Jimquisition: Shadiness of Mordor

[Mikeybb]

After all the Gamersgate stuff that happened isn't this just vindicating all of those people who were up in arms. Isn't this just another stark example of how utterly corrupt the gaming press is. YouTubers ARE the gaming press, like it or not they are now the leaders in the gaming press, dethroning print media. And while print sites scramble to stay alive, no one seems to be pitch forking the far more corrupt YouTubers. The print media are just as bad probably because these kinds of PR deals are not exclusive to YouTubers but the YouTubers have no quelms flaunting their journalistic corruption.

Is GG actually responding to this in any way? I would think a PR firm using tactics like this would be a good example of something they would want to boycott or write to WB to try and get them to stop using this particular PR company to advertise their games in the future. Something like this would be a ripe target for both chastising reviewers that take that loaded deal, and trying to punish an ethically questionable PR firm for its actions.

If they can spend time writing constant letters trying to get reviewer websites to lose their advertisers, I don't think it would be that difficult to add the WB to their list asking them not to use these PR guys in the future.

I know I am.

Gamergate is talking about it and sharing the information.

As with anything, even the other boycotts, participation is voluntary and fully the prerogative of each and every supporter to follow up or disregard.

In my case, this kind of heavy handed PR is a very solid ping on my radar.
I want to hear about this behavior and I want the opportunity to respond to it in the method it deserves.
Of course, I know I'm not the only GamerGate supporter who will be following this up, but at the same time I can assure you it isn't going to be a GamerGate wide thing.
Not even the boycott of Intel is a GamerGate wide response, there are a significant number who refuse to take part in the boycott, preferring other methods of making their concerns known.

Anyway.

Main point for posting.

Thanks god for Jim and this video.

 

[DeaDRabbiT]

I suppose this really colors Boogie2988's streams following the game. I at one point wondered why he kept pushing people to the website to learn about the game.

I mean I knew he was being paid to promo the game, but I didn't know that WB wasn't allowing other reviewers to get copies of the finished build because they wouldn't agree to the bullshit contracts.

 

[RavenTail]

It's a shame WB would put a black eye on the game like this because it's a solidly entertaining experience. This game was so minor on my radar it could have come and gone without me noticing. But because I watched launch day LPs I felt compelled to buy the game myself and it's a blast. A very fun experience I even recommended to a few friends.

This isn't WB lying in the face of a bad game. It's them being too scared over a quality product. Which is a real shame and I hope people will look past this overly cautious practice to enjoy an actual good game.

 

[DC_78]

Snipp

Snipp

I am contacting Warner Brothers and doing my small part to get such PR deals stopped.

I would not advocate boycotting the game however as that just hurts the developer for something they had no control over.

 

[Amir Kondori]

Really really scummy.

 

[Saetha]

I know this comment is far back, so Jim's unlikely to see it, but I wish he'd give some credit to the Youtubers who went through with the Mordor review... and then were clear as day that it was paid off and approved by the company.

I know that Cryoatic, the only Youtuber I watched that did a paid "review" of the game, styled it mostly as a short Let's Play showing off the nemesis system, and then spent a few minutes at the end talking about how the company hired him to make this video and give the game a good review, and he's cool with that because he genuinely thought it was a good game anyway. Cry was explicit about the sponsorship and worked to assure the audience that he wouldn't have done it if he hadn't thought it was good. Maybe that's just a bunch of hot air meant to reassure his viewers, but given Cry's track record, I'm inclined to believe him. He's never really been the sort to care about money or fame, or he's done an incredible job of disguising that fact, since there are multiple instances on both his Twitch and his Tumblr about how he doesn't really like attention and does what he does because he likes playing video games - I mean, the man strives to maintain his anonymity. He's repeatedly tried to lower prices on the merchandise made for his viewers. And he seems to play more obscure indie games than anything else, so it's not like he's reliant on AAA gaming. But most of all, while he didn't go into the detail outlined in this video, he was honest and clear about the sponsorship, and tried to make the review more like a Let's Play so that people could better decide for themselves.

...That kinda turned into a rant about Cry, but the point I'm trying to make is - there are probably other YouTubers out there who did the same, or something similar, or just walked away entirely like TB did. I think they should get some credit, for their honesty if nothing else.

 

[daxterx2005]

That contract sounds like complete garbage...

 

[ZedOmega]

That contract sounds like complete garbage...

It's worse than complete garbage, it's an attempt from WB Games to control a narrative that almost unanimously (there's always gonna be a naysayer nowadays) would've given it glowing reviews anyway. It's probably a good thing I didn't buy the game yet, I'd have definitely felt like I sinned somehow once I saw this episode. Doubly so since I spent most of the late 90s with Monolith Productions's PC offerings. The avatar is definitely related to one of them.

I dunno, maybe I'm just being twitchy about this, but between the 'say this and this, but don't mention that or show these if you see them' and flagging videos that don't have that contract in place, this doesn't paint WB Games in a flattering light right now. Hopefully they change their tune, or if nothing else, Netherrealm Studios keeps something like this from happening near MKX's release date.

 

[VonBrewskie]

Interesting bit of info here Jim. Thanks for the heads-up. It seems like the people in charge of marketing don't really understand that a good game doesn't need such a close-fisted approach to marketing. It just feels really damn oppressive. Makes a negative feeling when there doesn't really have to be one. Why would WB decide to do something like this? That's a genuine question for anyone out there with more info than I have. Is it they just a disconnect between the makers of the game and the people marketing it?

 

[Haru17]

This isn't a problem as of yet, as Shadow of Mordor is such a good game. There's nothing wrong with recommending a good game, even if you're being paid to do so, as it's still a quality product. This could be a problem if the same promotional practices are used to wrongfully recommend the next bad call of duty / assassain's creed / dragon age game. (Not that the next version of those games will be bad, but there will eventually be a bad game promoted like this).

 

[The_Scrivener]

After all the Gamersgate stuff that happened isn't this just vindicating all of those people who were up in arms. Isn't this just another stark example of how utterly corrupt the gaming press is. YouTubers ARE the gaming press, like it or not they are now the leaders in the gaming press, dethroning print media. And while print sites scramble to stay alive, no one seems to be pitch forking the far more corrupt YouTubers. The print media are just as bad probably because these kinds of PR deals are not exclusive to YouTubers but the YouTubers have no quelms flaunting their journalistic corruption.

Ding ding ding. You're the winner.

I scrolled through until I found some mention of GG. I figured it'd take about this long. (Page 2, about halfway down.)

I'm actually more infuriated with the gaming culture in general than the actual content of Jim's video this week. Why? Because nobody is issuing death threats to the PR bodies. Nobody is slut-shaming the PR bodies. Nobody is doing anything except saying, "hey, that's not cool!"

Where is the scandal here? Where is the huge public outrage from the community over media corruption? Here's to hoping some of the PR people involved in this are women who may have had personal relationships or sex with someone somewhere literally ever so we can really start rallying around some change in the industry by way of our own inexplicable frustrations and boredom-fueled hatred.

 

[xdiesp]

No wonder the big names in gaming are packing their bags, heading off and starting again with a newly created company to develop Indie games. This is not what they (developers) need to make good games.

Too bad Indie devs are vulnerable, and would likely sell themselves for a cup of noodles, if that meant getting coverage from the gaming jornalist pros.

 

[AcropolisParthenon]

I wonder how long it will be before the Feds come down hard on this type of practice, I have a feeling that for these types of PR companies playtime is over.

 

[Steve the Pocket]

So, does this mean it's safe to assume that literally everybody who has a gameplay video on YouTube that hasn't been taken down is in on this bullshit and should no longer be trusted? Or have some people found ways to get around it? This is kind of important.

I'm actually more infuriated with the gaming culture in general than the actual content of Jim's video this week. Why? Because nobody is issuing death threats to the PR bodies. Nobody is slut-shaming the PR bodies. Nobody is doing anything except saying, "hey, that's not cool!"

Where is the scandal here? Where is the huge public outrage from the community over media corruption? Here's to hoping some of the PR people involved in this are women who may have had personal relationships or sex with someone somewhere literally ever so we can really start rallying around some change in the industry by way of our own inexplicable frustrations and boredom-fueled hatred.

I like you.

 

[Silvanus]

Reading about Shadow of Mordor earlier today, I was quite excited about it. The Nemesis system appeals to me greatly, even if it's not perfect, and I love the Arkham-ish looking combat.

This really puts a turd in my rose-garden, though. I'd be tempted to bypass this game on this basis, if I wasn't aware of how little sway my £30-or-so actually has.

Where is the scandal here? Where is the huge public outrage from the community over media corruption? Here's to hoping some of the PR people involved in this are women who may have had personal relationships or sex with someone somewhere literally ever so we can really start rallying around some change in the industry by way of our own inexplicable frustrations and boredom-fueled hatred.

This. It's extremely revealing that when cases of nepotism and corruption crop up, they never attract the same level of fury as when a woman happens to have had sex.

This is worse. This is larger-scale. This is (pretty much) confirmed. None of which can be said about the Zoe Quinn debacle.

 

[Correal]

I love how people just gloss over Gamergate from everything barring the bit that sparked it. Try reading up on it and see that it's not about who shagging who or against females and hasn't been for a very very long time.

But hell those that are against Gamergate are always the ones to go straight back to bringing up the sex, funny ain't it.

 

[jimplunder]

Shame on anyone who agreed to deals like this. That's personal integrity out the window.

YouTube is all about views and ads and if you can get a video up of the latest best-selling game with a ton of hype, then you get more views, more ads played, more money. It's a smart business decision. YouTubers make their living off of their videos so they have to get those views when and where they can. And having seen a few Shadows of Modor videos, pretty much when you've seen one, you've seen them all, so no need to repeat... unless you really like someone's commentary...

That contract sounds like complete garbage...

Pretty much any contract today is complete garbage. It's a company basically making sure that you know that they control the product you've just bought (or are reviewing) and that you have a license to use it for a while. If anything goes wrong when you use their product, they're not responsible and you can't sue them (but you can take them to an arbitration process which has been rigged in their favor). The company knows it has leverage with these deals and they're willing to make the most of it. If you can get pretty much free good press at the cost of a CD key, then why not? These types of deals with stop when YouTubers decide that they can all collectively wait for the launch date of a game to release videos rather than submit to overbearing terms.

Now for personal thoughts... When I saw Shadows of Mordor, I was thinking, "This is Batman meets AC set in Middle Earth..." How close is that assessment?

 

[jimplunder]

After Fallout 3, I completely changed the way I look for games and especially the type of critical feedback people give; erring heavily on the side of caution. I very rarely buy a game at all without viewing hard footage from multiple sources, and I do mean VERY rarely.

What happened with Fallout 3?

 

[gsilver]

It may have been addressed already in the thread, but I do need to have this clarified:

Were they content-id'ing just pre-release videos, or post-release?

I can (sorta) understand that pre-release they have strict control over who exactly gets to play it and may pose some restrictions on it, but post release is a whole different can of worms.

 

[punipunipyo]

Yeah, I was going to say "wait... but I enjoyed this game! I actually bought and playing it, loving the combat (still evolving) even more so as a PC player, because this game allows players to do wide range of settings!!! Example: most of the key binding keys are open for users to switch, mod, replace (thank GOD for home/del keys, and differentiating Ins/Num0; but too bad NumEnter and Enter is still considered by the game as "same")!

It's a solid-great game! don't let bad PR bog it down!~ wish Monolith have the kind of confident as Bethesda: "We like to keep the 'good' bugs that enhances our gaming experiences such as our 'giant launcher with flying summer saw' and the unforgettable '(forgettable)bucket over head amnesia trick'...etc!!"