Jimquisition: Cloak and Dagger

[Bara_no_Hime]

Most corporations in the game industry thinks it's customers should be Mushrooms, kept in the dark and fed on bullshit.

I know that as a Lois McMaster Bujold quote. Are you quoting her as well, or did you get it from another source?

I ask because I always like finding more Bujold fans.

OT: Oh Jim, worry not - you are clearly far more attractive than tattooed fish mask. We would all miss your beautiful face if it was gone from our lives. And your giant dildo bat and latex fist and so forth. Thank the gods for you.

 

[Solo-Wing]

Hey that fish man is way more handsome then the normal guy who does these videos! We should keep him! HYUK HYUK HYUK HYUK!!!

OT: The main reason that most journalists are not allowed to leak is because of the problem with street dates. If a reviewer or Journalist breaks date to post something word very quickly gets out to all the publishers making them not want to use that reviewer/journalist which effectively putting them out of a job. And in these days what with the internet and all it is harder to keep a secret so Publishers gotta keep making their information restrictions tighter and tighter.

 

[Sneezeguard]

I'm going to sum up the problem with the gaming press.

Gaming journalism is not actually journalism but rather an extention of advertising.

Publishing companies control too much information about their games through the form of NDAs

If you try to publish information without them or by their guidelines you get your knuckles wrapped and get fucked so hard by their legal department.

So you have to live off whatever bread crumbs they decide to give you, if they don't like what you publish then they ignore you and find other journalists that are willing to play ball. They are the only source and control all the information and as such the video game press becomes subject to them.

If the normal press was treated like this you would essentially be living in a police state (I'm slightly suprised EA hasn't arranged to have Jim Sterling quietly taken away to be shot).

As such video game journalism is prevented from being proactive and is forced into being reactive, only reporting on problems, flaws, poor design and bad business practices after it's happend and it's become quite aware.

Imagine if there were no NDAs. If a journalist had report on Mass effect 3's ending options before it was released and that they were only 3 endings in direct contradiction to Casey Hudson previous statement,

"It?s not even in any way like the traditional game endings, where you can say how many endings there are or whether you got ending A, B, or C."

as well as other statements that directly contradicted/misrepresented the game. EA/Bioware would of had to respond to it or face a protential lost in sales and consumer faith in the product before it had launched and consumers could of refused to buy the due to misrepresention of the product.

Instead it was not reported on and EA/Bioware's response to the consumer outrage was callous, cold and dismissive simply because they didn't care, they already had your money and there was nothing you could really do about it.

As soon as they get your money they don't care, as far as they're concern they have succeeded.

But if word had gotten round before the game had released do you really think their response would of been so callous, cold and dismissive?


Gaming journalism will continue like this unless NDAs are massively reformed or removed and the only way a proactive gaming journalism force could exist in this current state would be in a form similar to that of wiki-links

As long as video games are treated like this kept controlled by publishers then true games journalism can not exist.

 

[synobal]

Most corporations in the game industry thinks it's customers should be Mushrooms, kept in the dark and fed on bullshit.

I know that as a Lois McMaster Bujold quote. Are you quoting her as well, or did you get it from another source?

I ask because I always like finding more Bujold fans.

I am a Bujold fan but I wasn't exactly quoting her on purpose that was mostly incidental.

 

[Sanunes]

Much of the blame falls on gamers though. Gamers are still very susceptible to hype and are willing to fully believe everything the game company tells them, only to be brutally upset when the game does not meet the expectations.

And heavens help if some random developer says something about what they'd like to see in a game (or what they think will be in the game) - there's no worse backslash than that from the spoiled, entitled and upset gamer.

Frankly in this situation it's no wonder that the game companies have to work very cautiously with information. Because whatever piece leaks and does not end up in the end product, said end product gets pummeled.

Of course, the corporate environment in which the major publishers work just drives this control up to the infinite degree. But I don't think it would be like that if at least sometimes the gamers could accept that not everything great they heard about the game before release has to really be true at the end.

I do agree, I think Mass Effect 3 is a combination of why they have secrecy and why there is too much. With the reaction of how some gamers take anything that is presented to them as a hard truth and how they react to the price of games they are holding back. If people would have acted more reasonable to what was said about Mass Effect 3 instead of death threats, wishing the company would collapse, people get fired, or even the FCC complaints publishers might look at it differently. With that said I do think something like game sales (and DLC) would be a good thing to release to the general public.

Even if they do decide to release information would it really be enough, I agree with Jim anything regarding the story is find to be withheld, because that should be part of the discovery of the game. Then the problem is how to do separate the mechanics of the game from the story and not just give half the needed information.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

At this point I'd welcome that. The triple A's have gotten too big for their britches so maybe it's time for a good crash so the indies can take their place. ...till they too become too big for their britches and then we can have another crash and new indie's can take their place and the cycle can repeat itself. Oh man that's a depressing thought.

You're right; it does go in a cycle.
But now, I'm a bit more optimistic about it really.

For one, nothing lasts forever. The super-successful rarely go onto to better and better things; most often they become complacent or arrogant. Or too addicted to the influence they earn as a result of their success. Or they burn out.

It happens.

But at the same time, periodic overturning of a market is good. Especially any market driven by a creative medium.

It allows fresh talent a chance to be significant in the greater market. To bring (hopefully) their new perspectives, wit the some benefits of hindsight but without the taint of "original sin", so to speak.

(Like with EA for example. it's pretty much impossible for EA to repair their image now, no matter how much good they do in the future. That history of controversy and mistrust is too associated with their name.)

It can also force some older talent out of their complacent routine and back into a creative proper. At worst, they take their increasingly tired routine offerings and leave. (something I desperately wish would happen to Nintendo at times, and to Capcom for even longer.)

And it's good for the consumer side of the market to be exposed to new things, just to see what works.

It's still kinda depressing that such a cycle exists though.

 

[Alcamonic]

Since when has your tie been blue!? It looked much better when it was red. Please change back.

 

[-Dragmire-]

This video sounded like you took the subject matter a little personally. Given your recent leaving of Destructoid, is that all Sony was doing that was causing that ruckus? I know you don't like controlled review events, in general.

This video was actually written way before I resigned, and was inspired by all the mad rumors flying about. Nothing personal. To the best of my knowledge, the review event is the only issue with Sony.

My leaving Destructoid has nothing to do with the game industry at large, and everything to do with the reasons I gave.

Well, I'm glad you're still doing the Jimquisition. Keep up the good work!

[sub][sub][sub]Also, the mask looks cool though the throat looks.... strange.[/sub][/sub][/sub]

 

[Rebel_Raven]

I resent that last bit, Jim! I don't think you know I'm typing
"urglegrglegrle!!!!"
<youtube=fWUxMF1LTRs>

Yeah, you hit the nail on the head. I've watched a few people try to interview microsoft folks, including Angry Joe interviewing Major Nelson which was pretty painful to watch. If we don't know, we're going on what rumors say. It's dumb as hell to leave gamers to their own devices, IMO. I mean these consoles are doing more and more, thus we need to know more, and more. Else how are we going to make an informed purchase?

EDIT:
PS Mad props on the puppet master footage!

 

[weirdee]

Hmm, particularly nice use of images corresponding to what was being said this week.

Jim, may I ask why the public knowing sales number would do anything but assuage our curiosity? I'd of course love to have that information from a God's-eye view but I don't know what kind of purpose that would serve except to give competitors valuable information that could disadvantage the company.

In general though, you're right. They are being overly secretive. But holy heck if the media doesn't blow up about even inane things.

for me, the numbers would be able to confirm or invalidate the constant claims that certain questionable decisions are REALLY what people want, since these claims seem to rely HEAVILY upon the fact that nobody can challenge them on the claim that degrading the quality or integrity of the games accomplished something that can't otherwise be justified

it's the type of thing that results in such huge errors in judgement as witnessed with capcom, and a good number of practices that EA has employed over the years, and only perpetuates the myths of the big gaming industry, to the detriment of all

however

i still do agree that for certain types of development information, it is up to the developer to make the final call on their own product, not the consumer...however, the praise/criticism for those decisions is still the right of the consumer, and the context should not be hidden after the fact

 

[Nurb]

The best way to discourage it is not buying from them... stop giving these people money

 

[Flunk]

"Major Nelson" lost any credibility he ever had years ago. Microsoft needs to can that guy, who is not a major and is not named Nelson. He reminds me of a used car salesman. It doesn't even seem like he even tries the games or has any understanding of the audience.

 

[GAunderrated]

The best way to discourage it is not buying from them... stop giving these people money

Asking the generation of instant gratification to withhold gratification until they are certain said product is worth the money is asking the impossible.

 

[Something Amyss]

Part of the secrecy problem? NDAs - Sheets of paper that say what you can and cannot share with others about the product or practices that go on within development and the company.

NDAs are a symptom more than it is the problem in any sense. NDAs have their place, but their outcropping in gaming has come from the urge for secrecy. If not NDAs, it'd be some other form of control.

 

[Redd the Sock]

Wow Jim, you've never looked better.

OT: Most of us are fully aware game "journalists" are just paid bloggers that either regurgitate press releases, or editorialize with little effort to not just soapbox an opinion, but instead sell it to someone that might disagree.I guess I can't fault it given how even real news has gone that way in the 24/7 news cycle, and to be fair, digging for scoops takes resources hobby websites just don't have. A lax press wouldn't be an issue if companies didn't take advantage so much. They know they'll be called to account for what they've said, or anything they've botched, and like good lazy people, decided to control the conversation rather than explain a shitty product, unpopular business decision, or how reviewer never seem to find the game crippling bugs we find at the retail level.

At this point it's doing nothing but damage. So little solid has been out about systems coming out in weeks, so it's hard to not think they're a reason we don't know much, and track records tell us to expect problems out of the box. We've been burned too often by companies that think it's okay to screw us over that we've become the cynical, trust nothing, everything's going to suck, assholes we are, so yeah, we don't see opportunity in the next ge3n so much as a cash grab. And with this attitude, the more we're kept in the dark, the worse we think things will be.

 

[ShadowHamster]

This is ridiculous! RIDICULOUS!! Does he really think he can get away with this!
Fact 1: He is hiding his face! Nowhere in this video did I get any indication that that was really Jim Sterling!
Fact 2: All british people sound the same!
Fact 3: He has recently been talking with Total Bisquit!

This video isn't a Jim Sterling video, it was a Total Bisquit masquerading as Jim Sterling video! FACTS!

 

[Stormwaltz]

(leaving)

 

[Allan Foe]

leaving Destructoid

Lord Chungus, have pity! Please, we beg of you, find a way to do a Chunguscast with Jonathan (and maybe other too), even if it's just once a month.

You're responsible for making the Shattered what they are and Jim help us if they go HUNGRY.

 

[Roxor]

We should start relentlessly pressing publishers for information, and just keep it up until they crack and release it just to shut us up.

Hey, it's better than telling people to hack their computers and potentially get thrown in jail for their efforts.

 

[Lovesfool]

I wasn't planning to say anything, but since you mentioned it, I really didn't notice you were wearing a mask and it is an improvement and all that stuff.

Apart from that, I wanted to get in record that I think it was one of the best shows you've published so far. I wasn't a fan of the show when it started, but after you toned down the "holier than thou", "dial rage and indignation up to 11" approach, I admit it won me over.

You've had some good shows in the past, but this is one of the best. Very to the point and very insightful. I am part of the industry and this whole cloak and dagger thing myself and I must admit that I agree with the absurdity and surrealism of it all, not to mention it's pointlessness most times.