-
Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!
Giant Bomb #8 | It's a Hit!
- Thread starter Hot Coldman
- Start date
- Status
Ugh... I was hoping this would all have died down by today but I see its only gotten worst. Nothing constructive is coming from it, its devolved into nothing but overtly racist/sexist yelling from both sides and conjecture about a process that neither have any intimate knowledge of.
I think I'll take a break from Giantbomb communities until people cool down.
I think I'll take a break from Giantbomb communities until people cool down.
ShockingAlberto
Member
Which is pretty above-average for the industry.
That diversity ratio is higher than most gaming websites. I'm not sure what the point you're making is.
I only read her Edge columns but they're usually terrible.
You're missing the point. If a comedian on the level of Dave Chapelle wants the job, you give it to him, regardless of his race or gender. You would be stupid not to. Comedy Central employs a lot more people in front and behind the camera than Giant Bomb, and while they do diversify, white males remain the majority. GB is too small to apply these sort of metrics to.
Man...I miss Ryan
Mowki Kowski
Member
Keyser Soze
Member
I feel that people are no longer angry at Giant Bomb not hiring what they deem to be the "right" person - the are annoyed because other people are annoyed at them, and others are in turn annoyed at them for that. It is like one neverending vicious all consuming circle.
OdysseusVA
Banned
I'm providing facts.
securitypigeon
Banned
I just saw the podcast from Samantha Allen and Maddy Myers.
It's a weird issue to me because on one hand, their hope for greater diversity and different voices on an influential site lke Giant Bomb is pretty valid, but their sense of entitlement on behalf of random individuals who didn't succeed - whom they both know and don't know - is incredibly futile.
Dan in particular is a fantastic fit for Giant Bomb, and that's purely based on his personality. As much as I like Zoe and Cara, do I think they would gel with Jeff, Brad and Drew on a regular basis? No. Will Dan? I very much think so.
From day one, there's always been a shared cultural history (in a dumb, ironic and fun way) between all the members of the site. The fact that this includes a group of straight white men is both besides the point and totally key to their popularity. It's the same reason minorities of all stripes hang together in real-world social contexts. It's nice to have this multicultural dream where this doesn't exist, but that's the way it is. That obviously doesn't mean that Jeff would never hire a black person, or a gay person, or indeed a woman. Of course that's not the case - he's not some exclusionary monster, and nor is anybody else there.
Ultimately, the role was always going to be a specific one and there's plenty of reason to think that Jeff made a decision that will be great for the site's growth. Samantha's ironically distasteful response to this point on Twitter only goes to show that her idealism far outweighs her ability to understand the autonomy behind a decision that doesn't specifically cater to her every expectation.
That's enough of that for now, anyway...!
It's a weird issue to me because on one hand, their hope for greater diversity and different voices on an influential site lke Giant Bomb is pretty valid, but their sense of entitlement on behalf of random individuals who didn't succeed - whom they both know and don't know - is incredibly futile.
Dan in particular is a fantastic fit for Giant Bomb, and that's purely based on his personality. As much as I like Zoe and Cara, do I think they would gel with Jeff, Brad and Drew on a regular basis? No. Will Dan? I very much think so.
From day one, there's always been a shared cultural history (in a dumb, ironic and fun way) between all the members of the site. The fact that this includes a group of straight white men is both besides the point and totally key to their popularity. It's the same reason minorities of all stripes hang together in real-world social contexts. It's nice to have this multicultural dream where this doesn't exist, but that's the way it is. That obviously doesn't mean that Jeff would never hire a black person, or a gay person, or indeed a woman. Of course that's not the case - he's not some exclusionary monster, and nor is anybody else there.
Ultimately, the role was always going to be a specific one and there's plenty of reason to think that Jeff made a decision that will be great for the site's growth. Samantha's ironically distasteful response to this point on Twitter only goes to show that her idealism far outweighs her ability to understand the autonomy behind a decision that doesn't specifically cater to her every expectation.
That's enough of that for now, anyway...!
DangerStepp
Member
Eloquently put, securitypigeon. I could not agree more.
I almost avoided it because I'm not a fan, but glad I gave in
While I'm not a fan of her piss-poor attitude, she actually wrote a really good piece a couple months back.
I almost avoided it because I'm not a fan, but glad I gave in
Polygon may execute on diversity in principal quite well, but I could not feel more disinterested in their staff from an entertainment perspective. I come to Giant Bomb for it's ability to add comedy to an interest I enjoy. From what female games journalists I have read and I stress read because I have not seen very many on camera with consistency, they have tended to lean towards a more serious tone towards games. To be fair the one female games critic I have seen on camera regularly is Tara Long and she seems like someone who could easily thrive in an irreverent environment towards games so maybe it is just harder to write in a tone that meshes with GB than it is to do on video.
Keyser Soze
Member
I am sure he would have already sorted out this whole mess in a 140 characters (probably less)
ab.aeterno
Member
I kind of find it funny that your response to some truly vile, hateful shit being said was to point out someone else said something awful first, not even acknowledging how awful that bullshit is.
Are you still beating that "must be 50/50" disingenuous drum? Because people already explained why that was the wrong conclusion to draw from pointing out the systemic lack of women in technical fields a while ago.
Well said.
The worst recent thing I remember reading from her was when she claimed that gamers all disliked Bioshock Infinite and only the media enjoyed the game because of hype. (Nevermind that, for example, it finished 2nd in GAF's GotY voting). Taking her own personal opinion, transferring it to the gaming public at large, and then using that to claim the gaming press as a whole are biased or incorrect is terrible writing.
Liu Kang Baking A Pie
Member
I've been in small companies in an industry dominated by white men that branched out anyway even when it would've been easy to make excuses. At the very least, why isn't there an internship position to provide an opportunity for the future?
Popped into this thread for the first time since listening to the Bombcast last night... the fuck is going on?
Anyway, Dan seems like a great fit for GB. Looking forward to seeing where the site goes when they really get into the swing of things and GB East gets set up properly.
Anyway, Dan seems like a great fit for GB. Looking forward to seeing where the site goes when they really get into the swing of things and GB East gets set up properly.
Games journalism is not a technical field. What is the gender ratio in other forms of journalism likes sports writing? Are you equally upset about gender imbalances there? If not, why?
Jimmyfenix
Member
Polygon dan is the future
Book it
2k15
Yoo
Book it
2k15
Yoo
I find George Carlin funny.
Do you need me to recognize things that are vile and dusting? Okay, what those people said was.
Buzz's post made it seem like he thought "go fuck yourself" lead to her getting agitated and lashing out. It wasn't, so I said as much.
I have no problem with Dan Ryckert but it really does feel like Giant Bomb has a fifth flavor of chocolate with him.
Very few people are trying to insinutate that GB crew were intentionally excluding people in their selection. It is more that the idea of trying to find someone would is most like and "gels" best with the rest of the crew is a very conservative decision that not only denies other an opportunity but also robs the audience of a lot of possibly cool new voices,
Very few people are trying to insinutate that GB crew were intentionally excluding people in their selection. It is more that the idea of trying to find someone would is most like and "gels" best with the rest of the crew is a very conservative decision that not only denies other an opportunity but also robs the audience of a lot of possibly cool new voices,
They really should have interns. I'm not sure why that program ended with the switch to CBSi. They could have definitely used the extra hands.
Yes, but they criticise the content, rarely the fact it's 3 white men and 40 more mostly male production crew. I don't think I've ever heard a "top gear needs more women" outcry. The only remotely thing similar was the 50/50 male female studio audience split insistence.
Not at all saying it has to be a white dude, only that, like a lot of entertainment roles, there's an argument for picking your friend/someone you already have chemistry with.
And we'll just agree to disagree regarding Leigh. Every video I've seen of her on the internet doesn't promote her personality well.
This is legit one of the most adorable mofos to have graced the Earth.
Look at that pure fucking joyous disposition.
There are plenty of reasons you might not want to hire him, including for example salary requirements and the idea that the show (or environment) then becomes about him vs whatever your premise might be. There can be all sorts of reasons "the most qualified person" is not actually a good fit for a role.
They have what, 5 people working in SF, 1 in Chicago, 2 in NY? It's best to ask CBSi what their budget and plan is for GB, as I'm sure they'd love some interns. It's not like they have 50 white 30 something males working with them.
DangerStepp
Member
I didn't catch that, but it sounds like something only an insane person would say.
OverBlood 3
Banned
I don't like this world wide web.
ShockingAlberto
Member
Lots of people are upset about the gender gap in sports journalism. This came from the Women's Media Center earlier this year:
Moreover, according to Scarborough Research and Nielsen stats, one third of the entire NFL TV audience is women, but they make up almost no part of sports journalism. It's not that women don't apply or aren't interested, they just don't get hired because it's more male-centric than almost any other field.
Just now hearing about the hubbub. Is there a good post somewhere with a summary of events?
This is shopped right?
This is shopped right?
No. She made a couple of similar tweets then deleted them a few minutes after posting.
The vast majority of applicants for a GB internship would be white males. So I don't know if having an intern would necessarily make them a more diverse group.
ThreePiMatt
Member
I'm still hold out for Jeff Green.
Lots of people are upset about the gender gap in sports journalism. This came from the Women's Media Center earlier this year:
Moreover, according to Scarborough Research and Nielsen stats, one third of the entire NFL TV audience is women, but they make up almost no part of sports journalism.
And 0% of the NFL players.
Now what are your feelings on industries dominated by women such as nursing and accounting/auditing?
Punchy4486
Banned
The shitty thing is, there is no way in hell they hire a white male for their next job opening.
Not shitty in that it should be a white male or that I don't want it to be anything else, but shitty in a "but is this how you want to make things change?" kind of way.
I'd love more diversity too, but I don't want "pity" or "obligation" hires. And now if any woman gets hired at GB that's automatically gonna be an assumption because of this kind of outrage, valid or not.
Not shitty in that it should be a white male or that I don't want it to be anything else, but shitty in a "but is this how you want to make things change?" kind of way.
I'd love more diversity too, but I don't want "pity" or "obligation" hires. And now if any woman gets hired at GB that's automatically gonna be an assumption because of this kind of outrage, valid or not.
ShockingAlberto
Member
According to Jeff, training them was more work than they saved. Also, I don't think CBSi has an intern program.
Liu Kang Baking A Pie
Member
What's your point?
Riposte
Member
its playability hinges squarely and mundanely on just how gamelike it is
She writes pseudo-intellectual trash. Top to bottom, mind-numbing trash. The Giant Bomb crew provide forgettable standard game journo material outside their entertaining media efforts, but it doesn't hurt the brain. Her writing, the essence of her fame, is far worse than the embarrassing and excruciating bombcast appearances she can never live down and feels bitter about to this day, although they compliment each other nicely.
Pretty positive you're correct.
- Status