Fucking Kotaku

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

I think initially everyone had a great impression of RAGE which certainly created a lot of hype for the game... especially with promises that it would be like x or y later in the game. But it turned out not to be that way, so people were disappointed.

[fuchikoma]

I actually found a somewhat infamous Gamasutra interview about Rage pretty refreshing. Some people attacked it as being jaded or antagonistic, but I think it was one of the few that asked the kind of questions I'd want to ask. It's not just an assisted press release.

 

To the topic of this thread though... I see Bash posted "Who Is to Blame for Slave Labor-Made Game Consoles: Gamers or Game Companies?" on Kotaku today... really, guys? Because it's one or the other, and only game systems are made with Foxconn parts, while every other piece of electronics is from somewhere else? Or because getting a paid job is slave labour? From what I have heard from Foxconn workers in interviews, they knew it was a tough job, but it pays pretty well, so they took it. From everything I've heard, this is not your proverbial sweatshop with no bathroom breaks, that keeps the workers locked inside so they can't escape when there's a fire (forget whose that was, but it actually did happen somewhere.) But surely, either game companies or gamers are enslaving workers. Way to troll for hits.

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

I remember that interview. Great, honest stuff.

[MasterDex]

It's a complicated issue that goes beyond simply foxconn but where the platinum and other materials necessary for production are sourced from too. It's an ugly world we live in but at the end of the day, we have to accept that to live the lifes that we live, other lives will be lost. We can try and work towards improving the situation by fighting against the horrible regimes that control some of these resources. But yeah, I don't think the blame or guilt lies solely with game makers or gamers but with humanity as a whole.

[TheRevanchist]

http://kotaku.com/5875503/introducing-kotaku-core-for-readers-who-only-want-to-know-about-video-games

 

Totilo's first month in charge is proving to be very interesting.

[deanb]

It's a bit silly a games site, well a site that's meant to be a game site, has to make a point of making a mode for just the gaming news

 

Bit late in coming, but does seem that this is possibly a thing Totilos wanted a while but Crecente maybe not wanted out?

[TCP]

I don't understand why people who don't want to read the cosplay etc articles just don't click them? Is scrolling past them that bad?

[P4: Gritty Reboot]

There are several things at play when people complain about that kind of thing. First off, if I'm reading a news site and my wife/boss/slavedriver walks by and sees a "news" story about kinky stuff going on in Japan flashed up on the frontpage, it doesn't look good. Plus, I don't really want to read that kind of stuff. To an extent, I agree with the idea that articles that don't interest you can simply be ignored, but at the same time, there's a limit to the tolerance for that sort of thing. At some point it begs the question of why I can't simply read a site that posts the same volume of articles but a higher percentage of content that will interest me. Energy put into crummy articles is energy that could have otherwise been spent on gaming-related and relevant material.

[FredEffinChopin]

*yawn*

Someone let me know when they release Kotaku -functional. The Gawker-free version.

 

I can't lie though, I find this situations and the developments surrounding it pretty interesting. I'm curious to see how this all play out a few months in.

[TheRevanchist]

Possibly, Dean. The open threads have just disappeared.

 

Totilo seems to be making changes that are refocusing the brand on the consumer (maybe I've been in the business world too long). They are minimizing the community postings and, what it seems like, directing traffic to be able to move more towards gaming as the topic.

 

But, there must be a business decision behind this. Losing viewership? Planning to be sold/merged? Maybe it is Totilo's POV as what a gaming website should be, without getting rid of Bash and making further staffing changes that might affect morale too harshly.

 

EDIT: There was a TAY today on Kotaku. I must have missed it this morning.

Edited January 12, 2012 by TheRevanchist

[Strangelove]

They wouldnt need this "Core" version if they just got rid of Ashcraft. I wish they would.

[TheRevanchist]

Sometimes I think he must have some crossover stuff he must do with Fleshbot.

[TCP]

From Stephen Totilo's twitter...

"For the record, Kotaku Core was the brainchild of former Kotaku editorial director @joeljohnson."

[RockyRan]

I, too, find it amusing that a gaming website has to make a spinoff site for gaming news. I hope at least one editor over there has realized the irony in this.

[TCP]

All their articles are related to gaming culture. The lifestyle pieces don't bother me at all. They're not "Kotaku News", in fact it's "Kotaku - The Gamer's Guide". Have they ever claimed to be a "news site"? I've only heard them describe themselves as a gaming blog.

Plus it's not nearly as bad as IGN posting "babeology".

[fuchikoma]

I never really took it as a gaming site, but more of a gaming, geeks and Japanese culture site that leans toward gaming. Mainly because of the huge number of non-gaming articles, huge number of people complaining there wasn't a strict focus on gaming, and the endless times it's been explained to them that the site isn't "KGamer". Once the notion sticks for some people though, they can't shake it. I figured it was more of a geek entertainment site.

 

But I guess they got sick of repeating themselves so much, so now they can go "*sigh* Gaming link is over there."

Edited January 12, 2012 by fuchikoma

[P4: Gritty Reboot]

All their articles are related to gaming culture.

Hot off the presses:

 

http://kotaku.com/5875385/go+bots-knight-rider-what-is-this

 

Have they ever claimed to be a "news site"?

Google Kotaku and the description is:

 

Kotaku is the definitive digital hub for video game news, reviews, cheats, design, and entertainment.

[TCP]

Exactly!

News... reviews... cheats (???).... design... and entertainment.

As I was saying I don't think they ever had an obligation to present ONLY news. Obviously the Go Bots article was something that Luke felt the readers may be interested in. I wasn't, but judging by the decent amount of comments, I'd say he was right.

[deanb]

I'd imagine there's a rather large spectrum of things people are interested in, many of us here aren't just interested or entertained by games. That's why other websites exist. It was always the rather lame reasoning that got brought up back when I used to go to the site. If the writers want to post about other things I'm sure they have personal blogs. I know Fahey n Crecente do at the very least. Jim Rossignol is rather active on his personal non-RPS blog (even if he covers topics somewhat related to gaming). The gawker network is comprised of over half a dozen site with the express purpose of having one for games, gadgets, sports, cars, sci-fi/fantasy, porn, feminism, etc. Pretty much anything can be posted under the umberella of "this people will find interesting". But their umberalla is that of a gaming site. If they want to post random shit then drop the facade n just become "random site of whatever entertains me at the moment with a bit of a Japanese porn on the side".

 

Go-bots isn't exactly video game entertainment btw.

[Hot Heart]

Jim Rossignol is rather active on his personal non-RPS blog (even if he covers topics somewhat related to gaming).

John Walker, you mean.

[Saturnine Tenshi]

I'm amazed (and somewhat disappointed) that this thread is still active.

Edited January 12, 2012 by Saturnine Tenshi

[deanb]

Bah shit. It's cos I'd been on Rossignols too, but not a great example since he last posted a year ago (though what he has posted is rather in-depth)

[Cyber Rat]

I'm amazed (and somewhat disappointed) that this thread is still active.

 

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BileFascination

[Saturnine Tenshi]

Speaking of bile fascination: TV Tropes!

[Cyber Rat]

I see what you did there.