At the time of writing, Kotaku declares that they have made 42 posts in the past 24 hours (which one would assume includes much of Sunday evening as well as Monday) and N4G has had (in a entirely guesstimated count) over 60 articles published (based on 2 1/2 pages of posts working on 25 articles per page). There is no way to get around this, that is a lot of news. However, I am increasingly dismayed at the calibre of games journalism and frankly what exactly qualifies as being news. I mean really, does this much stuff actually happen which needs to be reported?
Lets look at some of the apparently essential information that these 2 website have published in the past day. N4G brings us the essential news that some random bloke has YouTubed some videos of himself playing Daft Punk (that dance/techno band who released a song you kinda liked about 6 years ago with astronauts in the video) songs on a Nintendo DS. Interesting yes but news worthy? Kotaku brings us the essential update we all needed on a list of the top 9 most uncomfortable outfits in gaming (linked to GamesRadar and its never ending treasure trove of dull lists but Kotaku did obviously think it was interesting enough to link to and write a story around).
I know you may be thinking I am a grumpy arse (even writing ass sounds wrong with a British accent) and you are right. I understand that these stories are little more than light hearted stories; if N4G were a network news TV show then DaftPunk would be the 'and finally' story, equivelant to a cow on the motorway. However,so much of what we call news in gaming circles is really little more than tabloid tittle tattle and a never ending game of Chinese whispers (sorry if I offend, I have no idea of the P.C way of talking about Chinese whispers, maybe sub in another country like Slovakian whispers or Bolivian whispers to avoid offence).
The problem as I see it is that game news providers work from a position that all games news is created equal. Is the Guardian newspapers interview with Peter Moore really of the same calibre as some bint fannying about with a Nintendo DS? All news is not equal and to pretend it is suffocates the real news. News is an event or an opinion from a well known and respected individual. Frankly this is all to rare, does anthing truly happen in the games industry every day?
I understand that sites and blogs need to keep people coming back to them every day or more than that (I need not comment on Gawker Media) but does this need to stuff and fill to make a living lead to a low almost tabloid level of journalism? Should the interview with Peter Moore really have been treated the same as the guy with a DS? Should it really have been shuffled down the list of posts below more recent posts about costumes or should it have been treated differently given its status as actual news worthy media?
This is of course all opinion, my opinion in fact.However, what I know is that when I want to read sensationalism, rumour and hype with a little genuine news here and there in a newspaper then I buy The Sun but if I want real news, hard hitting journalism and well reasoned arguement and opinion then I buy The Times or The Guardian. There are lots of game sites who publish on the level of The Sun but for games journalism to really be a worthy of respect then someone needs to take the high ground and become a little more Guardian esque.
Where is gamings Polly Toynbee? It's certainly not Brian Crecente!
NE: "Kirby's been on more than a handful of adventures, and we've gathered a list of 10 of the best Kirby games here."
WTMG's Aaron Price: "Overall, Sker Ritual was a lot more of what I wanted and way more than I could have expected from it. Is this going to be a Call of Duty: Zombies killer? Maybe not as of now, but it’s clearly a really good step in the right direction, as that series simply doesn’t care about having to improve anymore. Even though it’s completely different from its predecessor, Sker Ritual is a pleasant surprise, a well-polished game, and something I definitely plan to continue returning to often, especially if there are any big content updates in the future."
It seems Ghost of Tsushima on PC will have the same PSN purchasing restrictions that caused massive backlash to Helldivers 2.
I think I agree with you.
But gaming journalism has been like every other form of journalism in the past, which is why it is the way it is now.
I think when you look at all the ridiculous stories that's so easy to come across on the net (regarding games/gaming news) then it does dampen the effect of real gaming news. But Gamepro, Game Informer, IGN, Gamespot, 1up/EGM, and all the other big outlets (excluding the blog-oriented news sites like Kotaku), usually cover a lot of gaming news that's straight-forward, without the BS.
N4G is just a center hub for both the boring news and the highlights of the gaming industry. But from any blog site...you can't expect work-horse output from a donkey.
...especially with the rat race it's turned into because of submission sites like N4G, it's just something that's not going to go away as long as people know they can get publicity from it.
I think the main problem is the priority for what's considered "big news"--especially on this site--the factual stories are almost always tucked behind the conjecture and rumors. Obviously people find them much more interesting because it provides infinite possibilities where fact is just fact.
have you tried playstation lifestyle?
We try to keep things personal and on a more "what actually matters" level.
http://playstationlifestyle...
What's more important to their users. Rumors and blogs that feed the fanboyism inside the hardcore gamer, or providing essential gaming news that's factually about the games we love and play. Kotaku isn't going to go the "high ground" and perform a duty to their users by finding essential gaming news. In fact, most of their news is brought from their users. And they in fact are never checked for accuracy or credibility. An example of their credibility and professional journalism can be found here.
http://kotaku.com/5043356/w...
So there you have it. "Essential news" at it's finest. :)
I agree about boring lists. Here is a bunch of exciting video game lists though:
http://old-wizard.com/?page...