Editor's note: Chris highlights an issue with games journalism that media scholars Robert McChesney and John Nichols have long recognized as a problem with the mainstream news press — reliance on official sources. Much preview coverage for games easily falls into this trap because publishers and developers hold all the information, which gives journalists an incentive to play nice in exchange for access. -Rob
Junkets. Junkets. Junkets. I notice from time to time that everyone loves to jump on the complaining bandwagon, and junkets are the latest victim of this annoying reunion tour.
"The reason games are so expensive is because publishers give journalists these Hawaiian vacations!"
Of course it is — that's just how marketing chooses to spend their money. Hell — as someone with a background in marketing, it's a damn good idea that probably works. Public relations will always think of stupid crap to spend money on in order to garner attention for a game. If they didn't do junkets, then they will simply think of something stupider to waste their budget on.
I don't have a problem with these junkets, and they don't destroy the integrity of the people attending them. My problem is with preview coverage in all of its forms. Announce the game and show me an occasional trailer — that's all I need. Do we really need an eight page cover story talking about how realistic the sweat on the character's faces is, and how the director's fat, sweaty wife inspired him to go the extra mile?
Apparently we're only 240 sweat glands away from crossing the uncanny valley!
When I was a kid, I couldn't write very well. My mom told me I was stupid, and my grandparents were convinced I was a homosexual. The memory motivates me to write on Bitmob and give you hilarious articles! Are you still reading? Why? Nothing derails a video game preview faster than boring stories about the developer's personal life — I'm totally kidding by the way, my mom never told me I was stupid.
"Want to know what's even better than Kratos' new weapon, The Nemian Cestus?"
"You bet I do!"
"My kid's soccer team!"
Video games aren't done until they're done, and hopefully they're ready when they're released. I've learned that it's usually impossible to know how a game will turn out until it actually pops out of the oven and people play it.
First day purchases and pre-orders have burned me enough to know that I can't trust game previews. If I were three years younger, I might have gone out and bought Lost Planet 2 or Alpha Protocol, but now I like to think that I know better. As an informed buyer, I do my best to only buy great games — a quick glance at my collection will hint that I've failed miserably at this task.
Mercenaries 2: Expectations in Flames
Last and certainly least, public relations has too much power; publishers force journalists to cruise down optimism road until the game ships. Only at that point do they get to release their pent up feelings and tear into the final product.
If they hint at their true impressions too early, well, there goes their review copy. This makes it very difficult for the audience to tell what's actually happening with the game, and it's not the journalist's fault. I'm sure the developers showed them the best possible fifteen minutes they could.
As far as I'm concerned, previews have boiled down into nothing but extensive advertisements with a bit of editorial flare. I don't see the journalistic side of the industry evolving any more in this department — on the contrary, it's stagnating.
If I see one more preview that says "my only concern is that this fifteen minutes of fun won't last for a full gaming experience," I'm going to unsubscribe from that magazine or delete that website from my favorites instantly. I'm not going to call out any publications specifically — except for Game Informer. Their previews are terrible.
Do I have a reasonable solution to this problem? No. My solution was to write this article. What's yours?
"My only concern is that if they don't fix the game, it'll be broken."
I'm a comedian, writer, electrical engineer, and all around awesome person! Follow me on Twitter.