1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.

Gaming On Games Churnalism

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by arcticstoat, 31 May 2011.

  1. arcticstoat

    arcticstoat Minimodder

    Joined:
    19 May 2004
    Posts:
    917
    Likes Received:
    21
  2. zimbloggy

    zimbloggy Genius Extraordinaire

    Joined:
    8 Jul 2008
    Posts:
    121
    Likes Received:
    1
    Interesting. I never thought of it that way. I am RSS'd to another site that posts articles throughout the day, with some of them a little "padded", but I think most of them are at least worth a glance or two. But bit-tech definitely does do a great job at being more substantial.
     
  3. Digi

    Digi The not-so-funny Cockney

    Joined:
    23 Nov 2009
    Posts:
    1,600
    Likes Received:
    228
    I sometimes get frustrated at the lack of news on B-T but as soon as I look elsewhere then I get pissed off with the rubbish they post so I fully understand what's being said here and I think the way you do it is just fine.

    At least I know when news is posted on B-T it really is news or something useful or a big update in info for a game.

    Maybe sites do this because there is not enough information released by developers as to whats going on with their games etc? So to feed the little monster they just regurgitate with a slight spin, things which have already been said..
     
  4. veato

    veato I should be working

    Joined:
    15 Jan 2010
    Posts:
    874
    Likes Received:
    193
    CVG is a perfect example of this. They often post rumour and pointless updates as news and worse still deliberate headlines to get fanboys worked up into a lather thus generating more traffic. The most commented on articles over there are "my console is better than your console because xyz" types.
     
  5. Centy-face

    Centy-face Caw?

    Joined:
    26 Apr 2009
    Posts:
    165
    Likes Received:
    2
    I certainly come here for in depth reviews and features especially however I do RSS a bunch of other sites a couple that do the 'post per screencap' thing and happily ignore what I am not interested in. Because some of those sites, notably RPS and PCG, do a better job with indie news and daily round ups.

    Perhaps that's something that could be done here? A daily or even weekly round up of the lesser news stories that aren't enough to warrant a full post to themselves but are still of interest.

    Still variety is the spice of life and I don't think anyone could honestly say that they get their gaming news etc from just one source so B-T does it one way other sites do it this way there is room for everyone. Though I have no sympathy for sites that just copy & paste press releases and rehost shots and call it news without even bothering to do some sort of hands off preview or even chuck in a few words of original thought.
     
  6. Mentai

    Mentai What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    11 Nov 2007
    Posts:
    758
    Likes Received:
    1
    The only gaming news writer I would consider a journalist is Patrick Klepek on Giantbomb. For the most part, he actually digs a little deeper into anything he writes to make it more interesting.

    I have an RSS for Destructoid, which admittedly is bloated with a lot of crap, but I like to know about everything that's going on across all platforms so I usually just skim the headlines.

    Finally there is bit-tech, which while I do read the game reviews, I stick around for the features and hardware reviews. Sure the news isn't exactly in depth journalism, but news in real life isn't really either. It's mostly just copy pasted from reuters press releases. The more you probe into a story in gaming, the more doors you get slammed in your face by ruining a companies meticulous PR campaign. And for what? So you can confirm to everyone more CoD is getting developed? I would argue that there are no true news stories to tell in gaming, only interesting articles and features to write and products to review.
     
  7. maximus09

    maximus09 Forever n00b

    Joined:
    8 Jun 2009
    Posts:
    366
    Likes Received:
    2
    Thanks Bit-Tech!

    I often wondered why the news section is cut down and I am greatful that it does away with all the rubbish. It wouldn't be Bit-Tech if it had a constant stream of churnalism (love the word by the way) being posted.
     
  8. sotu1

    sotu1 Ex-Modder

    Joined:
    24 Aug 2007
    Posts:
    2,884
    Likes Received:
    26
    Valid argument, however, this also seems a good time for me to raise a niggle that has been bothering me for months. A while ago I asked why BT hadn't posted a review of the PS Move. The response was

    "Afraid not. Sony didn't send it to us. Send them an angry email."

    Essentially, this said: "we hadn't been sent one by Sony PR, therefore we're not reviewing it", which just seems like bad journalism.
     
  9. kaiser

    kaiser What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    6 Apr 2011
    Posts:
    26
    Likes Received:
    0
    Interesting and valid analysis of current games journalism, but I fear that BT perhaps goes too far in cutting down its news.. these days it seems much too long between articles and entire product ranges and games seem to get missed. I'm not suggesting posting crap like other sites, but BT is blessed with good writers, perhaps it would be worth giving them more to write about?
     
  10. Bad_cancer

    Bad_cancer Mauritius? 2nd speck east of africa

    Joined:
    7 Apr 2009
    Posts:
    708
    Likes Received:
    12
    The problem with this is : If they are not sent a sample, where do they get it from? surely they are not expected to buy every single piece of hardware that comes out... How do they pay for it?
    Even if they sell them afterwards, this constitutes a loss across the board.

    You might say that one of the writers might borrow one from someone...who would lend a new piece of hardware to be dissected, dismantled, warranty void and generally abused?
     
  11. impar

    impar Minimodder

    Joined:
    24 Nov 2006
    Posts:
    3,109
    Likes Received:
    44
    Greetings!

    Hardware and Games enthusiasts are used to the hype. They search for it.
    If you stop providing that service, they will look elsewhere, Bit-tech.
     
  12. CardJoe

    CardJoe Freelance Journalist

    Joined:
    3 Apr 2007
    Posts:
    11,346
    Likes Received:
    316
    I remember that and, yes, there probably was an element of that, but there was also other factors that I couldn't explain to you. It was partly a case of bureacracy (if I go out and buy it to review it, I then have to justify to my bosses why Sony didn't send it to us), audience (at the time we Bit-Gamer wasn't launched, so I'd have had to justify to readers why were looking at it) and stretched resources (there were lots of other games coming out at the time and, as always, just me working on the site full time). There's also an element of objectivity (we didn't look at Wii Motion Plus either, for example).

    We've moved to rectify a lot of these issues since then, crystallising the focus of the site, investing more in freelancers and expanding our contact base. Apologies if I seemed glib in the original message to you - it must have been a stressful week.
     
    Waynio likes this.
  13. Ljs

    Ljs Modder

    Joined:
    4 Sep 2009
    Posts:
    2,234
    Likes Received:
    117
    Shouldn't the title of this be "On Games Churnalism?"

    ;)
     
  14. CardJoe

    CardJoe Freelance Journalist

    Joined:
    3 Apr 2007
    Posts:
    11,346
    Likes Received:
    316
    On the games side this is still an issue of resources, unfortunately. I'm the only writer in the entire company who focuses only on games and that means, while I have some freelancers and can occassionally poach Antony, Harry, Paul or Clive, I have to do all the game reviews myself. How many games like The Witcher 2 do you think you can review in a working week, without factoring in news, proofing, editing, meetings, events, etc.

    I'm not making excuses, just explaining we do the best we can.
     
  15. DbD

    DbD Minimodder

    Joined:
    13 Dec 2007
    Posts:
    519
    Likes Received:
    14
    Part of the reason is the internet is a different consumer environment - I haven't spent money buying a magazine which I am taking time to read at home. I am quite probably sitting at work/studying/meant to be doing something useful and looking for a 5 minute distraction - at that point a bit of non-news on BF3 becomes quite appealing.
     
  16. Blademrk

    Blademrk Why so serious?

    Joined:
    21 Nov 2003
    Posts:
    3,988
    Likes Received:
    86
    tbh, you're not missing much with Move, I think the only thing I've used my Move controllers for is PGA Golf and Eye Pet for the little one.
     
  17. leveller

    leveller Yeti Sports 2 - 2011 Champion!

    Joined:
    1 Dec 2009
    Posts:
    1,107
    Likes Received:
    24
    I RSS over 50 tech sites, not because they all publish unique stories, because they certainly don't, but because amongst 50-100 daily tech stories you can find exclusives and get a fuzzy feeling having read them on the exclusive site before any other sites regurgitate them.

    It made me laugh when the Huddy story from BT was taken and rewritten and posted up on another site with no credit given to BT. I got my pitchfork out and got that one corrected!

    There are a few things I would add and improve with Custom PC and Bit-Tech, but these blog posts make an interesting change from technical reviews and are a good read.

    Cheers!
     
  18. dnlsutch

    dnlsutch What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    31 May 2011
    Posts:
    1
    Likes Received:
    0
    Great rant Joe, very surprised to see a critique of your own industry on the site, but very interested to read it. I am a recently qualified journalist AND hardware and gaming enthusiast and I am struggling to find work in your field (not surprising, given the state of the economy and the amount of graduates out there). In my experience my training and qualifications seem to be overlooked, I sometimes feel it would be better to leave off my NCTJ qualifications off my CV and lead with my love of all things PC when applying for jobs. Saying that, I did have more luck when applying for the recent position at CPC and BT so perhaps I shouldn't be so cynical!
    I was speaking to a friend last week, who had fallen into travel journalism after completing an English degree, but was in the process of making the move to PR because he felt that was where writing talent and creativity was celebrated. Is it possible that PR's are doing all the journalism and journalists are doing all the PR?
    As for lack of "news" on the site, I think that BT and CPC are primarily about reviewing and features, there are plenty of sites where screenshots, rumours and PR prattle can be found, so carry on sticking to what you guys do best.
     
  19. r8bwp

    r8bwp What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    7 Mar 2011
    Posts:
    30
    Likes Received:
    1
    The name of your site is Bit-Gamer and as such I expect your site to have news and articles to do with games. Being a Pc man(47 yrs old), I like multitasking machines not consoles. (me being biased, i refuse to own a console(To play a game I have to own your console F*** Y** p.s you might get sued if you tinker around inside it too(sry bit of rage!) ))

    You have written many excellent articles to do with hardware and games and keeping us iinformed of the latest developements. I have several bookmarks that I check everyday. I would like to see a profile of the writer on the article he writes to see which side of the fence he is(what games he plays (regularly) consoles owned pc spec) With this in mind it is a simple step to cross reference your articles, reviews.

    Being 47 I remember black and white tvs, colour, atari,sharp mz700,basic. Technology has come along way in 30yrs, would i care about p gates or n gates that i learned in college if i was 18 today, I very much doubt it.


    I used your hardware reviews to build my pc though i had to skimp a little bit on my graphics card (ka2 560 ti) but it still does the job. I love your hardware reviews for being factual with plenty of test data.

    I have about 200 current games but probably got 1000 resticted by different operating systems.

    I don`t really care for some of the interviews you do about (so called) up and coming technology. the batlle between amd and intel for example but that doesnt stop me from reading it or the colouful comments which follow, some are very amusing and show great wit.

    Ultimately my opinion of your site is great hardware reviews and game reviews, I always cross check your articles anyway.
     
  20. CardJoe

    CardJoe Freelance Journalist

    Joined:
    3 Apr 2007
    Posts:
    11,346
    Likes Received:
    316
    We tend to think that the journalist should approach any topic neutrally and without bias or ego getting in the way, which is why we don't shove our bios on to each page. Also, it's just not relevant for most readers and it's just ego stroking for us. Still, broadly speaking you can see the interests of individual writers in both the staff page and the blog posts done by that author.

    http://www.bit-tech.net/about/staff
     
Tags: Add Tags

Share This Page