Yes, please read the rules. Always read the rules. Just like we all have read the rules. Only douchebags post on forums without reading the rules. Would you heat a can of beans without reading the instructions? Only douchebags do that.
Considering Activision overcharged for the map packs, saturated the music game market, brought out a dumb skateboard peripheral in search of some fabled peripheral-loving market, and farmed out ip to inferior teams to cash in, I think it's fairly obvious Activision put money ahead of the industry, developers, and consumers, so it's perfectly reasonable to take IW's side.
Again, 'games journalism' isn't journalism in the traditional sense. In regards to the other examples you've mentioned (music, movies and books) there are plenty of easy faces to talk to in all those spheres. Actual talking, breathing human beings, with personality no less. The video game industry severely lacks that.
Out of all the games and major labels, how many talking heads are there of any significance, or even worth listening to? Shigeru Miyamoto? Peter Molyneaux? Kojima? They're not exactly an approachable bunch. And even the ones that are charismatic - Cliff Bleszinski, Nolan North or David Hayter - they don't have everything to do with the process overall and can't speak for the industry as a whole.
Video games aren't like films, music or books; they involve a stupid amount of people. WIth films, all Empire Magazine really needs to do is talk to the lead actors, or the director. Music? NME can interview the band no probs. Books? Just one person who's more than happy to promote his or her book at stores nationwide! Video games? Where the fuck do you start?!
Do you (if it's even possible) approach some programmer/designer with the developer., talk with the publisher or go straight to one of the investors? There's a massive chain involved.
99.99% of the time the only sources that games journalists can work from are the ones they are provided with by the companies themselves, unless you can find some disgruntled developer who just got fired *cough* INFINITY WARD *cough*.
Kotaku et al. could be doing more, but do they really want to, given that they get all the material they need served up on a plate for them? "
See I think that the whole reason we only have a handful of industry people that stand out as spokespeople for games is precisely because game journalists have done such a piss poor job of coverage. Sure there are a hell of a lot of people involved, and maybe not the most charismatic, but we don't need them to comment on the whole industry, just to enlighten people as to their own process. There are loads of creative artists, writers, and designers behind games, and finding out what their own inspirations and goals are for each game would be interesting - and maybe even treat games seriously enough that those who simply churn out the same idea or outright suck would be held to higher standards. We as an audience might be able to treat games more seriously then too.
I think it all comes down to whether you're happy to treat games like consumer products, with reviews and the occasional PR trailer sufficing for us to make purchasing decisions. Personally, I think games are more than that, which is why i compare them to movies and books, so that consumerist kind of media coverage feels really pithy and easy to me.
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