Why I hate Jim Sterling.

[DEAD34345]

I know it's hypocrisy. I was trying to give the point more of an impact. You probably see the word hypocrite thrown around atleast once an internet argument. It's kinda lost it's meaning.

And do you think that if I said that I was going to adopt a persona of a complete dickhole and then go around insulting everybody that I quoted. Would that be alright because I said I adopted a persona?

Somehow I severely doubt I'd get away with it. Especially considering the only times I've ever insulted anyone it's been pretty justifiable and it's never been harsh. Yet I've still been moderated for it.

I just think the Escapist are taking the piss when they actively pay someone to say more provocative things than I've ever said, whilst still telling me I can't have an argument properly because I might hurt somebodies feelings.

Well... you did say "I don't know what that is."...

Anyway, I personally would be OK with you adopting a persona of a complete dickhole, so long as it was for entertainment, or comedy, or any point at all other than actually being a complete dickhole. I don't know how OK the mods would be with it though (I'm guessing they wouldn't be all that happy...).

I guess the difference is that I don't find Jim to be offensive at all. None of his insults are ever personal, or actually relevant or important. He's the online video-making equivalent of a teenager who calls everyone gay... sure he is technically insulting people, but no-one really cares, least of all the people or things being called "gay". It doesn't really mean anything.

I do take your point on the hypocrisy, but I like The Escapist and want it to keep running, so I'm OK with them showing whatever videos they like as long as I'm never forced to watch them. I also like The Escapist being one of the few well-moderated forums on the net, so I'm OK with them moderating against insults and offensive behaviour. It may be hypocritical to act like this, but it's also the most beneficial to both the forum and the site, so who cares?

 

[bombadilillo]

Go read some comments after one of his videos. Over half of them every time are.

"I hate Jim, but he made a good point this time".

He isnt supposed to be likable. The fact that OP thinks its real and that Jim doesn't know what an opinion is, well thats just sad. Jim is better then you OP. At least his ramblings have a point.

 

[Jamboxdotcom]

As has already been mentioned repeatedly: if you don't like it, don't watch him. That's what i do. I can't stand the guy, but i don't feel compelled to make threads about that fact. By making this thread, you're no better than he is; in fact, you're worse, because at least Jim's kinda funny despite his lack of charisma.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

Actually, I would argue that Sterlings egotistical maniac persona is actually better than Yahtzees annoyed, ignorant, asshole persona. Why?

Because Yahtzee uses his persona purely for comedy, to come up with funny lines and poop jokes, which are hilarious in their own right, but means that he has to keep this up even for the games that he really likes, and although he'll usually say straight out if he enjoyed a game, it kinda hurts the review. His persona is purely a gimmick.

Sterlings persona... is satire. I most of the time don't even get the absolute subtlety of some of his points until I read the comments. There is generally a comment explaining his exact point somewhere halfway down the first page, usually buried beneath all the "Yor an asholl, go di in a fyre" comments. And he does have some genuinely good points to make when he isn't doing that type of episode, just check out his vid on game reviews...

Holy Macadamia nuts Batman! While searching on Youtube for the review I found this video of him, in a jacuzzi, in presumably a hotel room, with friends drinking wine.


Screw reason and logic, this proves your arguments are invalid.

 

[Justin Gooch]

Yes, Jim puts down just about everyone and their dog. And if you do that in a forum, you can get banned, but he is also doing it about a GAME, that he is REVIEWING. he isn't going into the forums and calling you an ignorant whatever or shoving your face into the ground. If you're gonna complain about Jim's personality, Yahtzee may not be a douche, but he still completely slams games and is pretty brutal just like Jim is.

needles to say, if you don't like it, don't read the review, or watch the video.

 

[Makon]

Jim Sterling.

Assholish, egotistical, unfunny douchebag

You just discribed me as well

He has a hostility towards people with opinions different from his, and as a result, he tends to attract sycophantic morons who do nothing but eat his shit up.

And also those who complain about him

At least Yahtzee has the decency to admit that his opinions are just that, opinions.

If you think Jim's persona is really real, then you have a bigger issue.

I think Jim is OK. He can be a bit over the top, but he enjoys what he does.

He can improve, yes, but critique needs to be constructive if you wish for that end.

Bingo. The 'Jim from the Jimquisition' persona is a fictitious front meant to bring an opinionated view of gaming news and ideas, one that is so preposterously overblown and ego-centric that even Duke Nukem would be put to shame on the 'Ego Meter'. It's kind of like the Colbert Report in that regard.

Seriously, it's just entertainment. Get over it, and don't watch the show if you don't like it.

 

[Blindrooster]

At least Yahtzee has the decency to admit that his opinions are just that, opinions.

You should probably throw a disclaimer into your post that sais that everything you said is an opinion.

Sounds like he personally wronged you.... If you dont like something, don't watch it. "Hate" is such a strong word to use on a person you don't know...... it's a style of comedy. I'm not the biggest fan of the jimquisition, but that doesn't mean his character should be attacked.

 

[RThaiRThai]

You do realise it's an act right? He kinda took the piss out of people like you in one of his vids.

TBH, I don't particularly enjoy him. But I'm not going to make a thread pissing and moaning about it.

One thing I will say however.

If I spoke to people on here like he speaks to everyone. I'd be banned.

You can't allow someone to post videos on the escapist of them being an arrogant douchebag who takes the mick out of people and then suspend posters for doing exactly the same thing.

That's just, I don't even know what that is.

I like to read every post before I make my own post if the thread hasn't gone on too long, but I want to quickly reply to you; there's a specific forum rule about this.

"Regardless of what some of our content creators may say, do or provoke within their videos or articles, this does not give members the ability to act in the same way. They are entertainers and if they brought their language or flaming into the forums, they would be held accountable, just as any other forum member of The Escapist would be."

It's entertainment. They wouldn't get away with that kind of talk on the actual forum.


Edit:
The thread's gotten longer, and I haven't read all the posts. Oh well.

I personally don't particularly enjoy his videos, so I haven't been watching them. I saw in the comments that a lot of other people also don't like his videos much, but thought it might just be an initial reaction to something new, so I decided to wait a while and see how people felt later on. It seems we've all cooled down a bit, but many people still dislike the show.

I'll probably give it another shot though. Maybe today. If I find it's not my cup of tea, I won't watch it.

It reminds me of Game Dogs. I really hated it when it first came out, and haven't given it a second chance yet. I'm not sure if I will. It just wasn't very good, but perhaps the later episodes improved.

Satire's tricky, isn't it. If it's not done well, nobody realizes it's satire and it just comes off as bad.

 

[Midnight Crossroads]

Eh, I'm just mad that he continues to taint the popular perception of the console Sonic games.

He gives Colors a bad review, so everyone on Destructoid automatically assumes that it's bad without reading any other reviews or playing the game itself.

People do that with any critic to whose opinion they give credit. Read some comments in Zero Punctuation. It's full of, "Thank God you told me not to buy this." Even though, unlike Sterling, Crowshaw says plainly that he just points out the flaws of the game. It's the same thing with Chipman on Escape to the Movies.

 

[Sentox6]

Don't tell me you are joking, because I know with 100% certainty that you really do think that you opinions are fact and that the 98% of online reviews praising the Wii version of Colors are wrong.

I see what you did there.


I just hope it was intentional.

 

[V8 Ninja]

I think you should realize that there's a difference between "Asshole" and "Asshole-ish Comedy". The way Jim presents himself on-camera is as an over-the-top and narcissistic douchebag with a god complex. We're supposed to laugh at that because he thinks he's so high and mighty when he's really just another person on the internet. The only real difference is that he gets paid to say whatever is on his mind. Also, Jim's actual base opinions are completely different from his on-screen character. They're actually rooted in some thought.

EDIT: Also, Jim Sterling really only acts that way in the Escapist Jimquisition. His previous "Season" of the show and his articles for Destructoid show that he's not some god-complexed douchebag.

 

[funkzillabot]

Dude,

Jim is funny. Don't take the situation so seriously. That's just his schtick, but it's all satire. He has a loud opinion about things and he's entitled to his, just as you are entitled to yours. Take it down a notch. You'll pop a blood vessel in your head if you don't.

 

[neonsword13-ops]

S.
A.
T.
I.
R.
E.

It makes his episodes go round.

 

[Tiger Sora]

@itsmeyouidiot: Theres a very easy way to correct this travesty. Don't watch his show. No one talks about him outside the video comments... other than here apparently.
And you are not much better for opening fire upon his ship you know. A true gentleman only fires when fired upon. He's done nothing to you directly has he? No, well than I bid you good day and let you sink with this thread.

 

[Glamorgan]

Eh, I'm just mad that he continues to taint the popular perception of the console Sonic games

He gives Colors a bad review, so everyone on Destructoid automatically assumes that it's bad without reading any other reviews or playing the game itself.

Bahaha, what?

You ARE joking, right? Colours has been the first good Sonic game in years, but even so, the popular perception of Sonic games nowadays is most definitely not popular.

Jim is putting it all on. If you ignore the douchebag act that he plays, he has some clever and intelligent ideas. They never reach Extra Credits level, but in my opinion, the show is still worth watching.

 

[Something Amyss]

Isn't everything you say automatically YOUR opinion? You don't really have to specify.

Yes, but it's a great dodge when someone disagrees with you.

"Well, that's YOUR opinion!"

Well, yes, and....

 

[Shoggoth2588]

I'm not a sociopathic moron and I love his show. His show, by the way, is an opinion show which is made up of his opinions on certain topics so of course he would consider himself right and others wrong.

You know, I really dislike certain shows (current and past) on this site. Instead of taking to the forums to crusade against them however, I do the idiotic thing and don't watch the offending material. That's just me though: a sociopathic moron.

 

[The Random One]

Jim is amazing in which he spends his entire video making a stupid and obnoxious point, but when you pay attention, you realize he's being ironic, and the point he's really trying to make is in fact twice as stupid as obnoxious.

On Topic:
You
Dont
Have
To
Watch
It
!

Yup. I know I haven't.

 

[chinangel]

Jim Sterling.

Assholish, egotistical, unfunny douchebag who should have never gotten any sort of position in the gaming media.

The way he continually "jokingly" asserts his opinions as fact, such as in this article [http://www.destructoid.com/the-irrefutable-undeniable-official-top-ten-sonic-games-204593.phtml] ("Sonic Colors on the Wii was sub-par nonsense and that's scientific fact, proven by science.")

Bullshit, Jim.

Don't tell me you are joking, because I know with 100% certainty that you really do think that you opinions are fact and that the 98% of online reviews praising the Wii version of Colors are wrong. The DS version was a half-assed afterthought, and you know it.

He has a hostility towards people with opinions different from his, and as a result, he tends to attract sycophantic morons who do nothing but eat his shit up.

At least Yahtzee has the decency to admit that his opinions are just that, opinions.

I love jim sterling. o.o he's absolutely hilarious, and I want more Jimquisition. He's being ironic and a lot of people don't realize that. He's playing a persona, this is an act. his isn't how he is in real life.