Meta on Meta: Should Gaming Sites Have Comment Sections?

It’s old news now, so you’ve probably read about Popular Science shutting down their comments section in September. Other similar sites immediately followed suit, while most chose to keep that part of their web pages open. This major event has led a lot of us to consider whether or not the ability to comment directly on an article is a good thing or a bad thing. Perhaps it’s both, for different reasons, at the same time.

[Kingthrash360]

he posts on a gameing site...waits for comments.
lol.
but its a coo article tho...great points are made.
that said...hell yesss.

[monochromer]

Gameing site, you say!?

[Eonjay]

You got to give people the opportunity to say whats on their mind. Regardless of how trivia or stupid it may seem to you. Also, companies can get a good indication of the effectiveness of their messages by checking out feedback.

Imagine if no one was allowed to express their opinion on VGX. Thanks to the comment sections and forums, we be able to prevent a similar travesty next year.

[Mikelarry]

"he posts on a gameing site...waits for comments"

exactly.

i like the comments section yes you do have to sometimes wade through a lot of fanboyism before you find a decent discussion. but sometimes i just read them for the lolz, people on the internet post the funniest stuff

@trash i got a new one for you

http://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn....

enjoy

[Joe913]

I think yea cause things can get out of hand I seen the same articles posted on google+ and the comments are not as bad as they are here Im all for voicing comments but the name calling and talking down at ppl because they own something else is crazy on that note Comic book movies sites are worst I never been offended on this site really but on CBM sites man they are some racist ppl on those sites when they said that the new human torch was going to be black man they went crazy.

[rainslacker]

Yes, but without a comments section, the author becomes more of an authoritative source. If there is no one to dispute or discuss the topics the author mentions, then he is automatically assumed right by the reader.

People that are afraid to take criticism publicly should not be posting articles on the internet.

[Goro]

Yes.

[Callediceman]

i feel like this is my inception moment

[ErryK]

Yes, there are some people who need to bring article writers off their high horses and back to Earth.

[SpiralTear]

Of course they should.

Yes, they are outlets for fanboyism and rampant bashing, but articles would be very boring without any kind of publicly viewable feedback. For all the vilification comments sections have earned, they add discussion and I don't think that's a bad thing at all.

[DragonKnight]

You can't claim to be for discussion if you remove the avenue of said discussion. Removing comment sections would merely mean that you feel your opinion is fact and can't argued, and that's wrong. So yes, gaming sites should have comment sections.

[rainslacker]

It's like Anita Sarkeesian. She prevented comments so you couldn't dispute her views directly. You had to go through other articles/forums to do so. She didn't want people to pick apart her analysis so she could seem authoritative.

She claimed it was because of the abusive comments, which is likely true, but moderation exists.

What the author suggests, and Anita did, is a lot different than moderation. Comment sections should stay, moderation should be enforced though.

On top of that, some commenters are actually more intelligent than the actual authors. Comment sections for big sites are a must, as they provide an outlet to help dispel PR BS.

[DragonKnight]

Anita's refusal to allow comments has been her greatest enemy because people then sought out to completely discredit her, and discredit her they have. So many of her lies have been exposed it's not even funny. Unfortunately, EA is blind and are still using her as a consultant for how to develop Faith for Mirror's Edge 2, but a start is a start.

[rainslacker]

I hadn't heard about them using her for Mirror's Edge 2. That's actually kind of scary. The woman really doesn't seem to understand games that well, and I really don't feel she speaks for women in general.

The thing about good characters is they don't have to follow politically correctness guidelines. They just have to be unique and show an ability to grow.

I know many on here hate Lightning, but for as bland as her character was, she was an independent and motivated woman who never let any pre-defined idea on socially acceptable norms stand in the way of what she wanted.

I use her to make a point, not to try and redeem or discuss her character in general.

Games should be made in the interest of the story and the character. Not to try and keep everyone happy. There is absolutely no way to make everyone happy, and overall, the story and character come first. Trying to keep everyone happy only leads to generic stories. If I wanted that, I could watch Twilight or any number of other crap stories aimed at the teens of today.

Women, and people in general, are all unique. For a story, they shouldn't fit into an ideal to serve as a role model. They should just be who they are. For every character trait that Anita rants on about in games, you are bound to find someone like that in real life. I don't feel it's my place, or Anita's, to judge their worth as a woman. Nor do I feel it's either of our places to judge an entire industry based on stereotypical, cliched stories.

[JohnnyTower]

Most of the time the comments give you a good cross section of information regarding the topic of the article. Some people flesh out information in articles, or add things the author missed. I read most of the comments to see what is trending in video games. A good way to find some hidden gems that may not be pushed on mainstream websites.

[Baka-akaB]

It should remain there . I cringe whenever facts are wrong and you can't even put the author on the spot right away , so he could at least correct them .. or be notified that he isnt fooling anyone .

You'll excuse me , i forgot the name of the game .. but i remember an article , a review , about some indie that highlight some negative point sin a rather agressive way . Except it was clear via comments , that those who played the game , that it was full of wrong intel and misdirection . The game's dev even got involved and could prove the bias and crap , since the reviewer's progression was monitored online , and proved he didnt even finish the game like claimed .

Something not so dissimilar happened at Ign over GT5 , when it was clear the reviewer never got past level 10 and was talking out of his arse about the game

Without comments , and those buried away in forums or some facebook page , such behavior would get a free pass , and give the impression people agree with the review

[R00bot]

Although the comments on N4G make the decision whether to keep comments harder, I believe they should stay (even if people can say stupid things at times).

[fossilfern]

Wish they would bring back the open zone comments. They were fun

[CaptainCamper]

What use is writing something not aimed at interesting readers? If someone has been decent enough to choose my outlet to read something rather than the millions of other choices, least I can do is give them the right to exercise free speech.