700: He’s responded to two emails to me. One was the Press Master key request. The reply was just the key and nothing else. I was fine with that.
Britton Peele <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 03:36PM -0500: You don’t have to be too specific if you don’t want to risk some sort of abuse (which I guess won’t be an issue if press accounts don’t come back), but I’m curious: If Doug is so bad at responding …more
Philip Kollar <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 01:39PM -0700: I think there’s a good chance it’s a glitch, but if not, oh well. A little more legwork digging up codes when we need them, but it’s not like I had time to play most of the games in that press …more
Jason Schreier <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 04:40PM -0400: I’ve always felt like this thing was too good to be true anyway. I half-expected it to not work every time I loaded up Steam! …more
Rod Breslau <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 04:43PM -0400: Doug has actually replied to me a bunch of times regarding competitive gaming/esports stuff. Just gotta get on that Dota 2 hype train. …more
Jason Schreier <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 04:45PM -0400: Accounts are back, BTW. …more
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 04:48PM -0400: Yep, they are over here too. …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 04:51PM -0400: Our long national nightmare is over. -KO
Jonathan Ross <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 01:52PM -0700: Phew. Also, thanks to NeoGAF, I found this link, which shows when new stuff gets added to the package. In the past I’ve never been clear what/when stuff has been added to the press accounts, so …more
Schreier on Sessler
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 02:02PM -0400: Required reading for anyone looking to understand the fate of G4 or the state of video content about video games: …more
“William O’Neal” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 11:18AM -0700: This is really interesting. Having worked at a lot of these places: Ziff Davis, CNET, and G4 just reading this is giving me PTSD. When I was at G4 Adam liked to refer to himself as the de-facto …more
Leah Jackson <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 02:26PM -0400: This was a great piece, Jason. I’m a long-time fan of Adam Sessler and have always found him to be tremendously inspiring. He was one of the reasons I wanted to be in video games in the first place. …more
Kevin Kelly <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 12:11PM -0700: Great piece. The only thing I would have liked to see Jason add was the doubly-insulting fact that while Adam was fired, G4 was concurrently planning a month-long sendoff to Kevin Pereira, who was …more
Jason Schreier <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 03:44PM -0400: Thanks, folks! …more
Website help?
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 09:12AM -0400: Hey all. I’m not really sure where to turn with this query, but I think that a few of you know a thing or two when it comes to building websites. Dreamhost failed me completely yesterday, knocking …more
Matt Clark <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 10:39AM -0400: Weird. I’ve had nothing but great service from Dreamhost. That’s a bummer. …more
Xbox 360 debug in boot loop
Garrett Martin <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 19 08:02PM -0400: So I’m seeing this same issue right now with my 360 debug. Anybody know how to get past this reboot cycle? It’s been a while since I’ve had to use the 360 debug so perhaps it needs to be updated, or …more
Part-time Assistant Editor…
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 19 02:34PM -0700: Correct on the freelance opportunities…incorrect on it being horribly located. (hehe) “Horribly located” is in the eye of the be-commuter.
Jason Venter <XXXXXXXX@honestgamers.com> Mar 19 03:29PM -0700: Well, it’s horribly located if you live in Oregon, like I do! I really would like to freelance for more Future outlets besides just extremely rare work for GamesRadar, but I’m utterly unconvinced …more
“William O’Neal” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 19 03:36PM -0700: IGN is in a great location. They’re right downtown. Close to transit. I live in Oakland and could get there in 20 minutes. …more
Matt Clark <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 19 06:38PM -0400: Seems like it could be a nice opportunity for a freelancer already living in the area. …more
“William O’Neal” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 19 03:41PM -0700: I agree. And it’ll probably be a full time gig come this fall but I can’t promise that.
Today’s Topic Summary
Group: http://groups.google.com/group/GameJournoPros/topics
- John Davison is right… [4 Updates]
- Cliches to avoid [1 Update]
- Bioshock Infinite Thread of Ultimate Spoiler Discussion [4 Updates]
- Website help? [3 Updates]
- Xbox 360 debug in boot loop [2 Updates]
- Mail theft [3 Updates]
- Steam Press Accounts getting nuked? [1 Update]
John Davison is right…
“William O’Neal” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 21 12:37PM -0700: …we should all just quit: http://firstforgamers.tumblr.com/
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 21 03:40PM -0400: Boy that intro post is… kind of all over the place. Overall, though, it feels like Giant Bomb already did what they are trying to do… -KO
“William O’Neal” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 21 12:48PM -0700: I need to get fired better.
Christopher Grant <XXXXXXXX@polygon.com> Mar 21 03:51PM -0400: Not really – he’s talking about systemic content *curation *not creation. Data-aggregated experiences are something different. It’s a curious idea, but it also minimizes the amount of work …more
Cliches to avoid
Jared Newman <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 21 06:31AM -0700: As someone who’s definitely leaned on a few of these, I thought this was great: http://jimromenesko.com/2013/03/20/washington-posts-outlook-bans-these-words-and-phrases/ …more
Bioshock Infinite Thread of Ultimate Spoiler Discussion
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 21 01:47AM -0400: Just got through my first playthrough of a review build, which I kind of had to rush because of PAX East/GDC travel. This is one that’s gonna generate some discussion, that’s for sure. …more
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 21 01:49AM -0400: I’m psyched for all of those who have gotten to play Infinite, but would you mind forming up and taking your discussion off-list instead of talking it over here? It’s going to be hard enough …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 21 01:51AM -0400: That’s fair enough. Get in touch directly if you want to talk Infinite on a separate private thread. -KO
Nick Chester <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 21 06:18AM -0700: How’s that PlayStation Move support? …more
Website help?
“Yanier Gonzalez (Niero)” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 09:39PM -0400: Its been awhile since I used WordPress, but if there’s anything that resembles a “fix indexes” function in your backend you’ll want to run that. Also make sure any new categories you’ve introduced …more
Dalibor Dimovski <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 09:29PM -0700: One thing you can do is to repair your database. In most cases, after a site server failure, the WordPress database needs a quick cleanup. You should be able to do it through phpMyAdmin, or there …more
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 21 01:27AM -0400: I’m pleased to report that the issues have been corrected. It turns out that this was a massive failure that was just very poorly timed, since it knocked my site offline only minutes after I sent …more
Xbox 360 debug in boot loop
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 07:31PM -0700: I’ve never had a boot loop on a debug, but there’s a good chance it needs to be updated. Any idea when the XDK was updated last or what version you’re on? The latest one I have is …more
Garrett Martin <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 11:03PM -0400: Turns out the game was shutting itself down because I had to enter a code first through a second disc. PR sent the discs but no code and no instructions. Got it straightened out now. Thanks, though! …more
Mail theft
Jason Venter <XXXXXXXX@honestgamers.com> Mar 20 03:20PM -0700: There’s really not a place left these days where thieving scum aren’t somewhere nearby, unless you literally live out in the boonies like I did when I was a kid, but I do presently live in a place …more
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 06:25PM -0400: Speaking as a freelancer (which I still get to do for now, so suck it Crabtree!), I think it would be pretty irresponsible to not mention any particular mailing quirks like door codes or the …more
Sam Machkovech <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 03:47PM -0700: It’s days like this that I particularly love Nintendo’s strategy of FedExing download codes.
Steam Press Accounts getting nuked?
Patrick Klepek <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 20 03:26PM -0700: This is just my two cents, but Twitter is not IM. It’s public. We already have huge gaps between readers/viewers/players and the press that are growing, not shrinking. Spending time talking about …more
Today’s Topic Summary
Group: http://groups.google.com/group/GameJournoPros/topics
- Complex’s 40 Hottest Women in Tech [2 Updates]
- 100% Indie Party @ GDC [5 Updates]
- John Davison is right… [1 Update]
Complex’s 40 Hottest Women in Tech
Sebastian Haley <XXXXXXXX@venturebeat.com> Mar 22 02:32PM -0700: Inb4Kyle since he still hasn’t replied to my BioShock spoilers. http://www.complex.com/tech/2013/03/the-40-hottest-women-in-tech/ One of VentureBeat’s top writers made the list and she’s not …more
“mike.rougeau” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 22 02:39PM -0700: I like to think I’m going places, but then again, maybe that’s why I’m not doing much of anything for Complex anymore.
100% Indie Party @ GDC
Ben Gilbert <XXXXXXXX@engadget.com> Mar 22 11:13AM -0400: EA and Chillingo present the “100% Indie” party. I know this is part of a promotion titled “100% indie” where devs publishing through this platform get 100% revenue, but this seems more than a …more
Garrett Martin <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 22 11:16AM -0400: dig how the only info they give about the band playing the “100% Indie” party is that their boring slop is popular with Hollywood music supervisors
Dan Crabtree <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 22 11:18AM -0400: There’s nothing more indie than the music from The O.C.
Michael Rougeau <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 22 10:48AM -0700: Boring slop? Be fair here, Rogue Wave is a pretty good band.
Scott Nichols <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 22 11:17AM -0700: Meanwhile, in actual indie game party news: http://www.mediaindieexchange.com/ …more
John Davison is right…
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 21 02:44PM -0700: Kind of sounds like Twitter For a Topic or maybe a Wiki on the game of your choice for your phone. Sounds great, but it really relies on getting the community active on it. We offered reader …more
Today’s Topic Summary
Group: http://groups.google.com/group/GameJournoPros/topics
- Complex’s 40 Hottest Women in Tech [9 Updates]
Complex’s 40 Hottest Women in Tech
Matt Clark <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 22 05:57PM -0400: Yeesh. I’d call that a low-grade swipe. Classy. …more
“mike.rougeau” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 22 03:01PM -0700: I didn’t mean it as a swipe at Complex so much as self-defense. I’ve piped up multiple times in this group to defend Complex for one transgression or another, but at a certain point it just …more
Matt Clark <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 22 06:04PM -0400: Oh, no. I wasn’t directing that at you, Mike. …more
“mike.rougeau” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 22 03:09PM -0700: Ah. Carry on then.
Leah Jackson <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 22 07:48PM -0400: Seems like his “original list” was pared down from 50 to 40 and his editors added some folks like Sara Underwood, who doesn’t work in Tech (she read a teleprompter) and was a playmate long before she …more
Matt Clark <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 22 07:53PM -0400: I think anyone has the right to feel insulted, or proud, or whatever their take is on the matter. But taking a blanketed swipe at any freelancer who works for an outlet is the lamest thing I’ve seen …more
“K. Cox” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 22 07:54PM -0400: But that’s exactly the whole problem with the list — the 40 women included are all accomplished and *could* have been accurately have been lumped together under any banner other than “hottest.” …more
Sebastian Haley <XXXXXXXX@venturebeat.com> Mar 22 05:25PM -0700: Complex is what I imagine Maxim would be like if HipHopGamer were the EIC. What Leah says is correct. The author is on Twitter trying to throw Complex under the bus and save face, but this is the …more
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 23 08:51AM -0400: *slips Devil’s advocate card into brim of hat* I agree that the headline is linkbait in the worst possible way and that some of the selections are… questionable. As Leah pointed out, however, …more
Today’s Topic Summary
Group: http://groups.google.com/group/GameJournoPros/topics
- Complex’s 40 Hottest Women in Tech [10 Updates]
Complex’s 40 Hottest Women in Tech
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 24 01:30PM -0700: I have to think, between that comment and her spearheading “Objectify a Male Tech Writer Day,” Leigh isn’t exactly having the best year in personal PR.
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 24 04:40PM -0400: I actually thought that Objectify a Male Tech Writer Day was a neat idea. I’ve studied a lot of feminist theory through the lens of film, and it seemed like a clever approach to — forgive the …more
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 24 01:43PM -0700: Going back and reading his tweet, all I could think of was what you said, followed by the thought that, if he really didn’t like that the editors changed his article so much, he should have …more
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 24 02:08PM -0700: I think the initial thinking that went into the concept–which I assume was “What can we do to publicize this problem and take steps to fight it?”–went off the tracks when it proposed to do the …more
Jason Venter <XXXXXXXX@honestgamers.com> Mar 24 06:02PM -0700: I know very little about the topic, except that most people that I saw responding were entirely too goodnatured about the whole thing for it to work in the manner that may have been intended. …more
Chris Dahlen <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 25 11:13AM -0700: Why is this suddenly about Leigh and not Complex? And to phrase her tweet differently: is writing an article like “50 serious professionals that you can spank it to, ha ha, these game designers have …more
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 25 11:18AM -0700: That’s not what the Complex piece is about though. It’s a linkbaiting headline, but the content — other than a few questionable choices — highlights accomplishments, not physical appearance. …more
Jared Newman <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 25 11:54AM -0700: No, it’s not a good thing for a young freelancer to build a career on. But there are freelancers (like Mike) who write for Complex and don’t put out that kind of content, and it’s not fair to …more
“Yanier Gonzalez (Niero)” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 25 04:01PM -0400: stars.ign.com still seems active. Videogames! …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 25 02:24PM -0700: I’m relatively sure we can all agree on the following at this point: 1) Complex does not have the best reputation for high quality content, and largely deserves its bad rep 2) That said, Leigh was …more
Today’s Topic Summary
Group: http://groups.google.com/group/GameJournoPros/topics
- Complex’s 40 Hottest Women in Tech [11 Updates]
- Well, gosh… [6 Updates]
- Video Game Journalism in the National University System [11 Updates]
Complex’s 40 Hottest Women in Tech
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 25 06:01PM -0700: I don’t think it’s “suddenly” about Leigh. It was something I commented on further, because the original post and subsequent replies discussed what she said. If she had worded her tweet the way …more
Justin McElroy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 26 09:02AM -0700: This group has a lot of really good stuff going on but man-oh-man is it tempting to leave when it turns into a bitch session about other outlets or members of the group that we hope are just … …more
Julian Murdoch <XXXXXXXX@rabbitcave.com> Mar 26 12:11PM -0400: Justin don’t leave. If you left, I wouldn’t get my vicarious ManHugs everytime I see the googlegroup train go by. …more
Matt Clark <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 26 12:59PM -0400: Justin, are you saying we should be mindful of negativity directed toward a colleague who…made a negative comment about colleagues? I’m not trying to stir the pot — I’m genuinely confused. …more
Justin McElroy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 26 10:49AM -0700: Yes, flying in the face of a millennia of internet tradition, I’m suggesting we make an effort to rise above negativity, when possible. I am not in any way suggesting I have always upheld this …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 26 10:55AM -0700: While I agree with Justin’s general desire for positivity over negativity, I don’t think this discussion has really descended into the kind of personal or ad hominem attacks that I really discourage …more
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 26 11:00AM -0700: It’s a beautiful ideal to aspire to, at least. As I suggested the other day, why attack when you can educate? Unfortunately, I think this is one of those easier said than done situations. …more
Matt Clark <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 26 03:02PM -0400: I understand, Justin. And you’re right, the high ground is better.
Susan Arendt <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 26 02:27PM -0700: As the resident pusher of positivity, I give you this: http://www.belarr.com/bakercat/ No, it’s not even remotely related to the current conversation, but it’ll put you in a good damn mood, …more
Matt Clark <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 26 05:31PM -0400: OK…that cat did make me feel pretty happy. …more
Greg Tito <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 26 05:36PM -0400: It’s da bes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVUyyHYkBHk
Well, gosh…
Susan Arendt <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 26 01:41PM -0700: Excerpt from an email I received: “Like (I bet) many of your users I use an ad-blocker. I use it indiscriminately, and I can’t be bothered with things like whitelisting, or to be more frank, I …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 26 02:11PM -0700: I’ve tried absolutely nothing and I’m all out of ideas!
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 26 02:17PM -0700: One of my all time favorite Simpsons quotes right there.
Jason Venter <XXXXXXXX@honestgamers.com> Mar 26 02:19PM -0700: The non-snarky answer to this is “Share the content that you find interesting with other people who might also find it interesting,” because linking to great articles on social media might bring …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 26 02:22PM -0700: Like our stuff? Share it with your other dirtbag friends who don’t want to view ads or pay for it in any way! -KO
Christopher Grant <XXXXXXXX@polygon.com> Mar 26 02:28PM -0700: I don’t think a contract killing is without merit here. …more
Video Game Journalism in the National University System
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 26 10:45AM -0700: IGN’s EIC is hosting this GDC panel at 1:45 today. Sounds of interest to the members of this group. I know I’m gonna try to be there. http://schedule2013.gdconf.com/session-id/823949 — …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 26 11:16AM -0700: While we’re at it, this talk yesterday seemed like a short but interesting attack on game journalism in general: …more
“Timothy J. Seppala” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 26 11:46AM -0700: From the comments: “My issue with ‘game journallist’ is they’re english majors and not computer science majors, they don’t tend to understand what really goes into developing a game and put too …more
“mike.rougeau” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 26 11:49AM -0700: As a journalism major, I can confirm that I hate fun.
Joseph Leray <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 26 01:56PM -0500: I majored in English (and French) — I hate fun twice as much as normal Americans.
“Timothy J. Seppala” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 26 12:10PM -0700: The comments are just SCREAMING for someone who’s far more petulant than myself to say something along the lines of “Developers know as much about how journalism works as press does about how …more
“Yanier Gonzalez (Niero)” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 26 03:21PM -0400: Haha, yes! More curators and Tumblrs TONIGHT and we will save indie game development. Let’s filter nothing and everything. And more free zoos. Also, why don’t delicious hamburgers just hang from …more
Matt Clark <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 26 03:27PM -0400: [image: Inline image 1]
Michael Zenke <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 26 03:52PM -0400: As someone who does know quite a bit about how game development and game journalism work, everybody’s crackers crazy. It’s not an EITHER/OR proposition. Also, the idea that a degree in computer …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 26 12:53PM -0700: As a computer science and journalism major, I say “FUCK YOU I KNOW WHAT A B TREE IS!” -KO
“Timothy J. Seppala” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 26 12:59PM -0700: I can’t love Kyle’s response any harder. I tried, but it’s not possible. …more
Today’s Topic Summary
Group: http://groups.google.com/group/GameJournoPros/topics
- Wait, who was this? [4 Updates]
- Adam Sessler is on KQED.org right now! [1 Update]
- Video Game Journalism in the National University System [2 Updates]
- Complex’s 40 Hottest Women in Tech [2 Updates]
- Well, gosh… [3 Updates]
Wait, who was this?
“Timothy J. Seppala” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 27 04:16AM -0700: I’d heard rumblings about this over Twitter, but it was never clear who posed question to the Tomb Raider cosplayers at PAX last weekend. Anyone know? …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 27 06:51AM -0700: Man, that was depressing to read. If I had to guess, I’d suppose that the “press member” was someone who runs a small site in his free time, and not a real professional that actually …more
Jason Venter <XXXXXXXX@honestgamers.com> Mar 27 02:41PM -0700: I assume the same thing as Kyle. I can’t imagine from an outlet with a significant audience pulling that kind of stunt, and especially following up with the defensive comments that he subsequently …more
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 27 03:10PM -0700: Definitely…I was up at GDC today and hoping to run into Meagan to congratulate her on blogging that in the face of her fears, and to tell her my view–that such behavior isn’t deserved or earned …more
Adam Sessler is on KQED.org right now!
“William O’Neal” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 27 09:08AM -0700: http://www.kqed.org/
Video Game Journalism in the National University System
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 27 08:28AM -0700: The problem is, as a computer science and journalism major, he knows one day he’s going to have to write an editorial condemning himself.
Jason Wilson <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 27 08:42AM -0700: I realize every niche of journalism has its quirks and specialities. But can we just call it journalism, please, not “sports journalism,” “games journalism,” “political journalism,” and so on? The …more
Complex’s 40 Hottest Women in Tech
Daniel Starkey <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 27 02:59AM -0500: That video remains one of my favorite things on the internet.
Andy Eddy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 27 08:33AM -0700: The cartoon is cute, sure, but did you read what Baker Cat said on Twitter the other day?
Well, gosh…
Dale North <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 26 02:55PM -0700: Say that you will call it even if he lets you smash him in the balls with a bat …more
“Timothy J. Seppala” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 26 03:20PM -0700: Email back saying what s/he can do is let you, your staff and your freelancers watch him/her eat each meal each day until s/he agrees to change. When you’re watching him/her eat, you draw straws. …more
“Yanier Gonzalez (Niero)” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 26 09:01PM -0400: But can he make a good sandwich?
Today’s Topic Summary
Group: http://groups.google.com/group/GameJournoPros/topics
- Metacritic’s weighting system revealed [23 Updates]
- Complex’s 40 Hottest Women in Tech [1 Update]
- Wait, who was this? [5 Updates]
- Well, gosh… [1 Update]
Metacritic’s weighting system revealed
Jason Schreier <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 27 06:38PM -0400: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/189448/Metacritics_weighting_system_revealed.php
This is insane. Turns out such prestigious sites as Digital Chumps and Da GameBoyz are weighted more than …more
Daniel Starkey <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 27 05:43PM -0500: How bizarre.
Ben Gilbert <XXXXXXXX@engadget.com> Mar 27 03:46PM -0700: HOLY. FUCKING. SHIT.
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 27 03:47PM -0700: Yeah, there’s a poster up at GDC going into more detail o nthis, and showing there is at least a small correlation between sales data and metacritic score. Interesting stuff. Also, HI BEN G. …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 27 04:25PM -0700: MC has responded saying the article is “not remotely accurate” http://www.facebook.com/Metacritic/posts/501424766586647
Jason Wilson <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 27 04:31PM -0700: So, will this push MC to be transparent about the weights and tiers it assigns? …more
Dan Crabtree <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 27 07:44PM -0400: For what it’s worth, they have GamerNode (a site I edit for) listed in this weighting system and they stopped using our reviews like a year ago (too “artsy”, not enough buyers’ guide). …more
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 27 04:46PM -0700: “…too “artsy”, not enough buyers’ guide…” I feel ill.
“William O’Neal” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 27 04:49PM -0700: If not for Metacritic, N’Gai wouldn’t have a job. Gaming Metacritic is Hit Detection’s forte.
Jason Schreier <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 27 07:50PM -0400: Is that what they told you? Too artsy, not enough buyers’ guide?
Dan Crabtree <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 27 08:01PM -0400: Sorry, not a direct quote. Here is the exact text of the email from someone at Metacritic: “Seemed like [the reviews] were getting “out there” every now and then. The Assassin’s Creed review is …more
“William O’Neal” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 27 05:05PM -0700: I couldn’t get past that first sentence. Writing game “reviews” in the vein of Kenneth Turan’s movie “reviews” on NPR is something to aspire to. But you don’t start out with that shit. …more
“Yanier Gonzalez (Niero)” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 27 09:20PM -0400: I can’t believe Gamasutra would just run with that story, dubious source aside, without talking to someone directly at Metacritic first. …more
“William O’Neal” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 27 06:43PM -0700: Metacritic’s response doesn’t exactly absolve them of the myriad criticisms detailed in that “bullshit” Gamasutra story. * We use far fewer tiers than listed in the article. * The disparity …more
Jason Venter <XXXXXXXX@honestgamers.com> Mar 27 10:47PM -0700: I have for more than eight years been attempting to get HonestGamers listed on Metacritic, without any success, and “buyer’s guide” is the phrase that perhaps best describes my site’s editorial …more
“William O’Neal” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 28 08:29AM -0700: When we launched @GAMER in 2010 some folks at Future wanted to get @GAMER listed. Andy Eddy and I vehemently pushed back saying we wanted nothing to do with that site. That said, I understand the …more
Garrett Martin <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 28 11:38AM -0400: I’ve half-heartedly tried to get Paste on there (my publisher is really big on the idea) and when I talk to Metacritic they always suggest that we change how we do our reviews. They’ve never said …more
Jason Wilson <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 28 08:50AM -0700: Have any of you analyzed how much traffic you get from having a presence on Metacritic?
“William O’Neal” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 28 08:50AM -0700: Exactly. Publishers fucking love it.
“Yanier Gonzalez (Niero)” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 28 12:20PM -0400: @Jason – It is actually substantial; a top 5 referrer for us on some days. I was surprised by that. …more
Jason Venter <XXXXXXXX@honestgamers.com> Mar 28 01:45PM -0700: It surprises me how many people don’t realize how vitally important Metacritic is to a site’s reach. First, of course, there’s the direct traffic that Niero mentioned. Depending on how much …more
Daniel Starkey <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 28 04:02PM -0500: The fact that people’s careers can ultimately be made or broken by Metacritic, that companies use MC scores for hiring, that they assign bonuses and promotions and fire people for scores, also comes …more
Susan Arendt <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 28 02:22PM -0700: Jason is right – the entire reason The Escapist scores reviews is because Metacritic wouldn’t list us without scores, and we were flat-out told by a variety of PR that we wouldn’t get review …more
Complex’s 40 Hottest Women in Tech
Leigh Alexander <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 28 02:04PM -0700: One of your ‘colleagues’ is publicly diminished in a way that reflects on all of us in this industry, and you’re concerned that I was rude about it? You expected me to be ‘classy’ about it? …more
Wait, who was this?
Sarah LeBoeuf <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 27 03:36PM -0700: Apparently it was Newt Wallen of Underbelly. Some lovely comments in his friend’s Facebook post defending him. https://www.facebook.com/SilvermaniaShow/posts/140631579441864 …more
Kyle Orland <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 27 03:45PM -0700: So his primary defense seems to be that he was satirizing people who act like that and it just went over their heads? If that was so, he should have been able to immediately explain himself and …more
Brandon Cackowski-Schnell <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 27 05:30PM -0700: Satirizing things by becoming the exact thing you’re satirizing seems to be going around a lot these days. This guy and whoever wrote that odious Oscar night tweet from The Onion can commiserate over …more
Jason Venter <XXXXXXXX@honestgamers.com> Mar 27 10:40PM -0700: The important (in my mind) difference is that the tweet by The Onion seemed to be a genuine attempt at satire that misfired, whereas the comment at PAX was directed toward the inevitable victims. …more
“Timothy J. Seppala” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 28 05:42AM -0700: This is slightly off-topic, but the Onion outrage miffed me (I have no problem with The Onion whatsoever) because no one cared when they tweeted and ran this story with this headline three or so days …more
Well, gosh…
Justin McElroy <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 28 05:21AM -0700: I would actually prefer Gallaghering to traditional payment across the board.
Today’s Topic Summary
Group: http://groups.google.com/group/GameJournoPros/topics
- Metacritic’s weighting system revealed [5 Updates]
Metacritic’s weighting system revealed
Britton Peele <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 28 04:29PM -0500: I guess being associated with an established, mainstream print product has helped me far more than I expected… I don’t score reviews and I’m not on Metacritic (I wouldn’t fit the criteria anyway, …more
Garrett Martin <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 28 05:31PM -0400: Maybe it’s different for print. Probably 98% of the reviews I’ve written have been for outlets that aren’t on Metacritic, but going back to the Weekly Dig in Boston I’ve never really had a hard time …more
Jason Venter <XXXXXXXX@honestgamers.com> Mar 28 02:43PM -0700: It really does seem to be a LOT different for print, yes, perhaps because circulation is harder to fake?
“Timothy J. Seppala” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 28 03:13PM -0700: Dude, Too Human was my first review too. And I totally agree re: rep. The last section and the Ice Forest kinda sucked, though.
“William O’Neal” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 28 03:26PM -0700: Same here. But I’m old.
Today’s Topic Summary
Group: http://groups.google.com/group/GameJournoPros/topics
- Complex’s 40 Hottest Women in Tech [9 Updates]
Complex’s 40 Hottest Women in Tech
Leigh Alexander <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 30 07:38PM -0700: I’m still angry about this, but I thought I’d try to articulate it in a more constructive way. That Complex article specifically targeted some prominent tech feminists in order to capitalize on …more
Leigh Alexander <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 30 07:43PM -0700: oop, one more thing — a lot of you see no problem with making fun of hip hop gamer all the time, but you have a problem with what i said in this situation. something to think about the next time …more
Matt Clark <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 30 11:44PM -0400: @Leigh After your initial email, I opted not to respond, as I figured it better to stay away from a conversation which had apparently spun wildly out of control. But, after reading this second …more
Leigh Alexander <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 30 10:16PM -0700: I’m saying I don’t have a problem being mean-spirited to people who are willing to participate in a low-grade publication that is complicit in such a negative system. I’m saying that complicity …more
Sebastian Haley <XXXXXXXX@venturebeat.com> Mar 31 12:28AM -0700: I don’t have much more of my own to add other than to say I agree with pretty much everything Leigh said. There’s a very prominent female developer in our industry who has been at …more
Adam Rosenberg <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 31 11:38AM -0400: Apologies to all in advance for the TL;DR. I’ll continue to participate in this conversation, but I will NOT tolerate being referred to as “part of the problem” and indirectly labeled as a …more
Jonathan Deesing <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 31 10:44AM -0700: So when I saw the unbridled anger surrounding this issue I couldn’t really understand it. Coming here, I feel like I have an even worse understanding. How one sentence (“One of the most prominent …more
“K. Cox” <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 31 01:55PM -0400: Just to add some context? This is what happens ALL THE TIME when women get angry about something: it becomes an argument about if the woman’s tone is appropriate, or too strident, or how hurtful …more
Jonathan Deesing <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com> Mar 31 11:31AM -0700: I was in no way trying to derail the argument. No matter what the issue is, anger and bombast is not helpful. Remember, Rosa Parks didn’t blow up a bus–she quietly sat on it. The argument is …more