So, in the wake of my recent spontaneous disappearance from the Gamer 2.0 team, I figured it was time to clarify a few issues.
Sadly, I did not leave Gamer 2.0 as a result of a hiring by a certain major upcoming site. It'd be nice if that were the case. Nor did I leave because of a general disgust with the state of the gaming media, though I'd be lying if I claimed that didn't make my decision a whole lot easier. More on that in a moment.
My reason for leaving Gamer 2.0 is simply that it was an unneeded stressor in my life while already focusing on my IT education and my martial arts training. I haven't quit writing entirely, as I am still technically an editor for Pro Gam3r Magazine, do quite a bit of creative writing on the side to relax in my spare time, and have every intention of supporting this new home for Sound Off. I'm just doing it primarily for me now.
On to the inaugural edition of Patrick Sounds Off: Volume 3.
While on the subject of the state of the gaming media, I would like to firmly establish that I'm not one of those doom-and-gloomers who feel that credible gaming journalism died outright because of Gerstmanngate. What I do feel is that we have entered into an era in which credible gaming journalism is at a premium. Every review, every score, every single word that we in the field turn out will be subject to immediate, justifiable, and unavoidable scrutiny and skepticism.
The idea, of course, is that if GameSpot yielded their opinions to the almighty marketing dollar, anything can justifiably be called into question. Was Kane & Lynch a one-time thing, or just the first revelation of a long history of this type of practice? No one can ever say for sure that it's not the latter, and that's the heart of the problem.
"Trust takes years to gain and moments to lose." That has always been true in the gaming media, but the past several months have amplified that fact to an unprecedented degree. Given what brought Giant Bomb about, they might be the only site that has good faith with its readership, and even with them, it's surely only a matter of time before the "Well, that just puts them in better position to reap the whirlwind" accusations start flying from the truly paranoid.
I don't want to go so far as to say that the reviews media is becoming a moot factor - yet - but there's definitely a clear, tangible problem in the equation that will be extremely difficult to solve, even as the years go by.
Sadly, I did not leave Gamer 2.0 as a result of a hiring by a certain major upcoming site. It'd be nice if that were the case. Nor did I leave because of a general disgust with the state of the gaming media, though I'd be lying if I claimed that didn't make my decision a whole lot easier. More on that in a moment.
My reason for leaving Gamer 2.0 is simply that it was an unneeded stressor in my life while already focusing on my IT education and my martial arts training. I haven't quit writing entirely, as I am still technically an editor for Pro Gam3r Magazine, do quite a bit of creative writing on the side to relax in my spare time, and have every intention of supporting this new home for Sound Off. I'm just doing it primarily for me now.
On to the inaugural edition of Patrick Sounds Off: Volume 3.
While on the subject of the state of the gaming media, I would like to firmly establish that I'm not one of those doom-and-gloomers who feel that credible gaming journalism died outright because of Gerstmanngate. What I do feel is that we have entered into an era in which credible gaming journalism is at a premium. Every review, every score, every single word that we in the field turn out will be subject to immediate, justifiable, and unavoidable scrutiny and skepticism.
The idea, of course, is that if GameSpot yielded their opinions to the almighty marketing dollar, anything can justifiably be called into question. Was Kane & Lynch a one-time thing, or just the first revelation of a long history of this type of practice? No one can ever say for sure that it's not the latter, and that's the heart of the problem.
"Trust takes years to gain and moments to lose." That has always been true in the gaming media, but the past several months have amplified that fact to an unprecedented degree. Given what brought Giant Bomb about, they might be the only site that has good faith with its readership, and even with them, it's surely only a matter of time before the "Well, that just puts them in better position to reap the whirlwind" accusations start flying from the truly paranoid.
I don't want to go so far as to say that the reviews media is becoming a moot factor - yet - but there's definitely a clear, tangible problem in the equation that will be extremely difficult to solve, even as the years go by.
