The Demise of Gaming Journalism

The 2010 Microsoft E3 press conference exposed gaming journalists. At the end of the press conference, Microsoft handed out free Xbox 360 slim units to all who attended. This included every journalist there. Shockingly, (maybe not) the journalists didn't appear to have a problem with the conflict of interest. Actually, they didn't seem to even NOTICE a conflict of interest. But they did brag about their new gifts on blogs and Twitter. How can anyone take gaming journalism seriously after this? Gaming journalists have been exposed as inexperienced and without character. Would any other group of journalists brag about their new bribes? I don't think any other group would be so stupid as to do that. And to add insult to injury, go read reviews of Microsoft's press conference. Pick any gaming site. It doesn't matter. If the site had reporters there at the conference, they gave it glowing reviews. Well done Microsoft. Mission accomplished. Unfortunately, the gaming industry as a whole has suffered. Once again, the industry looks childish and amateurish. I would love to hear from a journalist who was at the Microsoft press conference and refused the free gift. Something tells me I won't be hearing from many people.

Saturn Bomberman Tournament: May Day Open 2010

The 9th Saturn Bomberman Tournament took place on May 1st, 2010. Here is an excerpt taken from the official Saturn Bomberman Tournament website:

This marks the first time for the May Day Open tournament. Another first is the 3 round format. There were a total of 13 players; 7 in the first round and 6 in the second. The top 4 in each round advanced to the championship round.

Shaun McGuire won his 6th Saturn Bomberman tournament (5 Thanksgiving Day Invitationals and 1 May Day Open). Brian McGuire was this year’s Mad Bomber. He was also the first Mad Bomber award winner in the Thanksgiving Day Invitational. This year’s tournament took place on May 1st, 2010.

Interesting tournament facts: 3 countries were represented from 3 continents: United States, Germany and Brazil. André Schwarz had 21 kills in the first round. That was the most by anyone in any of the 3 rounds, yet he had no wins. Tara Pilliard made it into the top 4 with 2 wins in round 1, yet she had no kills. Celia McGraw had a 42% (the best of any round) winning percentage in round 2 yet had no wins in the championship round.

Please visit www.saturnbomberman.com for complete results of every round, including video of the entire championship round!