Giant Bomb Thread 2: A thread on a popular internet message board

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Goddamnit hahaha
Im trying so hard not to wake people up with my laughter
Ryan's is just killing me
 
Because every new "show" now is premium, for a "normal" viewer Giantbomb's video content hasn't evolved in months.

There, I said it. Please don't eat me.

Generally, video content primarily relating to vidya gaymes is "normal", while video content primarily relating to their personalities is "premium". And there's enough of their personality in the normal content to tell you if you like them enough to subscribe and therefore, experience more of it in the premium content.
 
Generally, video content primarily relating to vidya gaymes is "normal", while video content primarily relating to their personalities is "premium". And there's enough of their personality in the normal content to tell you if you like them enough to subscribe and therefore, experience more of it in the premium content.

It's a nice way to put it, but that's also another way of pretty much saying "everything that's not a Quick Look is premium content". And with other websites and (especially) youtubers stepping up their game, this makes Giantbomb look more like a regular video game website...and that wasn't the impression I got when I first started visiting it.

I mean, I'm not saying "I want EVERYTHING, and I want it for FREE!", I honestly don't care much about the premium stuff. I'm just saying that I miss those moments where a "Endurance Run: Persona 4 - Part 01" or "This Ain't No Game" would appear, surprise everyone and make the site unique. That kind of stuff still exists for a limited viewership, but that's not what counts in my opinion.

EDIT: Also, in my eyes it devalues the site exactly because Quick Looks is all that is available for the common viewer. Seeing that kind of variety for premium members and just one format "for free" is not that attractive. It's like trying a free to play game, having fun with the regular Team Deathmatch and finding out that there are 10 other modes available if you pay. They might not interest you, but it makes you feel like the offer for a newcomer is bare bones.

Am I a little too harsh? I'm not good with words, I hope I'm making sense.
 
It's a nice way to put it...
<snip>

This wasn't really clear at all in my post, but this response is pretty much perfect to what I was getting across. I don't think what I posted is any sort of mandate, but rather, a "nice way of putting it".

I'll say that now with the CBS acquisition, (though, by the gear situation, you'd hardly know it existed) the whole premium situation is kinda weird and without knowing the in depth financial situation over there, it's kind of impossible to get a real feel for the big picture.

I think you are overstating the diminishing value of the premium stuff for the normal viewer though. There probably are more attractive ways they could entice people to see the hours of content they put out for pay but for the most part, I don't think anyone, youtubers or otherwise are really rivaling anything they are putting out.
 
It's a nice way to put it, but that's also another way of pretty much saying "everything that's not a Quick Look is premium content". And with other websites and (especially) youtubers stepping up their game, this makes Giantbomb look more like a regular video game website...and that wasn't the impression I got when I first started visiting it.

I mean, I'm not saying "I want EVERYTHING, and I want it for FREE!", I honestly don't care much about the premium stuff. I'm just saying that I miss those moments where a "Endurance Run: Persona 4 - Part 01" or "This Ain't No Game" would appear, surprise everyone and make the site unique. That kind of stuff still exists for a limited viewership, but that's not what counts in my opinion.

EDIT: Also, in my eyes it devalues the site exactly because Quick Looks is all that is available for the common viewer. Seeing that kind of variety for premium members and just one format "for free" is not that attractive. It's like trying a free to play game, having fun with the regular Team Deathmatch and finding out that there are 10 other modes available if you pay. They might not interest you, but it makes you feel like the offer for a newcomer is bare bones.

Am I a little too harsh? I'm not good with words, I hope I'm making sense.

I believe they've said that they'd never make ERs premium. That was proven with the Chrono Trigger ER, which was free.

Also, tonight's Happy Action Theater thing is also free.
 
I don't think anyone, youtubers or otherwise are really rivaling anything they are putting out.

If we're talking about Quick Looks that's debatable. At the time the concept was kind of unique, but now you see more and more people try to replicate it in their own way with successful results. Look at Totalbiscuit, for example. I don't like the guy much, but if it wasn't for his "WTF is" (essentially a Quick Look) of the PC version of Sleeping Dogs I would've felt perplexed after hearing Vinny and Brad's comments about how good the game looked.
Now the site, in my opinion, relies on personality more than ever (and that's why I also LOVED the Sleeping Dogs Quick Look).

I believe they've said that they'd never make ERs premium. That was proven with the Chrono Trigger ER, which was free.

Also, tonight's Happy Action Theater thing is also free.

Come on, the Happy Action TV thing is the reveal of a new game. Making it premium content would've been the worst marketing decision ever for Double Fine :P

And for the Endurance Run, setting aside the fact that it is unknown if it might happen again (that's not the point), my problem is that it's still an old concept. I'm not complaining that there's not enough free content (that would be just stupid), what I have a problem with is the lack of...how can I say it, progress. Evolution.
If every new idea becomes premium content the basic site will become stale, for lack of a better word.
 
Endurance runs will always be free because Jeff said it feels weird and perhaps a little unsavory to be charging people to watch a playthrough of a game. They would probably have to get permission from the game's publisher and they don't want to have to deal with that.
 
The only thing that pisses me off about the Olympic premium thing is that it starts at 3PM ET so I'll miss the first 1.5 hours. Considering I don't give a crap about the Double Fine stream, I wish they were switched around lol.
 
Come on, the Happy Action TV thing is the reveal of a new game. Making it premium content would've been the worst marketing decision ever for Double Fine :P

And for the Endurance Run, setting aside the fact that it is unknown if it might happen again (that's not the point), my problem is that it's still an old concept. I'm not complaining that there's not enough free content (that would be just stupid), what I have a problem with is the lack of...how can I say it, progress. Evolution.
If every new idea becomes premium content the basic site will become stale, for lack of a better word.

But if they give everything (or even most everything) away free, it devalues the subscriptions and drives away paying customers. If you look back in this thread, you had people talking about how subscribing didn't feel worth it anymore, in fact.

So which audience do you think they'd rather piss off: The one which is directly paying them money, or the one that isn't?
 
But if they give everything (or even most everything) away free, it devalues the subscriptions and drives away paying customers. If you look back in this thread, you had people talking about how subscribing didn't feel worth it anymore, in fact.

So which audience do you think they'd rather piss off: The one which is directly paying them money, or the one that isn't?

But I agree with you, that's why I think the subscription model needs a bit of an overhaul.

Take TNT for example: to me it would make more sense to make the live broadcast and the ability to play/interact with the staff a Premium feature and then put the archive for free on the site for people that just want to watch the gameplay, and right now it's the opposite.

The problem with this is that free members would complain that something previously free is now premium content, and paying members that are unable to watch it live (Europeans, for example) would complain that they've lost a bit of "exclusive" content. But wouldn't it make more sense if we're thinking about what being a "premium member" should mean? And, at the same time, the site obtains a new piece of content to expose on the front page that everyone can enjoy (I doubt everyone knows about the twitch.tv archive, and it also looks like crap).

But I don't make websites, so it's just an opinion.
 
Anyone know if that reduced price membership is still available?

Just saw a reminded that my sub is up at the beginning of next month, but don't really wanna drop the full amount to re-up given the content lately.
 
Because every new "show" now is premium, for a "normal" viewer Giantbomb's video content hasn't evolved in months.

There, I said it. Please don't eat me.

You say this like they've been banging out tons of premium content. Everything has been on standstill since WM was sold.
 
Anyone know if that reduced price membership is still available?

Just saw a reminded that my sub is up at the beginning of next month, but don't really wanna drop the full amount to re-up given the content lately.

i think that promo ended a while ago.
 
Someone set me straight on this: is there a 'lost' Flight Club?

I recall a really early flight club (before it was named Flight Club, I think) with Drew, Vinny and Dave. I have a strong memory that they were playing IL-2, but do not quote me on that. Shit is hazy. The video was definitely not the QL. I remember it took Drew 30 or so minutes to get the plane going on realistic mode and their take-off was a moment of brilliance where they taxied at around 50mph through a tiny gap in a tree line before triumphantly lifting off. I'm buggered if I ever found it and I'm wondering if it might have been an unarchived JTV stream or something.

Does this ring any bells?
 
Someone set me straight on this: is there a 'lost' Flight Club?

I recall a really early flight club (before it was named Flight Club, I think) with Drew, Vinny and Dave. I have a strong memory that they were playing IL-2, but do not quote me on that. Shit is hazy. The video was definitely not the QL. I remember it took Drew 30 or so minutes to get the plane going on realistic mode and their take-off was a moment of brilliance where they taxied at around 50mph through a tiny gap in a tree line before triumphantly lifting off. I'm buggered if I ever found it and I'm wondering if it might have been an unarchived JTV stream or something.

Does this ring any bells?

They livestreamed some IL2 before recording the QL iirc. It should be available on justin TV.
 
Someone set me straight on this: is there a 'lost' Flight Club?

I recall a really early flight club (before it was named Flight Club, I think) with Drew, Vinny and Dave. I have a strong memory that they were playing IL-2, but do not quote me on that. Shit is hazy. The video was definitely not the QL. I remember it took Drew 30 or so minutes to get the plane going on realistic mode and their take-off was a moment of brilliance where they taxied at around 50mph through a tiny gap in a tree line before triumphantly lifting off. I'm buggered if I ever found it and I'm wondering if it might have been an unarchived JTV stream or something.

Does this ring any bells?

That's a quick look.

Pretty sure it's the last half of this: http://www.giantbomb.com/quick-look-il-2-sturmovik-cliffs-of-dover/17-4590/

Edit: or those things.
 
Yup, totally exists. I'm pretty sure it was the first time they did a video with a flight sim, and it was kind of a time killer before another stream started, and they didn't end up archiving it to the site. I don't think they expected it to be so amazing and popular, so they weren't prepared to keep it. I know it's in the justin.tv archive, but I don't have a link on hand.
 
Didn't they also play IL-2 during one of the extremely late-night streams? Maybe it was the pre-Skyrim 12 hour thing?

edit* wasn't that, was it when the amazon servers went down maybe?
 
They livestreamed some IL2 before recording the QL iirc. It should be available on justin TV.


Really? That sounds like it would totally fit my memory, and I've wondered if this was the case myself, but I've never been able to find the JTV archive. I will attempt again!


EDIT: sorry, added the quote I was replying too. A bunch of replies happened, ha.
 
Someone set me straight on this: is there a 'lost' Flight Club?

I recall a really early flight club (before it was named Flight Club, I think) with Drew, Vinny and Dave. I have a strong memory that they were playing IL-2, but do not quote me on that. Shit is hazy. The video was definitely not the QL. I remember it took Drew 30 or so minutes to get the plane going on realistic mode and their take-off was a moment of brilliance where they taxied at around 50mph through a tiny gap in a tree line before triumphantly lifting off. I'm buggered if I ever found it and I'm wondering if it might have been an unarchived JTV stream or something.

Does this ring any bells?

http://www.twitch.tv/giantbomb/b/290741426 Around an hour and thirteen minutes in. Is this what you're talking about?
 
http://www.twitch.tv/giantbomb/b/290741426 Around an hour and thirteen minutes in. Is this what you're talking about?

Oh shit it certainly looks like it! :D

I never though to check in the middle of a big-ass livestreaming event thingy.

EDIT: yep, confirmed! I remember watching that and being sooo hyped that they managed to achieve their take-off after the hour-long button overload build-up. Thanks all! Really happy to have finally found that thing / proven to myself that I wasn't merely remembering a weird year-old fever dream.
 
just got home from work and now I can enjoy some old ass Olympics games.

and, going back to the other discussion. I think it's pretty much a no brainer that anything old-ass game related is premium content. New game videos remain free.
 
I believe they've said that they'd never make ERs premium. That was proven with the Chrono Trigger ER, which was free.

Also, tonight's Happy Action Theater thing is also free.

That's not what he means, though. Yeah, Endurance Runs are always going to be free, because they were established before the Premium Content barrier was created. And yeah, Happy Action TV is going to be free to view, because that would defeat the purpose of the announcement if it was behind a pay wall.

But any new "show idea" they have from here on out will be behind a pay wall. It's no longer a happy surprise to all; it's just going to be a happy surprise to those who have paid. I was lucky enough to have somebody gift me a premium sub to GiantBomb, but there's always this looming feeling that come April or whenever my sub is up, that'll be gone.

I love GiantBomb, but I've definitely been loving them progressively less this last year or two. I've actually been kind of wondering for a while now if maybe I'm starting to get sick of them. I have a podcast backlog that goes back to March or so (actually, maybe I'm up to June now) and whenever I get to a Bombcast I just skip past it because... I dunno, something about them is starting to rub me the wrong way.

And I was a die-hard. I came in about six months before Jeff was fired from Gamespot, and was at GiantBomb day 1.

And now... eh.
 
That's not what he means, though. Yeah, Endurance Runs are always going to be free, because they were established before the Premium Content barrier was created. And yeah, Happy Action TV is going to be free to view, because that would defeat the purpose of the announcement if it was behind a pay wall.

But any new "show idea" they have from here on out will be behind a pay wall. It's no longer a happy surprise to all; it's just going to be a happy surprise to those who have paid. I was lucky enough to have somebody gift me a premium sub to GiantBomb, but there's always this looming feeling that come April or whenever my sub is up, that'll be gone.

I love GiantBomb, but I've definitely been loving them progressively less this last year or two. I've actually been kind of wondering for a while now if maybe I'm starting to get sick of them. I have a podcast backlog that goes back to March or so (actually, maybe I'm up to June now) and whenever I get to a Bombcast I just skip past it because... I dunno, something about them is starting to rub me the wrong way.

And I was a die-hard. I came in about six months before Jeff was fired from Gamespot, and was at GiantBomb day 1.

And now... eh.

A huge, huge percentage of the content is free. If anything they need to do more premium stuff.
 
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