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[NoirVisage]

Oh man, not often I read a thead and my emotion goes from empathetic embarrassment to pure joy.

The Verge is pretty great, it does what I used to go to Gizmodo for except 10x better. So I'm sure if the site is decent enough they'll make it past this incredibly derpy moment.

It's all the tone, guys. You really, really overreached. That kind of sentimental stuff is to get old people emotionally invested in something they don't care about. You can't pull that shit with a knowledgeable enthusiast audience. You're selling it to US, even if some of you dudes resent GAF, us and people like us are the audience. I'm not saying you need to do fucking energy drink reviews, I'm saying you need to find a voice that doesn't come off Iike you're trying to make moms cry at fucking Sundance.

Spot on yet again.

 

[Vice]

Are there any interesting documentaries on games journalism?

 

[Open Source]

This video exudes a little too much unearned arrogance. Even if the site could unquestionably demonstrate that they have changed video game journalism, it would still be self-indulgent drivel.

Self-indulgent drivel has worked out well for Rock, Paper, Shotgun.

Three paragraphs talking about my wittiness and clever thought processes. Several puns and a few insults lobbed at approved hateable companies/individuals/groups.

And oh, by the way, here's a game thing, if we really must stop talking about me. But I'll make you click for it.

 

[Forkball]

Gripping. Visceral. Haunting. Invocative. Tour de force. Piece de resistance. Plat du jour.

 

[Aaron]

So is Polygon staff going to walk back on this or not? Because I feel it's pretty obvious this is going to alienate more people than it draws. I was planning to give the site a shot when it eventually showed up, but after this... nah.

 

[antitrop]

So is Polygon staff going to walk back on this or not? Because I feel it's pretty obvious this is going to alienate more people than it draws. I was planning to give the site a shot when it eventually showed up, but after this... nah.

BUT IT SEEMED LIKE SUCH A GOOD IDEA AT THE TIME!

 

[spats]

They should switch over to forced, awkward bro humor with spontaneous unboxing videos and group quick looks. I'm sure that'd work great for them. Likeable and approachable personalities can't have anything to do with that.

 

[Aaron]

They should switch over to forced, awkward bro humor with spontaneous unboxing videos and group quick looks. I'm sure that'd work great for them. Likeable and approachable personalities can't have anything to do with that.

Uhh, no. They should have an actual website, instead of a docu on how great the website they don't even have is. I might as well make an indie movie on how I'm going to win the gold medal in boxing for the next Olympics.

 

[Mister Negative]

I appreciate that this thread allowed GAF to simultaneously stroke its Giant Bomb boner and Justin McElroy hateboner.

It was fun to watch.

I find the concept here interesting. I just wish it hadn't been presented in the way that it was. They tried to present it as this huge risk, that they're laying their careers on the line, but like someone said in a reply to Justin on twitter, they're really not. They're all good writers, more or less. They'd be capable of being hired elsewhere if Polygon crashed and burned.

I agree with some posts earlier in the thread that said the presentation of this is more what How to Build a Bomb deserved to be. There was actual risk there. Gerstmann had a real reason to try to build something new. Polygon just seems like...a new site. I dunno. I just don't see the purpose or the real "new" things that they're trying.

 

[HamPster PamPster]

The entire thread is fantastic but I think this post made me laugh the most. Well done

 

[Cindres]

How the fuck did I miss this thread? Oh man this has been gold.

Can we add Polygon to the list of banned sites? go oooooon.

 

[Arnie]

I bet they wish they could just press reset.

Spoiler

Haven't kept up with this thread, don't know if that jokes been used, it probably has.

 

[WickedLaharl]

no titanic theme edit?

 

[BurnOutBrighter]

So this is what three men masturbating looks like.

 

[Harlock]

1UP with 3 guys, 1 girl and 1 janitor are doing a better job. And without doing a documentary about.

 

[Zaph]

This whole thing reminds me of the problem Stephen Totilo was talking about on the E3 Bombcast this year when some guy leaned over a developer to say hello/take a picture with Totilo (I'm butchering his anecdote here, but it's definitely worth listening to if you haven't already).

Unless you're going for a full-on personality driven website where video games are just an excuse for the madness (Giant Bomb, Mega64 etc), the 'journalists' need to realise they they themselves are not the story.

 

[Risible]

So this is what three men masturbating looks like.

Ice. Cold.

 

[Dennis]

Self-indulgent drivel has worked out well for Rock, Paper, Shotgun.

No. RPS is nothing like that.

 

[RichyDevil]

1UP with 3 guys, 1 girl and 1 janitor are doing a better job. And without doing a documentary about.

Amen.

 

[sonicmj1]

This whole thing reminds me of the problem Stephen Totilo was talking about on the E3 Bombcast this year when some guy leaned over a developer to say hello/take a picture with Totilo (I'm butchering his anecdote here, but it's definitely worth listening to if you haven't already).

Unless you're going for a full-on personality driven website where video games are just an excuse for the madness (Giant Bomb, Mega64 etc), the 'journalists' need to realise they they themselves are not the story.

I think that is what they're going for, at least to some degree. The tone will be different, but I'm sure they want their staff to be a very visible part of the site.

The problem is more the seeming lack of perspective. Even if they want people to like them, at the end of the day they're still writing about video games. Have a little fun with it.

 

[Takao]

Has someone edited this to the Inception theme yet?

 

[HamPster PamPster]

Don't Look at it, No Matter What Happens! courtesy of Brian Leahy

 

[VeryGooster]

Has someone edited this to the Inception theme yet?

I watched that with the Friday Night Lights theme in my head, and Patrick Klepek did me one better.

Many 'game journos' need to step away from Twitter for a week or a month. Seriously.

 

[Rodhull]

Surely with them all working on the site remotely it's going to limit what they can do if the aim is to go the personality driven route as they'll so rarely be in close proximity to each other. There's only so much you can do on a skyped podcast.

 

[erpg]

Haha, I love you guys. The video responses to this drivel have been exactly what I wanted to see.

 

[Dreweyes]

Don't Look at it, No Matter What Happens! courtesy of Brian Leahy

Hahaha so good!

Here's mine 0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBBWlZKXTX4

 

[Khar]

 

[Patryn]

So would Brian Crecente be John Romero in that scenario?

 

[Lactose_Intolerant]

I liked Russ Pitts when he was with Gamers with Jobs. I never followed him over to the Escapist though. Hopefully he is still good.

 

[Banana Kid]

So would Brian Crecente be John Romero in that scenario?

His hair is certainly luxurious enough.

 

[KalBalboa]

I just found out a buddy of mine from college is working on the documentary. Small world.

 

[GabbyJay]

I love The Besties, though. Russ' character work is golden.

 

[Neuromancer]

Damn that's cold

 

[Khar]

His hair is certainly luxurious enough.

 

[Interficium]

Are there any interesting documentaries on games journalism?

You can't document something that doesn't exist.

 

[Nibel]

You can't document something that doesn't exist.

True story

 

[FStop7]

I guess all the Verge sites have this kind of vibe, right? Like the guy who stopped using the internet, complete with whimsy-ish videos and writeups of him rediscovering himself and shopping for pre-war technology.

The second sentence makes me want to commit crimes.

 

[whalleywhat]

So would Brian Crecente be John Romero in that scenario?

Lovely, lovely locks.

 

[jcm]

This thread is much more entertaining than their website is likely to be.

 

[Dion Blaster]

Came here for the story of Porygon.

 

[alr1ght]

I present,

Press Reset: Mad World Edition

 

[Aaron]

I present,

Press Reset: Mad World Edition

Damn, that works almost too well.

 

[Dambrosi]

Just watched it. Almost auto-erotically ego-stroking masturbatory nonsense. Sorry for all the sexual metaphor, but it's pretty clear that the only reason this "documentary" got made at all is because the staff have a real hard-on for themselves.

Yeah, that's what this film felt like to watch. It felt like being forced to watch your parents perform a sex act, or an amateur porno starring your neighbours, your aunt and your boss. Like you're supposed to be turned on by it, but you can't enjoy it, and maybe even feel a little nauseous and disgusted by it all. I felt dirty--no, I was violated by this film. This film molested me, NeoGAF. It molested my mind.

Still, at least it's not quite as bad as Indie Game: The Movie.

This image came immediately to mind, for some reason.

Spoiler

See? I can do New Games Journalism too!

Spoiler

Please don't ban me. Thank you.

 

[railGUN]

Oh man, Ryan Davis, you beautiful bastard:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nux71cv-mTA&feature=youtu.be

I present,

Press Reset: Mad World Edition

Sorry, Ryan Davis beat you (or whoever did that) - in fact, I think it kicked off the remix this trailer theme.

 

[alr1ght]

Sorry, Ryan Davis beat you (or whoever did that) - in fact, I think it kicked off the remix this trailer theme.

no slo-mo. slo-mo is key to Mad World.

 

[whalleywhat]

Modern Game Journalism: The Movie

I don't think this video will ever not be applicable.

Awesome.

 

[7threst]

So I wonder, will Polygon take all this criticism and do something good with it? I mean, they kind of have to see that the tone of the video is something that doesn't really work and that what they say they are going to do is worth nothing if they don't back it up, even if their intention is good. Or are they really this arrogant to think all the critics are wrong and they are right?

 

[Deleted member 47027]

So I wonder, will Polygon take all this criticism and do something good with it? I mean, they kind of have to see that the tone of the video is something that doesn't really work and that what they say they are going to do is worth nothing if they don't back it up, even if their intention is good. Or are they really this arrogant to think all the critics are wrong and they are right?

Combo of both I'd reckon. We'll see it toned down when the series debuts, no doubt about it - you can't just ignore this. But bet on them saying it was like this all along.

NOTE: I don't work there, I don't make choices for them, but if I were them this is what I would do.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

So I wonder, will Polygon take all this criticism and do something good with it? I mean, they kind of have to see that the tone of the video is something that doesn't really work and that what they say they are going to do is worth nothing if they don't back it up, even if their intention is good. Or are they really this arrogant to think all the critics are wrong and they are right?

They think the people are ready for it. We just don't know it yet.

 

[whalleywhat]

They think the people are ready for it. We just don't know it yet.

At least they have faith in us.