Since Rab "Robert" Florence stirred up the Hornets nest on PR and Game Reviewers last week, with Laure Wainright causing a Streisand effect (Were hiding something makes people look for it...and find it.) a lot of things were let out.
Now this is not about PR and flying them around the world first class and what not. If you listen to the Bombcast the GB crew often and openly talk (and make fun) of it, so it wasn't news to us.
This is about my observations with first hand account of people involved in Game press and media. Mainly Twitter was my experience while following Rab "Robert" Florence and the whole story. I would freaking loved to use tweets as back up evidence however complying them......that is a task.
What I want to talk about is "Trust" It is a very big thing when listening to someone's opinion and deciding on taking their advice. This can be gained and lost in many ways. One thing I have found is how you Identify yourself. So lets go through them.
Game Reviewers: Review and advise us on game purchases. Simple. E.G Jeff ,Ryan, Brad.
Game Journalist: Investigates about the industry and games. Again simple. E.G Patrick.
Games Writer: Writes about games..... This is the tricky part. To give an example...is everyone on the GB crew, Vinny, Drew and Dave (since maby not Vinny, they have written at least one review.) as well to an extent all of us realy. This this means there is another title created.
Games Enthusiast: Some one that is enthusiastic about games. Well that slots ALL of us including Vinny, Drew and Dave.
This also puts a new definition on Games Writer : Someone that is a qualified writer who writes about games.
What is news to me, is a number of "Games Reviewers" who do not actually associate themselves as Game Reviewers, nor Game Journalists, and some even are not classified as not Game Writers.
A number of Game Writers that defended or expressed they didn't care about "Game Journalists" comprising their integrity with tweeting hashtags advertising a game on their Twitter feeds to win a PS3. They said such things as "Oh another scandal about Games Journalism and it being compromised....these happen...what? Every six months. Wake me up when it is over."
Stephen Totilo Kotaku Editor-in-Cheif was one of these people when Users were asking him why they hadn't covered the Eurogamer stuff. He has since wrote and editorial talking about why he said such things and apologizing in the same go.
These people that were rolling their eyes or defending Wainright. They complained about the word "Games Journalist" "Games Writer", defining themselves are Writers.
That is it....Writer. A number of them also said such things as "Its just games. It nothing serious. Can we move on.", These comments didn't make me angry or such, they are right. To me and to a lot of people it is, more so to me as this whole thing isn't about Games it is also about Journalism. Something that I have developed a interest in since my Media and Communication course in college, Id love to pursue it as demonstrated here, however I am too Dyslexic to go beyond these forums posts that can be freely ignored.
So I envy these people, I envy their mastery of the written English language and to a degree of their position with games. Yet they dont identify themselves as anything to do with Games. What I can figure is they are simply Writers. They will write about anything just pay them.
THAT DOES NOT MAKE ME TRUST THEM!
Lauren Wainright has been doing a number things that are unethical, even if the original suspicions is 100% untrue ( I am certain they are not true). So to me and a lot of people her credibility is gone. Except these other Writers brazenly just say such things.
Now this is were we go back to definitions. Jeff would describe himself as Game's Reviewer, Kevin VanOrd of Gamespot would describe himself as a Games Reviewer (I think...), most people in the Gamespot building who review games should probably say they are Game Reviewers.
These Game journalist reviewers...whatever 's seem to not be part of the larger websites. Instead magazines, newspapers and certain websites. Even if they are game centered, ii becomes hit or miss on the people that care about Games Journalism and Games Writing the further from the top you go.
Which is actually a lot of sources. So it makes me realy wary of listening to anyone outside the top. To be honest I am wary of everyone except GB and I always have been. I never trusted Gamespot I never trusted IGN. Why? because I didn't know the reviewers, even if I read all their reviews and articles to get an idea of what they are like. I dont know them in the same vain as GB crew. Yeah I am not their buddy, however If I met one Id know how to treat them more than if I met Kevin VanOrd or Jim Sterling.
I admittedly was one of the people who often would complain about reviewers not "Getting it" or throwing around "They have been paid off!" not in the comments, simply to myself. Hell Kayne and Lynch 1 I read Jeff's review at the time and slammed it, when he was fired said "good". I was young(er) shut up.... I played Kayne and lynch. Its fucking terrible and no wonder Jeff had to admit he didn't complete it. So once that all sunk in the rumors of the Marketing/PR people fired him, since I too chuckled at the low score and the website caked in Kayne and Lynch skins.
So Gamespot lost ALL credibility for me and every other websites as well. As PR/Marketing pulled strings. So it was not till GB was introduced to me I trusted again. Gamespot certainly wins back more respect after Jeff assured us its fine and times have changed.
This new series of events has made me not trust outside of GB now. Despite now having a better understanding of individual reviewers.
Yet it dosnt stop!!
I am already dismayed at these Writers opinion's. More so when they defend Wainright. Describing her as "Games Enthusiast." and then calling Rab a "Games Enthusiast" Rab by all means is a definition of a Writer and a Games Enthusiast, he writes Scottish Comedy shows and is a Games enthusiast that wrote for Eurogamer and Rock Paper Shotgun It isn't his full time job.
Now you may be saying "Well she is enthusiastic about games...Tomb Raider being one." Yes and you would be right...except! these people used it when people said that Wainright was a writer or review.
Wainright...IT IS HER FULL TIME JOB! To write and review games, yet she is called a "Games Enthusiast." You know who is a Game Enthusiast? These guys!
To normal guys with normal job during the day and film game reviews on the weekend. These are Game Enthusiasts, Angry Video Game Nerd, Happy Console Gamer, Jontron are all Game Enthusiasts, people who are well enthusiastic about games and making their own little things. A number are pulling a living from their Game Enthusiasm, however they are not heralded as "professionals".
That is the distinction between Writer and Enthusiastic. One is professional the other is not. Going by what Writers have said I am beginning to think that Enthusiast's are more professional in their honest amature attempts, than people being employed to do so.
This dosnt extend to everyone, GB crew are certainly passionate and love games, they share more qualities with Game Enthusiasts than some other writers.
As someone I read or heard from in amongst all my research of the Eurogamer story. Said "Pick someone you trust and stick with them. When they move from publication to another. YOU follow them. Because YOU trust them, it is not about the publication, it is about YOU."
It is true, and I dont know were to go if GB crumbled.
A lot of discussion has pointed out that a lot of Writers simply use it as a stepping point to go into...PR....some were I expect to see Wainright in, after this if she dosnt go back to "Enthusiasm" on other subjects that are not Video games.
Its just hard to take alot of stuff that has come to light, alot I knew...however there is the Writers and their definition of themselves, behavior, up and coming reviewers/writers being put into hard place and its up to them to make a decision. Bad habits being formed due to them and....it has basically destroyed my perception of Game journalism of all sorts below the top line as reliable.
Something that the basic story would never have done, if Lauren Wainright had not brought attention to it and alot of First hand experience of how Writers perceive themselves, with the window of Twitter.
What does any of you make of these definitions and trusting people who dont seem to hold much regard to their job?
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