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Whiskey Media (Giant Bomb) Starting Paid Membership Service
- Thread starter WaltJay
- Start date
Rez said:
Where else can you get this content for free? I mean, literally, THIS SPECIFIC CONTENT. The way things are moving, people are going to need to monetize the internet. I'd rather the authors of a particular site put up offers themselves, rather than being dictated-to a la the whole Net Neutrality spiel (and the money goes to them instead of to your ISP).
The people who bring you quality content SHOULD BE PAID for what they do. If you like Giant Bomb, support them. Sure, you can get watered-down content elsewhere, but you won't get the Giant Bomb flavor so many people seem to like.
And whether you like it or not, a lot of sites are going to be moving towards premium services. The ones that don't will generally be sub-par, because it's probably a hobby of whoever runs it. For those whose LIFE BLOOD is journalism, even gaming journalism, need to be paid to continue doing it. And we should champion the ones that do it better, because the fuckton of know-nothing "volunteer" sites out there certainly aren't going to cut it. THAT is what you'd shouldn't pay for, because it's truly cookie-cutter content.
Azure Phoenix
Member
As much as I love Giant Bomb, I wouldn't pay for membership under the current structure. HD video doesn't mean anything to me because 2mb broadband is barely enough to view medium quality videos as it is, I only have a cheap 10+ year old mobile phone so the app is useless and aside from flash ads that have annoying sound effects, adverts don't bother me.
If however, they were to allow video downloading for their back catalog (i.e. P4 endurance run) in a proper format rather than FLV and they start running Thursday Night Throwdown at a more Europe friendly time, then I would certainly be interested if the price was reasonable (i.e. not £40 a year).
Also I'll chime in support for the merchandise idea, I don't think they explored that well enough as there is TONS of various memes they have created. Even something very simple as a Luchadeer shirt or mousepad would be decent.
If however, they were to allow video downloading for their back catalog (i.e. P4 endurance run) in a proper format rather than FLV and they start running Thursday Night Throwdown at a more Europe friendly time, then I would certainly be interested if the price was reasonable (i.e. not £40 a year).
Also I'll chime in support for the merchandise idea, I don't think they explored that well enough as there is TONS of various memes they have created. Even something very simple as a Luchadeer shirt or mousepad would be decent.
Woffls
Member
Well, I can already stream 720p content from videogamer, but Giant Bomb's video content is so much better that I'm willing to pay for it. If I pay for any online content it's probably going to Giant Bomb because those guys are fuckin rad and I enjoy listening to them and watching them. What I'm NOT paying for, however, is an hour a week rambling about soda.
It depends on price of course, and that will be more of an issue for me because the UK was buggered on exchange rates last time I checked.
It depends on price of course, and that will be more of an issue for me because the UK was buggered on exchange rates last time I checked.
RoboGeorgeForeman
Banned
Most likely, I won't be paying as I really don't have the money to worry about supporting someone else while paying for various college expenses. I barely have enough money for gaming anymore. If it is dirt cheap (maybe $15/year I may consider it for HD content).
Misterinenja
Member
LCfiner said:
Why? :lol
elrechazado
Banned
I like the site the way it is. If they release some feature actually worth paying for, I'll totally pay for it.
I pay for IGN Insider`s with a couple of friends and that`s good enough for me...Giantbomb is ok,I go there once in a while but i`m not crazy about some of the people there and their sarcasm...Quicklook is cool and all but I rarely watch because I like to see things for the first time when I pay 70 bucks for a game,not watch other people play and bash and laugh at it most of the time...
As you can tell,not a GiantBomb fan really so yeah,I won`t pay.
As you can tell,not a GiantBomb fan really so yeah,I won`t pay.
Vigilant Walrus
Member
I never signed up for Gamespot or IGN insider, but I might do this, because it's a great site, but I do seriously want more video reviews. I like those. It bothers me that there are so few now a days!
Misterinenja
Member
Vigilant Walrus said:
TBH they're not really sites strongest content anyways so I don't really care about them.
YuriLowell
Member
Rez said:
Gaming is a cheap hobby.
TunaMarshmallow
Member
Well, the HD streaming means nothing to me. And I don't have a 3G device, so the mobile site isn't relevant to me. And, although I'd prefer to have an ad-free site (why not?), I don't have a particularly intense hate for ads, and I'd not normally ever feel tempted to pay for an ad-free experience.
All that being said, I like certain aspects of Giant Bomb so much that I wouldn't complain if they began charging for them (e.g., quick looks, the podcast, the reviews, etc.).
I wish we had a sense of how well GB/WM was doing, financially. Because if this were a rally-the-troops moment (or if there ever were a rally-the-troops moment), then I'd be happy to thrown down cash, even though the pay features being offered aren't particularly interesting to me. I really enjoy GB's content and I want it to keep coming.
All that being said, I like certain aspects of Giant Bomb so much that I wouldn't complain if they began charging for them (e.g., quick looks, the podcast, the reviews, etc.).
I wish we had a sense of how well GB/WM was doing, financially. Because if this were a rally-the-troops moment (or if there ever were a rally-the-troops moment), then I'd be happy to thrown down cash, even though the pay features being offered aren't particularly interesting to me. I really enjoy GB's content and I want it to keep coming.
YuriLowell
Member
Shurs said:
Even in other countries its still a relatively cheap hobby.
Vigilant Walrus
Member
YuriLowell said:
You need to learn more about European VAT!
ashbash159
Member
As long as it is cheap for a whole years subscription and I get unique Giant Bomb videos in HD and I am able to download and keep them on my HDD then I'm in. I want all unique videos from Giant Bomb on my HDD in HD please. That is all.
elrechazao said:
Yeah, I think this is basically the problem with this kind of deal. You establish your brand by giving people essentially want they want for free over a period of time, and when you want to start charging, you can't really take that away. So you're left coming up with new stuff that probably wasn't that important to the users in the first place.
I stand with my original position; I doubt i'll get much practical value out of their premium membership; but if the price is low, i'll do it just to support them.
Visualante
Member
Co-sign, GB has great content but it's not the HBO of game media.Rez said:
I don't buy this whole gaming is a cheap hobby argument, that's no justification for paying for game media. In my opinion.
YuriLowell
Member
Vigilant Walrus said:
Too Off topic.
Anyways id be willing to pay for some giant bomb goodness.
for a fan that lives in the Philippines, i won't get much value for a subscription. i don't really get ads from here and hd video isn't really appealing cause our bandwidth speed is still pretty sub-par to what you guys probably have.
If they had a subscription based endurance run though? Day 1.
If they had a subscription based endurance run though? Day 1.
Visualante
Member
My housemate is a GB fanboy and he was saying they changed the ads so if you visit the site more- you get less ads, where as first time visitors get ads shoved down their throats.WaltJay said:
Just seemed kind of backwards to me.
snoopeasystreet
Member
If it provides something that I want which I can't get elsewhere for cheaper, I'll buy it.
lawblob said:
It's the PSN+ problem. when the basic service is free, how do you decide what to provide for a cost? it's very tricky.
But, like you, if the price is low enough for my budget, I'll do it to support them and because I've enjoyed so much of their content in the past.
it's all relative. I dumped cable since I wasn't watching enough TV to justify the cost each month (only around 40 bucks). I've gotten more enjoyment out of quick looks, podcasts and ER videos from GB than I had from TV the last 2 years that I would easily pay a few bucks a month in order to get this content in a more bandwidth heavy, higher quality version.
Why don't they just splice ads into the podcast like every other show out there? If they only have a few and they're in between segments, it's really not bad at all. Also, I'm fine with site ads as long as they're not as obtrusive as ign's (good god) or 1up's (not as bad, but still an eyesore).
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