sciential

The ability to sell used games encourages the purchase of new games.

The people who trade in games would certainly buy fewer new games if they couldn't expect to get some of their money back in the secondary market.

So the purchase of used games does support developers indirectly by increasing the value of their product.

Billionaire Philanthropist Peter Thiel Cures One Form of (Mental) Cancer

Fuck anyone still associated with Gawker after this. Anyone with any integrity was already gone. Nothing of value was lost.

If everything that isn't countable is purely subjective opinion, what is the point of reviews? Why even bother if I cannot expect to learn something about my likely experience based on your descriptions of your experience? To borrow a phrase, critics set themselves too easy, too useless a task if all they can tell us are words that have no real meaning other than "I liked this game".

Also, if there is no objectivity in how people experience game, how is the crafting system in Assassin's Creed III so objectively bad? QED.

No.

A claim that a game is poorly designed in a published review implies an objective standard, that the writer understands design and that the game is below the standards of quality the consumer should expect. This is a very different thing from "this is a fork-lift simulator for assholes" which is raw, hilarious subjectivity.

It is foolish to respond to statements of opinion as if they were assertions of fact just because they aren't made obvious by their phrasing, yes, but it is equally foolish to excuse incorrect factual statements as if they were just opinions.

Probably not, but should there be a Polygon-implemented test of video game skill for every journalist they hire?

There are thousands of people who a) are good at video games and b) would work for food if the work is writing or talking about video games. Surely some of them can also write and have opinions?

@quizzicalpixel:

Might be a red herring but might be helpful. I think it was around the time Brad took over because I think I remember Jeff saying that he was too busy/lazy to do any editing at all. It might have just been after a Jeff temporary host, though.

Not technically an achievement, but everyone who unlocked Invincibility in GoldenEye remembers doing it.

It's a lot like Mile High Club where you have to run a short level blindingly fast, but like 4 out of 5 times the scientist who gives you a key doesn't spawn in the right place and you have to start over half-way through.

@strife777: Lie down with dogs, you're going to get fleas.

You're right that ex-Kotaku writers won't have any problem finding a job. They are extremely well qualified for a trade where the primary qualifications are 1) already being friends with everyone in the industry, 2) having the right opinions and 3) sufficiently low shame to write for clicks.

What is shitty is that so many people you've never heard of because they would never work for a piece of shit organization like Gawker will continue to never be heard.

God only knows...