My Thoughts on the Subscription Model.
By Rhombus_Of_Terror 1 Comments
In the immediacy of the Bombcast issue I will start there. I am personally curious how the new Bombcast will play out. The main podcast every one will get will probably be a more concise version of the following;
- News
- New Releases
- E-mails.
This in-turn, spread over the course of an hour might and probably will allow the crew to talk more about what is happening in the world of Games. The news section does inform me on how the industry does things to a point as Jeff and Ryan in particular have been working in the the journalism industry for more than ten years. This is the most useful part of the podcast.
It would be nice if there was an article explaining how the new Bombcast will be laid out. If the one that subscribers pay for is generally centered around what the crew have been playing as well as having guests, i wouldn't mind. In fact, splitting up the podcast may give GiantBomb more freedom in this respect. If you're just in for the news, you've got that, if you're an avid supporter and have followed the crew since the days of Gamespot and like their personalities, the other stuff is for you too.
I have seen many of those citing that the motive behind the bombcast being split as a source of controversy. None of the members know what has gone on until we have been told why it has been done. As i have laid my quick thoughts above about what content will be in each half, i can see why a more concise podcast would be beneficial. The screened and tested podcast already do this and to great effect. I don't think i will lose out any more than what I gain.
Paying for an extra bombcast is NOT what you're paying for. It can and has been seen as an incentive because it is easy to do so. You're paying for the stuff that CAN be done, ideas have already surfaced, in particular what GB has said in their PAX10 pod/vodcast about following the developers of Bastion in a way that we get to see a video game take shape, which i have not seen in video game journalism before. The ultimate prize in this is doing the same thing to a triple A game, imagine that!. That would be ground breaking. This stuff requires money and a different way of thinking in terms writing about video games and how it is supported. Michael Pachter summed that up perfectly; that developers don't get their spotlight because the game they are working on is the thing that gets looked at. If GB is ( and has been mentioned in the same podcast they might have a go at doing ) going to to do that, i'm all for it.
Come 6 months from now, when newer stuff has been done because of the subscription model, some members will be kicking themselves not to get in on the action. Take this into account. It happens everywhere. DeviantART are notorious for doing this for example.
The barrier is that me, and you are paying for that to happen it is the thing that you have to re-think about. Most of us are too used to seeing ad-supported websites. The money you spend replaces the need for ads to a point and in return you get the content you wanted. What the content would be, will be outlined later and possibly during BLLSL. From what i digressed from the membership podcast that went out today is that new stuff is on the horizon that is ontop of the stuff we will currently get with a subscription.
I have seen this done before but with music, Nine Inch Nails and Amanda Palmer to name a few have and successfully made themselves self sufficient with money made from their music goes to them and those who sold the digital distribution bandwidth and physical production and no one else. I use this example as a different way to support something.
What i WOULD lay $49.95 ( which translates to around £30-33, given fluctuating rates ) down for is the media content. The HTML5 stuff may not be supported by adblock so those may still get adds, for the time being, and from what I've seen elsewhere in HTML5 is that it's amazing. As I have seen advert skins on GB before, they have been really well and freshen up the website design, bar the same video advert that precedes GB video content. GB have always stated that they are more interested in the games that make up the majority of fans on the site which is why adverts have not bothered me much because the games featured are the one's I am interested in or getting.
The ability to get HD content and be able to to download it is a big plus. I like my HD trailers for cool games. I currently frequent Gametrailers for this very purpose, even though i think some of their stuff seems to have an "upscaled" feel to it these days. I'm sure most of the money will be spent on the content and the Friday Live show that they have planned. It feels nostalgic akin to the "On The Spot" days, which is good.
Ad-free straight to the point GB madness is what needs this subscription and support. That is what the sub is really paying for.
I've talked enough. I may have overseen some of the stuff but seeing immediate "i don't like this stuff it never works" kind of posts clearly show that some need to know the background to this model which starting to gain popularity on the internet. Hopefully we'll get a full round up of what's happening with what is being done for the subscribers real soon. It's best to see what is going to be done before you make a rash judgement.
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