The question.

Another day at N4G. Another fan based flamewar. While some of the tactics implemented are amusing, most are just pathetic. You people know who you are. Anyway, I digress. The reason for this blog is to ask a question. The way I see it, the three big console companies all took different approaches this gen.

Nintendo went for engaging the player by introducing motion control as standard. It worked out well. Many people spent money on the Wii. Profits are up. They cracked the casual market. The downside of the Wii is a much smaller step up from the specs of last gen.

Microsofts' approach was a portal for their software. (I know. Seems strange with them being a software company and all.) From the moment you get online the portal's open. You need a drive to make the most it but the hardware's suited for the job. Even if poorly manufactured to cut costs.

Sony introduced a new format. A manufacturer that brought a new, different approach to hardware and a drive to match. The drawback to that was it was new and different. Dev's needed time to get their heads around the way it worked.

Looking around N4G I see titles everywhere that are questions, not statements.
So at last to my question. How can I write an entire blog entitled "The question" using only statements when some sad people can't even make a title using one?

[Jinxstar]

I dont even know how to reply... I want to though so if I don't even come close to answering your question let me know.

There is a very big summer lul currently in effect. Very few games being released and very little info coming out at least until comic con. Possibly Leipzig or TGS. So what else do sites have to do but ask questions, do comparisons and speculate in order to keep hits up and be able to feed themselves? They can make "Top 10 list of 'fill in the blank'" or say "Will sony survive the next year?" or "Will MS go broke from buying exclusive X,Y or Z" Thats all they can do right now and the way to get hits is to stir up the fanboys and flamewars. It works.

i.e. "Lets p!ss off the fanboys, get them to argue on our site and cause traffic"

How can you write a blog on a question? Well you can't and that really is not the point of these sites. It's to get people to click that link and say "ZOMG this author is a !diot. I need to explain to him why blah blah blah" then someone else adds their 2 cents to that... A site like IGN doesn't really care if their writter John Doe is hated by people. It causes traffic and they know it. The author may not even agree with what he writes. He's just doing his job and causing people to click that link...

I hope that answered what you were asking. You probably already knew all that but thats the reason...

[LostDjinn]

I already knew that. People post blogs posed as questions so they can make absurd claims. If you were to make these claims as statements then your credibility is shot from that point on. If you make claims based as questions then you can invent all the information you want.

The number of "questions" you see as articles here on N4G really are a testament to how pathetic gaming journalism has become.