Utterly Devoid of Value and Substance - Game Informer Magazine

[martyrdrebel27]

Thinking about this now, our local gaming magazine is also a huge joke. Their latest issue had a six page review of Dead Space 3 where the writer downright worships the game (surprise, it gets a 90+ score) yet right after that you get this completely phoned in review of Ni No Kuni.

But then again, it was always a magazine for dudebros by dudebros, ugh.

local gaming magazine? what sort of witchcraft is this? i've never heard of local gaming mags, and i've spent a measurable portion of my life living locally.


captcha: moot point. i bring this up not because it's relevant to my post as captcha sometimes eerily prophecizes(sp?) but because i'm starting to think captcha is baiting us. purposely choosing phrases that have a good possibilty of being relevant, therefor giving us the "Captcha Effect" where it seems to be participating in our conversations.

 

[Something Amyss]

That's pretty much what gaming journalism is reduced to. Everything is just sterile and pointless. Often times it's just plain wrong and they know it. They are either taking bribes from publishers or they're too afraid to voice their real opinion because they think they won't be able to review the next game early. And early reviews are what matters.

Do you actually have any evidence for this? Y'know, other than that one Jeff Gurstman guy?

Because if you do, you could at the very least make a really successful Reddit article out of it.

Personally, I think you're forcing the cynicism. Rather hard.

Especially since they don't need bribes as an incentive to softball the gaming industry.

And that's organic cynicism.

 

[unindexedsearchengine]

Well, the less popular gaming mags are still worth reading. Here in Hungary for example, we have 2 major competing mags, PCGuru and GameStar. I regularly buy both, and they are pretty solid. Not big enough to be worth devs/publishers attention to corrupt them, but they get invited to many closed-doors reveals and the like. They have solid writing, and are aesthetically pleasing.
The way I see it, its only the big-name "mainstream" gaming journalism that turned into a putrid pile of gunk recently.

 

[Sargonas42]

Game Informer has one role, and one role only. Push pre-orders.

The magazine has a "captive audience". They don't have to worry about selling subscriptions (the Gamestop Game Advisors do that for them). They don't have to worry about loosing subscribers either really. (you are locked in once you sign up, and most people don't care about the mag anyways and will keep renewing for the other benefits.) They just print the mag as an "added value" item for the Gamestop Membership. There was a time, when they were attached to Funcoland instead, back in 1998-2001 era when their magazine was stellar, but that has since LONG changed. Now they are nothing more than a carrot on a stick to help sell memberships to whatever Gamestop's Marketing team is calling their little club this season. After that, their only role is to get you excited about whatever games that particular month the companies finance guys expect to see the most Preorders on, and hopefully pad their pre order numbers a bit more.

 

[Fappy]

Game Informer has one role, and one role only. Push pre-orders. The magazine has a "captive audience". They don't have to worry about selling subscriptions (the Gamestop Game Advisors do that for them). They don't have to worry about loosing subscribers either really. They just print the mag as an "added value" item for the Gamestop Membership. There was a time, when they were attached to Funcoland instead, back in 1998-2001 era when their magazine was stellar, but that has since LONG changed. Now they are nothing more than a carrot on a stick to help sell memberships to whatever Gamestop's Marketing team is calling their little club this season. Beyond that, their only role is to get you excited about whatever games that particular month the companies finance guys expect to see the most Preorders on.

That's a /thread if I have ever seen one. The sad part is that the magazine's pretty damn transparent about it.

That's pretty much what gaming journalism is reduced to. Everything is just sterile and pointless. Often times it's just plain wrong and they know it. They are either taking bribes from publishers or they're too afraid to voice their real opinion because they think they won't be able to review the next game early. And early reviews are what matters.

Do you actually have any evidence for this? Y'know, other than that one Jeff Gurstman guy?

Because if you do, you could at the very least make a really successful Reddit article out of it.

Personally, I think you're forcing the cynicism. Rather hard.

Especially since they don't need bribes as an incentive to softball the gaming industry.

And that's organic cynicism.

Think about all the ice cream socials Jim Sterling and Yahtzee must miss out on because they don't subscribe to softball tactics

 

[OrpheusTelos]

To be fair, I really enjoy Kimberly Wallace's work, so her being at Game Informer does add some redeeming elements to the magazine.

 

[2xDouble]

Sounds like someone is upset that one reviewer didn't like a game he liked and/or is bored of reading ads.

Move along people, nothing to see here.

 

[Lucane]

If the Last Issue you got had the new "Thief" on the cover you do realize "Game Infarcer" is a parody.

Otherwise if you could recall a vague topic that upset you that wasn't from pages 65-69 I'd be happy to look for the full sized offending section and post it for you.

 

[Korten12]

I still sub, since I like reading the articles on upcoming games like Witcher 3 and Thief.

 

[jdogtwodolla]

I don't remember when I stopped reading GI but I had kinda the same feeling as OP. Besides their pre-views, it just didn't read very paper worthy. I never really looked at their reviews so I can't comment on those but really, it was those previews that were at least interesting.

 

[Something Amyss]

Think about all the ice cream socials Jim Sterling and Yahtzee must miss out on because they don't subscribe to softball tactics

Maybe they're egotistical enough that our worship is enough.

THANK GOD FOR JIM!

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

I think you need examples, because in my experience, it has been one of the most objective magazines out there.

I find this stems from the fact that they aren't loyal to one platform. PC Gamer, OXM and PSM are all so horribly biased.

I mean, it's still gaming journalism, but it's not the worst.

Actually, hold on a second..... These terrible articles you mention..... Were they written by a certain sith lord? A "Darth Clark?" Maybe? Because if so, you have been snafu'd into a bamboozle.

 

[longboardfan]

Ra Ra Gamestop is EVIL! Die Burn crap ur pants and set it on fire. I get it, okay.

Still, I read the latest Game Informer magazine that showed up in my mailbox today, and my point is, that reading it not only caused physical pain and discomfort, but it was thoroughly without any redeeming value or content. I get why, I'm not stupid, its because it a corporate mag, not a gaming mag (not that those exist anymore).

But, I just can't get over how anyone could live with themselves having the job of writing and/or editing articles for what is essentially a giant steaming fetid pile of unwanted and valueless crap. I've worked shit jobs, you name it, I've worked it. I've worked for hostile and corrupt companies that even as they filed bankruptcy or were destroyed by lawsuits failed to pay me for even one day of work.

But these writers and editors. They have to know...right? They have to know that nothing they do is valued by anyone, that every story they write is completely pointless, and that they live every day walking the fine line between madness and despair. With one foot in the psych ward and the other toe on the shotgun, can you imagine a more pitiable person?

I don't entirely disagree with you, but I do have to wonder some things. One if it is such a soulless shell of a corporate news rag, why are you getting them delivered to your mailbox? If the writing is so slanted and one dimensional, why are you reading through it? If you pity the workers, why are you bashing them?

I'm really not trying to be insulting or rude, I am actually curious here. I am sure there is a point to your thread, I just can't discern it (possibly because I've not been to sleep in two days now). Was there some deeper meaning that I missed through your post?

I got the mag free with my free premium GS membership I got for being screwed over on a trade in that didn't get credited. Its the only real reason I bothered. It was the default option and I haven't bothered looking to see if i can turn it off.

 

[longboardfan]

I wonder if anybody in this thread who's bashing GameInformer for "always" giving "every AAA game" high review scores knows that they gave Medal of Honor: Warfighter a 5 and Aliens: Colonial Marines a 4. Sure, not as low as they could've gone, but nowhere near even what the industry at large considers to be an "average" score.

i didn't even bother with the scores, I'm talking about the entire presentation. If I want scores, I go to metacritic if I'm really desperate. I'm talking about the mag as a whole.

 

[longboardfan]

I think you need examples, because in my experience, it has been one of the most objective magazines out there.

I find this stems from the fact that they aren't loyal to one platform. PC Gamer, OXM and PSM are all so horribly biased.

I mean, it's still gaming journalism, but it's not the worst.

Actually, hold on a second..... These terrible articles you mention..... Were they written by a certain sith lord? A "Darth Clark?" Maybe? Because if so, you have been snafu'd into a bamboozle.

I will admit to not paying a lot of attention to writers or who wrote them. As for examples, I was kinda tired and reading the mag pissed me off so i threw it out and i don't do dumpster diving , especially at apartment complexes.

 

[Terminate421]

I got the magazine.

What I am reading from this is less "game informer is bad" and more "stop liking what I don't like"

 

[barbzilla]

Ra Ra Gamestop is EVIL! Die Burn crap ur pants and set it on fire. I get it, okay.

Still, I read the latest Game Informer magazine that showed up in my mailbox today, and my point is, that reading it not only caused physical pain and discomfort, but it was thoroughly without any redeeming value or content. I get why, I'm not stupid, its because it a corporate mag, not a gaming mag (not that those exist anymore).

But, I just can't get over how anyone could live with themselves having the job of writing and/or editing articles for what is essentially a giant steaming fetid pile of unwanted and valueless crap. I've worked shit jobs, you name it, I've worked it. I've worked for hostile and corrupt companies that even as they filed bankruptcy or were destroyed by lawsuits failed to pay me for even one day of work.

But these writers and editors. They have to know...right? They have to know that nothing they do is valued by anyone, that every story they write is completely pointless, and that they live every day walking the fine line between madness and despair. With one foot in the psych ward and the other toe on the shotgun, can you imagine a more pitiable person?

I don't entirely disagree with you, but I do have to wonder some things. One if it is such a soulless shell of a corporate news rag, why are you getting them delivered to your mailbox? If the writing is so slanted and one dimensional, why are you reading through it? If you pity the workers, why are you bashing them?

I'm really not trying to be insulting or rude, I am actually curious here. I am sure there is a point to your thread, I just can't discern it (possibly because I've not been to sleep in two days now). Was there some deeper meaning that I missed through your post?

I got the mag free with my free premium GS membership I got for being screwed over on a trade in that didn't get credited. Its the only real reason I bothered. It was the default option and I haven't bothered looking to see if i can turn it off.

Ah, I see. I figured there was a reason for it, that's why I asked. GS = Gamespot?

On point, I have to figure that can't be that unhappy generally. Sure they have to bowcow and eat crap, but they also get to go to tons of fun events, meet legends in the business, and talk to people I've only dreamed of talking to.

 

[Phlakes]

Still, I read the latest Game Informer magazine that showed up in my mailbox today, and my point is, that reading it not only caused physical pain and discomfort, but it was thoroughly without any redeeming value or content. I get why, I'm not stupid, its because it a corporate mag, not a gaming mag (not that those exist anymore).

But, I just can't get over how anyone could live with themselves having the job of writing and/or editing articles for what is essentially a giant steaming fetid pile of unwanted and valueless crap. I've worked shit jobs, you name it, I've worked it. I've worked for hostile and corrupt companies that even as they filed bankruptcy or were destroyed by lawsuits failed to pay me for even one day of work.

But these writers and editors. They have to know...right? They have to know that nothing they do is valued by anyone, that every story they write is completely pointless, and that they live every day walking the fine line between madness and despair. With one foot in the psych ward and the other toe on the shotgun, can you imagine a more pitiable person?

You have three paragraphs there and I'm not seeing anything other than "Game Informer sucks because it sucks" and a bunch of meaningless hyperbole.

 

[daveman247]

Do you actually have any evidence for this? Y'know, other than that one Jeff Gurstman guy?

Because if you do, you could at the very least make a really successful Reddit article out of it.

Personally, I think you're forcing the cynicism. Rather hard.

I don't know, he kinda has a point. Not in the whole "money under the table" kind of thing. But i bet if sometimes an article gets posted with a low score, or these silly "review embargo's" get broken. That particular journalism site/ mag stops getting invited to special events, stops getting exclusive rights to interviews etc, stops getting paid for ad space or maybe even stops getting copies of the game sent to review.


Not bribing per se, but possibly a gentle nudge.