Boycotting gamespot

http://www.gamerevolution.com/manifesto/view.php?id=402
http://sarcasticgamer.com/wp/index.php/2007/11/rumor-gamepot-fire-a-reviewer-for-cah.html#more-1117
http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/30/rumor-gamespots-editorial-director-fired-over-kane-and-lynch-rev/

Jeff Gertsmann, a former employee of gamespot wrote an unflattering review and did an unflattering video about the game Kane & Lynch. Eidos was outraged and threatened to remove their advertisements, so gamespot caved in and fired Jeff for doing his job. They even pulled his video off of the website.

The video can be found in the first link.

I will never visit this website again unless gamespot rehires Jeff and issues an apology. I recommend you to do the same and cancel any paid subscription to gamespot. If they don't fix their mistakes, I hope they go bankrupt.

To quote sarcasticgamer:
Gamespot: Either stand behind your people, or put the words “Paid Advertisement” in front of all of your review scores.
 

Uriel

This journey isn't ov--AARGH!
Cheers for the links.

I thought the thread was by The Perineum Falcon for a second. Would have been slightly more keen to get involved.. but, I'll contribute some:

20071129qt4.jpg
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
I experience this from time to time in my job too. It hasn't stopped me outright, but there's always pressure in how you approach criticising the people who pay your ads, and thus, your paychecks. Unethical, for sure, but it's real and it happens for a reason.

Anyway, GameSpot sucks. It's the worst, most bias and arbitrary of the large video game review sites.

You guys should probably know that the decision to fire the reviewer very likely didn't come from anyone directly in charge of the reviewers, or even a personality on the website itself, but some corporate exec, who received the threatening phone call from EIDOS. That exec likely doesn't give a damn about reviewers and considers them a dime a dozen next to his precious bottom line. It's a growing trend in journalism...
 
I wouldn't say I'm going to boycott Gamespot, because I've never firmly relied on them but none the less, they were the site I'd go to when getting the "average" between them and IGN, (GS usually scoring something lower while IGN going higher, and my own "points" usually falling in between I guess) But this is just disheartening. Its a reality, reminds me of when SFII Turbo pulled their ads from EGM (I think?) when they gave it a low score. Anyways, hopefully Gamespot themselves will suffer a little bit of a blow for their retardation.

And hopefully, overly sensitive delirious fanboys had their 8.8 seconds of justice?
 

CnC

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Well normally I like gamespot reviews (8.8 is a good score, people). Recently, tho, I've been a bit skeptical of their reviews (I like Assassin's Creed, but I don't think it's a 9.0-and now that I see them advertising on the front page I don't trust that review at all). This just validates that concern. This is all the proof I need to know they can't be trusted.

And say what you want about about Gerstman, I thought he was a pretty funny guy on the podcast (which now there really isn't a point to listening).
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
CnC said:
Well normally I like gamespot reviews (8.8 is a good score, people).

NOT GOOD ENOUGH. :puck:

Well to be honest, I've never been a big fan of GameSpot. Like Wally, I've often found their notation system arbitrary when it wasn't clearly under what most popular sites would do to appear different. If I had to choose, I think I'd prefer IGN's overly positive take on everything, especially since they don't seem to try to hide it. But then again, I don't trust all those websites all that much in general. The main interest they have for me is that they condense Press Releases and news reports into an easy-to-follow formula.
 

CnC

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The 1up crew had a impromptu rally outside the Cnet/Gamespot offices:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/the1upshow/

hehe. Granted there aren't that many of them, but pretty cool :)
 

Vampire_Hunter_Bob

Cats are great
CnC said:
The 1up crew had a impromptu rally outside the Cnet/Gamespot offices:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/the1upshow/

hehe. Granted there aren't that many of them, but pretty cool :)

That's not how you lay siege to a building. I'm not just passing judgment on 1 up, come on Gamespot where was your boiling oil?
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Well, I'm way ahead on this boycotting business. Though I do think I've gotten images from there through google in the past.
 
Gamespot really fucked up. After everyone found out about the firing of Jeff over 400 people canceled their paid subscriptions and many more threaten to do the same unless they get an explanation. I've seen this quote from a boycott organizer on multiple websites
Since GameSpot does a lot of thinking with their wallet, we thought we’d speak their language. We’re not just calling for a boycott of GameSpot as a whole, but for a boycott of their ADVERTISERS. Let’s send a message to the people that choose to do business with GameSpot, that they are associating their products with a dishonest organization. If just a few of these companies pull their ads, maybe GameSpot will get a clue.
All video game companies (including Eidos) pulled their ads from the websites yesterday.

Here's a page with articles of what's happened so far:
http://sarcasticgamer.com/wp/index.php/category/gamespot
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Has it been officially confirmed (admitted) that this is more than a rumor yet? Everyone seems to be taking it for granted but I don't remember seeing any real acknowledgement from the concerned parties.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Aazealh said:
Has it been officially confirmed (admitted) that this is more than a rumor yet? Everyone seems to be taking it for granted but I don't remember seeing any real acknowledgement from the concerned parties.
They haven't confirmed or denied it. To me, that's the same as admitting it. When something done internally is getting this much coverage, usually a PR person "leaks" that it didn't actually happen, though it breaks company policy on commenting on an employee, it would dispel these nasty rumors.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Walter said:
They haven't confirmed or denied it. To me, that's the same as admitting it. When something done internally is getting this much coverage, usually a PR person "leaks" that it didn't actually happen, though it breaks company policy on commenting on an employee, it would dispel these nasty rumors.

This is what seems strange to me. Not reacting is pretty much the worst thing to do in this case.
 

CnC

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Here's the joystiq article, summarizing:
http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/03/gamespot-posts-official-gerstmann-firing-notice/

It's not really anything new, as they still don't say what it was that led to his firing. And it definitely seems a PR scramble to post praise about him 4 days after giving him the boot.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Yeah, I don't buy it. It's too late for an answer now. The damage has been done to Gamespot. Good luck assholes! :troll:
 

CnC

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Looks like Eidos is going to circumnavigate the editorial process and just make up their own desired reviews:

http://kotaku.com/gaming/kane-%26-lynch/kane--lynch-site-fibbing-about-reviews-scores-329529.php
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
CnC said:
Looks like Eidos is going to circumnavigate the editorial process and just make up their own desired reviews:

http://kotaku.com/gaming/kane-%26-lynch/kane--lynch-site-fibbing-about-reviews-scores-329529.php
Well, those stars in the ad COULD just be decoration, ya know. It's not a PURE lie :badbone:
 

CnC

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Walter said:
Well, those stars in the ad COULD just be decoration, ya know. It's not a PURE lie :badbone:

Would have been hilarious had they grabbed a quote from the gamespot preview, as well. Then they would have at least gotten a 2/2 in the brass balls category :guts:
 
They pull this kind of stuff all the time. I remember in the trailer for the godawful movie click. The trailer said, "Look what people are saying about click." They flashed giant quotes like "Brilliantly funny" and "hilarious" on the screen. I thought to myself "who the fuck could ever think that?" so I looked down to see what newspaper it came from. It turns out there were no citations, but they expected people to automatically assume that it came from a professional critic.
 

CnC

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Peregrine_Falcon said:
They pull this kind of stuff all the time. I remember in the trailer for the godawful movie click. The trailer said, "Look what people are saying about click." They flashed giant quotes like "Brilliantly funny" and "hilarious" on the screen. I thought to myself "who the fuck could ever think that?" so I looked down to see what newspaper it came from. It turns out there were no citations, but they expected people to automatically assume that it came from a professional critic.

I think it's the 5/5 stars thats more a lie than the stretch that is the quote.
 

CnC

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http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/05/gamespot-addresses-gerstmann-gate-concerns-in-depth/#comments

Another Gamespot press release, without having to go to gamespot.

The bit about the faulty microphone is amusing. :schierke:
 
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