Poll: Who else is a little depressed about the content loss?

[Fiairflair]

The content that kept me coming back has been Zero Punctuation, Critical Miss, Escape to the Movies and The Big Picture. I enjoyed Jim's work too, but it was something I would flick through the episodes of every few weeks and pick out topics that interested me.

Now that Moviebob has left too I'm not sure that I'll bother renewing my premium membership in 2016. I guess I'll be spending less time around here, but that isn't set in stone. Who knows, maybe there is some brilliant new content creator around the corner that will capture my interest in new and exciting ways.

Maybe.

Or maybe the loss of quality content will outpace the scouting of quality content. It is easy enough to rake in new shows but harder to spot talent and retain it. I guess time will tell.


Edit:
P.S. I sincerely hope The Escapist has the class to reverse their decision to hire Brandon Morse as a freelancer. His expressed views betray an insular attitude. It is openly offensive to suggest that the inclusive and accepting ethos of many people in society is a matter of pretending.

 

[The Almighty Aardvark]

Let's add Robert Rath, the man behind Critical Intel, to the list.

[Tweet t=https://twitter.com/RobWritesPulp/status/570034400173252608]

Jesus Christ, the amount of great content this site has lost in the past few years.

Aw, damn. This was on the short list of content I still check out on this site. Now I'm down to Feed Dump, Critical Miss, Zero Punctuation and Experienced Points. Kind of worried that another couple of those might leave with the way the tide's looking

I'd like to point out something regarding some of the sentiment in this thread though, specifically revolving around Jim/Bob and the recently hired Brandon Morse...

Why do their political/ideological views make them a less valid/desirable voice?

Brandon is transphobic, Bob is just a **** in general, Jim... can of worms, there.

Doesn't mean they didn't/won't put out quality content here, and as the new EIC pointed out, the Escapist is currently looking to purge politics in favor of just sticking to the games/comics/tech/cosplay/etc.

In essence, if such holds true, we won't be seeing such remarks from Brandon. If we did and the Escapist held true to this vision they're going for, then he'd likely be canned as well.

And those personal views shouldn't bar him from work either IMO, not if they don't get in the way/intermingle with his current work.

It just seems silly to me...

I just think a wait and see attitude with Brandon specifically is warranted, and that people are too keen on excommunicating people based on a single portion of philosophy that someone disagrees with.

Part of the reason it's so bad is that this site is home to a lot of transsexuals and gay people. It's always been a site that at least tried to be welcoming to them. If you start hiring people who publicly broadcast transphobic sentiments it makes the site a good deal less inviting.

I'm not saying he shouldn't be able to work anywhere, just that he'd be a hell of a lot better suited working somewhere that hasn't historically tried to fight what he's preaching.

Unless the Escapist decides to drop that part of its identity, in which case I and a lot of people are probably going to move elsewhere

 

[an annoyed writer]

Part of the reason it's so bad is that this site is home to a lot of transsexuals and gay people. It's always been a site that at least tried to be welcoming to them. If you start hiring people who publicly broadcast transphobic sentiments it makes the site a good deal less inviting.

I'm not saying he shouldn't be able to work anywhere, just that he'd be a hell of a lot better suited working somewhere that hasn't historically tried to fight what he's preaching.

Unless the Escapist decides to drop that part of its identity, in which case I and a lot of people are probably going to move elsewhere

As one of the aforementioned trans individuals, I gotta say you're right on the ball there. Furthermore, if one goes far back enough in the website's timeline, they'd find one of my own among the founders: Jessica Mulligan. Learned that two and a half years ago from Archon himself. To me at least, that decision feels like they're spitting on the site's legacy. The powers that be might not care, but longtime users who came to love the site because they at least tried to make it a comfortable and safe place for people like me do. There's a difference between those who keep it to themselves but hold such opinions(Martin O'Donnell) and those who are blatant advocates of hate against minority groups(Brandon). I'd certainly hire the former, but the latter I'm a lot more wary of.

 

[wAriot]

I come mostly for Yahtzee, Critical Miss, and the forums. Never liked Jim's or MovieBob's stuff, so I can't say I'll miss.
As long as those three things stay, I'll be here.
Also, I'm excited for the new hires; I believe some of them can give some pretty good content. But we'll have to see.

 

[Cowabungaa]

Yeah, gotta say that I am a bit. I've been here since 2008, lurking since 2007/2006. Aka, freakin' ages. To illustrate:


Shit, I remember MiracleOfSound still being a regular forum user like you and me. I remember his first stuff he just randomly put in a thread, and people urging him on. Fast-forward to now and he left the site already.

I've seen content rise and fall, big and well-known forum users come and go. And while I know that nothing is forever, what I'm seeing now hasn't really happened on this scale at least.

I hope The Escapist doesn't end like this. I'll keep my fingers crossed for new content.

 

[Lono Shrugged]

I am a pink hair away from asking for a ban. I am glad that Jim is successful on his own. And very happy that Bob has been let go. I have been saying for years that Yahtzee needs to drop the ZP routine and do something fresh. Now with all the negativity and Robert Rath (Who I really enjoyed) gone. I feel it's time to put away childish things. The only reason I am visiting these days is to watch it burn and I really have better things to do. Some of the forum topics are 4 chan levels of shit.

Someone please convince me to stay and give this site money.

 

[Charli]

I jumped on the ship with Yahtzee's inception, I'll jump when he jumps.

Sorry, but I'm just gonna be honest, he kept me coming back to this site for 2 years straight, if he's canned I'm just have no reason other than to read forums between work. And I can do that elsewhere.

 

[Starbird]

Extremely sad. Moviebob (while I didn't always agree with his opinions) was probably my favorite contributor, due to his love of old shows and comics. Escape to the Movies was generally my guide to what to watch at any time and through his show I discovered some complete gems like Moral Orel.

I have a feeling that he was booted for some of the stuff he said on Twitter (which yes, was pretty daft at times but was mostly baited out, at least in my opinion) but while Yahtzee brought me here originally, Bob kept me here.

Really hope he gets something like ETTM going again somewhere else.

Will still be here for ZP and forums, but a big part of why I loved this site is now gone. If Yahtzee goes, I will probably vanish too.

 

[Aerith]

Losing content is always sad, sure. However, I'm more saddened by the fact that it had to come this far for some of these lost contributors. Jim, for example, is still a heartbreaking loss. Not just as a contributor, but as someone who I had mad respect for.

Gav is wonderful, and I wish him nothing but success. He's the one loss I'm actually saddened by. (ノД`)・゜・。

 

[Magnakai]

I don't usually read or post in the forums. I started visiting this site for extra credits and after they left the only reason I came here was for Movie Bob. Nothing else here interests me. Imho they should have brought on new content before sending the old ones packing. If I remember to check back to see if managed to bring on some decent rookie content creator in a few months I may find a reason to visit here again. I doubt it, plenty of good content is already on other sites and or podcasts.

 

[Magnakai]

I don't usually read or post in the forums. I started visiting this site for extra credits and after they left the only reason I came here was for Movie Bob. Nothing else here interests me. Imho they should have brought on new content before sending the old ones packing. If I remember to check back to see if managed to bring on some decent rookie content creator in a few months I may find a reason to visit here again. I doubt it, plenty of good content is already on other sites and or podcasts.

 

[Jandau]

I'm sad about it, not so much because people have left (as I can still watch/read all of them elsewhere), but rather because it indicates that The Escapist (or their overlords) don't know how to manage and retain content creators. Sure, they'll get new writers and video makers eventually, but those people will either suck (or be mediocre) and drop away, or they'll become popular, at which point they'll have enough clout to strike out on their own. And this is where the problems arise - you can push around and set terms for someone who depends on you, but once that individual doesn't really need you anymore, you need to start compromising with them in order to retain them for your site. You need to offer them something they wouldn't have on their own.

To fledgling content creators they can offer an audience - people will check out that new show or column simply because it's on the site. But once a creator has an audience of his own, that's no longer a factor, that's no longer something they need a site for. And that seems to be where The Escapist fails - they no longer have anything to offer them other than hassle...

 

[The Harkinator]

I'm saddened because The Escapist used to be a bustling hive of excellent content. Of course like many I came for Zero Punctuation and if that went only the Forum RPing would give me a reason to keep visiting. There was a time when the schedule was packed with The Jimquisition, The Big Picture, Critical Miss, Zero Punctuation (and Extra Punctuation), Rhymedown Spectacular, Miracle of Sound (and corresponding column), Escape to the Movies (and corresponding column), Critical Intel, and at a certain time they had Extra Credits (and that short-lived but good column where James, Yahtzee, Bob, and Jim discussed game issues) too.

Now there's Zero Punctuation, and Critical Miss. I know some of those shows ran their course and ended naturally, but it's still a significant loss to the site to lose that sheer volume of quality content. Lots of people came for those shows and I know I visit the site much less now they're gone. Visiting the Escapist used to be a regular thing, they had something new and good very day, now I can leave it a few days at a time and feel like I've not missed out at all.

The Escapist is sinking, shedding contributors as it does so. If they can bring in some new, excellent ones that will become permanent fixtures then it can still be saved, but at this rate it's going to fade into obscurity as it loses several things that made it stand out. If they lose ZP I can see it dropping off entirely.

 

[Starik20X6]

It's almost come full circle for me- I started with Yahtzee, then branched out into other shows/reading other columns, now those shows/columns are gone, and I'm back to just watching Yahtzee and reading the news feed. Hell, my original bookmark for the Escapist lead directly to the ZP archive.

 

[Netscape]

Hopefully they'll change their mind on hiring this chap [https://twitter.com/TheBrandonMorse/status/532034374796345344] as its resulted in losing another round of I Hit It With My Axe. [http://dndwithpornstars.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/were-not-playing-d-with-escapist-ever.html?zx=1ef27205a676f8a0]

Why do people feel the need to self-destruct on social media? Seriously, what good ever comes from expressing controversial political views on Twitter when you are a public figure. First of all you are potentially alienating your audience and putting your job in jeopardy. Second of all you are almost certainly not going to be able to make a cohesive, well sourced argument that could change someone's mind with only 140 characters.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

Only come here out of habit now, so used to coming here at 5pm. Though on Wednesdays i come for zero punctuation. Without him i think i would just leave this site. I do use the forums but its not the main reason i come to this site. I do wonder how much this sites views have fallen since Bob and Jim are gone. Though we could get the next versions of Jim and Bob so who knows. We could get someone better?

 

[Cidward]

I miss Movie Bob and Jim Sterling, but it's more that I'm depressed about what it bodes, as I'm not terribly interested in any of the new stuff that's been rolled out/promo'd. Maybe it'll be interesting, but off the top none of it appeals.

I still come for ZP but that's it.

 

[Lightknight]

Well, I am sad that some of my favorite content is gone but I'm also excited about what will replace it. We've got to remember that the Escapist is still the site that brought those talents here in the first place so we should be able to trust them to continue to do so in the future.

 

[ClanCrusher]

Yeah, pretty depressed myself and I'm probably not going to renew my Publisher's Club Membership this year either unless this new content is mind bogglingly amazing. I joined back in my own personal golden age with Jimquisition, Movie Bob, Big Picture, Extra Creditz, Critical Miss, and Yhatzee...and now only two of them are left. Yes I know that all of those people are still making content, but it was nice to have them in one place. It felt like a league of super-critics and really talented people had all converged to make a singular website really awesome, and now it just feels...empty.

The real problem I have with how the Escapist handled this was how sudden and almost secretive they were with the whole 'letting go' thing. Every single one of those people just suddenly disappeared from the website and stopped updating. I didn't figure out most of them had gone until almost a week after the fact when their shows stopped updating. You'd think they'd at least be allowed a 'goodbye' article and/or show, but nope. They're just gone.

But I digress. It's disheartening and depressing and I think the Escapist is worse off for their loss.