Escapist Podcast: DRM, Piracy & PC Gaming
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I was hoping for a podcast from the editorial team at The Escapist Towers like Greg Tito and Susan Arendt (like the old 1UP podcasts before UGO killed it), is that in the works? ;D
That's how I feel, about quite a lot of games he has reviewed. I deliberately wait. Not just because of ZP, but gaming in general has been largely dumbed down and I feel most of the time scared to spend my cash on a game. I never, EVER pre-order anymore. So many disappointments, I can't bare it anymore. Jesus Christ look at Black ops for the PC. Fucking hell someone please punch me in the face.A Curious Fellow said:
If I got caught out again I would have no one else to blame but myself. I can't even trust most 'serious' game review sites anymore, too much 'back patting' and other shifty goings on have alarmed me. It's funny, that 'user reviews' i.e. on meta-critic have taken such a punch in the face. Because I generally rely on users word of mouth. Think about daily life. If someone you met recommended a restaurant that they just walked out of, you may feel inclined to try it out one day. If some twit holding a sign saying 'BEST RESAUTRANT IN THE WORLD'... would you be as inclined to feel the same way?
In effect, gaming is as big as the movie industry, with massive advertising budgets and marketing that seems largely unnecessary. Look at mine craft or angry birds or blah. They didn't become popular though advertising did they? Or was it word of mouth?
Anyway, people seem to (including that other bloke in the discussion) think that Yahtzee just 'makes random shit up'. Erm, I think that is a bullshit viewpoint. You could say the same about any game reviewer. At the end of the day, ZP says what needs to be said about the quality of games. Poor ideas, crap implementation and other stupid shit that publishers shoe horn into games, or rather, prevent to be fixed. And like any source, you can choose to ignore it. Don't sit there like a pathetic jealous git, nay-saying because you think you fucking know better. If you know better, make your own fucking review.
Yeah, I know there is a time and cost budget and the game has to ship at some point. But, what I like about ZP is that it is what it is. You can decide if those features would irritate the crap out if you, or if it's no problem for your short-attention span or lack of imagination. At the end of the day, like he said himself, the ZP episodes are out well after the launch of a game.
Also, the note about ZP only being successful because it is funny. Lol. Humour adds to it, and yeah smart people have learned how to say 'fuck you' without saying fuck you. It adds a bit of flare to it.
Like when I got a letter from a Law firm who said their clients wanted to take me to court because of 'Copyright infringement for downloading the game titled: The Witcher'. LOL. Those idiots accused me of downloading that piece of shit, (mind you this was the time of the original version, not the fixed second release). I sent them a receipt of my digital purchase along with, in legal parlance, a `FUCK YOU' letter, politely stating the several steps they need to take in order to prevent me from suing them for false accusations and wasting my time.
Yahtzee loses all his charisma when he goes live. The live series he tried out had the same problem, he just sounds like he wants to anywhere else in the world rather than behind that microphone. It just proves that he should stick to writing where he is excellent. And like I said in my Jimquisision comment, sponsor Brad Nicholson and get the Electric Hydra to come to The Escapist.
A point of clarification:
We talked for an hour and a half, thinking that was the podcast. It started out really bogged down on a topic we weren't interested in: DRM. From there, we found our groove (I feel.)
Odd that it was edited down over multiple weeks. I guess that's more content.
We talked for an hour and a half, thinking that was the podcast. It started out really bogged down on a topic we weren't interested in: DRM. From there, we found our groove (I feel.)
Odd that it was edited down over multiple weeks. I guess that's more content.
It's pretty funny to hear Yahtzee speak in a non-ZP setting. I'm so used to hearing his rapid-fire schtick that when he speaks normally it sounds like he just took Valium, or they pulled him out of bed in the morning to do this show.
ps: they totally ran way off-topic
lol
Based solely on this episode, they might as well name the show after Yahtzee's blog: Ramblomatic.
ps: they totally ran way off-topic
lol
Based solely on this episode, they might as well name the show after Yahtzee's blog: Ramblomatic.
Interesting and informative. I hope to see more of these - preferably something like Extra Consideration, with several big Escapist names chatting about interesting topics live.
Also: Yahtzee is not a PC gamer. I wonder how many effigies of him are being burned by betrayed PC elitists now.
Also: Yahtzee is not a PC gamer. I wonder how many effigies of him are being burned by betrayed PC elitists now.
The only time I've heard Yahtzee speaking with other people (other than this podcast) was when he took part in an episode of Unskippable. He didn't mix well with those guys either, I felt.Macrobstar said:
Oh and there was that time when he went on holiday on ZP, and was sat in a car making awkward conversation with the camera crew. So that's three times I've heard him talking with others and all three times it was awkward.
I watched both of those and I didn't think it was awkward, the unskippable was scripted so it couldn't of been awkward and the DC episode when hes in the car was just casual car banter, one of the jokes when he was pointing out that the monuments looked like cocks was arkward but I think he was acting it, the only reason it was awkward here was the fact that there was some hostility between him and mikeyGuy Jackson said:
How does being scripted stop something being awkward? Ever seen someone go out on stage and act for the very first time? It's scripted... and awkward.Macrobstar said:
But each to their own opinion. Personally I've yet to hear Yahtzee interacting with other people without sounding to me like he's completely outside of his comfort zone.
Meh, a bit too much of a ramble, really. I was expecting some valid points... and I'm pretty sure the Pirate/DRM part would be a lot more interesting if Mikey actually allowed Yahtzee to speak his mind... I have the feeling he has a more lenient approach to that stuff.
On topic, I used to pirate games, a lot. Three main reasons:
a) availability - I come from Poland, and the VG market 10 years ago was really crap. 20 years ago it was non-existent, and 15 years ago it was so shit that I don't think ANYONE (not literally, but meaning like, maybe 10-15%) playing games like Quake or Starcraft in my country at that time owned an original copy. It was really a totally normal thing. My original games at that time came from newspaper editions.
b) money - yeah, believe it or not, that IS an issue when you don't have a job but DO have a hobby. It still IS an issue, but at this point I've lost interest in getting games as they come out, the market is waaaaaay better (though there has been an increase in prices, thankfully there's stuff like GOG.com and Steam), and I've got a 50+ backlog of games to play, so I don't really give a crap about getting more, even if I'd be getting them for free.
c) morality - you don't really care that much about laws and rights and whatnot when you're 15 years old and everyone around you is pirating games. Seriously, if you can borrow a pirated game from a friend or have that friend copy it for you, what's the point of getting the original thing?
I've grown out of pirating games for different reasons, but I do not think that pirates are destroying the industry. Seriously, stop making 4 hour long games for 60 dollars, reduce the prices at least a bit (I really can't afford to buy a new game the moment it comes out, sorry, it's just too freaking expensive) and stuff WILL change. It's a question of the publishers and developers meeting common demand, not witch-hunting.
Plus, if there's one thing piracy is awesome at, it's increasing recognition of stuff. It's not that much of an issue today, with digital publishing and the internet being as everyday as it is, but playing a pirated game and liking it may lead to buying the "real thing" once it's affordable. In my experience, I've done that with around 90% of the pirated titles I EVER played. Not with the ones I didn't actually like, of course.
On topic, I used to pirate games, a lot. Three main reasons:
a) availability - I come from Poland, and the VG market 10 years ago was really crap. 20 years ago it was non-existent, and 15 years ago it was so shit that I don't think ANYONE (not literally, but meaning like, maybe 10-15%) playing games like Quake or Starcraft in my country at that time owned an original copy. It was really a totally normal thing. My original games at that time came from newspaper editions.
b) money - yeah, believe it or not, that IS an issue when you don't have a job but DO have a hobby. It still IS an issue, but at this point I've lost interest in getting games as they come out, the market is waaaaaay better (though there has been an increase in prices, thankfully there's stuff like GOG.com and Steam), and I've got a 50+ backlog of games to play, so I don't really give a crap about getting more, even if I'd be getting them for free.
c) morality - you don't really care that much about laws and rights and whatnot when you're 15 years old and everyone around you is pirating games. Seriously, if you can borrow a pirated game from a friend or have that friend copy it for you, what's the point of getting the original thing?
I've grown out of pirating games for different reasons, but I do not think that pirates are destroying the industry. Seriously, stop making 4 hour long games for 60 dollars, reduce the prices at least a bit (I really can't afford to buy a new game the moment it comes out, sorry, it's just too freaking expensive) and stuff WILL change. It's a question of the publishers and developers meeting common demand, not witch-hunting.
Plus, if there's one thing piracy is awesome at, it's increasing recognition of stuff. It's not that much of an issue today, with digital publishing and the internet being as everyday as it is, but playing a pirated game and liking it may lead to buying the "real thing" once it's affordable. In my experience, I've done that with around 90% of the pirated titles I EVER played. Not with the ones I didn't actually like, of course.
http://soundcloud.com/yahtzee19/yahtzee-gabriel-wreck-a-big/s-KK9RQGuy Jackson said:
its quite long and a bit rough around the edges, but its funny
That would be awesome.Art Axiv said:
Anyway my peice.
I was a bit sceptical when I saw that there was ANOTHER thing out on the escapist and was a bit like "mabye you should calm down on the new content and mabye try and put a tighter (excuse my spelling) leash on the stuff that you already have". But I thought this was brilliant, it's really interesting stuff. I am pleased, now I have another reason to look forward to Wednesdays.
I'm listening, and you're right, he's much more relaxed with the guy who he "pays to be his friend" lolMacrobstar said:
