Monday, June 14, 2010
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.
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1 comment:
I agree. Unfortunately gaming mass media is a business like any other and its readers are regarded as their core market by these companies, who are out to make a profit.
Even though this generation has been by far the best for independent gaming, a rift between mainstream and independent-based media is more than apparent, and needed too!
Let's be honest, which serious hardcore gamer would rely on a corporate website's review? The lack of quality and the inanity of their features (thousands upon thousands of irrelevant top10s, 20s, 100s...) has surely driven away the self-respecting gamer, attracting at the same time the meek, confused masses of shooter-batty 'consumers' who are far too easily attracted by the use of vague wordings like "awesome" and "brutal".
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