Fart in The Wind, Kuchera's Defining Opinion Piece Revisited
- Thread starter eznark
- Start date
Spring-Loaded
Member
Nauseating. And this is just gold:
He's quite a character. Read this:
http://www.somethingawful.com/video-game-article/king-ben-kuchera/
One takeaway especially relevant to this thread:
The whole Erik Kain saga was one of the saddest, ugliest displays I've witnessed. Kuchera is an embarrassment to everything journalism stands for, while fashioning himself as its champion.
Lack of self-awareness, hypocrisy, mean-spiritedness. Guy's a gem.
SolidSnakex
Member
He seemed to be on the same boat as the Podcast Beyond guys (IGN's PS podcast). They'd completely bought into the idea that DRM was needed in order for developers and publishers to survive. This was before any announcements on the issue had been made. Of course they also believed that Sony would do it once MS announced their stance. And they pointed out that the people that were really upset about it (those participating in the PS4NoDRM campaign) only made up 1% of the gaming population, so their voices wouldn't be heard.
But one of their listeners wrote in to them and said that they're only willing to support DRM because they get their games for free. They never actually deny that in the podcast and Greg was the only one that really even commented on it. He said that he'll try to buy more games now that he has a bit more money.
I remember reading that article at the time and feeling so disgusted. I know it's an opinion piece and all of that but come on. Who the hell writes something like that and expects to be taken seriously? It was like the biggest troll post ever. He actually told us to go buy a Wii U if we wanted to scare Sony and Microsoft.
And then the guy has the nerve to celebrate when Sony drops the DRM bomb at E3. Unbelievable.
And then the guy has the nerve to celebrate when Sony drops the DRM bomb at E3. Unbelievable.
On the other hand, I've enjoyed several of Erik Kain's articles. I haven't read very many, only a small handful, but I think I remember them being above average.
BolognaOni
Member
Agree that the general tone is pretty negative, but it is the interweb after all.
But speaking of turning into the thing you despise... I actually used to enjoy Kuchera at Ars. He left for PA report to "fix"
gaming news. It's a bit disappointing that nothing better came of it.
Was this article awful? Absolutely. But at the same time, being skeptical of huge backlash is not. Problem is, he wrote a horribly misinformed article that told readers to shut up and take it without actually doing any investigation into the matter whatsoever. That's honestly what an industry writer should do when something big breaks: research what's going on.
My favorite articles in this industry is when someone steps back and looks at all angles of a situation, you know reports on it. Kuchera wrote a click-bait article from an errant thought he had. He could have sat there and said "Well, why are people so upset? Does having all these restrictions actually bring anything useful to the consumer?" I think with even a sliver of research, he could have found that a lot of it was weird and usless.
I don't think we'll ever understand every side of this whole situation, and I think a lot of the hate was over reactionary and ridiculous. But that doesn't mean there wasn't truth in it, and that's what Kuchera missed.
My favorite articles in this industry is when someone steps back and looks at all angles of a situation, you know reports on it. Kuchera wrote a click-bait article from an errant thought he had. He could have sat there and said "Well, why are people so upset? Does having all these restrictions actually bring anything useful to the consumer?" I think with even a sliver of research, he could have found that a lot of it was weird and usless.
I don't think we'll ever understand every side of this whole situation, and I think a lot of the hate was over reactionary and ridiculous. But that doesn't mean there wasn't truth in it, and that's what Kuchera missed.
njean777
Member
The article is horrible I will admit, but the bigger problem is that he is to arrogant to admit he messed up. Instead he ridiculed everything that Neogaf, and other forums did by tweeting sony and MS, he said nothing would change and that Sony and MS didnt give a fuck about us, well, he was dead wrong and never has admitted it either. As a matter of fact he went on to say that we didn't change anything.
I don't really know much of Kuchera; I've seen a couple of his articles. However, after the one comparing the act of holding the PS4 controller to 'hitting second base,' I knew that he wasn't someone I'd follow, ha ha.
But yeah, I just get this instinct in me when I see people ganging up on somebody. I usually feel bad for them. Mistakes can be learned from.
But I guess if he never admits he's wrong then that's definitely a problem.
Yeah, they've had that stance for quite a while. A few years back they had a trophy war in which Greg, Colin, and a couple others competed to see who could earn the most trophies in a month. They spent a good chunk of a podcast talking about which games they should borrow out of the communal office game library. It was either that episode or the one after that they had a long discussion on the evils of used games, and they fought users that called them out on their hypocrisy for at least a couple more episodes. As I recall, they steadfastly refused to see the problem with decrying used games while talking about borrowing free office copies.
Gentleman Jack
Member
We could probably go in on Kyle Wagner, David Pierce and Kyle Orland (what is it with Kyles?) but Kuchera has the highest visibility I reckon, so it's good enough to put him to task.
It's not like I am advocating his financial ruin.
Plus, self reflection and accountability are important for any industry.
RiccochetJ
Gold Member
I think the only thing I agreed with him on was about the Steam comparison. Even with that I had massive reservations.
MS might have had a better sell of this digital future if at any point prior they had a Summer or Winter type sale showing that they were going that direction. They could have easily done it with the 360 and their store.
But no. All they did was keep games at stupid prices where it was easier to go into a brick and mortar store and buy the game new for cheaper and a used game for even less.
At no point did I ever believe that they were going to eventually emulate Steam or GOG in that regard. Even their "sales" were insulting at best.
Sure there were some games in there that I bought just out of sheer curiosity, but it was never anything like Steam.
MS might have had a better sell of this digital future if at any point prior they had a Summer or Winter type sale showing that they were going that direction. They could have easily done it with the 360 and their store.
But no. All they did was keep games at stupid prices where it was easier to go into a brick and mortar store and buy the game new for cheaper and a used game for even less.
At no point did I ever believe that they were going to eventually emulate Steam or GOG in that regard. Even their "sales" were insulting at best.
Sure there were some games in there that I bought just out of sheer curiosity, but it was never anything like Steam.
I don't mind the idea of a thread calling Kuchera out for his crap.
But if you're being a hypocrite it doesn't really help your case.
I remember liking him at Ars, but then again I don't remember reading anything remotely controversial. I despise Penny Arcade though.
Still, I think the amount of targeted attack threads here to shame and humiliate writers with strong dissenting opinions goes overboard quite often, and do more harm to the community image here than promote good discussion.
Still, I think the amount of targeted attack threads here to shame and humiliate writers with strong dissenting opinions goes overboard quite often, and do more harm to the community image here than promote good discussion.
The entire first half of this year really exposed how shitty many are within the enthusiast press. It really kicked into gear after the PlayStation meeting in February and it got worse and worse until MS's infamous 180 on nearly all their Xbone policies.
The "shut up and be thankful/grateful" attitude many journalists has against the consumer is incredible.
The "shut up and be thankful/grateful" attitude many journalists has against the consumer is incredible.
Neuromancer
Member
I believe it was.
The whole Xbone issue was rather enlightening because something like the 180 just doesn't happen. One really gets the feeling that if Sony actually went in MS's direction that console gaming seriously would've crashed as a whole. The direction that MS was going was so hated that it really feels the console industry dodged a bullet there with Sony flat out refusing and making a show of their refusal at E3, and forcing MS to do a 180 on their plans.
If I remember right, I did think that Sony and Microsoft had to be colluding, but that was mostly because the alternative scenario of only one of the two going into it would've ended up costing said one their entire console business. At this point, I think I, as a mere video game fan, have more of a handle on the video game industry than most of these journalists.
If I remember right, I did think that Sony and Microsoft had to be colluding, but that was mostly because the alternative scenario of only one of the two going into it would've ended up costing said one their entire console business. At this point, I think I, as a mere video game fan, have more of a handle on the video game industry than most of these journalists.
It's not like his credibility wasn't in the gutter when he said those. It's just that now it's piled on top of other shits that we can't even be bothered to check.
The arrogance that some journalists like Kuchera had over the very people they suppose to inform/represent was revolting. For them to tell us to give up on our rights and give it to the corporations they are serving was just absolutely vile. I will never forgive them for it and for that matter, I will never forgive MS for even attempting it in the first place.
The arrogance that some journalists like Kuchera had over the very people they suppose to inform/represent was revolting. For them to tell us to give up on our rights and give it to the corporations they are serving was just absolutely vile. I will never forgive them for it and for that matter, I will never forgive MS for even attempting it in the first place.
I never really understood how Penny Arcade even got to the point of where it is today, it just produces the worst and unfunniest things of the industry. I am going to assume that enthusiasts are so starved for original content that they will lap up any filth with video games slapped on top of them.
It's not the wrongness, it's that he was such a sanctimonious prick about it. If he'd have written an article saying some thing like "I don't think a twitter campaign can have an real effect. There too much money at stake for ms and the big pubs", that would have been fine. We all get things wrong sometimes. But when you write your wrong opinion in as jerky a way as possible, then you can expect to have your wrongness thoroughly called out.
I would bet any amount of money that Sony's decision to go without DRM was made very, very close to the day of the E3 conference, and possibly that very day. Microsoft played canary in the coal mine, Sony weighed the choice, and went with the "don't royally piss off your entire userbase" option. I guarantee you they had the means and tech in place to do exactly what MS originally announced for the Xbox One.
I don't think so... While Sony could've easily implemented DRM, I think that the thought to have the DRM which Xbox One was going to have never crossed their minds or if it did, they dismissed it as a completely dumb idea. Mostly it would be due to the fact that Sony's consoles sell better worldwide than MS's does, and Sony does not want to risk losing customers in those regions. The Xbox brand's problem is that it feels like a console made primarily for America and Xbox One really showed that particular flaw off given it was only launching in nations that spoke English, Spanish, French, and German. Meanwhile Sony has always been more focused on the entire worldwide market.
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
Did he ever properly own up to it?
He's shown himself to be a moron in the past, and he never seems to learn.
SatelliteOfLove
Member
Let's not go too far.
Brawly Likes to Brawl
Member
Was that the one from VG24/7 where the author was complaining about internet immaturity and then proceeded to call DmC haters "small dicked homophobes"?
travisbickle
Member
They went full Rambo because internally this was their iTunes.
A service that was the answer to publishers worries about piracy and secondhand sales, and also a way to push consumers towards the future of purchasing in the MS digital store.
The only thing they did wrong was to not prepare a presentation that told people why this was the best thing ever!
Nihilistic Monk
Member
Oh it was just more twitter bullshit. He posted that PA-Reports was one of the best journo sites around, so I replied that I didn't have a very high opinion of Kuchera.
He replied "yeah, and Phil Fish is disgusting and deserves to rot in hell, also Xbox boo"
Implying that my opinion is some internet bandwaggoning troll like behaviour & simply doesn't count. That really pissed me off, so I replied
"Opinions. Non-famous/industry people have them. Nice of you to dictate my opinion on numerous other matters though."
And of course he didn't reply again. But I did get some other chap rushing to Kucheras defence then.
So I unfollowed him. I thought his reply was a bit crass to be honest. It's a perfect example of what we've been talking about ITT. We're just average consumers, so obviously our opinion has no worth and is simply trolling.
Was a bit of a shame as I was a real fan of C418's stuff. Got his minecraft album and a couple of his other smaller releases, was on his mailing list etc. Never tweet your heroes I guess...
IrishNinja
Member
i honestly don't know what's worse; that terrible article or the fact he hasn't walked it back. i wonder if he'd still stand by it. between that and some of gabe's outbursts (which i find odd giving how open PAX has become) i really don't feel PA is the same site it was years back.
looking back though, i'm grateful for the XB1 mess, as for me it served a personal litmus test: names like Kuchera, biscuit, uh that gawker guy etc can be dismissed for planting their flag where they did. sterling, on the other hand...his hyperbole was at times more balanced and respected both consumers and the larger picture, so i came out a fan.
it's not often i get these moments. for me, when N'gai wanted to hijack (then mock) the game journalism thing last year, that was another great look at the larger problems.
i totally respect that jeff has been at this for nearly decades, and seen bigger things come & go...but it was a blend of apathy/indifference, and as i recall from a video he made the night of e3 from his hotel room, dismissiveness - "yay, i guess? the digital thing is still coming, guys..." (paraphrased). he wasnt necessarily playing corporate PR, but i have a hard time being interested in the opinion of a guy who thinks so little of the issue of consumer rights (in this instance), personally.
no, it's really not enough. i get the sentiment that another pile-on isn't helpful, and gaming juros (especially those named here) can and will sometimes play it off on more insulated circles like twitter with the GAF witch-hunt thing...but guys like Kuchera here and Gies who never seem to really learn from these mistakes, never really rescind these comments but simply move goalposts and stick with tired & unhealthy "entitled gamers" narratives...i think it's worth highlighting these problems every chance we get.
looking back though, i'm grateful for the XB1 mess, as for me it served a personal litmus test: names like Kuchera, biscuit, uh that gawker guy etc can be dismissed for planting their flag where they did. sterling, on the other hand...his hyperbole was at times more balanced and respected both consumers and the larger picture, so i came out a fan.
it's not often i get these moments. for me, when N'gai wanted to hijack (then mock) the game journalism thing last year, that was another great look at the larger problems.
i totally respect that jeff has been at this for nearly decades, and seen bigger things come & go...but it was a blend of apathy/indifference, and as i recall from a video he made the night of e3 from his hotel room, dismissiveness - "yay, i guess? the digital thing is still coming, guys..." (paraphrased). he wasnt necessarily playing corporate PR, but i have a hard time being interested in the opinion of a guy who thinks so little of the issue of consumer rights (in this instance), personally.
no, it's really not enough. i get the sentiment that another pile-on isn't helpful, and gaming juros (especially those named here) can and will sometimes play it off on more insulated circles like twitter with the GAF witch-hunt thing...but guys like Kuchera here and Gies who never seem to really learn from these mistakes, never really rescind these comments but simply move goalposts and stick with tired & unhealthy "entitled gamers" narratives...i think it's worth highlighting these problems every chance we get.
He's quite a character. Read this:
http://www.somethingawful.com/video-game-article/king-ben-kuchera/
One takeaway especially relevant to this thread:
He also wrote an article with a similar sentiment to Kain's like four months later without even the tiniest hint of self awareness or irony.
beato_angelico
Member
RedNumberFive
Banned
Jesus Christ this guy...
SlowRevolution
Member
Yeah watching guys like him and sites like IGN and GB was really interesting. People like Kuchera being dumb as hell was awful, but big sites like GB and IGN being apathetic about it or ignoring the issue was just as bad imo.
So... did the article that's in this thread's OP hurt Kuchera's career? Because it was really bad, so it should.The whole Erik Kain saga was one of the saddest, ugliest displays I've witnessed. Kuchera is an embarrassment to everything journalism stands for, while fashioning himself as its champion.
Lack of self-awareness, hypocrisy, mean-spiritedness. Guy's a gem.
It swings both ways.
Specialist press can be a little too close to the companies they are covering to provide objective news. Plus they are often simply reporting press releases as articles to get clicks so actual news isn't always in their best interests.
However, the Internet does make it very easy for pitchforks to be raised really quickly, without time for a full understanding of the situation to be gained. Companies these days are very sensitive to this, but that doesn't always mean they should do what we say
Specialist press can be a little too close to the companies they are covering to provide objective news. Plus they are often simply reporting press releases as articles to get clicks so actual news isn't always in their best interests.
However, the Internet does make it very easy for pitchforks to be raised really quickly, without time for a full understanding of the situation to be gained. Companies these days are very sensitive to this, but that doesn't always mean they should do what we say
Good post
I sure hope so. He is a fucking clown and I'm glad most people are being made aware to the fact.
BlockheadBrown
Member
Agreed. I stopped reading the OP about mid-way through. Nice post, BTW.
AHA-Lambda
Member
This. I only heard him and Marcus Beer stand up and be counted; too many individuals in the games media seem too willing to be shafted over.
Neuromancer
Member
Even the title is poorly conceived.
'Used games, Twitter complaints, and Sony: Why the Xbox One backlash doesn't matter'
Why is backlash in quotes? Is he suggesting that it wasn't a real backlash?
'Used games, Twitter complaints, and Sony: Why the Xbox One backlash doesn't matter'
Why is backlash in quotes? Is he suggesting that it wasn't a real backlash?