Episode 17 - Games, More Games, and Gaming Journalism

The Joy of Gaming Podcast, Episode 17:

Games, More Games, and Gaming Journalism

On this episode of the Joy of Gaming Podcast, Rich, Tim and Jordan discuss the large number of great new fall releases they’ve been playing, before moving on to the always controversial, yet fascinating subject of gaming journalism.

Black Friday came and went not too long ago, so we start with some discussion of the new games we picked up on the cheap and have been playing excessively. Halo 4, Sleeping Dogs, Assassin’s Creed III, Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance, Persona 4: Arena, Spec Ops: The Line, Paper Mario: Sticker Star, Final Fantasy: Theatrhythm, Borderlands 2, and more are discussed, along with some assorted gaming news.

And then we get to the big question of the day: Are games journalists really “journalists” at all?

Recently, a photograph of Geoff Keighley emerged online, in which the Gametrailers TV host is surrounded by a slew of commercial products marketed towards gamers. And just like that, the question of integrity in games journalism came to the forefront again. How seriously can we take the guy when he’s sitting amidst a pyramid of Mountain Dew bottles, a bag of Doritos, and a standee advertising Halo 4? Is it still possible for him to have an independent opinion on the gaming industry?

And let’s not forget “Gerstmann-Gate” a few years back, when Gamespot writer and reviewer Jeff Gerstmann was fired, allegedly for giving the game Kane and Lynch: Dead Men (which was also heavily advertised on the site) too low of a review score. Ever since then, Kane and Lynch and Gerstmann have become focal points of the ongoing debate over the integrity of game reviews.

And there are other factors to consider as well. Game review sites and publications are often under pressure to secure advance copies of games to review, exclusivity deals for reveals and cover stories, and overall access to the developers making the games. Does this pressure influence the review scores these games eventually receive? No one is totally sure.

But in this age when gamers rely increasingly on Metacritic and Gamerankings when making buying decisions, these are certainly questions that deserve to be asked. And furthermore, should we refer to the men and women who write about games as “Games Journalists,” or as members of the “Enthusiast Press?” These issues and more are up for debate on this spirited episode.

'Cause as you know: it’s all fun and games until somebody gets caught in a picture with a Mountain Dew Code Red Pyramid and a bag of Doritos…this, is The Joy of Gaming!