With Zero Punctuation puttering--will the Escapist survive?

[hazabaza1]

I just think he should look into branching out a bit. I've grown very complacent with his material. I still think he's funny as hell, but he could use a new spin.

He's been doing Let's Plays [http://www.youtube.com/user/yahtzee19], opening a bar, and writing Mogworld and Jam.
The bar generally seems to be doing good, both the books are very funny and the Let's Plays are generally entertaining.

I think ZP is still pretty good as it is tbh, keeping the other stuff separate stops being complaining that stuff gets too different or whatever.

 

[Esotera]

Enough people will still watch it for the site to survive unless the quality gets dreadful (I haven't watched it in years and don't know whether it's any good now).

When Extra Credits left and there was the whole payment scandal the site lost a fair amount of traffic, I suppose if ZP got suddenly removed then the escapist could plausibly die. Interestingly enough searches for Zero Punctuation are down this monthhttp://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/escapistmagazine.com, so maybe there's something in this.

Oh, and this is totally off-topic but holy fuck we don't get a good write up at Alexa:

Relative to the general internet population, Males are greatly over-represented at escapistmagazine.com.

Confidence: high

Relative to the general internet population, people who did not go to college are over-represented at escapistmagazine.com.

Confidence: high

Relative to the general internet population, people browsing from home are over-represented at escapistmagazine.com.

Confidence: high

Relative to the general internet population, 18-24 year olds are greatly over-represented at escapistmagazine.com.

Confidence: high

 

[Scarim Coral]

While I diagree with your view on the current status on ZP but I do agreed that at some point Yatzee will retire or stop ZP for some personal reasons (all things come to an end).
Honestly thought do new members these days register this site thanks to Yatzee? I thought the first initial drawn to this site by ZP was done and thank to the sudden increase of members, it drawn in more new members by other means (article, review, topic, friend reccomdations or other non ZP material).

 

[repeating integers]

Hell, I'd like to see him vanish just to see his cult go into a rage. The tears will be more nutritious than even Brony and Juggalo tears.

Yea, all I'm left with as far as Ben Crowshow is concerned is his old FullyRamblomatic written material and his freeware games. Between his misogynistic Sims 3 rant, his racism, and his coiningings of the terms "PC Gaming Master Race" and "spunkgargleweewee"(Ben, this isn' the 2nd grade...) he lost any and all respect I ever have for him or his opinion on...well, anything.

Wait, racism? As far as I'm aware the Sims 3 thing was due to a breakup, but I don't remember any racism. Indeed, in his Blops2 review he sparked quite a bit of debate for a reference to white privilege.

 

[burningdragoon]

So the Escapist community voting on an indie game made during an event sponsored by the Escapist to be sent to be reviewed by the Escapist's flagship series is evidence that the show is jumping the shark? I guess in that case ZP has been doomed since... that time the Escapist had a ZP-themed game contest where Yahtzee would review some games based on his show on his show.

Right, anyway. Take a few weeks or so off ZP and then come back. You'll probably find that it's just been too much exposure.

 

[Dangit2019]

Have you considered that the show has stayed the same overall and that you have changed? Because from the outside looking in, that's what I see in your post.

Also, audience participation is an example of jumping the shark on TV and Movies because it cries out for attention, and negates narrative elements such as foreshadowing and "checkhov's gun" situations.

In this case, Yahtzee's going to play some games, and readers get to recommend some. It's not the same.

Double also, I don't even stay at the Escapist just for the shows, I stay for the users and their distinct personalities on the forums. The show's just what's supposed to catch peoples' attention before they delve into the core of the site.

 

[Andy Shandy]

I personally don't see how that indie things shows it's in decline, in fact, you could argue, with managing to attract well known game developers such as Notch and Ron Gilbert to be involved, it's quite the opposite. Plus I think his recent reviews have been as good as ever minus the latter "spunkgargleweewee" ones.

And anyway, even if ZP did go the way of the Dodo, with all of LRR's stuff, The Jimqusition, Miracle Of Sound, Critical Miss, Moviebob and everyone else means that The Escapist would be fine, I would think. I know I'd keep coming back anyway.

 

[shrekfan246]

Well, according to some sources, the Escapist is already dying.

The forums were noticeably quieter after the initial layout redesign, a little more than a year ago.

That's slightly depressing. Though I've noticed in general that the forums are getting slower and slower these days...

Man, I don't know what I'd do if this site were to die off.

As for the topic at hand, I dunno, I thought the most recent Paper Mario review was pretty biting and humorous, and the write-in thing is just a fun little extra like when he reviewed the games based around Zero Punctuation. As long as LoadingReadyRun and Jim Sterling are here too, I think it'll mostly be fine.

 

[janjotat]

All of my friends come to the escapist to see yahtzee, none of them have a forum account except there is one who lurks (hey Alek Dnd tommorow at joe's). I still think the escapist will be fine, I see the decline as some people moving on to other things after a surge of new people.

 

[DrunkOnEstus]

Tie to link ZP and the escapist. Look at the search terms.

Spoiler

Slow!? 77 percent of websites are faster? Where's Kross, I'm told that you blame him when things like this happen : )

I wasn't aware of any sort of decline, and to be honest talk of that nature makes me a bit sad. The other side of the coin is that in many ways the people here are more "tight-knit" for it, as well as the integrity of the site itself for not turning into IGN/1UP or what have you in order to repair the situation. If it even warrants repairing, that is. I have to applaud the concept that we're even allowed to have a thread about this and discuss it, as I'm used to it being frowned upon to talk about the business side of things or discuss the site in a negative light. Stay classy, folks.

 

[FFP2]

I wouldn't really mind if ZP stopped. There's plenty of entertaining and thought provoking articles/features/videos on this site that I have yet to see another site math up to. ZP is just one of them.

His videos have been a bit dry for a while, ever since the FF13 vid (I think) I started noticing a drop in... I dunno, uniqueness I guess.

 

[Moth_Monk]

So how many of you watch Yahtzee's Lets Play videos over on his YouTube channel? Because they're as funny as hell.

 

[grey_space]

Wait, racism?

Yep. Any game where you are a white person and you're not killing other white people, is automatically racist.

Indeed, in his Blops2 review he sparked quite a bit of debate for a reference to white privilege.

Exactly my point; he's racist against whites.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

Being possibly the one of whitest people I have ever seen with his hat pale face and English accent are you telling me that he thus somehow hates himself?

Some kind of superwhite/British/Australian Uncle Tom?

Dude, thanks.

You genuinely made me lol.

 

[Moth_Monk]

Exactly my point; he's racist against whites.

This was very difficult for me to post without getting a low content warning because I am genuinely lost for words...

Are you...being serious?

 

[Lovely Mixture]

He has some anti-American sentiment, but no more than what you'd expect from anyone who isn't fond of America's recent foreign policy.

He just points out the silliness of having consistent white protagonists shooting foreigners..... MICHAEL BAY EXPLOSIONS EVERYWHERE HOLY SHIT A TANK.

Don't see how he's racist.

 

[Ljs1121]

I don't really think Yahtzee's going downhill. I've enjoyed the most recent episodes just as much as I enjoyed the older ones.

Even if he did burnout and die, I think we'd be all right. The Escapist is bigger than Zero Punctuation. I'm sure a few hardcore Yahtzee fans would be upset and leave, but overall it's hard for me to see this place falling apart without him.

Everything ultimately becomes mundane. Deal with it. It's hardly the end of the Escapist.

And here's another fact; Even the Escapist will one day go the way of the dodo. So enjoy it while it lasts.

[sub]I think I just depressed myself - I need to go change my underwear.[/sub]

Oh lawd... This site is indeed gonna die someday... At the rate I'm going, that means...

[sub]I might never get my Neo badge[/sub]

OMG that thought absolutely terrifies me D:

 

[Vault101]

snip

1. thats like your opinion

2. I'm not here for ZP anyway, I'll watch the videos but its not the main draw for the site..aside from forums jimquisition is probably my favorite video

my point is that while YES ZP is the biggest draw I don't think the hypothetical decline of ZP would mean a death for the site....a decline mabye but not death....

honestly if the only thing between the site going under is one video series then there are some serious problems

 

[Saviordd1]

Enough people will still watch it for the site to survive unless the quality gets dreadful (I haven't watched it in years and don't know whether it's any good now).

When Extra Credits left and there was the whole payment scandal the site lost a fair amount of traffic, I suppose if ZP got suddenly removed then the escapist could plausibly die. Interestingly enough searches for Zero Punctuation are down this monthhttp://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/escapistmagazine.com, so maybe there's something in this.

Oh, and this is totally off-topic but holy fuck we don't get a good write up at Alexa:

Relative to the general internet population, Males are greatly over-represented at escapistmagazine.com.

Confidence: high

Relative to the general internet population, people who did not go to college are over-represented at escapistmagazine.com.

Confidence: high

Relative to the general internet population, people browsing from home are over-represented at escapistmagazine.com.

Confidence: high

Relative to the general internet population, 18-24 year olds are greatly over-represented at escapistmagazine.com.

Confidence: high

To be fair we also had over-representation in the "got some college" and "went to college" categories.

That said I don't how any of this is surprising, or really bad.

 

[sammysoso]

Methinks you are assuming your views on Zero Punctuation are shared by the majority of viewers.

 

[Shocksplicer]

I'm pretty sure "puttering" is the wrong word for this context.

That is all.

Get back here and offer a better input. What word would you recommend?

Faltering, declining in quality, fading into mediocrity.
Happy?