Be Excellent To Each Other

But I visited and then READ A REVIEW!!!!! You dastardley man.

Still, at least I'm in no way tempted to splurge out for MK v DC anymore. Hurrah!

We're all winners!

Except for Myp.

What's the prize?

And does Myp get his BFH?

Chill, Winston.

I'm perfectly chilled.

Like an iced tea.

Or a morgue.

I done that column what people like again:

http://www.snappygamer.com/2008/11/30/w ... is-week-3/

I've written a bit of an opinion piece - I'd appreciate any feedback from you chaps

http://www.snappygamer.com/2008/12/02/t ... -part-one/

I've read that six or seven times and I'm still not sure what you were trying to say. What clear evidence? Of what, exactly?

The clear evidence being the Kotaku article about how the average gamer doesn't read games journalism. Should probably link to it again with "clear evidence". Would that help do you reckon?

The sentence structure is all wrong. You've broken out of the first sentence with a hyphen into an aside of 'surely a huge percentage of a games journalist’s potential audience', but you never return to the initial part of the sentence structure.

Yeah, I've properly fucked up that whole paragraph. I'll give it a quick once over. Cheers chaps.

Definately. I'd try and make the sentance in to a few shorter ones too, it doesn't appear to make logical sense to me the way it's written. Seems a bit run-on.

In response the general piece, only a tiny fraction of movie-goers read a film magazine but noone thinks that's odd. I'm not sure why gamers are expected to want to/be able to read magazines beyond the enthusiasts like us.

I've chopped the whole chunk of crap about reader numbers out and it reads better now.

As for your response - I agree partly - but I think games journalism still has a lot of growing to do before it can reach the sort of numbers who read some sort of movie review. I also think the average gamer should want to/be able to read our stuff because games cost around £40, and a lot of them are shit. Movies are comparatively cheaper. But I don't want to draw comparisons between games and movies because it doesn't work.

And also, do you not agree that the likes of N'Gai take themselves far too seriously? VIDEO GAMES, man. We play them for a bit of a chuckle.

Enthusiasts think they are shit.

Casual gamers think they are aces and keep buying them.

We're just a bit more discerning and therefore require more opinions before we buy because we don't want to get something we deem "shit" so we buy the magazines. I would say most casuals (i.e. average gamer) have fun with whatever they buy and then buy "more of the same" hence Fifa 3102 and PES TwelvetySeven. Who are we to tell them they aren't having enough fun, and to read magazines to find other choices when they are quite happy with what they have?

<EDIT> I've never read any of N'Gai Croal's work and only vaguely remember the name because it's a little...distinctive. And I'm one who is an enthusiast. I would put money on it noone who isn't already an enthusiast know who he is. His audience would therefore be the hardcore that *do* take it seriously, and no-one's worse off for that, surely? </EDIT>

But with that argument you're essentially condemning all criticism as useless to anyone other than enthusiasts, which I disagree with.

Not at all. They use word of mouth, rather than magazines. What their friends have, what is "big news".

I'll just give up, then!

I thought it was a good read, anyway. I don't necessarily agree with it all, but it's a decently written piece.

I can see where you are coming from, although anything taking it's lead from the Sun (style wise, anyway) would be a Supremely Bad Thing.

One of my main bugbears against games journalists is they seem frightened to admit they haven't played every game ever, so they try to make out they have but end up vastly overcompensating. Problem comes when something they say about one of their "childhood favourites" that shows a lack of knowledge of the game that would indicate that it's more "something I played for the first time today and spent half an hour on because the wordcount for this article doesn't warrant anything more".

Look games journalists, we play games. We know that unlike movies you can't get all the way through three games before lunchtime. So don't pretend you've played everything ever to completion. Not even Dimrill has done that.

One more thing, Mr or Miss or Mrs or Ms Journalist. Stop trying to also convince us you've completed every game you review. Because you haven't.

Anyway, back to the topic in hand. More opinion pieces please, regardless of whether I agree with them or not. If I just want to read things I agree with I'll just make a list of my own opinions. And then read it.

The comments section is getting fun on there, mostly some games journalists known for waffle flailing at a defence. (Excluding KG who can actually pull off waffling bollocks without it seeming like waffling bollocks)

For someone who didn't want their blog to be personal, it's suddenly become very much so.

Awww, Jonny. I wanted to slag off that pretentious, full of shit twat Gillen. Why'd you have to close the comments?

Seriously, I wanted to make the point that, back in the halcyon days of YS and AP, the reviews of those mags were a) informative, b) well-written and c)(most important of all) entertaining. Three things that Shi...uh...Whitehead couldn't pull off with the aid of an electro-mechanical reviewing machine.

I personally use reviews to tell me what features are in a game, because it's impossible to rely on the back-of-box info. Stuff like whether the co-op play covers the full campaign, things like that.

You keep beating that drum, Cras.

Blimey, those comments got a bit heated, didn't they? I'm not entirely sure Stu helped matters either. How you doing for traffic today, Jonny?

I meant to quote the line in GamesTM the other week when I read it, then decided to let them off, but it was a classic. Something along the lines of "We have long-since moved on past the idea that games should be fun". I should have cancelled my subscription at that point, I think, given that their ethos has gone off somewhere else.

Egad... traffic up today, Jonny?

I think the point is perhaps proved to an extent, given the 'heated' debate. I think the people saying you're setting yourself up as KING JOURNALIST are barking up the wrong tree, or at least from the impression that I've gathered. I do agree that sometimes video games journalism is too pretentious. Personally, whilst I LOVED the game Braid, and will defend it to the hilt, the review of it was wanky nonsense, saying that it will challenge my perceptions of everything in life, etc. It's a great game that I enjoyed a lot; it has not in any meaningful way changed my life.

So, yeah, interesting day.

Yeah sorry guys, I got a little bit irritated with the insults rather than people actually arguing. I've opened the comments again if you want to have a go.

What I've noticed from the comments I've read (and I haven't read them all, because there's too many) is a lot of "There's nothing wrong with the way I write and how serious my tone is" from the "journalists" and little "But I love reviews like the Eurogamer Braid review, it's so profound and serious and wow!".

When will part two be with us?

Part two hasn't been written yet, but I'll try to get it done fairly soon. I won't be upsetting people personally with Part two, though. Hopefully.

You will personally be upsetting me if you don't personally upset anyone in it.

NOOOOO!

It's basically going to be about PR companies buying review scores and the lack of testicles and stuff.

I think it may upset people when you point out that they don't actually give honest opinions due to the lure of the filthy lucre, and point out this is why no one trusts them. And explains why they try to use waffle to distract from the score as much as possible.

If that is indeed what you point out.

This stuff just writes itself.

Expect some more traffic today, J-Dog:

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/12 ... papers-46/

Aye, it was to be expected.

Hello!

If you would all be lovely and join the new Snappy Gamer Facebook Group, I'd really appreciate it. I tried to invite most of you but I think I buggered it up, so I'm posting it here.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=44686877203

Also, become a fan! I'm not sure what the difference is between the two, but there seems to be some sort of difference...

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Snappy-Gamer/52583773952

And one more thing - Twitter! I've added as many of you lot as I could find, but if I haven't started following you yet, follow me and I'll follow you.

http://twitter.com/jonarob

Thanks everyone