Thank god for Jim!
Seriously, thank you for having the balls and integrity to place your face and condemn disgrace. Did you see Friday's Office Chat from Dtoid? How they basically bent over and said: "Yeah, we knew it was going to be bad, people who still complain about it are idiots." WTF!? This are not PR spin doctors, nor corporate shills, these are videogame journalists.
Videogame journalism takes stereotypical flak for being immature, for being about a naive, childish subject or just for being unprofessional. Fact is videogames are a huge market, they move billions and if mainstream media and public opinion think it still is cool to dismiss videogames as puerile escapism for social outcast minorities, they are living in an 80s bullying mindset. The real problem with videogame journalism is professional videogame journalists that actually feel this way, that take their job shallowly and dismiss it themselves as puerile escapism and thus behave as if ethics and morals have no place in their job, and this does a great disservice to it's audience.
Yes, most gamers eat up corporate bullshit with a shovel, but as gaming generations grow older they wise up to this manipulating and deception. As they grow older, goes in hand with companies growing greedier and more cynical, almost to farcically dystopian levels. Journalists should privilege from their position of leaders as sources of information and adhere a moral high ground in a path of public education. Too many gamers, and sadly too many journalists, seem happy to bend over and take it hard in order to keep on the publisher's good side; in order to have access to the down trickles their greed sees fit to sweep on their plates. Publisher's need to be held accountable, gamers need to know they are the ones in power and journalists are the ones to move this gain of conscience forward.
Videogame journalism is still not completely under corporate rule, as sadly mainstream media or "real journalism" is. The internet gives videogame journalist leeway to be brave, to be leaders and have integrity. To aspire to become recognized, respected or equaled to mainstream media is a profoundly naive, anachronistic pipe dream. Truth is, videogame journalism has the tools and potential to ascend to a higher status of integrity and be a much more efficient tool for the people.
So thank you, Jim. For caring and making an effort, and being damn good at it. I am continually surprised by the quality and political sharpness of your pieces. Always hard hitting and unapologetic. Thank god for Jim!
