Company News How to make friends and influence previews

[sheek]

After what we've there, y'know, we gonna put a lot of information about this game and this company... so that a lot of people will know. So, you know, this will definitely be good for both of us

 

[DarkUnderlord]

How 'bout we convince them that if they make a free Bethesda Codex Party, we'll stop complaining?

I'd be in for that. Free trip, fire some AK47's and whatever the other shit they want to do is. Who cares. I'd come back and make a huge arse article about how awesome Fallout 3 is too.

 

[Claw]

Those poor bastards. Can we deprogram them somehow?

I favour a cold reboot.

PipBoy bobble heads!!!! Yay!

That's Vault Boy, you heathen.

I don't understand why the biggest ones just don't start cooperating, refusing to abide by any rules the publishers might impose on them.

Why should they? They are cheap whores without character. They get nice incentives and swag. They get to be called important people.

Here in Norway where I live, all the major newspapers simply refused to take pictures when a recent world star was having a concert, since they had to abide by silly rules in order to do so.

That's because real journalists possess a certain amount of pride and dignity.

 

[fizzelopeguss]

20 million? Jeez. No wonder games don't take many risks anymore.

I think funcom just secured 30 million to market their age of conan game, that's not counting what they've already spent on development so far. Granted that game in an mmo but it's not surprising why the likes of EA and ActiVision pump out sports titles and movie tie-in's year after year.

 

[elander_]

In addition to an hour-long demo and chats with the game's designers, <b>the trip included a two-night stay in downtown's swank Helix Hotel, dinner at Logan Tavern and a private party at a nightclub in Adams Morgan. Airfare, hotel, food, drinks and shuttle bus were provided, courtesy of Bethesda Softworks</b>.

What about the whores damn it? No whores no preview.

 

[robur]

Nothing new here. Happens in all entertainment media, not only in games. Wake up, people.

Personal note: You gotta fly me to Andromeda to influence anything I'm writing.

Hey, but at least you have something new to get all angry about. So it's good I guess.

 

[Zomg]

No shit, really? We all thought this was a unique situation. Thanks.

 

[Saxon1974]

Wow a pretty revealing and eye opening article.

This would be the reason why gamer magazines like Computer gaming world are crap now, they are basically one big advertising hype machine. This magazine used to be a gamer's magazine by gamer's that actually gave their real opinions. I honestly think that Jeff green the head guy for the mag has personally sucked on Todd Howards johnson, everything they say about Oblivion is the best on the market, or such a fantastic and perfect game just got better! I never saw anything about how much the leveling system sucked!

I need to find some other magazines to read since I cancelled my gaming ones....thoughts? Ideas? Im guessing there are no non-hype honest game magazines left.

AT least playboy hasnt gone to the dogs yet, as they as they keep including the photos its worth the purchase!

 

[robur]

Wow a pretty revealing and eye opening article.

This would be the reason why gamer magazines like Computer gaming world are crap now, they are basically one big advertising hype machine. This magazine used to be a gamer's magazine by gamer's that actually gave their real opinions. I honestly think that Jeff green the head guy for the mag has personally sucked on Todd Howards johnson, everything they say about Oblivion is the best on the market, or such a fantastic and perfect game just got better! I never saw anything about how much the leveling system sucked!

I need to find some other magazines to read since I cancelled my gaming ones....thoughts? Ideas? Im guessing there are no non-hype honest game magazines left.

AT least playboy hasnt gone to the dogs yet, as they as they keep including the photos its worth the purchase!

I've seen Playboy writers at those events, too. Not at the F3 one though.

 

[robur]

No shit, really? We all thought this was a unique situation. Thanks.

Under which rock have you been hiding? Please check all E3 reports of the past few years, you'll see plenty of pictures of parties etc.

Personally, I'm happy if events take place in San Francisco. I can walk there and sleep in my own bed afterwards.

 

[Zomg]

If I'd written that any more sarcastically it would have caused freshwater fish in the thread to die, guy-who-apparently-works-for-a-game-magazine-or-website.

 

[robur]

If I'd written that any more sarcastically it would have caused freshwater fish in the thread to die, guy-who-apparently-works-for-a-game-magazine-or-website.

In here, you never know how serious people mean it.

You're late to the party, we did all the introductions a few threads ago already.

 

[Twinfalls]

GOT BRASS IN POCKET
GOT BOTTLE I'M GONNA USE IT
INTENTION I FEEL INVENTIVE
GONNA MAKE YOU, MAKE YOU, MAKE YOU NOTICE


Robur: please report back after obtaining a clue. Godspeed, soldier!

 

[robur]

Robur: please report back after obtaining a clue. Godspeed, soldier!

Back.

 

[DarkUnderlord]

Wow. Epic fail in the Saving Throw vs Sarcasm department.

Win!

 

[Shannow]

How 'bout we convince them that if they make a free Bethesda Codex Party, we'll stop complaining?

I'd be in for that. Free trip, fire some AK47's and whatever the other shit they want to do is. Who cares. I'd come back and make a huge arse article about how awesome Fallout 3 is too.

Black Jack and hookers! And while we're at the firing range I'd like to try this "Fat Boy Catapult" I've heard so much about.

Robur: please report back after obtaining a clue. Godspeed, soldier!

Back.

After obtaining a clue. Not before trying to obtain a clue.
But keep the work up. You're not quite as entertaining as Volourn and the entertainment you provide is of a very different quality, but with a little practice that might change.
Naturespeed, soldier!

 

[Lumpy]

How 'bout we convince them that if they make a free Bethesda Codex Party, we'll stop complaining?

I'd be in for that. Free trip, fire some AK47's and whatever the other shit they want to do is. Who cares. I'd come back and make a huge arse article about how awesome Fallout 3 is too.

Hell, I'm sure that in such a position, more than half of the Codexers who whine about magazine cocksuckery would do the same.

 

[Naked Ninja]

Come on guys, stop being so naive. This is standard operating procedure in any large industry, in the business world in general. Golfing, business lunches, executive socials. Really now, grow up. One of the previous companies I worked for flew an important dude out here to SA, we took him on game park rides and helicopter trips. OH NO, THE CORRUPTION!

Fallout 3 is looking like ass with the nuclear telephone booths, but this kinda whiny emo crap just makes you look silly.

 

[Anaglyph]

One of the previous companies I worked for flew an important dude out here to SA, we took him on game park rides and helicopter trips. OH NO, THE CORRUPTION!

And was your company trying to maintain an impartial, unbiased stance so as not to fuck over its customers?

Edit: or rather I should say was this important dude trying to maintain impartiality?

 

[robur]

Come on guys, stop being so naive. This is standard operating procedure in any large industry, in the business world in general. Golfing, business lunches, executive socials. Really now, grow up. One of the previous companies I worked for flew an important dude out here to SA, we took him on game park rides and helicopter trips. OH NO, THE CORRUPTION!

Fallout 3 is looking like ass with the nuclear telephone booths, but this kinda whiny emo crap just makes you look silly.

Your dude might have been more important than a games writer or any writer for that matter who gets to see game x, movie y or play z. Like Patrick wrote in the Gamespy thread, how flying crosscountry several times a month in economy, writing on the days back home and flying out again is supposed to make you all hyper and psyched about a game escapes me. At the moment and after three flights from California to the East Coast in June, I feel rather exhausted.

I know, some know-it-alls will claim that this is whining - but I actually bite the bullet because I like the part of my job where I get to meet interesting people and games and get to hang out with some colleagues from Europe and the US.

Oh, and naivite, arrogance and fanatism combined don't fare well. They just isolate.

 

[deadairis]

Oh noes, I had to submit receipts and travel requests to (publisher) instead of (employer)! Some other office of accountants I never see or answer to had to pay for me when I traveled, like everyone who travels anywhere, ever, for work!

Honestly, don't any of you work or know anyone who works in an industry with travel? Traveling for work sucks. Your host usually buys you dinner -- regardless of the industry. If not, you expense it. It doesn't matter to you. The "afterparty" is exactly what the smarter of you have mentioned -- a bunch of gaming nerds. Maybe, if it's in a public place like a club, a bunch of gaming nerds and a bunch of miffed club patrons.

Some junkets probably go too far, but this was a cross-country flight, a day in a theater, dinner, drinks, and a cramped flight home. Glad I got to stay home and see my dog and fiancee instead.

 

[sheek]

Honestly, don't any of you work or know anyone who works in an industry with travel? Traveling for work sucks. Your host usually buys you dinner -- regardless of the industry. If not, you expense it. It doesn't matter to you. The "afterparty" is exactly what the smarter of you have mentioned -- a bunch of gaming nerds. Maybe, if it's in a public place like a club, a bunch of gaming nerds and a bunch of miffed club patrons.

It's not exactly the most disagreeable thing to do on the job either, is it? Alcoholic drinks, going to dinner every few hours, a place to stay in central DC... I'm sure the 'events' do not last all day. You have time off and can go do whatever you want, visit friends, visit museums, go to a concert, if you're a foreigner do some tax-free shopping for yourself/family/acquaintances. You can probably skip the dinners/'party' if you want to and just go to the presentation and pick up the literature.

Lots of people wouldn't mind that.

If you really dislike paid holidays around the world I'm sure you could tell your boss and he'd send another journalist or even a trainee... it's not like you need uber-skills to sit through a Pete Hines lecture and copy/paste a press report.

Have you ever turned one of these invitations down?

Some junkets probably go too far, but this was a cross-country flight, a day in a theater, dinner, drinks, and a cramped flight home. Glad I got to stay home and see my dog and fiancee instead.

A cramped flight? Which airline, and what price was the ticket? Were you supposed to go?

 

[elander_]

Oh, and naivite, arrogance and fanatism combined don't fare well. They just isolate.

How arrogant not to think the world is a perfect big party and that these parties are not used to bribe journalists. It's really something we never heard of in newspapers.

Honest journalists would not put themselves in a situation like this because they have a reputation of impartiality to maintain. But we can't say that the group of degenerates who ran away from school and are now writing for game sites are journalists can we?

Hell they don't even need whores and cars to bribe those poor rejects.

 

[GhanBuriGhan]

As long as there are enough independent blogs and sites to balance this, I don't think its such a big problem. It could even be a niche for a medium sized game journalism outlet that clearly publishes and advertises an ethics code on their site.

 

[Krafter]

Ha ha, I love it. Take some wannabe journalists out, show them what a real woman looks like, get a ton of 9.6 GOTY LOL!!! reviews later on.

Yes, this is how 'real businesses' work, but that dosen't make it any less covered in bullshit.

 

[Cimmerian Nights]

You can probably skip the dinners/'party' if you want to and just go to the presentation and pick up the literature.

You can probably skip that too:
http://www.cvgames.com/?p=2722

I then was given a list of things I had to say if I mentioned any details about graphics, art, interface, gameplay, characters, etc.

Let me guess, Epic, Soil Erosion, Patrick Stewart, Radiant AI, Visceral etc.

But when the press is shown a Preview or told we can write about a Beta, there are still many rules in place. These rules include:

(1) Always be positive

(2) Remember this is an early build

(3) Element X Y Z will be fixed and changed upon release

(4) Disobey any of the above and you will be banned

Not only do the rules above apply to Previews but some Publishers are willing to extend this to include even Reviews.

These kind of tactics would make Joseph Goebbels blush.