EGM shilling in editorial

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Facilitypro	EGM shilling in editorial	Lead	[-]
Posts: 2490 (07/06/06 11:59 PM) Slow Daddy Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Tags : None Anyone notice that the last paragraph in the newest EGM editoral (by Shoe) is shilling gametap? He gives his editorial, then subtly segues into his gametap advertisement by saying, "If you want to call me an idiot and need more ammo, peep spaceghost interviewing me on gametap." Then he proceeds to tell us to sign up for a free trial. He mentions gametap four times in three sentences (and again in the inset pic)! Is this the same guy who refused to take a free TV from Microsoft because it wouldn't be ethical? In an unrelated issue, Shoe says he's never seen so many gamers who needed a console without knowing anything about it. Yeah...haven't seen that since the 360 launch. Or PS2 launch. Or N64 launch.
Crawl and 1OOO	Re: EGM shilling in editorial	#1	[-]
Posts: 15594 (07/07/06 9:19 AM) Administrator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I don't see the issue. Every time they write a positive review of a game, they're recommending buying it. So, what's the difference with recommending gametap? Editorials are by their nature opinion. One technology publication (which, aside from these editorials, is on topic and non-political) I've read, by the way, had the editor in chief once shill for some "books on mp3" service, and another time did all but come right out and say to re-elect George W Bush. 1 2 3 4 5 6
Crawl and 1OOO	Re: EGM shilling in editorial	#2	[-]
Posts: 15594 (07/07/06 11:55 PM) Administrator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	It turns out that just tonight Berardinelli wrote a journal entry about the ethics of reviewing and advertising. His solution is to not take advertising money from movies. That works fine for him because he's an amature (I mean that purely as description -- reviewing movies is not his "day job"). I don't see that as working for a professional publication. Any PC magazine, for instance, will have ads for PC related products. Any gaming magazine will have ads for games. Do I have a solution to this problem? Not really. Obviously, I think professional game reviews are pretty bad. Is the (or a) root of the problem one of ethics? I don't know. Maybe. 1 2 3 4 5 6
Facilitypro	Re: EGM shilling in editorial	#3	[-]
Posts: 2490 (07/08/06 11:53 PM) Slow Daddy Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	The reason that it stood out to me the most was how out of place it was, not because of the gametap reference per se. Had that same blurb been in, say, their E3 wrap-up, I probably wouldn't have thought twice. If the editorial was a commentary about online game/rental services or expriences with those services, I wouldn't have thought twice. But it's an editorial about the PS3, and all of a sudden, it's like "Go to gametap and sign up for gametap to watch this video at gametap." Is a positive review a recommendation to buy the game? Sure. Is it a shill? No. But what the last paragaph of the review for Zelda: Twilight Princess was solely about how awesome Final Fantasy XII is and how you should go out and buy it? That would raise some eyebrows. How does that happen? Was it just Shoe trying to get some exposure for himself, or was it an actual pitch?
Crawl and 1OOO	Re: EGM shilling in editorial	#4	[-]
Posts: 15594 (07/09/06 12:37 AM) Administrator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Well, you have to realize I didn't know it was in the greater context of an editorial on the PS3. My subscription to EGM lapsed, and I decided not to renew mostly and simply because at the time, I didn't think we had enough room in our place to be storing more magazines. So, I was only going on what you said in your first post. Now, we might have more room for a few more magazines (it's not like 12 issues take up a heck of a lot of space), but, well, I dunno. 1 2 3 4 5 6
Gengarian Junus	Re: EGM shilling in editorial	#5	[-]
Posts: 716 (07/10/06 12:08 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Maybe Shoe just really, really, really likes Gametap.
CRAWLand1000	Re: ...	#6	[-]
Posts: 3590 (07/15/06 1:07 PM) The Fuzzy Physicist Administrator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Speaking of editorializing, have you ever noticed it becoming more prevalent in food ingredient lists? For example, spaghetti will have Ingredients: Red, ripe fresh tomatoes... I've also seen something like Tropican orange juice is made from carefully chosen, freshly squeezed oranges... "Without a foothold in the past, we cannot walk towards the future." -Vagrant Story
CataTonic9	Re: ...	#7	[-]
Posts: 412 (07/17/06 12:31 PM) Retro-Rocket Phantasm Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Pretty much all game magazines are a complete joke these days.
CLOUDBOND007	Re: EGM shilling in editorial	#8	[-]
Posts: 12352 (08/14/06 8:33 AM) Lunitari Mage Moderator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Looks like FP got published. CB007's GPT & Game Review Archive
Crawl and 1OOO	Re: EGM shilling in editorial	#9	[-]
Posts: 15594 (08/14/06 9:32 AM) Administrator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Come on, you can't say that without posting it. 1 2 3 4 5 6
Facilitypro	Re: EGM shilling in editorial	#10	[-]
Posts: 2490 (08/14/06 1:54 PM) Slow Daddy Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Yes, do post it. I usually dont get my mag until after everyone else does. In the meantime Ill look online.
CLOUDBOND007	Re: EGM shilling in editorial	#11	[-]
Posts: 12352 (08/14/06 5:13 PM) Lunitari Mage Moderator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I really would have, but I was running late for work. Shilling Space Ghost What's with the last paragraph of Shoe's editorial in EGM #205? Since when has the editorial been about shilling a product? In this case, the product in question is GameTap. Shoe gives his editorial, then subtly segues into an (unrelated and unnecessary) advertisement by saying, "If you want to call me an idiot and are looking for more ammo, peep Space Ghost interviewing me on GameTap." Then he proceeds to tell us to sign up for a free trial. He mentions GameTap four times in three sentences! Is this the same guy who, in EGM #192, regused to take a free TV from Microsoft, then proceeded to call for game journalists to start acting like journalists? I want to see insight and opinions in editorials, not advertisements. -Facilitypro Editor-in-chief Dan Hsu responds: "Ouch! Let me just say this: I wasn't paid or compensated in any way. It was fun and silly (an EGM editor on Space Ghost!), and I thought readers might want to know about it. I couldn't help mentioning GAmeTap four times because, in telling people how to navigate to the video, every menu item or URL had the world GameTap in it. No shilling here."
Facilitypro	Re: EGM shilling in editorial	#12	[-]
Posts: 2490 (08/14/06 5:25 PM) Slow Daddy Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Thanks for posting that. It's edited a bit, but the point got across. (I edited my name out of the post, btw.)

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