Why Gamers Are Absolutely in the Right to Show Dissent to Certain Games Journalists

Phil Stortzum of SuperPhillip Central writes, "Two topics that continue to fester in my mind in regards to the games industry are gaming culture and games journalism. You might have noticed in the past that we at SuperPhillip Central have written scathing articles in the past talking about how gaming culture and journalism are very poor. However, we try to always preface our rantings and ramblings about gamers and journalists by saying certain gamers and certain journalists and not generalize the whole community. When we don't, we try to apologize, and we then admit we were wrong in doing what we did.

This is where a lot of "professional" gaming journalists have failed in the past year. We saw sites and writers actively insult their own audience beginning with the Mass Effect 3 ending scandal. Some sites called dissenters "entitled", while one writer called the complainers something along the lines of souls living in their parents' basement with Cheeto-covered fingers. Did they apologize? No. They simpl...

[johndoe11211]

Brilliant read. This really shows the sad state of gaming journalism.

[bessy67]

I honestly think it more shows the sad state of the gamer. People are more concerned about squabbling over resolution than they are about the actual games.

[SilentNegotiator]

Yeah, it's so sad that people are concerned that a new system plays a lot of its game in a last gen resolution and that it might indicate a weak longevity.

/s

[bessy67]

Cool. Keep fighting the good fight SilentNegotiator! I'll be enjoying games while you do.

[SilentNegotiator]

Yep, because people concerned with console longevity couldn't possibly be enjoying games.

Keep your head in the comforting sand bessy! The rest of us will continue on with our grownup conversations that involve SCAAAAARY criticisms!

[dredgewalker]

@Bessy
People squabble over resolution because it shouldn't be an issue with next gen consoles. People won't feel like they have upgraded if the new consoles can't even put out decent 1080p and 60fps. We upgrade to newer consoles because we want to see better graphics. Of course gameplay is important but if graphics don't really matter then what's the point of next gen?

[bessy67]

I just find it insane that people like you have suddenly made resolution into the premier metric for determining what games are fun. It's laughable, especially after the last 8 years when it was all about exclusive games since PS3 multiplats were under-performing.

[SilentNegotiator]

"I just find it insane that people like you have suddenly made resolution into the premier metric for determining what games are fun"

Except I haven't. Only you think that discussion and criticism somehow means a lack of enjoyment. That was YOUR insane connection, not mine.

[bessy67]

"Except I haven't. Only you think that discussion and criticism somehow means a lack of enjoyment."

Then why do you want gaming journalists to focus on an aspect that doesn't really matter to the overall enjoyment of the product?

[SilentNegotiator]

"Then why do you want gaming journalists to focus"

Again, you're simply making idiotic assumptions based on absolutely nothing.

I never said I wanted anything. I never said resolution was more important than the games themselves, I never said I wanted journalists to focus on resolutions. That was all you.

***I ONLY SAID that performance is important to gamers and then you started making up things about me to try to preserve your weak downplay. It could end up representing longevity for the system and could lead to some games being gimped or not releasing on a system. And believe it or not, some people are going to want to see an improved resolution when they're spending $500 on a new system.

[Army_of_Darkness]

leave bessy alone.... let him enjoy that 720p resolution for another 8 years just as long as the gameplay is top-notch right?! ;-)
Hell, he might as well stay with current gen considering some new games are still available for those platforms.

On another note, I bet bessy is getting an xbone LOL!

[starchild]

You know, I would take the whole resolution talk more seriously if it weren't for the fact that the people making a fuss over it on all the game sites I frequent all just happen to be the same fanboys that hated the Xbox last generation, as well as the same console fannies that always downplayed the importance of resolution when it came to the advantages PC has held in that area.

So, no, I don't take it seriously. You guys only "care" about it because it gives you another angle to hate on the rival console. If you really cared about it you would be gaming on the PC.

I guarantee you won't get 1080p and 60fps consistently even on the PS4. Hell, already the truly 60fps/1080p games are the minority on PS4. Battlefield 4, KZSF, AC4, Drive Club, Infamous Second Son and many others all fail to meet that target either in resolution or framerate.

And despite the naivete of some people, framerates and resolutions in console games generally tend to go down as the generation progresses, not up.

I guarantee that when games on PS4 fail to reach 1080p or 60fps and PC gamers point out that we get a higher fidelity experience on PC these same console fanboys making a ruckus about resolution now are going to be the same fanboys telling those PC gamers to shut up and claiming that it's really not that important.

[2cents]

"I'm a gamer. These fanboys (as much as I find that word to be idiotic and juvenile), trolls, and haters are gamers, too, so we must be one in the same" -Wrong!

"I know that if I bought a $500 system and was believing the words and stories told by various journalists, only to find out that a $400 system was actually the more capable system all along" - Wrong!

1. A 'Gamer' does not speak ill of a good game, regardless of its platform origin. A Fanboy does.

2. The PS4 is NOT more capable than the Xbox One, it is more powerful in specifications only.

This is not an unbiased article.

[BabyTownFrolics]

Cant wait till after the consoles launch so we get back talking about the games.

[Bathyj]

Yeah, it will be a nice change.

You can tell everyones getting really antsy. Where I live we have a build up of hot, humid weather before the rainy season and people tend to go a little crazy and schitz out. They call it "Going Troppo" and every year someone loses it. This reminds me of that.

[FunAndGun]

where the hell do you live?!?!

For some reason I pictured the village from Predator. lol

[Bathyj]

Thats pretty much it. Remember that job we did in Cambodia?

[ginsunuva]

Who wrote this article? This is completely false! What a moron! I hate him!

/s

[Buff1044]

The director of Bayonetta 2 deserved death threats?

Really?

[bessy67]

Yeah, another "article" by someone whining that resolution isn't the only thing all gaming publications are talking about.

[SilentNegotiator]

While his comment was poorly sequenced, I think a little bit of common sense makes it clear that the author was condemning the death threats, not condoning.

"While some of it is very much deserved (just look at reactions to review scores for much hyped games, the death threats the director of Bayonetta 2 received for making the game for Wii U, etc.), a lot of it isn't"

I really doubt that he meant to pair the parenthetical with that portion of the sentence, going by the wording.

[Phil32]

Yes, it was poorly sequenced. I've fixed it. Thank you for pointing that out, all.

[MrCastle]

...I want my 5 minutes back.

[mayberry]

Retail sales associates and gaming journalists have absolutely no right to mis-lead and/or outright lie about games or system. IMHO. And when they do, when they are caught in their blatant deceptions, they should be held accountable! The company P.R. reps get a little leeway, but some are going beyond moral standards that are shocking recently! I'm a 47 year old gamer from the magnovox Odyssey days and I am using this subject to teach my 10 year old how to see through the bs! Lots of examples lately!

[XxGOWxX]

Every company spins BS about what theyre doing. As sad as it is to think that negatively, its a lesson worth learning early.

I work for an electronics company and i always tell my customers to buy what they need, not what people tell them to buy. I will always get a thanks from them for being honest.

[iceman06]

The sad thing is that the retail sales associates don't know too much more than we do these days. So, they try to come off as informed. But, in reality, they know only what the sales rep has brought them to say. I once had a debate with a rep in GameStop that was literally trying lie to me about what was being offered in one console vs. the other. When I hit him with a 2 piece worth of truth and information, he indignantly retreated. The GameStop people had a laugh and then started asking ME about stuff. How in the hell was I, the supposed customer, more equipped with information than the people who are supposed to be selling ME the product!?!?
You are doing the right thing by using this as a teaching point. Sadly, some won't ever learn the lesson that you are trying to teach.

[Gridloc]

My feelings on the whole subject: if your in favor of one device, be upfront about it right away, cause once you show your true colors after pretending to be neutral, you are a hypocrite just like Adam Seesler. Taking rumors as facts because this reliable source says so, just for hits on your website is not journalism it's crap
Myself I've been a gamer since the release of pong and grew up in arcades and never imagined gaming would be what it is today. It seems that anyone with a website is a game journalist now-adays with no experience of how it was in the beginning. No day one patches or online multiplayer, but just playing the games you loved then watching your friends play theirs. To me that was social media. I know those were different times, but what's going on now is a disgrace to video gaming...

[XxGOWxX]

If you dont understand that gaming media will look for the positives in everything they are reporting then you dont understand the world. They arent going to bash one of the 3 big names in gaming openly and alienate them and their consumers. They want to be invited to special events, get free games/consoles and get interviews from the big names. You dont get these benefits from pointing out potential flaws. They will ask about them and get a response, thats it.

Anyone buying a next gen console that only listens to PR, recommendations by the gaming media and goes by what resolution the games run at really isnt a smart gamer.

Buy what you want based on the experience you want with the console, online, friends/family and the games you like.

[Belking]

Gaming journalism has been crap for years now and will stay that way because sites like this give them credibility by allowing their garbage to be presented as news.

[Hicken]

And cuz good folks like you buy into their BS.

[urwifeminder]

I certainly don't have anything against them I never listen to reviews I decide for myself and lucky as I would have missed some of the best games I have ever played its all roses and rainbows until it does not serve a fans agenda.

[starchild]

Exactly. Most people wouldn't know objectivity if it bit them in the @ss. Most people simply think something is objective if it agrees with their particular views and biases.

It's similar to the way Conservatives expect their news to be Conservative and Liberals expect their news to be Liberal. That is what they consider to be objective. Anything that deviates from their particular ideas about the world is deemed irrational and biased.

[Sheabon]

Great read. I like the fact that some game journalists prefer one system over the other.
It makes me more informed in which system to buy.
But they should never go out and say that it doesn't matter which system is better.
Or blame the readers and gamers for not liking their preferred choice of console.
That makes them just as much a fanboy as the fanboys they spew shit at.
And if they don't like to recieve critisism then they're in the wrong line of work.

[iceman06]

I agree. They can have a favorite...we all do. However, when it comes to criticism and judgement, it's their job to be as objective as possible. We are supposed to be able to trust their knowledge and experience in providing unbiased coverage of our hobby. Instead, we get flamebaiting, twitter feeds, and top (insert number here) lists. Criticism comes with the job of being a critic. You make a judgement and people get to judge whether or not they feel that your judgement has substance.

[chinlu]

I dont find gaming journalism that bad to be honest when you look at who the articles are being written for. There are alot of smart down to earth gamers who know what's going on and can think for themselves without going full retard and mobbing something.

BUT the majority of gamers are hostile, rude, and don't know what they are talking about. The majority of gamers can't take criticism while they have their yellow bag of insults and threats ready to drop it on anything that might not align with their own biased beliefs.

Most gamers have a pitchfork and torch always in their hands and cannot enjoy anything without getting ready for the next witch hunt. These journalists that everyone hates are basically N4G posters who landed a writing job. Shouldn't you guys be bending a knee?

[SpinalRemains138]

According to the first amendment, Americans are within their rights to say whatever they dam well want about journalists.

End of discussion. To discuss it any further suggests that the people should perhaps not be allowed to do so.