GameSpot, Gerstmann Controversy Not Surprising
Long-time readers of Video Game Media Watch are likely unsurprised over the Gerstmann/GameSpot uproar that hit the Internet over the past day (witty pontificators have been referring to it as “Gerstmann-Gate”). VGMW has warned our readers over the proliferation of questionable overlap between the marketing/advertising and editorial departments at major game publications, both online and off. As the NY Times reported in November, this is an issue our site is deeply concerned about.
At the Valleywag forums today, a poster known only as “gamespot” professed him/herself to be an employee in the editorial department at GameSpot, and launched a litany of accusations against the suits at CNET. In the post, the individual states:
There has been an increasing amount of pressure to allow the advertising teams to have more of a say in the editorial process; we’ve started having to give our sales team heads-ups when a game is getting a low score, for instance, so that they can let the advertisers know that before a review goes up. Other publishers have started giving us notes involving when our reviews can go up; if a game’s getting a 9 or above, it can go up early; if not, it’ll have to wait until after the game is on the shelves.
We can’t say whether the poster is authentic or not, but the accusations he/she makes are eerily similar to tips we’ve been receiving from game industry insiders for months now. One such source, a veteran industry journalist, had this to say on the subject of press outlet/publisher relations a couple months ago:
So…the word around town is, negotiating for exclusive reviews is a pretty common occurrence. Apparently, what press outlets do, so they feel good about it still, is tell a game company that they’ll review a game, see what the score will be, then go back and negotiate an exclusive if the score is high enough. For example…I’m a reviewer, and you make games. I tell you, “Dave, let me play your game. If I give it a 9 or higher, *then* you give me the exclusive on the review. If not, then you can shop it around elsewhere.” [….] Can you imagine if Roger Ebert tried to negotiate movie review coverage that way?
Such policy fairly closely mirrors what GameSpot is being accused– notice the emphasis we put there – of incorporating into their company practices.
So how broad may such practices extend in the industry? Based on what we continue to see here at VGMWatch.com, the prognosis is not acceptable. VGMWatch will continue to investigate this story as well as others like it. If you have any informational tips to contribute, please email us at davidg@vgmwatch.com.
on December 2nd, 2007 at 8:46 am
Just to try to put a different viewpoint into place here, the way for an intelligent gamer to get around being “gamed” by magazines and for-hire sites is to wait a few months to buy the game.
There are so many great games that none of us has ever played. Instead of buying the latest game, play those games…. maybe last year’s games that had a 9+ score that somehow we missed. That does two things (1) you can pick these up from a friend for 1/2 price because he’s already played (2) It’s pretty clear after 3 months (or so) if the game sucks or not.
I know the game makers want us desperately to buy opening weekend. But as a gamer, there is no advantage in doing that. So why do we do it?
on December 2nd, 2007 at 6:31 pm
Good advice, Mr. Smith.
on December 3rd, 2007 at 11:38 am
There are some advantages. For example, many games have active online communities. If you want to be among the top players, you need to get in on the ground floor. I understand that is a low percentage, but it is a major draw even for the folks that aren’t that good.
Additionally, once a game is a few months old, it doesn’t dominate the watercooler anymore. “You haven’t finished Portal yet? What’s WRONG with you?!?”
Finally, there is a practical reason/advantage for buying at full price in the opening week. If you want to see more games of that type, from that company, the best way to tell them so is to speak with your wallet — the earlier the better. Remember, the more people that buy a game (especially in multiplayer) the more value that game has to you as an early buyer. It is this type of network effect that breeds fanboyism.
Hey, I’m with you. I rarely buy games in the first week and even more rarely pay full price, but I disagree that there is no advantage to doing so. That advantage just isn’t worth the money to me. Also, full disclosure, I suck at FPS multiplayer!
Back on topic though, it sucks for Mr. Gerstmann, but we’ve all known (especially as readers of this site) that the game review biz is fishy. It’s going to take a lot more than this particular controversy to change things. Games have to reach the same level as other forms of entertainment in the public consciousness. I’m not holding my breath.