Curmudgeon Gamer
19 June 2007
Ah, EB Games and the reader "reviews"
What the heck is it about EB Games that has "readers" writing "reviews" like they've the IQ of kittens?
First, the obvious question. Why was I looking at this Sims expansion? I get the EB Games' email, pretending some day I'll find a deal, and had no idea what "H&M Fashion Stuff" was. They got me; I had to give it a quick look. H&M is apparently some "European fashion retailer that is taking the US by storm with its trendsetting contemporary fashions". Go figure. Now H&M is a game, of sorts. That's right, there are people willing to purchase advertising for $20. No wonder everyone wants to copy the "success" of The Sims. I just don't get it. (Caveat: I did, at one time, wear a Coca-Cola collared shirt in junior high, and occasionally wear highly commercialized t-shirts to this day. Idiots abound.)
The problem is that, regardless of how inane the expansion being "reviewed" sounds, it doesn't explain the comments above, which I find are pretty representative on ebgames.com as a whole. I particularly like the reviews for games that haven't even been released. "***** This R0x0rz!!! I'm gunna git it fur shur!"
Now here's my only semi-serious point that could possibly take this painful post away from being nothing more than another ill-begotten rant: Could the gaming rag culture of providing overly-positive previews and advocacy-disguised-as-journalism be contributing to the production of this sort of mindless drivel by consumers?
Like cows to the slaughter, I wonder.
***** want it soo badly
Reviewed By: simcrazy Date: Monday, June 18, 2007
i really dont care if people say this game is bad because the guys actually have a better bathing suit! i think this is a must have expansion pack.
*** Really not worth it!!!!!
Reviewed By: Susame Date: Thursday, June 07, 2007
I bought this game yesterday and it has about ten new outfits for the girls the men don't really have as many. The game is not bad but it wasn't what I expected I thought you will be able to create your own outfits, but that's not the case. So it's not a must have, but if you jus ... [More]
***** Tested... liked it
Reviewed By: Evelin Date: Wednesday, June 06, 2007
I tested this game for maxis & it rocks!!I love the sims & never get tired of it like some people. This game is new & fun...Like they said this is a must-have for your sims!!I know youll enjoy this
Happy Simming
E.M
First, the obvious question. Why was I looking at this Sims expansion? I get the EB Games' email, pretending some day I'll find a deal, and had no idea what "H&M Fashion Stuff" was. They got me; I had to give it a quick look. H&M is apparently some "European fashion retailer that is taking the US by storm with its trendsetting contemporary fashions". Go figure. Now H&M is a game, of sorts. That's right, there are people willing to purchase advertising for $20. No wonder everyone wants to copy the "success" of The Sims. I just don't get it. (Caveat: I did, at one time, wear a Coca-Cola collared shirt in junior high, and occasionally wear highly commercialized t-shirts to this day. Idiots abound.)
The problem is that, regardless of how inane the expansion being "reviewed" sounds, it doesn't explain the comments above, which I find are pretty representative on ebgames.com as a whole. I particularly like the reviews for games that haven't even been released. "***** This R0x0rz!!! I'm gunna git it fur shur!"
Now here's my only semi-serious point that could possibly take this painful post away from being nothing more than another ill-begotten rant: Could the gaming rag culture of providing overly-positive previews and advocacy-disguised-as-journalism be contributing to the production of this sort of mindless drivel by consumers?
Like cows to the slaughter, I wonder.
Labels: culture, journaltisement, reviews, useless
--ruffin at 09:41
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12 June 2007
More Curmudgeonly Comments About Mac Game Journalism
I like Inside Mac Games a lot. That quick apology aside, ethically they're still giving me fits. I remain extremely concerned with the extreme integration between Inside Mac Games and macgamestore.com, and the site's large, advert/header banner continues to be "sponsored" by the store that shares an owner, no, IS owned by the "news" site. That IMG hocks the same stuff it purports to "review," a word which implies a degree of fairness and impartiality to me, isn't news to most IMG readers, I wouldn't believe. Still, it's unethical for a site doing gaming news and reviews to sell those same games.[1]
I wonder if some of this proverbial incestuous dilemma accounts for the recent disconnect between the content of IMG's RSS feed and the content of one of the features it advertises, IMG's editor's latest blog entry. You'd expect the RSS feed and the article to match up. I don't think they do.
From the feed:
From Tuncer's Blog:
If you've known about it for weeks, it's not a surprise. If you've known about it for weeks, where is our news? Dang it, folk, if you're simply pandering to sources, withholding information until they believe it's time for it to be made public, they're not your sources, you're their shills.
I believe we've had some discussion about NDAs and their effect on journalism -- um, killing it -- before.
Why didn't Tuncer tell us about the announcement weeks ago? If Inside Mac Games is that the best Mac game news outlets have to offer, which I believe it is, we've got another classic case of IMG's predilection for "journaltisement".
So just for fun, let's end with our standard mantra: Buy used books, get your games at Ambrosia, and when you're riding your bike at night, always, always wear white.
[1] At times, I've seen advertisements for games on this site. I don't see a dime of that ad revenue. I think Matt might fairly literally see a dime, but will let him deal with any ethics violations there himself after saying that I'm 99.44% confident he doesn't pick what runs, and I know (hope?!) he doesn't get a percentage of each sale from those stores.
I wonder if some of this proverbial incestuous dilemma accounts for the recent disconnect between the content of IMG's RSS feed and the content of one of the features it advertises, IMG's editor's latest blog entry. You'd expect the RSS feed and the article to match up. I don't think they do.
From the feed:
IMG's founder Tuncer Deniz weighs in on today's surprise announcement made by Electronic Arts. Although he's estatic [sic] with the six titles announced, he questions whether EA will be happy. Will EA be in it for the long haul or is this just another "experiment". [sic](emphasis mine; comments about Bolivia nearly resisted)
From Tuncer's Blog:
A few weeks ago I learned of EA's intention to bring some of their game titles to the Mac and since then I've been wrestling with the consequences and impact of EA's 'renewed' commitment to the Mac.(emphasis again mine)
If you've known about it for weeks, it's not a surprise. If you've known about it for weeks, where is our news? Dang it, folk, if you're simply pandering to sources, withholding information until they believe it's time for it to be made public, they're not your sources, you're their shills.
I believe we've had some discussion about NDAs and their effect on journalism -- um, killing it -- before.
Why didn't Tuncer tell us about the announcement weeks ago? If Inside Mac Games is that the best Mac game news outlets have to offer, which I believe it is, we've got another classic case of IMG's predilection for "journaltisement".
So just for fun, let's end with our standard mantra: Buy used books, get your games at Ambrosia, and when you're riding your bike at night, always, always wear white.
[1] At times, I've seen advertisements for games on this site. I don't see a dime of that ad revenue. I think Matt might fairly literally see a dime, but will let him deal with any ethics violations there himself after saying that I'm 99.44% confident he doesn't pick what runs, and I know (hope?!) he doesn't get a percentage of each sale from those stores.
Labels: apple, ethics, img, journaltisement
--ruffin at 17:25
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