Cinemablend calls out gaming press, accuses them of living in a Doritocracy

Whether or not some individual writers, and some specific sites are doing a good job isn't especially relevant to whether or not there is a major problem. The fact that traffic seems to be your number one priority isn't exactly encouraging.

I write for a blog - albeit not for a living - and I like to see that what I write gets read by a decent number of people (I'm talking thousands, I'm sure your articles go into the tens, and hundreds of thousands), but readership numbers aren't the first thing I'd bring out if I was trying to defend myself. The response "but we're popular" to this criticism of games journalism is desperately shallow and spectacularly ironic.

I'll tell you why you should be worried: because trust in games journalists is dropping by the minute. That reflects terribly on your profession. If you can't see why that is happening, it's hard to separate you from them.

Maybe I wasn't clear. "Your" referred to the person I was addressing, not readers as a whole. If our readers didn't trust us, they wouldn't read our site. Our traffic is at an all-time high because we have been breaking the type of news and running the type of stories that no other website runs, and if we hadn't earned our readers' trust, they wouldn't be reading us.

I've read and participated in a number of threads like this. I take them a lot more seriously they're talking about real issues, and specific people, instead of ridiculous "game journalism is corrupt!" articles like the one on Cinema Blend. There are reporters currently trying to hash out just what the PS4's power advantage will mean long term for these consoles - a question far more important than COD resolutions - and meanwhile, some of you read and circlejerk over articles like this, articles written like forum posts chock full of unfounded accusations and nonsensical console war BS.

Surely you must understand how frustrating it is for reporters who work 10-12 hours a day to try to bring you guys great work only to see 20-page threads about how much their field sucks. Meanwhile, threads about great articles cap at 2, 3, 4 pages on GAF. Do you really not see how you're contributing to the problem there?

Let me put the situation another way: if a website were to publish a story interviewing developers about the long-term differences between PS4 or Xbox One, do you think it'd be on Cinema Blend? It certainly would not. It'd be on Edge, Eurogamer, Kotaku... one of the websites that has proven capable of actual investigation. Yet those are the websites you're trashing.
 
This is not the gaming press that we need but the gaming press that we deserve.

If people are unwilling to pay for gaming news that they consume then you can't really complain if you're fed a never ending stream of click-bait headlines and tabloid quality journalism.
The option just really isn't out there, anymore. I'm willing to pay, but I can't find anyone deserving of my money. Not even Giant Bomb.
 
The consoles are not even out yet. Can we all just take that in?

Nobody is is Microsoft puppet, this isn't a conspiracy. Journalists are reserving judgement until they get their hands on it. I know you all want a consensus so you know what console to get, you'd love for all sites to declare PS4 the winner. Unfortunately nobody knows yet, and luckily not everyone has the knee jerk reaction of the internet. (By internet I mean the vocal children that make up most of the comments on the internet).

Lets just wait and see eh?
 
Let me put the situation another way: if a website were to publish a story interviewing developers about the long-term differences between PS4 or Xbox One, do you think it'd be on Cinema Blend? It certainly would not. It'd be on Edge, Eurogamer, Kotaku... one of the websites that has proven capable of actual investigation. Yet those are the websites you're trashing.

Lately, it hasn't been on any of those sites...it's been right here on these forums. There are certain things those publications are not allowed to write or talk about yet.
 
LOL, in his head he does he really think "Checkmate! I got them now!" or is he aware how the majority of gamers view him?
 
So original ipad resolution vs ipad with "retina" resolution = no difference?

Each device with both better specs and a loweer price will get a hearty recommendation from the pres. The tech press will applaud any graphics card that will push 10 frames more, any smart phone or tablet that pushes more pixels at higher resolutions, each HDTV with better black levels and lower latencies than the competitor. But in the case of two games consoles coming at the same time, with one of them being both cheaper and demonstrably more powerful, it's a wash because gamers won't see the difference between 720p and 1080p, won't notice the higher frame rates. (Even though they couldn't stop blabbering about any minor difference between the 360 and PS3 version)

It's disingenuous.
 
Maybe I wasn't clear. "Your" referred to the person I was addressing, not readers as a whole. If our readers didn't trust us, they wouldn't read our site. Our traffic is at an all-time high because we have been breaking the type of news and running the type of stories that no other website runs, and if we hadn't earned our readers' trust, they wouldn't be reading us.

I've read and participated in a number of threads like this. I take them a lot more seriously they're talking about real issues, and specific people, instead of ridiculous "game journalism is corrupt!" articles like the one on Cinema Blend. There are reporters currently trying to hash out just what the PS4's power advantage will mean long term for these consoles - a question far more important than COD resolutions - and meanwhile, some of you read and circlejerk over articles like this, articles written like forum posts chock full of unfounded accusations and nonsensical console war BS.

Surely you must understand how frustrating it is for reporters who work 10-12 hours a day to try to bring you guys great work only to see 20-page threads about how much their field sucks. Meanwhile, threads about great articles cap at 2, 3, 4 pages on GAF. Do you really not see how you're contributing to the problem there?

Let me put the situation another way: if a website were to publish a story interviewing developers about the long-term differences between PS4 or Xbox One, do you think it'd be on Cinema Blend? It certainly would not. It'd be on Edge, Eurogamer, Kotaku... one of the websites that has proven capable of actual investigation. Yet those are the websites you're trashing.

I began a thread about this a few months ago actually. and this thread further proves it, people don't want real journalism, people want instant reaction validating their viewpoint and their own opinion. They find some random article at a usually shit site then begin a giant thread on it, holding up said shit site as some new pinnacle of journalism while trashing everything else.

But as a journalist you guys can't let it get to you too much because, as much as I enjoy reading Gaf, at the end of the day it's just another forum on the internet with over-passionate fans. Sure interact with the audience, listen to them, but remember they have a stake in things because they are fans. I think there is a reason sports reporters don't visit many sport forums or news reporters don't post on news forums because forums allow people to say WHATEVER they want without real repercussions other than being banned. And as we've seen forums also allow companies, like in Sony's case to have their fans begin forming a narrative to run with and spread, or in Nintendo's and PCs case haters to run with.
 
Rami Ismail (one half of Vlambeer) on the resolution controversy:

"So I hear that the Xbox One outputs half the native pixels the PS4 pushes. Cool. Don't care. Which one has the games & services I like? This generation 'console war' isn't about powerful boxes, it's about games, content, usability & services. Console tech should be invisible."

https://twitter.com/tha_rami

I agree with him.

I agree with this sentiment too. But here's the problem with it, from the consumer's point of view: games and services are something that grow and evolve over time, and it's almost impossible to tell at launch how a console's eco-system will look like 2-3 years down the line.

Console manufacturers certainly don't want you to wait that long to find out. As a result, people who buy a console during its first year on the market are basing a large part of their decision on speculation.

And if you add that to other pieces of information (such as MS preferring to not own as many first party studios as Sony, focusing more on television and other regional services) you start to see additional problems for Xbox One. So really, the conclusion isn't that different anyway..
 
So how is it inside of the industry regarding ad pressure? Do Microsoft hint that they need to write something positive or do they straight up say "If you don't write why Xbone is better than PS4, we will cut you and make you bleed".

I write for a small site from time to time, and if you do something a publisher doesn't like, they just ignore any further communication from you.
 
I honestly had no idea gaming 'journalists' were downplaying this issue, I stopped visiting those sites long ago. Maybe more people should do the same
 
I would agree with him if it wasn't for the fact that the vast majority of games I play next gen will be multiplatform and there's looking to be one console which will have a significant advantage over the other.

That's the other thing. MS and Sony are just two companies producing games. Every other company on the world will make games for all next gen platforms: Konami, Capcom, EA, Square/Eidos, Ubisoft, Valve, Bethesda, Warner, Activision, Namco, Altus, Rockstar, 2K, Codemasters, Deep Silver, Koei, Sega, etc

Every single game by these companies (with the exception of exclusives of course) will run noticeable better on the PS4. Very noticeably better in fact. Why isn't this a huge deal?
 
But as a journalist you guys can't let it get to you too much because, as much as I enjoy reading Gaf, at the end of the day it's just another forum on the internet with over-passionate fans.

I think it's dangerous to just dismiss criticism as fans being passionate fans. I'm a PC guy and I'm not even buying a next-gen console, but I think it's been ridiculous how the general press has ignored the power gap between the two consoles, when they were so willing to admonish Nintendo about it for the Wii (two GameCubes duct-taped together?), Sony for the PS3, and even Sony for the PS2 (PS2 has no anti-aliasing, can't do 480p!), and especially for the WiiU (don't even need to cite examples for that one, holy shit, it speaks for itself).

I've been following gaming and gaming news for a long time, since I subscribed to Nintendo Power as a wee-tyke. I've noticed a general trend, and that trend has been incredibly disingenuous and hypocritical.

But now it's "gamers won't notice the difference". Maybe I'm not off into crazy conspiracy territory where I think Microsoft is paying games press to be hush-hush about the differences in hardware, but I think there has definitely been a trending shift away from hardcore games journalism, where people care about the smaller details that could influence the purchase of their next ~8 year video game system, towards a more casual games press that says "it just doesn't matter, nobody can tell the difference".

It's disappointing. I like to be told like it is. I don't need them shouting from the rooftops how great the fucking PS4 is because it can render games at twice the amount of pixels as the Xbox One, but I at least expect them to acknowledge the fact that the gap exists, without silly opinionated qualifiers like "It won't matter to X person on Y display at Z distance".
 
Every single game by these companies (with the exception of exclusives of course) will run noticeable better on the PS4. Very noticeably better in fact. Why isn't this a huge deal?

Because all those casuals, who don't even visit the sites reporting on the graphical differences in the first place, won't be able to tell the difference anyway.

/s
 
Well all I have to say is it would be nice to have a console that matches the native resolution that is common in most homes these days. The consoles cycles last years and 4k televisions will reach a higher adoption rate in 3-4 years so 720p should not even be a consideration anymore. 1080p minimum or get out.
 
Rami Ismail (one half of Vlambeer) on the resolution controversy:

"So I hear that the Xbox One outputs half the native pixels the PS4 pushes. Cool. Don't care. Which one has the games & services I like? This generation 'console war' isn't about powerful boxes, it's about games, content, usability & services. Console tech should be invisible."

https://twitter.com/tha_rami

I agree with him.

If console tech is so unimportant to you and him then just stick with the current gen for another three years.
 
Maybe I wasn't clear. "Your" referred to the person I was addressing, not readers as a whole. If our readers didn't trust us, they wouldn't read our site. Our traffic is at an all-time high because we have been breaking the type of news and running the type of stories that no other website runs, and if we hadn't earned our readers' trust, they wouldn't be reading us.

I've read and participated in a number of threads like this. I take them a lot more seriously they're talking about real issues, and specific people, instead of ridiculous "game journalism is corrupt!" articles like the one on Cinema Blend. There are reporters currently trying to hash out just what the PS4's power advantage will mean long term for these consoles - a question far more important than COD resolutions - and meanwhile, some of you read and circlejerk over articles like this, articles written like forum posts chock full of unfounded accusations and nonsensical console war BS.

Surely you must understand how frustrating it is for reporters who work 10-12 hours a day to try to bring you guys great work only to see 20-page threads about how much their field sucks. Meanwhile, threads about great articles cap at 2, 3, 4 pages on GAF. Do you really not see how you're contributing to the problem there?

Let me put the situation another way: if a website were to publish a story interviewing developers about the long-term differences between PS4 or Xbox One, do you think it'd be on Cinema Blend? It certainly would not. It'd be on Edge, Eurogamer, Kotaku... one of the websites that has proven capable of actual investigation. Yet those are the websites you're trashing.
I think this has to do with neither your field nor GAF, and it's also not a problem, unless you consider language a problem. There's always more said (and more to say) about what is not than what is. The negative (in all its various meanings) has to pose the positive alongside itself in order to negate it, which is why it needs more space. If I write a list of things that don't exist, you'll imagine both the things and their non-existence. This holds true from the most abstract to the most concrete where the negative is no longer just an operation ("this isn't true") but an attitude ("you suck"). If you look at these problematic negative threads, you'll also find a lot more positive or at least detailed and thoughtful outlooks than in the positive threads that capped out at two pages; they would have gone nowhere, believe me. The hopeful and idealistic has to start with a negation, "this shouldn't be" is the nucleus of every "this could come to be".
 
Let me put the situation another way: if a website were to publish a story interviewing developers about the long-term differences between PS4 or Xbox One, do you think it'd be on Cinema Blend? It certainly would not. It'd be on Edge, Eurogamer, Kotaku... one of the websites that has proven capable of actual investigation. Yet those are the websites you're trashing.

So, we should only trust what we read on bigger sites like, Kotaku, Polygon, IGN and Gamespot? The smaller guys can't ever have accurate information or sources? The big sites never post click bait fanboyish articles like this one:

http://kotaku.com/come-on-guys-the-dualshock-3-sucked-1453811186

You guys are definitely doing all you can to keep that higher traffic going.
 
I think you can fake user names on that blog very easily. Just have a look at famousmortimer's other posts, there are a lot of obvious fakes.

I refuse to believe that anyone cares enough about Kevin Dent to fake his persona on a blog comments section, but it is the internet.
 
Maybe I wasn't clear. "Your" referred to the person I was addressing, not readers as a whole. If our readers didn't trust us, they wouldn't read our site. Our traffic is at an all-time high because we have been breaking the type of news and running the type of stories that no other website runs, and if we hadn't earned our readers' trust, they wouldn't be reading us.

I've read and participated in a number of threads like this. I take them a lot more seriously they're talking about real issues, and specific people, instead of ridiculous "game journalism is corrupt!" articles like the one on Cinema Blend. There are reporters currently trying to hash out just what the PS4's power advantage will mean long term for these consoles - a question far more important than COD resolutions - and meanwhile, some of you read and circlejerk over articles like this, articles written like forum posts chock full of unfounded accusations and nonsensical console war BS.

Surely you must understand how frustrating it is for reporters who work 10-12 hours a day to try to bring you guys great work only to see 20-page threads about how much their field sucks. Meanwhile, threads about great articles cap at 2, 3, 4 pages on GAF. Do you really not see how you're contributing to the problem there?

Let me put the situation another way: if a website were to publish a story interviewing developers about the long-term differences between PS4 or Xbox One, do you think it'd be on Cinema Blend? It certainly would not. It'd be on Edge, Eurogamer, Kotaku... one of the websites that has proven capable of actual investigation. Yet those are the websites you're trashing.

Kotaku did do a good story recently about the power differences, and a lot of us really appreciate that when there is so much fud being spread by other press outlets like Ars Technica.

But CoD's resolution isn't a separate issue from the long term ramifications of the PS4's power advantage. That's why it's important to anyone who might buy a new console, even if they have zero interest in CoD.
 
So, we should only trust what we read on bigger sites like, Kotaku, Polygon, IGN and Gamespot? The smaller guys can't ever have accurate information or sources? The big sites never post click bait fanboyish articles like this one:

http://kotaku.com/come-on-guys-the-dualshock-3-sucked-1453811186

You guys are definitely doing all you can to keep that higher traffic going.

Hey, that's a quality piece of balanced journalism right there! I only trust sites like these just like I trust my favorite news source Fox News.
 
Maybe I wasn't clear. "Your" referred to the person I was addressing, not readers as a whole. If our readers didn't trust us, they wouldn't read our site. Our traffic is at an all-time high because we have been breaking the type of news and running the type of stories that no other website runs, and if we hadn't earned our readers' trust, they wouldn't be reading us.

I've read and participated in a number of threads like this. I take them a lot more seriously they're talking about real issues, and specific people, instead of ridiculous "game journalism is corrupt!" articles like the one on Cinema Blend. There are reporters currently trying to hash out just what the PS4's power advantage will mean long term for these consoles - a question far more important than COD resolutions - and meanwhile, some of you read and circlejerk over articles like this, articles written like forum posts chock full of unfounded accusations and nonsensical console war BS.

Surely you must understand how frustrating it is for reporters who work 10-12 hours a day to try to bring you guys great work only to see 20-page threads about how much their field sucks. Meanwhile, threads about great articles cap at 2, 3, 4 pages on GAF. Do you really not see how you're contributing to the problem there?

Let me put the situation another way: if a website were to publish a story interviewing developers about the long-term differences between PS4 or Xbox One, do you think it'd be on Cinema Blend? It certainly would not. It'd be on Edge, Eurogamer, Kotaku... one of the websites that has proven capable of actual investigation. Yet those are the websites you're trashing.
So... Because you are incapable of writing a piece that is critically accepted and talked about, instead getting shit on, that's our fault. Not yours, no no. That would be accepting responsibility. Can't have that.

Look, you seem like a somewhat smart guy that's just missing a little guidance. In your field you will get more shit than you will praise. That's just the way it is. If you cannot handle it, you can't blame anyone but yourself. Suck it up and don't pass the buck, slick. That's pitiful, sad and just wrong.

Can't handle it? Get a new job in a new field.
 
That's the other thing. MS and Sony are just two companies producing games. Every other company on the world will make games for all next gen platforms: Konami, Capcom, EA, Square/Eidos, Ubisoft, Valve, Bethesda, Warner, Activision, Namco, Altus, Rockstar, 2K, Codemasters, Deep Silver, Koei, Sega, etc

Every single game by these companies (with the exception of exclusives of course) will run noticeable better on the PS4. Very noticeably better in fact. Why isn't this a huge deal?
Check out the current front page of Kotaku:

BwEsqfd.png


Here's a story on next gen consoles that points out an issue. Looks like the PS4's hard drive will fill up too fast. Damn, that doesn't sound good at all!

Now, if you bother to click on the headline and read the article, you learn after a few paragraphs that the same news applies to the XBox One. So, why is a negative story filed under PS4?
 
I think you can fake user names on that blog very easily. Just have a look at famousmortimer's other posts, there are a lot of obvious fakes.

The ability to post a comment without logging in has been disabled. Someone would have had to make a fake Wordpress account to pose as him in this case.

But you're right, it is quite possible.
 
We can't expect Jason to answer for every issue we have with Kotaku stories.

But I must say that DS3 story where the author assumes his personal issues with his thumbs apply to people across the board is particularly vile.

I'm not insane because I played thru Vanquish on both consoles within a year and found each controller to work just as well.
 
Do the Xbox One and the PS4 come with the same sized hard drive? If so, yeah, that's ridiculous.

They do.

It would look like someone is trying to make negative facts that apply to both next gen consoles appear to only apply to the PS4. Meh, conspiracy theories.
 
Now, if you bother to click on the headline and read the article, you learn after a few paragraphs that the same news applies to the XBox One. So, why is a negative story filed under PS4?

Real investigative fair and balanced journalism at work gentlemen. Right above the Confessions of a Masturbating Gamer article. No wonder jschreier came in here scoffing at us like he writes for the New York Times.
 
Check out the current front page of Kotaku:

BwEsqfd.png


Here's a story on next gen consoles that points out an issue. Looks like the PS4's hard drive will fill up too fast. Damn, that doesn't sound good at all!

Now, if you bother to click on the headline and read the article, you learn after a few paragraphs that the same news applies to the XBox One. So, why is a negative story filed under PS4?

Because Microsoft sent us a check to use PS4 as a tag for that story.

Or maybe because only one tag can be the first one, and this story is based on the case of a PS4 game? And "Xbox One" is a tag too? Pick your friggin' battles.
 
Do the Xbox One and the PS4 come with the same sized hard drive? If so, yeah, that's ridiculous.

What's even more funny is that Xbone has no way to expand storage at launch. Can't replace the internal hdd, can't use an external hdd without a patch which is coming at some nebulous point in time.
 
Maybe I wasn't clear. "Your" referred to the person I was addressing, not readers as a whole. If our readers didn't trust us, they wouldn't read our site. Our traffic is at an all-time high because we have been breaking the type of news and running the type of stories that no other website runs, and if we hadn't earned our readers' trust, they wouldn't be reading us.

I've read and participated in a number of threads like this. I take them a lot more seriously they're talking about real issues, and specific people, instead of ridiculous "game journalism is corrupt!" articles like the one on Cinema Blend. There are reporters currently trying to hash out just what the PS4's power advantage will mean long term for these consoles - a question far more important than COD resolutions - and meanwhile, some of you read and circlejerk over articles like this, articles written like forum posts chock full of unfounded accusations and nonsensical console war BS.

Surely you must understand how frustrating it is for reporters who work 10-12 hours a day to try to bring you guys great work only to see 20-page threads about how much their field sucks. Meanwhile, threads about great articles cap at 2, 3, 4 pages on GAF. Do you really not see how you're contributing to the problem there?

Let me put the situation another way: if a website were to publish a story interviewing developers about the long-term differences between PS4 or Xbox One, do you think it'd be on Cinema Blend? It certainly would not. It'd be on Edge, Eurogamer, Kotaku... one of the websites that has proven capable of actual investigation. Yet those are the websites you're trashing.
I would have expected someone in the gaming press to have been asking the same questions too, but they didn't.

you work hard. You care about your profession, but seriously you can't realistically expect a shockingly poor or outrageous story to generate less reaction.

stop thinking all reactions are equivalent. That's where you are coming across poorly. You should care about the type of reaction you get, rather than the number of pages the discussion reaches on neogaf.
 
What's even more funny is that Xbone has no way to expand storage at launch. Can't replace the internal hdd, can't use an external hdd without a patch which is coming at some nebulous point in time.

But at least external hard drive support has been confirmed to come in the future. Let us not go that way, because the PS4 does not even stream from a DLNA server or play local MP3 files at launch.
 
Because Microsoft sent us a check to use PS4 as a tag for that story.

Or maybe because only one tag can be the first one, and this story is based on the case of a PS4 game? And "Xbox One" is a tag too? Pick your friggin' battles.

u should tag as Dreamcast next time at least that system is dead
 
Kotaku's traffic is probably at an all-time high because they're doing a good job. I don't know why anyone should view that as an indictment of Kotaku.

If sites like Polygon were also pulling in more readers than normal I'd just assume it was due to population growth or maybe they were giving away free clicks via BING or something.
 
But at least external hard drive support has been confirmed to come in the future. Let us not go that way, because the PS4 does not even stream from a DLNA server or play local MP3 files at launch.
neither of those things would be relevant to the story though, would they?

I should add that I think reacting to the tag is a bit crazy.
 
But at least external hard drive support has been confirmed to come in the future. Let us not go that way, because the PS4 does not even stream from a DLNA server or play local MP3 files at launch.

Okay, and? No way to expand storage on a console that is going to require full installs for games that are coming in at 30+ GB in size is in what way comparable to something relatively superfluous like DLNA or MP3 support? Not to mention the fact that my post was in reference to the Kotaku story.
 
Because Microsoft sent us a check to use PS4 as a tag for that story.

Or maybe because only one tag can be the first one, and this story is based on the case of a PS4 game? And "Xbox One" is a tag too? Pick your friggin' battles.

I'd have filed it under 'Techspot', 'Nextgen' or 'Hardware'.
 
I thought it did.

There's a "next-gen" tag intended for both consoles? Sounds like that "ps4" tag was just a mistake then.

But he specifically calls out the Playstation 4 by name in the front page paragraph, with no mention of the Bone to be seen. It's a pretty big fucking mistake, if the intention of the article is to call out an issue on both systems.
 
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