Why doesn't the Escapist Review games anymore?

CritialGaming

New member
Mar 25, 2015
2,170
0
0
Silentpony said:
I 100% agree! From what I've seen Lootboxes are a major part of the game, and reaching the 'real' ending. And not mentioning them in a review(I don't want to be cynical, but probably because part of the early copy deal was don't mention them) is like not mentioning the freemium economy in Candy Crush, or not mentioning lvl grind in WOW.

As far as community takes, no need for applicants or subs. Just have a subforum for reviews, like they do now, but a small little poll in every review if we found this review useful. If it reaches a certain number of Yes votes, say 20(that's about how many regulars there are left) it gets auto-featured on the front page as a 'Helpful Community Take' And you get a little badge saying 'Woohoo I helped!' with a tiny little thumbs up.
The problem is that a subforum isn't going to help. The idea is to have a featured set of content appearing on the main site. Reviews especially, because this will bring traffic back to the site and thus increase forum activity. Anyone who googles up a game review once have the Escapist appear as a review source if the main site isn't featuring reviews. It will appear on google results sure, but not until several pages through the list and by then the person searching for said review will have already seen shit from "real" sites, not forum threads.
 

Ironbat92

New member
Nov 19, 2009
762
0
0
Nothing really says ?games are a service, far below any consideration as an actual art form? like goddamn loot crates and microtransactions. Holy hell this industry?s gettin pretty pathetic.
 

Silentpony_v1legacy

Alleged Feather-Rustler
Jun 5, 2013
6,760
0
0
CritialGaming said:
Silentpony said:
I 100% agree! From what I've seen Lootboxes are a major part of the game, and reaching the 'real' ending. And not mentioning them in a review(I don't want to be cynical, but probably because part of the early copy deal was don't mention them) is like not mentioning the freemium economy in Candy Crush, or not mentioning lvl grind in WOW.

As far as community takes, no need for applicants or subs. Just have a subforum for reviews, like they do now, but a small little poll in every review if we found this review useful. If it reaches a certain number of Yes votes, say 20(that's about how many regulars there are left) it gets auto-featured on the front page as a 'Helpful Community Take' And you get a little badge saying 'Woohoo I helped!' with a tiny little thumbs up.
The problem is that a subforum isn't going to help. The idea is to have a featured set of content appearing on the main site. Reviews especially, because this will bring traffic back to the site and thus increase forum activity. Anyone who googles up a game review once have the Escapist appear as a review source if the main site isn't featuring reviews. It will appear on google results sure, but not until several pages through the list and by then the person searching for said review will have already seen shit from "real" sites, not forum threads.
But isn't that what I suggested? The reviews start as part of a forum, and if they gain traction they're featured on the site. It won't do the site any good to feature reviews that no one reads.
and are we talking content creators getting paid, on a schedule like X reviews from SilentPony a month, and Y from CriticalGaming? Or just as done, I review what I want, you what you want? they have to be current trend games, 'cause you and I can't compete with YouTube gamers like Pewds or Markiplier getting early copies for their tens of millions of fans.
 

CritialGaming

New member
Mar 25, 2015
2,170
0
0
Silentpony said:
CritialGaming said:
Silentpony said:
I 100% agree! From what I've seen Lootboxes are a major part of the game, and reaching the 'real' ending. And not mentioning them in a review(I don't want to be cynical, but probably because part of the early copy deal was don't mention them) is like not mentioning the freemium economy in Candy Crush, or not mentioning lvl grind in WOW.

As far as community takes, no need for applicants or subs. Just have a subforum for reviews, like they do now, but a small little poll in every review if we found this review useful. If it reaches a certain number of Yes votes, say 20(that's about how many regulars there are left) it gets auto-featured on the front page as a 'Helpful Community Take' And you get a little badge saying 'Woohoo I helped!' with a tiny little thumbs up.
The problem is that a subforum isn't going to help. The idea is to have a featured set of content appearing on the main site. Reviews especially, because this will bring traffic back to the site and thus increase forum activity. Anyone who googles up a game review once have the Escapist appear as a review source if the main site isn't featuring reviews. It will appear on google results sure, but not until several pages through the list and by then the person searching for said review will have already seen shit from "real" sites, not forum threads.
But isn't that what I suggested? The reviews start as part of a forum, and if they gain traction they're featured on the site. It won't do the site any good to feature reviews that no one reads.
and are we talking content creators getting paid, on a schedule like X reviews from SilentPony a month, and Y from CriticalGaming? Or just as done, I review what I want, you what you want? they have to be current trend games, 'cause you and I can't compete with YouTube gamers like Pewds or Markiplier getting early copies for their tens of millions of fans.
Well you described it as a subforum that would post to the main page with enough "yays", which is different than a featured article on the site. A forum highlight on the main site, wouldn't help search programs lead people here which is what I was trying to get at.

Yeah I mods or editors could read through reviews and opinions on the forums and then approach that user for permission to use their post as an article or ask that person to put together a 500 word piece expanding on their forum post or review or whatever it is. That write up then gets turned into a real article on the Escapist.com.
 

Fappy

\[T]/
Jan 4, 2010
12,010
0
41
Country
United States
There is no one left on staff to write them, and as far as I understand there are no plans to change this. Some mods/users are working on content, but Defy is no longer officially paying anyone associated with this site except Yahtzee (and maybe one official staffer).
 

MonsterCrit

New member
Feb 17, 2015
594
0
0
Why? Because game reviews are rather passe now. See review culture has always relied on their being a shortlist of games for reviewers to pick over. That's nop longer the case and every month it gets a little harder to pick what will be the it game that will grab all the views.

This is why Many ytoutube reviewers complain abvout steam so much. The volume of games published makes it harder and harder for them to hit a sweet spot..

Even Yahtzee's getting kinda boring now. The games he's talking on are less reviews and more his rants, and since hge's not really ranting about anything interesting...

Escapist used to have content providers that worked on various fronts. Extra Credits, teh Jim Quisition (though that's pretty much gotten stale and predictable as well.
 

votemarvel

Elite Member
Legacy
Nov 29, 2009
1,353
3
43
Country
England
I'd be willing to write reviews of older titles. Older ones because I'm cheap and generally buy stuff in sales.
 

CritialGaming

New member
Mar 25, 2015
2,170
0
0
Fappy said:
There is no one left on staff to write them, and as far as I understand there are no plans to change this. Some mods/users are working on content, but Defy is no longer officially paying anyone associated with this site except Yahtzee (and maybe one official staffer).
So have users here produce content, have a mod edit it, posting stuff will increase traffic. Doing nothing is never going to work.
 

DrownedAmmet

Senior Member
Apr 13, 2015
683
0
21
ShadowRatchet92 said:
So, I notice an incredible lack of game reviews from the Escapist. What's going on? Do they not have enough money to fund people to review games?Hell, if they're hiring, I'd work for them.
Haven't you heard? Games are too hard nowadays games journalists can't play them
 

EscapistAccount

New member
Aug 18, 2017
91
0
0
Canadamus Prime said:
Why Defy hasn't just pulled the plug is beyond me.
Honest suspicion; they've either lost track of this sites existence which is actually scarily easy to do, or they're running out Yahtzee's contract.
 

Fappy

\[T]/
Jan 4, 2010
12,010
0
41
Country
United States
CritialGaming said:
Fappy said:
There is no one left on staff to write them, and as far as I understand there are no plans to change this. Some mods/users are working on content, but Defy is no longer officially paying anyone associated with this site except Yahtzee (and maybe one official staffer).
So have users here produce content, have a mod edit it, posting stuff will increase traffic. Doing nothing is never going to work.
As far as I know that is what's happening.

To be fair though, the mods have no obligation to provide or curate content. Those that are, are basically doing it out of the goodness of their hearts.
 

CritialGaming

New member
Mar 25, 2015
2,170
0
0
Fappy said:
CritialGaming said:
Fappy said:
There is no one left on staff to write them, and as far as I understand there are no plans to change this. Some mods/users are working on content, but Defy is no longer officially paying anyone associated with this site except Yahtzee (and maybe one official staffer).
So have users here produce content, have a mod edit it, posting stuff will increase traffic. Doing nothing is never going to work.
As far as I know that is what's happening.

To be fair though, the mods have no obligation to provide or curate content. Those that are, are basically doing it out of the goodness of their hearts.
I feel ya. The modding feels a bit heavy handed sometimes for a bunch of guys just doing out of the goodness of their hearts though.
 

Kerg3927

New member
Jun 8, 2015
496
0
0
EscapistAccount said:
Canadamus Prime said:
Why Defy hasn't just pulled the plug is beyond me.
Honest suspicion; they've either lost track of this sites existence which is actually scarily easy to do, or they're running out Yahtzee's contract.
Sounds like like we're just going to log on one day and the site will be gone. Something that costs money will come up for renewal and it just won't get renewed and zap, the lights will go out.
 

Canadamus Prime

Robot in Disguise
Jun 17, 2009
14,334
0
0
EscapistAccount said:
Canadamus Prime said:
Why Defy hasn't just pulled the plug is beyond me.
Honest suspicion; they've either lost track of this sites existence which is actually scarily easy to do, or they're running out Yahtzee's contract.
How could they lose track of this site's existence? Presumably this site is still costing them money, even if only the bare minimum. Not the least of which server and hosting costs and Yahtzee's salary.
 

CritialGaming

New member
Mar 25, 2015
2,170
0
0
Canadamus Prime said:
How could they lose track of this site's existence? Presumably this site is still costing them money, even if only the bare minimum. Not the least of which server and hosting costs and Yahtzee's salary.
Makes me wonder what Yahtzee could possibly be making for the marginal amount of weekly content he makes. Surely his novels and games are making him far more than a review show ever could. Unless he has all the Youtube rights though with the ad situation over there that's probably not a reliable income anymore either.
 

Canadamus Prime

Robot in Disguise
Jun 17, 2009
14,334
0
0
CritialGaming said:
Canadamus Prime said:
How could they lose track of this site's existence? Presumably this site is still costing them money, even if only the bare minimum. Not the least of which server and hosting costs and Yahtzee's salary.
Makes me wonder what Yahtzee could possibly be making for the marginal amount of weekly content he makes. Surely his novels and games are making him far more than a review show ever could. Unless he has all the Youtube rights though with the ad situation over there that's probably not a reliable income anymore either.
I would think he'd be making far more money from his books than the Escapist could possibly be paying him. Maybe book sales aren't a reliable enough source of income so he keeps doing Zero Punctuation to fill the gap. That's the only explanation I can think of.
 

Sniper Team 4

New member
Apr 28, 2010
5,433
0
0
CritialGaming said:
Makes me wonder what Yahtzee could possibly be making for the marginal amount of weekly content he makes. Surely his novels and games are making him far more than a review show ever could. Unless he has all the Youtube rights though with the ad situation over there that's probably not a reliable income anymore either.
I've often wanted to ask Yahtzee what he's thinking. He's the only one left. Even the comments on his videos, which used to go into the hundreds, are way down now. It can't possibly be the same for him anymore. I still remember one of his videos where he bragged about the "the suckers over at the escapist" paying for all his games now. Does that still happen? What does he think about whenever he posts something here? Has he received other offers? I'm just really curious, because I'm sure he has a strong opinion on this situation.
 

Belaam

New member
Nov 27, 2009
617
0
0
Chimpzy said:
CritialGaming said:
Yet this is one of the heaviest moderated forums I have ever seen in my life. To this day.
Funnily enough, the Escapist chose to allow GamerGate discussion where many other outlets didn't. Which led to a gigantic clusterfuck of a shitshow that got many longtime regulars to up and leave, and is often cited as one of the reasons for its downfall.

I suppose there is some kind of irony in that.
Yeah. Back in the Extra Credits, Lisa Foiles, etc. days, this was pretty much my one and only gaming site. Gamergate happened, the Escapist got listed on one of GG's "good site" lists, and the forums went to hell, 90% of the content left, and now it's a ghost town. On the bright side, going to GG's banned site list led me to three or four new sites that I still visit regularly.

Definitely irony in GG's promotion of Escapist leading to massive drop in visitors while their ban list led to new visitors there.

CritialGaming said:
Funny you said that because I am finding it harder and harder to find "reviewers" that I can trust. If you look around to just about every major game site (Gamespot, Ign, Kotaku, etc) you can see all the reviews for Shadow of War. Yet in none of these reviews do they ever, at all mention the impact of lootboxes. It's like they all fucking avoid the elephant in the room and gave the game a score based on everything else.
You might want to look a little harder; here is Kotaku's article on lootboxes, titled "What You Need To Know About Shadow of War's Controversial Loot Boxes"

https://kotaku.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-shadow-of-wars-controversia-1819293793