Article concerning Zero Punctuation & The Escapist

[Brockyman]

I don't get exactly why so many people get angry about this. The Escapist hired Yahtzee to make funny videos and increase internet traffic, and thats exactly what he did, but it seems there are some "Escapist Elitists" that don't care for the dirty ZP viewers that end up staying, enjoying the articles and forums, and adding to the ad revenue that helps keep this site afloat and improved.

I was attracted to the site due to ZP, and about 90% of people have been interesting and helpful, accomodating, and the forum chats have been great, but there are about 5%-10% of the people that have been rude, cruel, attempting to have you reported and banned for making a simple, unintended mistake, and oh, man never quote or mention ZP or Yahtzee in your posts or you will be crucified.

I'm glad to be here and I'm glad The Escapist is getting increased traffic and has been even further eleveated in status for the gaming community, but some of the elitits need to back off, or you'll drive many people away.

 

[The Wooster]

Ironically I only read Something Awful for 'your band sucks'. Haven't read it since Thorpe left. From what I'm seeing though the quality has gone downhill since some of the bigger names left.

I'm still amazed they get away with charging for their forums.

 

[NewClassic_v1legacy]

Ironically I only read Something Awful for 'your band sucks'. Haven't read it since Thorpe left. From what I'm seeing though the quality has gone downhill since some of the bigger names left.

I'm still amazed they get away with charging for their forums.

There is some magic in wealth, which can thus make persons pay their court to it, when it does not even benefit themselves. How strange it is, that a fool or knave, with riches, should be treated with more respect by the world, than a good man, or a wise man in poverty!
- Ann Radcliffe

 

[nutmeggles]

For god's sake people, don't email him to complain, or you will end up as part of another hatemail article, and that makes us all look bad.

Just what I was thinking.

 

[Sylocat]

I've always found it amusing that 4chan, Something Awful and Encyclopedia Dramatica all share about 60% of the same user base... and violently hate each other.

As Yahtzee says, the surest way to get traffic is drama.

 

[Ares Tyr]

I liked it.

 

[cleverlymadeup]

I'm glad someone else gets it.

For god's sake people, don't email him to complain, or you will end up as part of another hatemail article, and that makes us all look bad.

yup i think somethingawful sux, more cause the writing is all the same and has been done in more intelligent ways by others

however i can never take them too seriously and never have been able to. anyone that does needs to seriously get a grip. their whole schtick is to say how horrible things are and how much they suck and blah blah

but yes emailing them and flaming them will only cause you to wind up on a hatemail and probly be baited into an email flame war with them

 

[Trace2010]

I like Yahtzee if others don't that's their problem.

My sentiments exactly. But he does have one valid point: I never would have found this community of gamers if Yahtzee hadn't been here doing his thing.

As far as the other stuff, can I honestly ask what makes this guy's opinion so valid anyway? He seems to be taking a hypocritical standpoint- let me challenge THIS internet critic's assertainments without actually taking the time to show off my own.

 

[qbert4ever]

So, let's see here. He makes a two page hate-speech about how he knows there is nothing good on the Escapist despite admitting to never having seen anything on it besides ZP, then goes to warn everyone to ignore it?

Christ, it's like an even more pathetic version of Gawker. At least they have over-the-top outbursts that make it funny in a "ha-ha, look at them go ape-shit" kind of way. This is just.... Boring.

 

[Ultrajoe]

This is hilarious.

And for the record, he actually likes Yahtzee. He hates the swirling mass of crap and fans that surround him.

 

[Xhumed]

I'm glad someone else gets it.

For god's sake people, don't email him to complain, or you will end up as part of another hatemail article, and that makes us all look bad.

yup i think somethingawful sux, more cause the writing is all the same and has been done in more intelligent ways by others

however i can never take them too seriously and never have been able to. anyone that does needs to seriously get a grip. their whole schtick is to say how horrible things are and how much they suck and blah blah

but yes emailing them and flaming them will only cause you to wind up on a hatemail and probly be baited into an email flame war with them

They don't have to email, for I have sent him a link to this thread.

Yes, assuming the email isn't ignored all of your posts shall be read, thus saving you the hassle of emailing.

You're welcome.

If we end up arse-deep in Goon trolls because of this, the Mods' banhammer-swinging arms are going to get awfully sore.

 

[qbert4ever]

If we end up arse-deep in Goon trolls because of this, the Mod's banhammer-swinging arm's are going to get awfully sore.

Na, they can just hotkey it.

 

[stompy]

I don't get it... I'm supposed to care, why?

 

[Xhumed]

If we end up arse-deep in Goon trolls because of this, the Mod's banhammer-swinging arm's are going to get awfully sore.

Na, they can just hotkey it.

Don't ruin my image of the mods swinging an actual warhammer into the server to ban people...

 

[haxolotl]

It really seems like a lot of the people commenting here didn't actually read the article, or read it but completely missed the point. The article was actually very positive towards Yahtzee! Maybe the tongue-in-cheek/sarcastic style threw some of you off, but read these paragraphs again:

Time is the death knell for most Internet celebrities. More minutes means more opportunities for your "fans" to find reasons to hate you. I once posted on The Escapist forums that Yahtzee should review Eve Online next, hoping to paint him as a sell-out as huge Eve Online advertisements blanketed the whole goddamn web site.

Much to my chagrin, he ended up reviewing Eve Online, giving it a much deserved thrashing, which shut me right the fuck up. So much for my master plan for the downfall of some guy I've never met and has never wronged me personally and is actually contributing something funny and interesting to society. Still, I hate people like that.

The fact is, Yahtzee is a rare genius, an Internet celebrity that didn't get famous for baring his breasts or creating mind-numbing drama. Ben Croshaw is a talented, witty, and delightful fellow from down under, and that's what's so goddamn infuriating about him. You can't really find any valid reason to hate this guy no matter how hard you try. At least if he were female we could accuse her of being an attention whore or something.

The point of the article, so far as it had one, was to try and be funny, mock the tendency of many on the internet to hate 'internet celebrities' for stupid reasons, give a fairly flattering portrayal of Yahtzee and his work, take some fairly mild pot-shots at the escapist, and throw in a weird blowjob fantasy in the final paragraph.

 

[Brett Alex]

This is hilarious.

And for the record, he actually likes Yahtzee. He hates the swirling mass of crap and fans that surround him.

So do I. In fact, I'm currently running an experiment to test if ZP is better without the crap.
I just finished watching the last 4 ZP's and ignoring all comments about them.

Now *shudder* I'm going to watch the next 4 that come out, then go and read as many of each weeks responses as I can without causing permanent damage (say up page 4 or 5). I'm aiming to prove that it is a lot funnier if you leave all the angry criticisms and fanboy defenses out.

Wish me luck.

 

[qbert4ever]

If we end up arse-deep in Goon trolls because of this, the Mod's banhammer-swinging arm's are going to get awfully sore.

Na, they can just hotkey it.

Don't ruin my image of the mods swinging an actual warhammer into the server to ban people...

Holy shit, I just got an image of Nil sitting at a computer desk, holding one of those giant Xbox mech controllers (the ones that looked like the cockpit of a fighter jet), using it to move this little WALL-E type robot around on-screen and swinging an attached over-sized hammer (with the word "BAN" painted on it in bright red) battle-bots style at peoples profile pictures.

 

[Eyclonus]

Meh...Its Something Awful its not like I pay attention to that place anyway.
I don't get what humour or angle they aim for so this doesn't really interest me in the slightest, I couldn't be bothered trying to determine if this guy is either burning on Yahtzee or the Imp legion that worship him.

On a completely different tangent, I had no idea about Zero Punctuation till about a week before I joined here, even though I was playing Crosshaw's #days games since mid-2007, so I really don't get the whole instant celebratory thing everyone else was wailing about.