The takeaway I took from that video (and it's worth a watch, IMO) is that they went from critiquing the game as it stands, to critiquing the game through a progressive lens.
And if you disagreed, they turned that attention to you, and started critiquing the players instead.
So you've got gaming outlets like Polygon that wholesale shifted from doing the job to trying to force change through intimidation tactics in the industry, and outright being hostile to the audience that actually buys the games.
The fact is, we don't need them. A youtube video made by people in their living room that actually shows gameplay videos with zero commentary will move more units than a place like Polygon, Kotaku or IGN.
But it’s important to understand that this shift to streaming and YouTube was going to happen regardless. The absence of neutral or conservative viewpoints is not why the traditional video game journalism industry collapsed. There were several attempts, in the wake of gamergate, to establish more politically neutral or conservative gaming sites. They basically all failed. So there wasn’t a gap in the market - there was just no market.
The problem we face is that it takes twice as long to remove BS as it does to add it.
They've been at it since 2007, and went completely nuts in 2014, and then criminally insane in 2016.
So it's going to take a good decade to purge the infestation. It's a slow moving beast, so we have to be patient. Not that I'm particularly fond of watching things I enjoy get destroyed. But it will get better. In time.
The takeaway I took from that video (and it's worth a watch, IMO) is that they went from critiquing the game as it stands, to critiquing the game through a progressive lens.
And if you disagreed, they turned that attention to you, and started critiquing the players instead.
So you've got gaming outlets like Polygon that wholesale shifted from doing the job to trying to force change through intimidation tactics in the industry, and outright being hostile to the audience that actually buys the games.
The fact is, we don't need them. A youtube video made by people in their living room that actually shows gameplay videos with zero commentary will move more units than a place like Polygon, Kotaku or IGN.
But it’s important to understand that this shift to streaming and YouTube was going to happen regardless. The absence of neutral or conservative viewpoints is not why the traditional video game journalism industry collapsed. There were several attempts, in the wake of gamergate, to establish more politically neutral or conservative gaming sites. They basically all failed. So there wasn’t a gap in the market - there was just no market.
That's also true. By then the lunch had already been half eaten. Too late for a magazine, and not enough of an audience to pick up any profit.
Every day I pray for a gaming crash to purge through the rotten wood of the forest and cleanse the floor for new growth.
The problem we face is that it takes twice as long to remove BS as it does to add it.
They've been at it since 2007, and went completely nuts in 2014, and then criminally insane in 2016.
So it's going to take a good decade to purge the infestation. It's a slow moving beast, so we have to be patient. Not that I'm particularly fond of watching things I enjoy get destroyed. But it will get better. In time.
Yes, let this be a lesson that gatekeeping was always correct.