Premium Members: Resubscribe or Unsubscribe?

Subbed for life, son.

Giant Bomb filled a hole that the Ziff Davis owned 1up.com left when they went belly-up in 2008.

Not sure, The premium content hasn't been very for some time. I was hoping that they would get better but they haven't. Currently thinking about cancelling my subscription.

Resubscribe. I easily get my money's worth year-to-year, and that hasn't changed.

I get to give far less than $5 US a month of beer/hookers/blow money to people who make the best video-game related website in the world, a last bastion of proper journalism. I don't understand unsubscribers but then again I give to charities every month and invest in indie projects..

I feel like I've gotten at least $50 worth of entertainment since I subscribed last September, so yeah, I'll be resubscribing.

I'm good until June of 2013, so it doesn't matter right now. After that, I will make a decision. I haven't exactly been thrilled with the "premium" content, besides Jeff's Jar Time segments, and those are few and far between. I don't think it's really worth $50/year. At least it hasn't been since the buyout. We'll see what the rest of the year brings.

I actually don't know. Whenever I watch Quick Looks, I use the youtube video player because their default one is terrible. I've actually stopped watching Subscriber videos because of it.

I re subbed during that last sale.

@Lukeweizer said:

I actually don't know. Whenever I watch Quick Looks, I use the youtube video player because their default one is terrible. I've actually stopped watching Subscriber videos because of it.

Do you think the HTML 5 player is that bad too?

@Insectecutor said:

@Brenderous said:

I already re-subscribed when they had the viking sale.

@xobballox said:

I'll probably stay subscribed, but I really hope they start putting out more premium content. Hopefully once the website re-launches Dave will have more time and they can get back to Random PC Game.

The Olympic Games Olympiad is great.

No it is not. The live streams of both weeks were good, but the recorded versions have none of the awesome shit they did in the break, and is just Ryan mashing buttons while Brad stares into a laptop and laughs at the chat.

You mean this? http://us.audionetwork.com/production-music/love-birds_44908.aspx

@Lukeweizer said:

I actually don't know. Whenever I watch Quick Looks, I use the youtube video player because their default one is terrible. I've actually stopped watching Subscriber videos because of it.

Do you think the HTML 5 player is that bad too?

@Lukeweizer: Then you're in for a treat.

I will continue to miss premium videos and I will continue to be bummed about that fact.

I only paid for my first year and got the second one free because they sent me a shirt that came ripped to dog shit. I will probably keep subbing just because I still visit the site all the time and it drives me nuts not being able to see the archived stuff. That said, I still feel that it's a big rip off when it comes to content we get for our subs compared to the price we pay for it. If it was $20-$30 I would do it without hesitating, but $50 is a lot of money. I still got a year or so left though, so if the content still keeps sucking by that time next year I may not re-sub. Hard to say. A lot can happen in a years time.

Download video has been a pretty good perk for when I want to watch something but the internet connection doesn't like the player (has happened to me on more than one occasion). Plus I just like to support these guys.

I'll keep subscribing. I like video games, and I like this site. And I'm quite excited to see whatever new stuff they'll come up with after the re-design

@Lukeweizer said:

I actually don't know. Whenever I watch Quick Looks, I use the youtube video player because their default one is terrible. I've actually stopped watching Subscriber videos because of it.

As a premium member, you know you can just download the subscriber content instead, right? I both dislike, and have had trouble with the Gamespot player, but if you download it then you can just watch it in VLC or whatever and you don't have to deal with freezing or terrible aliasing.

Resubscribe. I like to directly support things that I like. This provides me a good way to do so. Plus it will give me an excuse to get another shirt.

Bombcast is worth a buck a week to me, but maybe not to others. So long as the Bombcast quality doesn't decline like the video quality, I will stay subbed. 
 
I agree with above criticisms that Quick Looks have become especially disorganized and uninformative. If it was up to me, I would dispense completely with reviews, and focus energy on polished video content. If "polish" means "knowing basic controls when you sit down to play the game for your paying audience" then so be it.

I mainly subscribed to support the late whiskey media initiative. But I'll probably resubscribe to be able to download the video content. Premium and non premium.

I got my first subscription from winning a trailer competition on the site last year and I've re-subscribed since then (during the recent sale) so I'm set until this time next year.

I pretty much expect I'll re-subscribe at that time, too.

@Peanut said:

@Keavy_Rain said:

Subbed for life, son.

Giant Bomb filled a hole that the Ziff Davis owned 1up.com left when they went belly-up in 2008.

I don't know that anything can fill the hole of GFW Radio, Parish/Sharkey/Kohler/Barnholt Retronauts and Shane Bettenhausen era 1up Yours for me. Giant Bomb is amazing, but it's an entirely different beast compared to Ziff 1up.

Giant Bomb has worked it's way to equal standing with GFW over the years... they're different beasts for sure. Nothing will beat Shawn Elliott's lascivious tales of trolling Second Life, though.

As far as subscribing goes, I'll likely keep re-upping since I do watch most of what the duders put up and enjoy most of it (some more than others, obviously). I do also agree, though, that the slow-down in content has been too prolonged and is worrisome. There has been a lot of talk about this topic lately, I wonder what the guys think? I'm keeping the faith for now.

CBSi & Gamespot appreciate your support <3

I subscribed to help a bunch of independent guys whose stuff I kind of like keep things going. That's no longer necessary. The premium content has been nothing special, often just silly and almost seems token just to be able to justify the charge. And the office is still in transition excuse has gotten a little stale. So I will probably just let my subscription lapse when the time comes.

@Brenderous: No I mean the slow-mo 32-bit winter-olympians biting it set to classical music, but that whistling tune and the chat being thrown up on the stream was good too.

Drew's trip to North Korea was interesting, but that's the last thing I remember enjoying in terms of premium content, off the top of my head.

I resubscribed mostly because I like Jeff, Ryan, Vinnie, Brad and Patrick...and all the others. If there is one website worthy support it would be GB. On average, I am blowing $100 a month on Kickstarter so what's a few bucks a month over a whole year.

@Baillie:

I'm completely unsure man. Fortunately I don't have to make a decision for months.

I intially subscribed since I'd been using the site a lot and I really appreciated @snide's handling of an issue my friend with a rogue banner ad.

Then I got to like the premium content and figured I would keep subscribing indefinitely.

but since CBSi I don't feel like I know what this site is about anymore. I know what Gb gang is about, but I don't know what their superiors think the site is about. The amount of videos coming has dropped drastically and never recovered. There seems to be a general somewhat defeatist air in what is out there and to make matters worse the reason that is case sounds like the worst reason ever, basically not getting support from upper lvl mgt on basic tools. Furthermore having to go to tons of corporate meetings!

I really do believe them that there is major hurdles to clear behind the scenes, but I'm concerned that they haven't overcame them already. I also appreciate their efforts to show us some of what's going on behind the curtain, but at some point you need to actually produce some well stuff that people can see.

That just makes me worry about the future of the site if CBSi is not going give the site the support it needs to function, and then eventually kill it despite their promises not to. It wouldn't be the first time a large conglomerate bought a great asset and ran into the ground.

It just makes me wonder if I resub if the money is just going to get pocketed by CBSi mgt. I'd like to support gang and show CBSi that GB is worth investing in. But I don't want to throw my money away.

So my answer is to wait for the site relaunch (whenever that is) and hope that will clear up for me what the true future of Giantbomb is.

fwiw I haven't contributed much to the wiki since the merger either for the same reason.

A lot of the premium livestreams have been quite good, but there hasn't been a "Oh snap, this content is actually worth my money!" moment since Drew returning from North Korea. Regardless, I didn't go yearly until last month with the Dwarf Fortress themed sale, so I don't have to bother thinking about this for a while. Hopefully with the website redesign close at hand we can get Dave to do another Random PC game.

@Slag said:

@Baillie:

It just makes me wonder if I resub if the money is just going to get pocketed by CBSi mgt.

Well, Vinny could have bought several tricasters by now if they had any free reign over the subscription money, which CBSi probably just lists as "miscellaneous revenue" or something.

@atomic_dumpling said:

@Slag said:

@Baillie:

It just makes me wonder if I resub if the money is just going to get pocketed by CBSi mgt.

Well, Vinny could have bought several tricasters by now if they had any free reign over the subscription money, which CBSi probably just lists as "miscellaneous revenue" or something.

I meant pocketed by people higher above the CBSi foodchain than the GB crew. I figure all the sub money goes straight to CBSi AR dept now and Giantbomb has to petition and fight for every dollar they need for equipment and such.

Which is why they probably still don't have what they need. Karen is right they need a "fixer", or producer or something to go to all these meetings and get them the stuff they need, so they can get back to doing their real jobs.

I'm gonna keep subscribing just cause I love what these guys do. I love quick looks, I love the podcast, I love the content. Happy to support them.

Definitely resubscribing during BLLSL. Wish I'd remembered to resub during the "Fourth of July" discount weekend.

Guys, being a premium member is so awesome in comparison to...not being a premium member.

I'd probably resub if there was some kind of premium Bombcast that wasn't released to regular members until a week later.

I'd probably resub. I watch GB videos more than everything that's on TV.

In all honesty, I think this site is pretty sweet, so I want to do what I can to help!

@LordXavierBritish said:

I'd probably resub if there was some kind of premium Bombcast that wasn't released to regular members until a week later.

the current bombcast is kinda long. maybe they could like somehow split it up and release half of it the first week then the other half after a week of waiting. then the paying members can get that second half a week early.

@Baillie: I already paid up into 2013 when the subscription went on sale. It would take a long LONG stretch of no premium content and maybe something that is kind of a fuck you to subscribers (basically a lot) for me to unsub. I've been with this site since the beginning. This is my favorite site with my favorite dudes (who I followed years before the site) so I will keep subscribing to support them.

I don't have a reason to.

Initially I subbed because the entire Whiskey family was well worth it. No content today on GB? Alright let's head over to tested or screened.

They don't need my money, I don't think so at least.. so what's the point? There isn't any MUST have content available only to subscribers, I check it all the time, it just ain't there (IMO)

I'm a monthly subscriber, so this choice is kind of irrelevant because i can just stop at any point. That said, if i WERE a yearly subscriber, i would unsubscribe and go monthly. GB isn't pumping out any good content for paying subscribers anymore. The TNT stuff is all available on JTV and they've cut down the TNT's to 1:30 instead of a solid two hours. I don't want to hear all of this bullshit about how they've been too busy "with the new office". It's horse shit. Get to steppin', GB. Do more of the following;

• breaking brads
• endurance runs
• random pc games
• flight clubs
• ANYTHING with Dave in it
• secondary podcasts

I love the bombcast with every ounce of my beating heart, but they're becoming lazier and lazier as time goes on.

Also, knock off the quick look EX bullshit. Nobody likes them.

@atomic_dumpling said:

@Slag said:

@Baillie:

It just makes me wonder if I resub if the money is just going to get pocketed by CBSi mgt.

Well, Vinny could have bought several tricasters by now if they had any free reign over the subscription money, which CBSi probably just lists as "miscellaneous revenue" or something.

I meant pocketed by people higher above the CBSi foodchain than the GB crew. I figure all the sub money goes straight to CBSi AR dept now and Giantbomb has to petition and fight for every dollar they need for equipment and such.

Which is why they probably still don't have what they need. Karen is right they need a "fixer", or producer or something to go to all these meetings and get them the stuff they need, so they can get back to doing their real jobs.

@adoggz said:

@LordXavierBritish said:

I'd probably resub if there was some kind of premium Bombcast that wasn't released to regular members until a week later.

the current bombcast is kinda long. maybe they could like somehow split it up and release half of it the first week then the other half after a week of waiting. then the paying members can get that second half a week early.

Weren't you there during the Bombcast civil war?

I'll be resubscribing. These guys have been entertaining me for years, and I am happy to give $50 a year to keep supporting them.

@Jumanji said:

@Slag said:

@atomic_dumpling said:

@Slag said:

@Baillie:

It just makes me wonder if I resub if the money is just going to get pocketed by CBSi mgt.

Well, Vinny could have bought several tricasters by now if they had any free reign over the subscription money, which CBSi probably just lists as "miscellaneous revenue" or something.

I meant pocketed by people higher above the CBSi foodchain than the GB crew. I figure all the sub money goes straight to CBSi AR dept now and Giantbomb has to petition and fight for every dollar they need for equipment and such.

Which is why they probably still don't have what they need. Karen is right they need a "fixer", or producer or something to go to all these meetings and get them the stuff they need, so they can get back to doing their real jobs.

When you've got people sitting in their basements producing Let's Plays for free and getting 50k+ views on youtube, (or just doing long writeups with screenshots every sentence/paragraph and still getting HUGE traffic and feedback) then the "no tools" argument falls apart completely.

I can buy it. Here's why, the guys may not be calling the shots on their time. If corporate wants Vinny & Jeff etc to go endless meetings on synergy and haggle over line item of their budget, they aren't going to have much time left over to actually create content.

In some ways the basement crowd has it easier since they likely have full autonomy. Doesn't sound like GB has that anymore.

I don't know that's what's actually happening to the Gb crew. But it sounds to me like it might be. I really hope I'm wrong, since if it's a bureaucracy issue it would not bode well for the future of the site.

The sooner the site relaunches, the better I'll feel.

@Shaka999 said:

I'm gonna keep subscribing just cause I love what these guys do. I love quick looks, I love the podcast, I love the content. Happy to support them.

Same here, been a premium member since the start and will be for as long as the option is there.

considering they had to spec out, buy, and rebuild their entire video system in a new place - they've been putting out amazing stuff. absolutely worth it to me.

@adoggz said:

@LordXavierBritish said:

I'd probably resub if there was some kind of premium Bombcast that wasn't released to regular members until a week later.

the current bombcast is kinda long. maybe they could like somehow split it up and release half of it the first week then the other half after a week of waiting. then the paying members can get that second half a week early.

Weren't you there during the Bombcast civil war?

I'm definitely keeping my subscription. In fact, I think I'm paid up through 2014. (I bought a few yearly subs.) The site is keeping me sane while I write my dissertation. I think that's something worth paying for.

Not really seeing a reason to stop subscribing. The premium content might not be as plentiful right now but I've always had a enjoyable time watching it still.

I already renewed with the dave fortress deal! I think they have had some great premium content this year, I think its well worth it.