N4G Poll: Opinions & You

Hello again everyone!

So, time for another impromptu poll. But, let me put this up front here, that this one may not end in an immediate change as there are levels to this that are out of our, the moderation team, control. Much of this has to do with the fact that what our regular users want oftentimes might differ from what guest users who get here from search engine results want or expect. But, at least this poll will give us an idea of how people perceive the topic at hand and we can use it when discussing it further with HAVA and the moderation team.

We've seen more and more criticisms of the site being overrun with opinion pieces that detract from actual news. It popped up in our last poll and it pops up almost anytime we inform people about a policy change on the site. While criticisms are easy to see, we wanted to ask two questions to see if we can't narrow down the issue people have regarding opinion pieces on N4G.

We highly suggest feedback in the comments section, but please do your best to name make it about your fellow users and instead stick to the topic at hand. Let's respect each other's opinions even though we may disagree or perceive a bias in it.

Question A: What type of opinion pieces do you think are making it hard to get news on N4G or detract from actual news?

Select all that apply:

1. Top # Lists
2. Opinions on rumors
3. Opinions on hot news items
4. Opinions on old games or game concepts

Question B: What is your biggest problem with opinion pieces on N4G?

Select all that apply

1. Too many opinion pieces about the same subject
2. Clickbait or misleading titles and information in opinion pieces
3. People discuss the opinion pieces more than the actual news
4. They fuel console war discussions

---

Please feel free to expand on your thoughts in the comments. But, our usual guidelines on comments apply here, so let's try our best to keep it civil, please.

[anaissad15]

A, None of that is important.

B all the the above + moderation that allows articles to say one thing then flagging/banning someone as trolling for saying the same things that were in the articles. As well as moderation that allows opinion articles they agree with while blocking opinion articles they disagree with.

[Christopher]

I get your point on B. It's a weird system where we have our own guidelines but link to articles that, on their site, might say things we don't normally allow. Sometimes we don't allow submissions as it is because it's just trollish or fanboyish material, but sometimes it's something we feel like we might be applying our own bias in not allowing and we still have our site policies.

in all honesty, we can't control what the thousands of people writing articles say, but we can moderate our guidelines here. Though it's no different than linking to a site that uses profanity or contains offensive material that we don't allow in the comments section here and require contributors to denote if the content is NSFW or the like.

[Knushwood Butt]

The News Posting Guidelines don't mention anything about adding NSFW, nor if such content is allowed or not.

[darthv72]

I like the opinion pieces and if anything they help promote healthy debate because we all can have differing opinions on the pieces posted throughout the day. i mean if you think about it, reviews are opinions. They are the opinion of the reviewer and those pieces spark lots of discussion with some always saying the review was click bait when that is really just the opinion of that person commenting.

Obvious click bait is obvious but opinion pieces are fine. We dont all have to agree and thats the beauty of those pieces.

[Christopher]

***The News Posting Guidelines don't mention anything about adding NSFW, nor if such content is allowed or not.***

https://n4g.com/user/blogpo...

Titles -> Letter h

"h) [NSFW] text should be added to the beginning of any title where the source links to content that contains graphic content, such as nudity, pornographic imagery, or extreme acts of violence;"

So, yeah, they do mention it and if they mention how to handle it, one would assume that as long as it falls within the other guidelines it would be allowed on N4G.

[Knushwood Butt]

@ Christopher

That's helpful but it's not mentioned here:

https://n4g.com/site/guidel...

It's the first time I've seen your blog post. Never knew it existed, or how to nabigate to it. Did I miss something obvious?

[NecrumOddBoy]

Is there a place where the guidelines for reporting are kept? I've seen a lot of Articles called lame when they clearly don't deserve to be shot down because they don't fit a point of view.

There are also way too many articles that are actually links to Amazon or cdkeys with discount codes that give the linked article website profit and that's just blatant spam.

[TheScotsman]

A. All of them are an annoyance.
B. All of these apply to opinion pieces

Opinion pieces are like a disease and cause most of the issues on this website. Be it obvious click bait to get traffic to some down right lying. Rumours are not rumours just cause someone posted it on 4chan. N4g is not alone, YouTube and twitter is full of videos that have no real news at all and just pure opinion, and everybody gets fed up with it

[nibblo]

Agree with you, I do not like opinion pieces but most people do because it engages emotions and fans the tribal wars, just give me the facts personally. It's happening more and more in journalism unfortunately and I've kinda resigned myself to them.

[GamerRN]

I agree

[-Foxtrot]

Question A: What type of opinion pieces do you think are making it hard to get news on N4G or detract from actual news?

1 & 3

Question B: What is your biggest problem with opinion pieces on N4G?

2 / 3 / 4

I've said it once and I'll say it again, I don't understand how most of these opinion pieces get by, ones that start console war discussions or top whatever lists but other articles that talk about big political scandals within the industry or even things that you probably could say belongs on Filmwatch BUT is about video games, get wiped out the second they land. At the end of the day, especially with places like Filmwatch which is basically dead, as long as they are video game related in any way it should be okay.

This is NEWS for GAMERS remember...not "Top 10 List Galore"

[jambola]

yeah it's kind of annoying seeing thing like "Sony will steamroll microsoft next gen" by forbes, an then seeing the same site saying "don't underestimate microsoft next gen" a week later

[-Foxtrot]

Yeah I hate that we see shitty articles like that BUT when you have well known Youtubers (whether you like them or not) like Angry Joe or Jim Sterling who provide videos which usually speak out about MT's, Loot Boxes, showing us why whatever company in the spot light has f***** up, it's not allowed.

I'd rather have more videos shedding a light on controversies, providing information rather than console wars or crappy top ten lists.

[Rebel_Scum]

Dunno if both articles were done by different writers or not. Regardless I don't see an issue with a site producing content with arguments for both sides. Should the media have an agenda/bias? I don't think so.

And its a common complaint about general news media these days about being one eyed (left leaning or right/alt right leaning). Kinda weird to read your complaint tbh.

[GamerRN]

Even worse is getting banned for not liking the console of choice

[jambola]

yeah but to be fair i feel like it would just be s problem too
do we really want 45 different youtube links posted here with "*youtubers*' view on topic"

[-Foxtrot]

Come on...I'm not saying EVERY YouTuber

There's quote a few well respected ones who have a deep understanding of the industry, some who have insiders to provide whatever background they can and also years of experience.

My point is if you are going to let some shitty opinion pieces in then I'd rather see something like Jim Sterling when he was giving a constant flow of information during the Battlefront II controversy, telling you the ins and outs, doing research.

[morganfell]

Welcome articles provide information. Unwelcome articles tell you what to believe. There are those that insist any policing of the press is a slippery slope. They expound endlessly that the press must operate unhindered. But let us be honest, many of the articles permitted here hardly fit the definition of an honest press serving the gaming demographic. Quite simply there must be away for the readership to remove these cankers. That system once existed here if in appearance only. The press will never learn unless N4G provides the readers a whip with which to chastise clickbait trash producers.

[Christopher]

@-Foxtrot: This will be a future poll as it relates to YouTube as a source and how we manage sourcing versus how the idea of approving certain youtube personalities/sources but not others.

[jambola]

Sure
and s long as it's either
A, a separate section
or B moderated well
I'm ok with it
I'm just saying it would have the same issues as opinion pieces

[morganfell]

It is a bit mystifying that they would police youtube videos but not opinion pieces. In essence it is a medium being filtered rather than the character of the content, and such an action makes little sense. It also means the willingness to look at opinion pieces disguised as information and treat them accordingly.

[rainslacker]

@Morgan

YT videos were kind of a plague here for a while. I think they went a bit a bit too far to one extreme by outright bans, but it was more because they were taking a hands off approach to curating various types of content within.

There were Let's Plays, Reaction videos, even worse opinion videos than we see in these articles, etc. Unfortunately, it did remove the more prolific and productive YT videos and reviews that were posted on YT. You had commentary from well respected YT that were lumped into the same group.

A lot of these same people have their own sites where they post their videos, and those are allowed to be posted on here when linked to an actual article. You just can't link directly to YT as the article itself. I notice that no one really posts those videos here like that. Not sure why. I know Yahtzee for Zero Punctuation is on The Escapist. Angry Joe has his own site I think. The Jim Sterling has his own site. As far as I know, nothing prevents those from being posted.

[dumahim]

I wonder if we could go the route to whitelisting certain youtubers that we can mostly agree with that bring solid content and not just trying to drive clicks.

I'd actually like an ignore site feature.

[jambola]

yeah
Few sites here i'd love to be able hide from my view
wold greatly improve my experience here

[rainslacker]

I could see that easily being abused though. It's not uncommon for some inciteful and low quality YT to have a lot of subscribers which can influence the vote. That means someone is ultimately going to have to make a decision on the quality of the content, and as Chris and I were discussing below, that's a fine line to walk. Even if you get beyond the fact that not everyone is going to agree with any given decision, there is that slippery slope of what kind of bias can be introduced....even if unknowingly by a mod. Even if they're just in a bad mood one day, it could prevent decent content from making it through.

I think YT videos could have the same thing applied to them that these opinion piece articles may. No Let's Plays. No reaction videos.

Reviews done in good taste(as there are some which are really piss poor on YT and that should be one of those readily apparent things), Commentary(Opinion pieces) that are based on facts(barring minor mistakes as that always happens), should be fine so long as they meet the same requirements of the other posting guidelines.

This may be a better thing to discuss when they end up doing that discussion as Chris says they will in the future. Getting the opinion piece thing figured out would help set guidelines for what kind of YT content is also allowed.

[lex-1020]

I think that would depend on what you consider "solid content".

[UnholyLight]

100% agreed Foxtrot on all accounts here

[jambola]

I think they're fine seeing that there's separate sections for it
i would like to see less clickbait though, and less 10 page lazy articles where you have to click to new pages for 3 lines of text

also, maybe this wouldn't be as much of a problem if you didn't allow trolls so easily,maybe have a wait period before new accounts can commen, so many faceless, no profile pic trolls here that clog up the comments,
why? because they can make a new account in 10 minutes

edit, never mind, i guess there isn't a separate section, just 20 minutes ago there is a post from thegamer.com in the news section with the title "pokemon will always be a handheld series"
maybe keep the news for news, and ban/suspend people that either fail to comply, and people that approve stories in the wrong sections

[Smokehouse]

I think the opinion chains are stupid. It’s not rumor or news.
For example:
Article 1. Article on stupid twitter post
Article 2. Response to article on stupid twitter post
Article 3: opinion on the “controversy” involving both sides of stupid twitter post.

Nobody cares about the stupid twitter post.

[SyntheticForm]

Agreed.

[Germaximus]

A. None. I prefer opinion pieces. Maybe make a more obvious News section separate from Opinion Pieces.
B. 2 (Not N4G's fault. The whole world is only attracted to clickbait. Even regular news does it now.)

[rainslacker]

While it's more technical, and beyond the mods purview, N4G should have better filtering options for the users. Even a way to block certain websites from even showing up. But at the least, better sorting when you select you're looking for news.

[dumahim]

I like the idea, but not sure it will be effective. There's some really good opinion stuff out there, but most of it is shit. Allow or unallow opinion articles won't really work. Unless I suppose you can whitelist or block certain sources.

[AK91]

Yup this is the best choice imo let the users decide to block certain websites on this site.

[Hold-The-Door]

1. Look at game on daily
2. Copy pasta
3. ???
4. Profit

[rainslacker]

@dum

Yeah, but if you want news, sometimes you just want to filter news. N4G does allow that now, but I've found it doesn't work as well as it should. That's probably more an issue with the tagging and article classification system though, which is on the contributors and those who approve those articles.

But, a full site block is one of the most requested features I see on here next to a user block(as in you won't see those people's messages, not just PM blocks).

That can have side effects of course, as you may not see some discussion going on that is replied from those users. Some of the more active and interesting discussions I have do get spurned from what I would deem fan boys, just not always from them directly. But, if it's like the inappropriate flag, then we could maybe still open them up and see them as an option.

@AK91

Realistically, this is already possible just by not clicking. However, I don't think the site name shows up on the mobile app until you click the article. On top of that, just seeing these topics I believe compels people to see what they're saying, or they want to say something about it, or if it's a hot topic, I think people feel compelled to socialize in some way with the other users. I mean, that's what a discussion forum is after all, and the more inciteful an article is, the more it's going to show up, and eventually get people heated. Regular news generally doesn't get much attention.

@hold

There are a lot of sites which just rip off other sites content. Doubt that's going away, but I would like to see the source of that stuff get more credit for putting in more work to get the story. When IGN does an interview, i'd rather see the IGN interview at the top, instead of the 10 articles posted by various websites picking out one or two things from said interview.

While we're getting well beyond the scope of the poll, and again, beyond the scope of what the mods can implement, I would also say having these opinion pieces that are based on sourced material actually require the original source for that link if it exists.

[Hold-The-Door]

Nah bro i mean N4G need to copy pasta game on daily

[Garethvk]

To me its the flame stuff like Nintendo will dominate 2021. Or this or that failed or was canceled and its ok.

[RazzerRedux]

Question A: What type of opinion pieces do you think are making it hard to get news on N4G or detract from actual news?
1. Top # Lists

Typically because a lot of sites spread the list across multiple pages which is just annoying. But these lists are pointless either way. Just some guy/girl's opinion on some ranking of games typically. Does anyone really care about this?

Question B: What is your biggest problem with opinion pieces on N4G?

1. Too many opinion pieces about the same subject
2. Clickbait or misleading titles and information in opinion pieces

The millionth or so X company is going to destroy Y company is just absurd. And the titles are designed to be divisive. Forbes is notorious for this.

[ShadowWolf712]

Question A: 2
Question B: 2, with a bit of 4.

[Tetsujin]

A. 2 Because most of those set unrealistic expectations.
B. 2 Because of previous statement, and it's nothing more than site revenue.

My main issue with opinion pieces is 90% of them aren't nothing more than the same BS that can be picked up elsewhere. It's one thing to have an opinion about delays, or why X game plays a certain way; however, to have an opinion about why PS games showing up on PC spells doom and gloom, I'll pass.

[Direwolf484]

Question A, it's #1 for sure. Lists are *fine* in theory but the number of "Top X random thing" opinion pieces has gotten out of control. Question B, it's #2. I swear I'm seeing several opinion pieces on the exact same subject over and over, with near identical titles.

[Nitrowolf2]

Question A:
1. Don't have an issue with these outsides of what's not in ur control with them being on a separate page for each item. Unless you can make it so if a top 10 gets submitted, it all must be listed on a single page. I feel they're cheap ways to exploit the readers, making them want to click each page. Spam does that, who likes Spam?
2. I think these are the worse. I understand we can have an opinion on a rumor that can make an interesting discussion, but the problem is most are written as if they're true. To me, it does more harm because people end up believing it more. It's a cheap way to try and pass rumor off as news. A trojan horse if you will.
3. If it's a hot subject everyone's gonna have an OP about it. I don't think it's wrong as it tends to help determine the general opinion of everyone towards a subject.
4. This is a non-issue IMO. Sure those games are from Yesterday, but it's good to look back at titles.

Question B:
1. 100% agreed. a few problems, if you limit them then we get really poorly written stories that are rushed to post here. We know some stories are out there that solely write for the fanbase here rather than their own, limiting them is just gonna get more of them to rush things. Basically we'd have to eliminate OP altogether I feel to fix the issue.
2. We don't need click bait
3. This is a big problem. I've seen too much news get buried only for it to "matter" when someone has a hot take on it.
4. Yeah, we don't need console war battles here. IMO it makes the site look bad, as if it wants it's users to fight with one another even though other sites are submitting the content. Why is it okay for a website to push one agenda (PlayStation is Better) and then the next week push another (Xbox is better)? It's cheap and exploitive and they know it. Sites try to say they're impartial by doing stuff like that, but come on, we both know they just want the cheap hits.

Also, Suggestion on the rumor side of things because I see way too many rumors based on Anon sources now. Should put a popup when a user selects rumor saying if the source is Anon it does not qualify. Something to help limit them

[rainslacker]

I once discussed matters such as this with Christopher, and we talked about trolling from users, and articles. He said something along the lines of it wasn't the mods place to curate the discussion in such a way that influences it.

While I do agree with that sentiment, it doesn't address the matter of click bait or trolling. To me, trolling is generally pretty easy to spot. It's like pornography. It's hard to define, but you recognize it when you see it.

That discussion was more about users than the topics of articles, but I think the notion that trolling(which is what click bait is), is also pretty readily apparent.

It just seems to me that the mods have enough internet know how to recognize when a site is doing something for clicks, and when they're doing it as a valid opinion piece. They don't even have to rely on the feedback from users, although the users feedback is also worth looking at. There are a few sites here which are almost universally disliked, and at some point, instead of using these polls to decide on making a policy, maybe just ask people to give feedback on a particular site. Don't do it right when they're hot to hate on, but a week or so later just put it to a vote. There has to be valid reason to do it, and not just because they harass a particular console maker, but rather they consistently provide low quality news. If people feel otherwise, they can make a case for the site itself, and if they really wan tthat site to stay around, make it more than, "Well X site does this, so the site in question is fair game too".

Probably requires more user interaction, but these recent polls show that there are people who are engaged. N4G isn't going to be hit had by removing some sites that provide low quality content.

I'd also recommend that original sources get actual credit when posted on here. Not the alternative links, but if IGN breaks some news, make them the top link in the chain that people will click. Give incentive for real news to be posted, because it's typically the bigger sites that click bait less that have the real news. Every one else is mostly just leeching off the big boys.

[Christopher]

Your first part is essentially what this is about in partial. Do the users want the moderators to actually curate content based on specific factors if it provides an environment more to their liking? And, if so, what metrics should we use to determine such things.

As it is, when I fail something based on a more subjective nature, such as "Dead Horse Topic" or even just based on clear cut rules such as an anonymously sourced rumor, the result is tons of complaints from people who want it because it suits their bias. So, if the issue persists no matter how "out of it" we remain, would people see a better site if we continued that line of thought towards opinion pieces?

[Petebloodyonion]

"To me, trolling is generally pretty easy to spot. It's like pornography. It's hard to define, but you recognize it when you see it."

That comment is priceless and spot on!

[rainslacker]

Yeah, I understand. It's a fine line. Even if you go at it with the best of intentions, some people are going to accuse you of being biased, or selective with the news. We already see that now, even though many times it is you applying the rules, and people not realizing that you can't get to everything right away.

I was speaking more about the "news" or in this case opinion articles that are so obviously written as click bait. I know sometimes it may seem that way, and moderation would happen that maybe was unjustified for a particular piece, but in the overall picture, would it really be that detrimental if exercised cautiously if one good article gets blocked?

I guess what I'm saying is that when we talked about it before, it seemed more like you were taking a mostly complete hands off approach. That's an understandable approach. But this particular poll seems to be geared more towards should you be more hands on with the effort, or at least how the users would feel about it, and to what extent any new policy should be implemented.

I'm afraid that there is no real easy answer, because I find that a lot of the dislike for opinion pieces seems very centered around the nature of the content within. If an opinion piece supports someone's console preference, then they're fine with it, while the other side asks why something else was banned. And then the reverse is true.

It just seems to me that a good starting point, without diving too much into deep analysis of them, is start with the more known offenders of click bait tabloid trash. I think the new rumors policy will help with some of that.

Anyhow, I feel that trying to clean up the trash will maybe help clean up the site in general. It won't be immediate. Some people will be upset. But I've gone from trying to be reasonable to just fighting fan boys most of the time, and while i often say I won't keep participating, I do keep getting sucked in. A personal problem sure, but it's not like there are really any better places to discuss these same topics as a consumer. If they exist, they're not usually as active.

@Pete

Can't remember which one, but it was a supreme court justice that said that when they ruled that pornography was a legal form of free speech, and couldn't be censored by the government. I think it was one of the justices that was against pornography being legal, as a way to define what pornography was.

I just felt what I was trying to say about click bait could also have this same principal applied.

[rainslacker]

"So, if the issue persists no matter how "out of it" we remain, would people see a better site if we continued that line of thought towards opinion pieces?"

Realize I didn't answer this.

***TL;DR version so it won't be at the end.

Curating content can help, but it takes a long time to build and change the culture of a website, and it takes more than just not exposing people to the offending content in question. All these opinion pieces in question now are nothing new around here. They've existed in plenty for as long as I can remember. It's the culture of the site that has changed.

***explanation for those that don't mind reading a wall of text.

There is nothing really wrong with the site IMO. There are some design choices that could be looked at, but as far as the content of the site, the problems are more about what people are engaging in with the site. If you start to remove the things that they are engaging in negatively, that cause you the most issues with moderation, that seem to cause the most tension between different users, then it's reasonable to assume that over time, the culture will become less toxic.

N4G didn't get to where it is now on the culture overnight. At the start of last gen, the culture wasn't as harsh.
he console war stuff was nowhere near as harsh. You had the back and forth, and certainly the sudden rise of MS, supported by the explosion of the internet. Now, the internet is more than mainstream, it's ubiquitous, and everyone feels empowered to voice their opinions. Couple this with this the mentality that one is always be right, and not have to accept or tolerate other people's opinions, and you have two users who used to be agreeable enough, now at each other's throats.

The opinion pieces in question are just regurgitating the same arguments over and over again. Nothing is really getting added. It doesn't help that there is a ten comment limit, so every time an article pops up, we start anew, and then push through until we get back to the same stopping point.

I know I've said it to you before, but curating the content is only one step, and it's a tricky step. But, as mods, you can set the tone of the discussion. Being active with the community, and discussing with the users that are at least trying to be productive goes a long way in setting the tone. I know you guys are busy, but I know that at least three of you, (CL, You, and coolbeans) all used to be some of the best commenters on the site. Coolbeans could kill a negative discussion in it's tracks with his well thought out comments, but now he seems bitter and swaying towards one side of bias.

Regular users seem bitter. My comments are more vitriolic, and it's a failing of mine that I recognize. But users like gangsta_red(My apparent arch nemesis), also weren't as persistent or vitriolic in their comments. 7-10 years ago if this cross play discussion was had, the tension in our discourse never would have reached the levels of disdain we appeared to hold for one another. That kind of stuff was usually only happened with the really active trolls.

It's about setting the tone. There are lots of ways to do that. It will take time, maybe even years. But an ideal should be set. It should be transparent and something people want to aspire to. It's a community based site, and the community is unhappy with the culture, which gets taken out on the content which is supporting that culture.

***Suggestion***

Instead of policy polls, ask the users, "What would you like the culture of this site to aspire to". Then hold them to that if it matches what you as the administrator want it to be.

[jjb1981]

A.
#1
The numbered lists are on websites where I have to click through a web page for each numbered item only to find a few lines of text actually relate to the topic. Bless the heroes that go through those pages just to summarize the list for us in the comments section.
B.
#2
Clickbait articles are the worst. You can tell when non-gamers write articles just to get clicks. Even though most of us see these a mile away, some will click out of curiosity just the see the amount of sheer stupidity in the "article". Some writers will go out of their way to rate a game a 5/10 when most scores are 8 or above just invoke curiosity of the article's content. That content is just riddled with ridiculous notions and preconceptions of games that they most likely did not finish.

[MasterCornholio]

Question A: 1

We get so many of these lists and honestly I hate the sites that make you click so many pages just to see them all.

Question B: 2. Clickbait or misleading titles and information in opinion pieces

I have a perfect example of a site that tries to ignite console wars with their clickbait articles

VGCultureHQ

Sites like this produce clickbait on a regular basis and they tend to detail the comment section with then. In my honest opinion we really don't need these types of opinion pieces.

Also number 4 pairs perfectly with clickbait articles.

Thanks for asking us for feedback.

Also now that your talking to the site developers an ignore function for users and sites would be fantastic. That alone would make this site much better in my opinion.

[Furesis]

A 2
B 1
i don't mind opinion pieces but i feel there's a bit too many of them and sometimes i click on opinion piece thinking it's actual news but it was just an opinion piece. would be nice if it was easier to tell what is what. maybe different stories could have some kind of colored borders or something to know that "aha this is news not opinion piece" just by quickly looking at it you know.

[Silly gameAr]

"Question A: What type of opinion pieces do you think are making it hard to get news on N4G or detract from actual news?"
1.

"Question B: What is your biggest problem with opinion pieces on N4G?"
All of the above.

1.There are usually multiple articles banging on about the same thing, meanwhile, there's 2 articles already approved and gaining heat on the front page.

2.Clickbait is a huge problem on N4G, and has been for a while. I know it drives traffic, but it also starts fights and spreads misinfomation most of the time.

3.Well, when there's more opinion pieces being approved than actual news, that's easy to do.

4.Refer to 2. There's always a "mine is better than yours" article that does it's job, and gets attention.

[Knushwood Butt]

A 2
B 2, 4

[ziggurcat]

A: a little from column 1, a little from column 2

B: 2 & 4, 100%

[ajax17]

This is why I have n4g.com/channel/all/news bookmarked instead of just n4g.com

[MadLad]

I just want less of the 10 page click crap, and less blatant flame war grasping content.

[Ilovetheps5]

A. The one type of article I dislike is the dailyvideogames "sale" article trying to make it seem like Amazon is doing a crazy deal when it's not really a deal. It's just random games that are a little less than usual. It's not a AAA sale that Amazon is running. It's just a random assortment they were able to find on Amazon. It takes away from the real articles about sales that are happening, so I end up overlooking those.

B. There are way too many opinion pieces to where it's way more common than actual news.

[Vanfernal]

A2 B2

My main issue with N4G is fake outrage or "SJW" opinion pieces where the discussion is not the game itself but some aspect of the game and how that's "offensive". Case in point, a recent article about from The Gamer about how the concept of adding pets to Animal Crossing would be problematic because the characters are already animals. It's literally an opinion piece expressing how a HYPOTHETICAL situation represents a moral dilemma in a game about anthropomorphic animals. They are literally creating controversy out of thin air for no reason.

[Mooncake]

Just give everyone more control of their own news feed. At the very least we should be able to block websites we don't like.

[jambola]

I think if we could block sites, sort effectively, like a checklist of what we want/don't want, and they moderated what goes into which feed, it would be fine

[coolbeans]

I think this is the right way. Or make it even more complex than just websites and include whole categories (opinion pieces, rumors, etc.)

[monkey602]

Essentially all of the above have been an issue on N4G for a while now. Top # number lists, 18+ Lewd trash, The 40 million mods that make geralt of Rivia playable in whatever game now, When a new game comes out and an article pops up for each ability the MC has in it,

Standards are at floor level and leave N4G open as a portal to abuse and give sites revenue through all of these listed poor means.

[jambola]

why so many against 18+ stuff? if you don't have interest just scroll by, like anyone else does with info they don't care for

[Emilio_Estevez]

Lots of people like to or have no choice but to browse in public spaces, family settings or at work, all of which are not exactly cool with porno games for the most part. There are a decent number of children browsing as well as people of religious backgrounds that aren't as open to such things also. These are what people usually give as a reason when they bring it up to us. As someone who primarily does N4G'ing while at work, I would have to agree. The pictures for those articles don't contain anything totally lewd, but are certainly suggestive and still aren't really 'cool' for the environments/people I mentioned.

[Emilio_Estevez]

Why sex isn't okay but violence isn't has nothing to do with N4G, that's a societal thing we have no control over, talk to the FCC or whoever makes those guidelines, idk. I don't care if others are interested in it, but I wish there was a filter for it so they didn't show in my feed while at work. There really aren't that many though and we have discussed the issue in the past, nothing is likely to change regarding them. You asked why, I'm just repeating what others have expressed to us in the past regarding 18+ stories.

[monkey602]

I do scroll past it. However they do not make the front page family friendly. Maybe seperate tab is needed for them. Theres no need for me to repeat what Emilio has said otherwise

[jambola]

@Emilio_Estevzez
then we should remove everything 18+ right?
can't have kid seeing gta or call of duty

[coolbeans]

1.) GTA and Call of Duty aren't officially 18+

2.) If they hit the FCC's guidelines for advertising why can't they be mentioned here?

[Kurisu]

A)

1. Whilst I'm not against top # completely they're hugely subjective and don't really bring anything to the table.

2. I joined this site 14 years ago, when the three Final Fantasy XIII games got announced. Actual game news got me here, not a random article written by someone's auntie who has an opinion about the PS5 looking like a fried egg.

B)

Probably a mixture of all of these.

[Xenial]

Honestly, I don't have any personal issues with any of the reasons listed in the poll.

[rainslacker]

A:

You left out, Opinions that are based off assumptions about what companies are or aren't doing, and opinions based on false data which is confirmable. These would be the clickbait type articles.

An example would be recent opinions about what MS is doing with xCloud and cross buy, and disregarding any and all facts that Sony has been doing this stuff. The articles usually don't even mention this, but act like Sony has to do something to get up to speed with MS.

I'm sure MS fans could think of their own relevant examples.

Most other opinions are free game IMO.

B.

All of the above.

[rainslacker]

I'd also like to add that the culture of N4G has changed from talking about games or general things, to being about antagonizing the other users....most often around console preference. While this has existed for a long time, it was not the only thing you see.

While I now mods can't control this too much, the culture of N4G needs to be built around discussion, not pitting each other against one another.

I don't even try to discuss games much here anymore, and as this generation has progressed, I've become less interested in discussing anything reasonably with people because I can't get many that want to respond in a reasonable manner. When they do, no one else joins in, and the discussion dies. I can't speak about technical things because no one will listen to care if it may somehow be a negative, or isn't the super awesome god send that will prop up their own console preference.

You can't change everyone, or how they behave, but trying to make a culture of respect will help a lot. The people that are engaged now just don't seem to care about much, even if they have strong feelings about topics.

[Gardenia]

Question A: 1 and 3
Question B: 2

More and more clickbait articles have taking over, but also articles that aren't worth mentioning. For example the PS4 update that is only stability performance is being clickbaited like if there is actually a major important update. And it's every single time.

As for opinion article I think they should be separated from news articles. The site is called N4G for a reason, for game news first.

[IRetrouk]

A. I dont think the types of articles is the issue to be honest, atleast not for me, apart from maybe 2 because it's often used to spread rumor as fact or atleast comes across that way most of the time.

B. I think all of what you listed is more the issue for me, articles made out of quotes and part quotes getting more attention than the actual interview etc but that's the stuff that seems to drive the traffic, which is kinda what you need as a website, it's a catch 22.

[AnubisG]

I think opinions have no place on a site called news 4 gamers. Opinions aren't news and everyone has one. Anyone can create a website, write their opinion and post ot on n4g. I would just like to see the news from credible sources on N4G. But that is just me.
I don't care about anyones top list, anyones opinion on hot new items and rumors or old games and game concepts.

They do, many times fuel console wars. There is just no need for them.

Just my 2cents.

[Knushwood Butt]

Agree to a point but whete do you draw the line? All reviews are opinions after all.

[AnubisG]

That's exactly where. A review is fine, someone just randomly talking about how they like or dislike a particular thing in gaming is pointless.

[coolbeans]

"Anyone can create a website, write their opinion and post ot on n4g."

That's not really the case. It's not like every user creating a blogspot site gets instant access. There's at least some background or accreditation required.

[neutralgamer1992]

Question #1

Don't allow lists which are on more than one page

Question #2

All answers apply. Especially Forbes they will release articles praising one brand than same day doom and gloom

Not much news just paid PR

[Executorjc]

A:2 &4. Opinions on rumors are fine occasionally but when that's half the articles on the feed then it's put of hand. Old games and concepts who cares unless it's a best of or a retrospective great, otherwise it detracts from current events.
B: None of the above, I just think the focus should be on current fact based content with occasional opinion pieces from credible sources and writers.

[Harryvok]

Opinion pieces are pointless. Don't have them at all. Reviews etc fine. Opinions, no.

[lio_convoy]

Articles that say "Capcom MUST release Megaman 12 in 720p because..." or "Sony will go bankrupt because they're not following X, Y or Z trend..." are complete hot garbage. They're not labeled as opinion pieces often or prominently enough and only serve one purpose; to sway a impressionable reader to the author's narrow point of view. These articles are the worst and show up too often. They need stronger disclaimers on them because they're not fact, they're opinion and need to be presented as such.

These shock and awe tactics that they try to use to get the click-throughs for ad revenue need to get curbed.

[ApocalypseShadow]

All of it. The site is called News 4 Gamers. Not rumors, not top # lists/reasons and especially opinions. The reality is that none of the people posting and creating these articles are journalists. Just bloggers and nonsense spreaders to create clicks for their own sites or this site.

All the nonsense pushed here creates the very cesspool that you have to mod. Since it is mostly BS, the comments become BS. Then we get BS modding because we commented on the BS. Which leads some of us to believe you don't mod well or have your own agenda. Which is why some have become silent or just left the site altogether. There were many great commentors that talked and knew about gaming and they gave up on the BS.

I've told individuals like Rain that this site does have potential. It pulls news from all corners of the internet and is actually cool to get a sense of what gamers think. There's nothing wrong with an opinion if it's about REAL NEWS. Not cut up articles. Not tweets unless it's from legit OP companies and developers,etc. But we don't need ten articles about the same thing.

If there is an opinion article, it should be about how Ray Tracing, SSDs, faster processors, new haptic technology, AR, VR, MR combined as XR, will make gaming just as fun or more immersive in the future than what we currently play. I don't care why so and so doesn't like a game and wants to post an article about it. I doubt most here do either. And there's not even channels for AR or VR. That's part of gaming. Where is it? There's tons going on that this site never sees.

Only question is, can this site survive on real news? It may be my last stop lately as news happens elsewhere so I look there first now before coming here. But this site could be more enjoyable than it is.

[DaReapa]

For Question A, I don't have a strong opinion on either of these choices. But if I were forced to choose, I would say 2.

For Question B, without a doubt, 2 and 4. It's quite aggravating to have to sift through flaimbait or fanboy nonsense to find any semblance of substance. This would be a far different site if we can eliminate the distraction those two cause.

[Servbot41]

Opinion pieces should not be on N4G, or at least relegated to a non-front page section. It's News for Gamers, not Jimmy's Opinion for Gamers.

[Jakens]

I'm one for any of the opinion pieces, but respect the strong voices seen in the comments here.

[dumahim]

A. all
B. 2, 3, and 4

I don't think we need an all out ban on opinions though. I would guess things like Digital Foundry does would fall under opinion and I have no problem with the work they do. It's just so few and far between quality opinion pieces and I'm not sure how we would decide which is ok and which isn't.

edit: reading some comments and thinking, maybe a filter by article type and an option to block sites from appearing. Most of the opinion articles are shit, but there's also some really good stuff out there we could be getting as well, so I don't think an article type filter would be enough.

[Mariye]

A: 1.
B: 4

[S2Killinit]

A. None of it
B. All of it is a concern.

Also I would suggest that N4G add a function where comments In a article get reshuffled so that the individuals who rush to an article to derail the conversation in the direction they like, are less successful.

That way every comment can potentially have the same exposure, thus reducing both the impact and the incentive behind these “derailing” comments at the very top of every article.

[Petebloodyonion]

A) It's actually hard to answer this question because the problem often lies in the purpose of the opinion piece instead of the concept of an opinion piece.
For example, having an opinion piece on a strong indy presence the ps4 help creating new ideas and concepts for AAA games would be welcome but having the same piece written with the goal of saying that Playstation is better to Switch or MS wouldn't really be relevant to the community.

B) It would be easy to respond all the above the actual truth is that ether N4G publishes all opinions pieces or none. being selective would mean that mods (or N4G) would get to decide which opinion is acceptable wich often translates to removing the one the mods disagree with.
2-3 and are quite similar in terms that ppl are more discussing the title instead of taking time to read the opinion piece or news before commenting.
4 It is probably the biggest problem and cause of toxicity on N4g.

2 suggestions I would propose

1- Create a proper forum or discussion board where ppl could vent, discuss rumor, console war etc.
2- Remove the option to comments on opinion piece but suggest discussing the topic in the forum (a create topic button could be add to the article).

[Thundercat77]

A. 1,2,3,4
B. 1,2,4

Many opinion peaces doesn't even respect real life facts.

[Rebel_Scum]

Question A: I don't care for either of those answers. Opinion pieces have their place on this site. Only problem is lists where its 5+ pages with one game per page that is literally a paragraph.

Question B: What is your biggest problem with opinion pieces on N4G?

#2 is easily the "biggest" problem and tbh I don't think its much of a problem. You can tell what quality of article you're getting into by the title and site.

#4 well if people end up in a useless internet argument over consoles that's their problem. I don't think its a N4G problem. Some people are just dumb their wasting time arguing about it.

[BeOpenMinded]

A 3

B 4

[crazyCoconuts]

A. 3 . Opinions on hot news items
B. 1. Too many opinion pieces about the same subject
And 2 . Clickbait or misleading titles and information in opinion pieces

Opinion articles that provide thoughtful or novel analysis on one console vs. another are great, but so many articles are just aimed at getting a flame war going and getting some clicks in return. Those articles are often droll and nonsensicle. They tend to come from the same low quality sites, so I'd love a way to filter out articles from those sites, even if it was just a personal filter.

[AK91]

Question A) 1-4
Opinion pieces these days are mostly clickbait and don't particular add anything to gaming discussion just a random game journo trying to get clicks or forcing their own beliefs/Agenda in gaming. Now that's not to say ALL opinion pieces are bad but it would be nice if there was some check up by the mods to see if this was a legit opinion piece that wanted other gamers opinion and general discussion as opposed to "you have to agree with me or your wrong."

Question B) 2-4
See my answer to Question A

In short I personally want more gaming news and less opinion pieces but if you have to have opinion piece approve those from people who aren't clickbait and want general discussion among the gaming community.

[v_eno_m]

why not create a separate page called opinions and allow all opinion tagged articles to end up there and away from the front NEWS page?

[jambola]

they actually do, it's just poorly moderated

[BlackIceJoe]

I personally have no problem with them. I can understand why some people do, but I just don't read those pages and skip over them.

[BioDead]

A: [4.]
B: [1. and 2.] The same annoying opinions and headlines: "99 reasons why you should stop saying 'here's why'. Here's why", "The reasons why I hate this. Here's why", "Here's why. Here's why".

[jambola]

"here's you opinions, but here's the correct one that YOU ALL MISSED"

[Pyrofire95]

A: 1 I'll read a variety of opinion pieces here and there but Top lists are always boring cash grabs that just make you keep loading a new page of ads to see the next item.
B: 2 it's clickbait for ad revenue.

It's nice to get a fresh perceptive sometimes and get something other than straight news, but often it's nothing so honorable or thoughtful.

[Pyrofire95]

Also any article in the form of:
[X reasons something is this (and x reasons isn't not)]
Can suck my ass.
I have maybe an irrational hatred for this format.

[Zesavur]

A: an opinion piece that's very satisfying to read are the ones where the writter stands by what they believe in while still being able to give their own counter points to that beliefe, the topic of the opinion piece is irreleveant to me

B: 4. due to my statement at A not being fulfilled the most

[Mr_cheese]

In my personal opinion, I understand that you need the opinion pieces to continue your traffic on the site but I do believe that it should be regulated and perhaps all come under its own tab rather or even have it so that when signed in, you can customise the type of content that you see. Even if you had an opinion piece of the week which the users voted for - something that credits real journalism.

Part 2 covers all of the issues with these articles. They are money grabbing pieces that rarely have any real substance with the main aim to draw clicks and the worst part about it is that it works. Large portions of this community flock to those articles to argue and counter argue fueling a toxic cycle.

N4G was and still is the place for gaming news, you just have to wade through a lot of rubbish before you get to the good stuff these days.

Anyway, this is all my opinion. Cheeeeeeeeseeeee

EDIT

Remember how fast N4G banned Hiphop Gamer? Need a similar stance to other sites...

[Emilio_Estevez]

HHG wasn't even banned for his bombastic opinions and rumors. He was banned because he stole a picture from Cat's (former admin) husband and refused to even acknowledge his wrong-doing, let alone take it down. He had a long list of plagiarism/content theft from other places as well. That news is/was out there, he just has a louder voice. Plagiarism and content theft will get your site banned, but we do let them back if they fix it, he didn't, he doubled/ tripled down.

[Jeronemo]

Been an N4G browser for a couple of years, but never bothered to make an account.. Well, here I am!
I expected an actual poll to provide my answers, am I missing it or is my comment the answer to the poll (=blogpost)?

Question A: What type of opinion pieces do you think are making it hard to get news on N4G or detract from actual news?

1. Top # Lists
Although I could appreciate a Top # List once in a while to see if I've missed any great scoring games, the amount of them is simply too much. Add to that the usage of the "3 sentences per page" tactic to maximize clicks.

2. Opinions on rumors
Definitely distracting the way they are now, but there is some gold in between the clickbait. Opinions on rumors are welcome if they elaborate on the rumors. E.g. perhaps there's a rumor that a Switch Pro is coming this year; If the article elaborates on where the rumor came from, what the trackrecord about similar rumors is, credibility etc etc, then it's a good opinion piece on the rumor. Unfortunately most opinions on rumors are just the rumor repeated plus a link to the rumor, which is plain clickbait in my opinion.

3. Opinions on hot news items
These are great as you get to see most sides of a news item with (healthy) discussions. Ofcourse, all in moderation!

4. Opinions on old games or game concepts
It's not really news if it's about old games or existing concepts, is it? Although an opinion piece about game concepts once in a while could be good. I'd prefer the controversial opionion in that case. In example; We all know and hate loot boxes, but perhaps there's something good about them as well? A well written opinion piece could be a nice read in that case.

Question B: What is your biggest problem with opinion pieces on N4G?

1. Too many opinion pieces about the same subject
Agreed, but I'm afraid you cant really do anything about the amount of them. As said below it might be worth it to try a voting system on the links to articles. Another option would be to simply filter out certain type of posts.

2. Clickbait or misleading titles and information in opinion pieces
Can I vote for this one twice? It doesn't add anything, is an opinion upon an opinion, and oftentimes it's about a game that hasn't released yet; it's based on a single trailer! And don't get me started on... Nevermind, clickbait and misleading titles are all over the place nowadays but should make room for well written articles.

3. People discuss the opinion pieces more than the actual news
Not really an issue in my opinion. People tend to voice their disagreement more often than just an opinion. It's no wonder an opinion piece (which is (slightly) biased) sparks more discussion than a newsarticle stating facts.

4. They fuel console war discussions
Although not all (mostly not I think) opinion pieces fuel console wars, these things are just plain bad. Live and let live, people disagreeing with 'your' platform doesn't make their platform any better or yours any worse.

My suggestion on A.1 would be to completely remove them and either created an actual poll per platform, where people could add new games and vote on existing ones, or don't and refer to metacritics and the likes to get your fill of "best games in genre # for platform X".

An overall suggestion (if it exists but I simply can't see it because I'm new, I apologise) I have would be to add a voting system to articles, in the same sense we have it for comments. If the downvotes are overwhelming action could be taken, or it could count as a warning to others that it might be a clickbait article.

[Jeronemo]

The too long didn't read part couldn't be posted as the limit of 4000 characters was reached (even though the total was 3605 characters long).

tl;dr
A+B: 1, 2 & 4

[Docmortem]

A: 1
B: 1,2,4

On A: Opinions are fun but we do not need another here are my top 10 Final Fantasy Games lists -.-
On B: All of these premature XBOX will kill PS, PS will kill XBOX articles are pure garbage and toxic

[sander9702]

A: None
B: 2

[noxeven]

Question A:
1 and 3
Question B:
2,3,4

Maybe give us the option when we are logged in to toggle seeing opinion piece articles. Just be able to hide them all. It probably way to much work but just a suggestion.

[leahcim]

hi guys thanks for asking ! ;
q A = 4
q B = 2 & 3

[Mithan]

Most opinion pieces are garbage click bait crap written by 16 year olds. The ones written by major sites are usually ok, but the majority are just stupid.

[fiveby9]

Question A: What type of opinion pieces do you think are making it hard to get news on N4G or detract from actual news?

2. Opinions on rumors

Question B: What is your biggest problem with opinion pieces on N4G?

2. Clickbait or misleading titles and information in opinion pieces
3. People discuss the opinion pieces more than the actual news

[TargusX]

B.

They are surrounded by nasty Ads, fake news and clickbait garbage. The rest is fine!

[TKCMuzzer]

A: number 2
It's not so much the opinion pieces, its the quality of them. So many are written as......

B: Number 2
.......click bait pieces just trying to stir up nonsense. They take bits from rumours, turn them into shallow opinion pieces.

[pecorre]

Question A:
1. Top # Lists
2. Opinions on rumors
4. Opinions on old games or game concepts

Question B: What is your biggest problem with opinion pieces on N4G?

1. Too many opinion pieces about the same subject
2. Clickbait or misleading titles and information in opinion pieces
3. People discuss the opinion pieces more than the actual news
4. They fuel console war discussions

[himdeel]

1. Top # Lists
2. Opinions on rumors
3. Opinions on hot news items
4. Opinions on old games or game concepts

1. Too many opinion pieces about the same subject
2. Clickbait or misleading titles and information in opinion pieces
3. People discuss the opinion pieces more than the actual news

[Mr_Writer85]

All of A and all of B.

Can't stand opinion pieces, if I want to read opinion pieces then I will go find them.

I'd love for N4G to be a one stop shop for actual gaming news/interviews and reviews.

[Emilio_Estevez]

A:
2 + 3

The problem is there are so many. Is there a way to combat this? I don't think there is. What do we do? Say we only accept opinions on them for a short period then declare it a dead horse, that would just encourage people to rush something out to beat the timer. They already rush to be first on the subject, this would just make it worse. On top of that, then us mods would just be dealing with a lot more arguments from the contributors when we start failing them. There is enough of that already.

We need filters. We have them, make them better. Allow people to save filters and add more options to the filters like websites and adding multiple criteria to filters.

I honestly don't care what peoples opinions on these subjects are 99.9% of the time. I can read the news and form my own opinion. That being said, I think people want this but I wouldn't use as I need to see the stories.

B:

1 + 3 + 4

1 is true, but I don't see a realistic way to fix it and I hesitate to suggest answers that would fail one persons valid opinion over the another.

More often then not, people just want to argue about their plastic box vs another plastic box and not really even speak about the subject. They use it as an avenue to say 'gotcha (insert platform) fanboys', pointing to the other fan-base. A lot of times it's the articles fault too though, they say fanboy-ish things and users react in kind. Maybe if people keep submitting flaming content from flaming sites they should get restrictions? I can think of a few sites that are guilty quite easily and my intuition says a lot of the opinions expressed in some of these articles are not genuine. If we have a contact with said site, we can convey to them the issue and warn first ofc.

The problem there is how are we to determine what's flaming, what's genuine and what about muh censorship? I hear people use the word censorship towards N4G when we fail something they don't agree with all the time, there is no way reducing these stories wouldn't result in more comments of that fashion. I don't know what people want really.

[shaenoide]

A= 1+2
B= 2+3+4

As far I am concerned I hate opinion pieces. But maybe some people do. So it would be nice to have an option to hide/show them on demand.

[Elwenil]

Question A: What type of opinion pieces do you think are making it hard to get news on N4G or detract from actual news?

2. Opinions on rumors - Easily one of the worst types of submissions here. Politics, social issues and many other topics that cause problems could all be severely reduced by eliminating opinion pieces.

Question B: What is your biggest problem with opinion pieces on N4G?

2. Clickbait or misleading titles and information in opinion pieces
3. People discuss the opinion pieces more than the actual news

I would almost pick 4, but honestly, I don't really care much about console wars. They seem so mundane and boring when compared to the opinions people get overly hot about these days. Clickbait has always been a problem, but when sites are posting articles that are obviously created just to generate clicks and get things stirred up, it goes beyond news and is just simple trouble-making.

[PGRfox]

a. 2 and 3

b. All of the above

[BrainSyphoned]

Opinions that are obviously not opinion.
Example: everything from Forbes.

[Maisay]

2. Clickbait or misleading titles and information in opinion pieces

[Parasyte]

A. 1 & 2
B. 2 & 3

[Blank]

Question A: 1/2/3 for #1 those top 10 list are usually separate, #2 rumors are good and all but we should only accept rumors from proven industry people, and #3 opinions on what’s “hot” gets annoying especially after a game or item releases.

Question B: well 1 and 2 are similar and go hand in hand as does 3 and 4 opinion pieces are not too bad but we can use LESS of them for sure and also they come off as shilling most of the time as opposed to a more thoroughly dissected opinion piece on whatever subject.

[strayanalog]

Question A: What type of opinion pieces do you think are making it hard to get news on N4G or detract from actual news?
#1. Okay, a list is fine every now and again because they can be good conversation starters, but lists with 10 pages to click through shouldn't be tolerated.

Question B: What is your biggest problem with opinion pieces on N4G?
#2. Just seems like the obvious choice. And, although not a big thing, lists or screenshots should have the number they claim to have. Some sites claim 20 new screenshots and you look and get 15.

[Profchaos]

Question A 1,2,4
I get these articles fill a gap when we go through an inevitable news drought but they are more often than not just annoying especially when there's actual stuff happening.

Question B
1,2,3 when a huge game releases there's so many review articles from obscure sites from everyone and their mums that it's a complete drown out of other articles on the site. Also I can't see anything but ps vs Xbox articles these days.

But my biggest annoyance comes in the form of NSFW 18+ porn games that get reviews or articles on this site and not just one or two there's been times when the entire tip news bar was 18 plus porn games

Most people don't want to give them a platform when looking at the comments I don't view them as games I view them as a weird niche that should have their own site or at least their own section that doesn't get listed on the main page so if I open the site on my phone the first thing I get is porn games

[shauzy]

Opinions in general are extremely biased on this site, and mostly wrong "heres why switch is best console" "heres why ps4 is better than xbox series x" "why should you buy a sega genesis right now" i come here for news, not this crap generated by fanboys to force their opinions on the readers

[Batchild27]

Question A: What type of opinion pieces do you think are making it hard to get news on N4G or detract from actual news?
No opinion on this. Opinions can be fun to discuss. While not "news" they offer a place for open discussion. Sometimes that goes into a full blown argument, but whatever.

Question B: What is your biggest problem with opinion pieces on N4G?

None of the options. The biggest issue I have is moderation of opinion pieces. A lot of the time a piece will get "failed" after getting hot because it is "just a rumor" etc, yet the category of "opinion" is not pretending to be news. One time I posted an article a friend wrote that was declined for "way too early to talk about PS5 launch games" , then IGN wrote a similar article two days later that was approved.

If opinion articles cannot be moderated with the same rules, get rid of opinion pieces altogether - OR - Put a whole section of N4G specifically for Opinions/Lists/Etc...

[Emilio_Estevez]

That isn't true though. Your story was failed because it didn't gather enough votes to over-ride the lame report from a user saying it was too early (this was over a year ago, so I'd say it was reasonable and not malicious). It didn't fail because it was too early, a user wrote that lame report and is entitled to do so unless the report is malicious, it wasn't. So that report is not enough to fail the story, it was failed because you marked it as fixed, which made the story push to the front page with only 5 approvals when the lame report should have made it require 10. Leaving the lame report could have had the story approved, it just would have needed the full 10 votes. This is an instance of not understanding the rules and systems we have in place, not anything about moderation. I reported that story first, before the lame report, and didn't fail it until after you had already marked it as fixed, pushing it past the lame report to the front page and that was the reason it failed. It's fine that you didn't understand at the time, but my failing report says the exact thing I'm mentioning now, not anything about it being too early. Please reach out if you still don't understand.

https://n4g.com/news/223344... - yours

This is the only IGN article on N4G about the lineup, but it's a year after yours, just a few months ago -> https://n4g.com/news/230126...
feel free to look->
https://n4g.com/?tab=latest...

[carcarias]

A: 1, 2, 3.

B: 2, 4

[Neo111]

A: 1, 2, 3.
B: 1, 2, 3, 4. 4 - is the worst. You have here a really toxic group of Playstation fanboys, who are ready to destroy every positive news about Xbox. And it's crazy that 2179th article about how great is an anticonsumer policy of Playstation is hotter than actual news about games. Cutting all "opinion" articles would help a lot :-)

[coolbeans]

A: Number 2

I only dislike this one for that potential of *false/questionable* rumors being commented on, making us have to clean up that stuff afterwards or users unnecessarily venting altogether.

B: Number 2

I don't see the big deal of more people discussing them than news. I mean...that seems to be where most go to air their disagreements. So long as the ire being shared isn't misleading or harmful to anyone.

[DreadGara]

Just ban anything from this two clown website (Forbes, Gamingbolt) and things will be alright.