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[Zaph]

Patrick's Critical Proximity talk is pretty interesting, but I really want to see him put this belief into practice with Giant Bomb's freelancers/new hires.

Spoiler

Also I just discredit anyone who dislikes Bioshock Infinite

With his last point, I was wondering that too (especially as it lined up with Jeff confirming new hires). But is it practical? Giant Bomb is tiny and already has to try and find people who suit their style and are good on camera. That's a narrow selection as it is, but to avoid white males too? It would be great to see them hire a woman, they've had several on who've immediately fit right in, but they're usually on the dev side, outside of gaming or internationally based. Fuck it, they should just hire Karen.

Also, were there any Bombcasts that went in depth on the whole Bioshock backlash? I wasn't listening around that time and I'm curious to hear what the deal was. I thought the game was outstanding.

 

[Lingitiz]

Patrick's Critical Proximity talk is pretty interesting, but I really want to see him put this belief into practice with Giant Bomb's freelancers/new hires.

Spoiler

Also I just discredit anyone who dislikes Bioshock Infinite

Interesting talk forsure, not sure if I agree with everything he said though. For instance, hiring a more diverse staff can start with good intentions, but it's important to draw the line between hiring simply because someone brings a different perspective, versus someone who can legitimately offer something important, regardless of race, sexual orientation, etc.

 

[CB3]

"Max doesn't count though."

Still good.

Still the funniest shit

 

[DrBo42]

Does the site's review function not allow you to submit a review before release date? Been trying to upload my Second Son review with no luck.

 

[BUNTING1243]

Also, were there any Bombcasts that went in depth on the whole Bioshock backlash? I wasn't listening around that time and I'm curious to hear what the deal was. I thought the game was outstanding.

People will always hate popular things because they're popular. (EDIT: To be fair, here's a pretty good critique of the game that basically covers the main points of the backlash.)

I'd be really more interested in diverse freelance articles than permentant additions to the staff. There are some really great minority games writers out there who I would like to hear more from, but would either not fit in at all with the main crew or who live on the other side of the world.

Patrick mentioned doing more outside freelance articles on his tumblr a few weeks ago and I really hope it happens.

 

[EmCeeGramr]

The deal was that BioShock Infinite had really bad encounter design and the writing is like three half finished stories lazily slapped together.

 

[BUNTING1243]

Interesting talk forsure, not sure if I agree with everything he said though. For instance, hiring a more diverse staff can start with good intentions, but it's important to draw the line between hiring simply because someone brings a different perspective, versus someone who can legitimately offer something important, regardless of race, sexual orientation, etc.

True, I'd want Giant Bomb to hire what they think is the best candidate in the end, even if it's another white guy.

The deal was that BioShock Infinite had really bad encounter design and the writing is like three half finished stories lazily slapped together.

I'm not going to pull the "best game of the generation/of all time" card out just yet, but suffice to say we have some disagreements about this topic.

 

[sixghost]

People will always hate popular things because they're popular.

I'd be really more interested in diverse freelance articles than permentant additions to the staff. There are some really great minority games writers out there who I would like to hear more from, but would either not fit in at all with the main crew or who live on the other side of the world.

Patrick mentioned doing more outside freelance articles on his tumblr a few weeks ago and I really hope it happens.

Holy shit that is the lamest rebuttal of criticism. Right up there with "people just hate change."

 

[Ventilaator]

Holy shit that is the lamest rebuttal of criticism. Right up there with "people just hate change."

Seriously.

"Oh everyone liked it at first but then turned on it because that's what GAF does and also people hate popular things."

Meanwhile I played the game having been told it was pretty good and thought it was shit. Simple as that.

 

[Aaron]

Bioshock Infinite is like going to Disneyland where every ride is variants of teacups while over the loudspeaker someone shouts story details, but you can't listen to them clearly because the date you brought along keeps interrupting to throw things at you.

 

[Kerned]

People will always hate popular things because they're popular. (EDIT: To be fair, here's a pretty good critique of the game that basically covers the main points of the backlash.)

I didn't dislike Infinite because it was popular, I disliked it because it was unremarkable in every way besides its art direction. The combat was awful, the story was nonsensical, and the big new feature (the skyhook) was lame. There were a few really great moments here and there, but that's all they were - moments. I was expecting a lot more from Infinite than I got. I think it's the worst of the three Bioshock games by far, and I didn't need to wait for the "critical backlash" to figure that out.

 

[Ventilaator]

Also, is "Hating things because they're popular" actually even a thing?

Did anyone finish The Last of Us and go "Wow, what an awesome and deeply emotionally affecting experience that was. Easily the best game I played this year. Let's see what the people in the official thread think about it. Wait... they liked it as well? MAN THE LAST OF US SURE SUCKS YOU'RE ALL STUPID."

Does that actually happen?

 

[Antiwhippy]

Wait, so do we know who the new hires are?

 

[Jimmyfenix]

Wait, so do we know who the new hires are?

Fattony.

 

[hamchan]

Also, is "Hating things because they're popular" actually even a thing?

Did anyone finish The Last of Us and go "Wow, what an awesome and deeply emotionally affecting experience that was. Easily the best game I played this year. Let's see what the people in the official thread think about it. Wait... they liked it as well? MAN THE LAST OF US SURE SUCKS YOU'RE ALL STUPID."

Does that actually happen?

Call of Duty I guess.

 

[Ein Bear]

It's a shame the browser is so shitty on the Xbox One. I picked one up over the weekend, but my dreams of snapping UPF whilst playing TitanFall were crushed.

Also, is "Hating things because they're popular" actually even a thing?

Did anyone finish The Last of Us and go "Wow, what an awesome and deeply emotionally affecting experience that was. Easily the best game I played this year. Let's see what the people in the official thread think about it. Wait... they liked it as well? MAN THE LAST OF US SURE SUCKS YOU'RE ALL STUPID."

Does that actually happen?

Derrick. May he rest in peace.

 

[Fattony12000]

Pride of place.

This is a pretty cool thing to do, thanks duder.

Just a heads up though, if you just cropped it so it was ONLY the chat, you would probably cut down on the file size a bunch and you could just add a marker at the beginning saying something like "start video now."

I know, I've done this thing in a few different ways over the years...the below thumbnails are links to videos.

This is just how I decided to do it this time! Also, file sizes are of no consequence to me, if I have to upload a 20GB file to YouTube (which is currently the maximum allowed) then I will do so.

Not everyone has heard the good word yet! There will always be new people.

Damnable heathens.

Fattony.

Fucking LOL.

 

[LiK]

Finally watched the Dark Souls Too Part 1 video. Good god, they're truly embracing the fat roll. I can't do that, I'm always under to make sure I can fast roll.

 

[MrTroubleMaker]

Finally watched the Dark Souls Too Part 1 video. Good god, they're truly embracing the fat roll. I can't do that, I'm always under to make sure I can fast roll.

Vinny's style! I am surprised Brad is going that way, he seemed to not like the fat roll in his demon souls run.

 

[Antiwhippy]

Vinny's style! I am surprised Brad is going that way, he seemed to not like the fat roll in his demon souls run.

Which was surprising because he barely bothered to roll.

 

[pronk420]

I always thought bioshock was bad, the actual gameplay is terrible and then theres some painfully unsubtle 'wow this society is like all messed up and stuff' things it beats you over the head with and stupid twists thats supposed to make it interesting

 

[NumberThree]

Finally watched the Dark Souls Too Part 1 video. Good god, they're truly embracing the fat roll. I can't do that, I'm always under to make sure I can fast roll.

What's a roll? *Raises greatshield*

 

[Keyser Soze]

Having just got to

Spoiler

The Gutter

(midish/lateish game I think) in Dark Souls II myself, I hope Vinny has reached there too. I want to hear him rage at it, like I am. He already said he disliked No-Man's Wharf, so he will go fucking nuclear for here.

 

[Fantastapotamus]

With his last point, I was wondering that too (especially as it lined up with Jeff confirming new hires). But is it practical? Giant Bomb is tiny and already has to try and find people who suit their style and are good on camera. That's a narrow selection as it is, but to avoid white males too? It would be great to see them hire a woman, they've had several on who've immediately fit right in, but they're usually on the dev side, outside of gaming or internationally based. Fuck it, they should just hire Karen..

Personally I think that's the stupidest idea ever. They should hire a person who fits, and shouldn't care about gender or skin color.

 

[popo]

are we arguing about Bioshock again? I though we were done with that a year ago. Someone will bring up how they are ignoring Last of Us next.

 

[Zaph]

Personally I think that's the stupidest idea ever. They should hire a person who fits, and shouldn't care about gender or skin color.

Have you watched his talk? He makes a compelling arguement. I'm kinda butchering it here, but the crux was publications are far less likely to see diverging opinions and fresh insight if they keep hiring people from very similar backgrounds and comparable life experiences.

To take that one step further, you could argue a publication hiring someone who 'fits' accomplishes nothing because you're just getting more of the same, and not bringing anything new to the table. Similar to why TV talk shows invite conflicting personalities.

Again, it's worth noting Patrick was really addressing the industry at large, with references to the likes of Gamespot, IGN etc (places with large editorial teams), and acknowledged that Giant Bomb is a bit of a different beast (but in no way did he suggest they were exempt from these criticisms).

 

[Fattony12000]

[Chrome Extension] Live Bomb! - Live video notifier

 

[Lijik]

I always thought bioshock was bad, the actual gameplay is terrible and then theres some painfully unsubtle 'wow this society is like all messed up and stuff' things it beats you over the head with and stupid twists thats supposed to make it interesting

I liked the world and atmosphere but im with you on the gameplay. The medical pavillion level is so promising and then it devolves into trivial fetch quests. Much prefer Bioshock 2 personally
Edit- wait are we talking infinite? I need to replay that one, i liked it the first time around but im not sure it will hold up for a second.

 

[mnz]

Patricks talk at Critical Proximity is really great.

I hope whenever Giantbomb are in a position to hire someone new they take a cue from Patricks speech.

Patrick's Critical Proximity talk is pretty interesting, but I really want to see him put this belief into practice with Giant Bomb's freelancers/new hires.

Spoiler

Also I just discredit anyone who dislikes Bioshock Infinite

At what time in the video is his talk?

edit: No Bombin' the A.M. today?

 

[LiK]

Listening to the Dark Souls 2 dump truck now. This needs to be a regular thing.

 

[ArjanN]

Also, is "Hating things because they're popular" actually even a thing?

Does that actually happen?

Sure.

The bandwagon effect is a well documented form of groupthink in behavioral science. The general rule is that conduct or beliefs spread among people, as fads and trends clearly do, with "the probability of any individual adopting it increasing with the proportion who have already done so". As more people come to believe in something, others also "hop on the bandwagon" regardless of the underlying evidence.

Of course accusing people of only following a trend of negativity/positivity just because they disagree with you is also lame.

 

[Fantastapotamus]

Have you watched his talk? He makes a compelling arguement. I'm kinda butchering it here, but the crux was publications are far less likely to see diverging opinions and fresh insight if they keep hiring people from very similar backgrounds and comparable life experiences.

To take that one step further, you could argue a publication hiring someone who 'fits' accomplishes nothing because you're just getting more of the same, and not bringing anything new to the table. Similar to why TV talk shows invite conflicting personalities.

Again, it's worth noting Patrick was really addressing the industry at large, with references to the likes of Gamespot, IGN etc (places with large editorial teams), and acknowledged that Giant Bomb is a bit of a different beast (but in no way did he suggest they were exempt from these criticisms).

I don't say they shouldn't hire anyone like that, but the idea of only hiring a woman just to have a female crew member just doesn't sound good to me. It has to be somebody they want to work with otherwise it...well...won't work.

 

[FStop7]

At what time in the video is his talk?

edit: No Bombin' the A.M. today?

Canceled for today, too many white guys.

 

[BUNTING1243]

I don't say they shouldn't hire anyone like that, but the idea of only hiring a woman just to have a female crew member just doesn't sound good to me. It has to be somebody they want to work with otherwise it...well...won't work.

I doubt that'll happen, I'm sure they'd hire the best person even if it's another white guy.

I liked the world and atmosphere but im with you on the gameplay. The medical pavillion level is so promising and then it devolves into trivial fetch quests. Much prefer Bioshock 2 personally
Edit- wait are we talking infinite? I need to replay that one, i liked it the first time around but im not sure it will hold up for a second.

I've played through it three times and it's held up, but obviously it's a very divisive game.

 

[Quentyn]

Did they say what they are looking for? Another video producer a new editor or both?

 

[popo]

am show is off for GDC week. Hopefully we gets some decent dump trucks.

Did they say what they are looking for? Another video producer a new editor or both?

Vinny mentioned a junior video/camera guy. I think that is all that was said specifically. Jeff's long term wish list includes new editors, video guys and a biz dev guy - but that will depend on how much cash is available.

 

[SuperSonic1305]

Decided to finally listen to the Day 4 GOTY podcast despite spoilers. I'm surprised the big Brothers spoiler I was avoiding all this time was that the

Spoiler

older brother dies

especially since I had immediately thought about that outcome from the very first scene they show. I am annoyed that I listened to the DR3 spoilers though. That sounds crazy.

On a side note, when they were talking about Aliens for the hottest mess category, Brad talks about how the downgrade from E3 was easily noticeable specifically the lighting. Interesting given his recent comments and downplaying of Dark Souls 2's downgrade.

 

[Dany]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaO5gwyVcsg#t=23

listening to this now. possibly the best rift between them all.

 

[Archaix]

Call of Duty I guess.

This is actually a good example. The Call of Duty series itself I'm fine ignoring, but its influence on other games makes me hate it a lot more than if things like the multiplayer progression model didn't infect every other game released.


Bioshock Infinite I just found pretty much awful and failing on every level except "It looks really pretty most of the time" after 25% through the game or so.

 

[razgriz417]

[Chrome Extension] Live Bomb! - Live video notifier

awesome thanks! Thisll work much better for me than the desktop app

 

[ab.aeterno]

Patrick moves back to Chicago => 3rd worst winter on record

Patrick comes back to San Francisco for GDC => earthquakes everywhere

Hmm...

 

[Dany]

Patrick moves back to Chicago => 3rd worst winter on record

Patrick comes back to San Francisco for GDC => earthquakes everywhere

Hmm...

This winter was schizophrenic as hell. One day its 40+ the next it was -2 with everything icing over >_>

Spoiler

Is your name a lost reference?

 

[Kerned]

This winter was schizophrenic as hell. One day its 40+ the next it was -2 with everything icing over >_>

Spoiler

Is your name a lost reference?

It's been terrible, right? I'm in Michigan and this is the worst winter I have ever seen. Now, as a bonus, all the roads are destroyed.

 

[erawsd]

Have you watched his talk? He makes a compelling arguement. I'm kinda butchering it here, but the crux was publications are far less likely to see diverging opinions and fresh insight if they keep hiring people from very similar backgrounds and comparable life experiences.

To take that one step further, you could argue a publication hiring someone who 'fits' accomplishes nothing because you're just getting more of the same, and not bringing anything new to the table. Similar to why TV talk shows invite conflicting personalities.

Again, it's worth noting Patrick was really addressing the industry at large, with references to the likes of Gamespot, IGN etc (places with large editorial teams), and acknowledged that Giant Bomb is a bit of a different beast (but in no way did he suggest they were exempt from these criticisms).

Its ridiculous to say that all white males have similar backgrounds and life experiences though. Its currently "6 white guys" but they're all very different people with distinct personalities and tastes.

 

[LiK]

Patrick moves back to Chicago => 3rd worst winter on record

Patrick comes back to San Francisco for GDC => earthquakes everywhere

Hmm...

LOL

 

[Bsigg12]

The interview patrick did with the woman from Microsoft was great. The user research stuff is really interesting.

 

[Infinite Justice]

I saw jeff was playing Infamous for a bit so i guess he's gonna review it then

 

[firehawk12]

Its ridiculous to say that all white males have similar backgrounds and life experiences though. Its currently "6 white guys" but they're all very different people with distinct personalities and tastes.

Well, to be fair, Jeff, Ryan, and Alex basically grew up together or knew each other since they were in their teens.

 

[Rhaknar]

Jeff Gerstmann ‏@jeffgerstmann 4m

The number of podcast emails we’ve received from people in the Australian government this week is somewhat alarming.

lol

 

[demidar]

Jeff Gerstmann ‏@jeffgerstmann 4m

The number of podcast emails we’ve received from people in the Australian government this week is somewhat alarming.

lol

Hope it's not that shitty South Australian guy who cock-blocked R18+ ratings.

What a cunt.