Some game journalists posted pictures of themselves with free PS4s that they received from a Sony review event in New York. These pictures angered some readers who questioned why journalists should receive “gifts” from video game companies. As someone who earned a journalism degree, I understand where some readers are coming from. It’s a fundamental question raised in journalism ethics class: should reviewers receive free services or products for review? Any good journalism teacher will tell you that if you accept free services or products, you open yourself up to legitimate concerns about conflicts of interest.
- Jed Pressgrove, Fate of the Game
Jim Sterling writes;
Everybody loves lists, especially people who say they don’t. The Jimquisition this week roots through history’s garbage to find the ten worst types of DLC in videogame history.
At least until we think of ten more, then we can do another list. Lists are great!
I used to like the content on the channel, but now it's just him rambling on about DLC half the time. I don't even bother with the channel anymore, unless it's a truly interesting topic. I mean, I get it, you hate microtransactions. Stop hating on every game that offers even cosmetics, and concentrate on truly anti-consumer practices. You just beat a dead horse anymore, and you aren't the voice of the consumer that you think you are.
And your complacency is part of the reason the industry is filled with so much anti-consumer bs. This BS did not exist 15 years ago. If you’re okay with any sort of freemium pricing model in triple-A games, you only give studios more and more reason to push the bar further and see how far things can be pushed before consumers push back as seen with Battlefront 2. Either you criticize all of it or you criticize none of it. It’s a slippery slope that begins innocently enough with cosmetics, but corporate greed eventually takes over and the higher ups want to implement paid practices into more than just the cosmetics to get even more money than they’re already getting considering how successful it is.
Remember a little thing that we used to do in games like “Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right” ?
I realize games cost, on average, twice what they did a decade ago.
That's why I don't care about stupid cosmetics, or small pieces of DLC.
If it doesn't give an advantageous arm to those playing a competitive game, nor is it content that was obviously meant for the release product, then I don't care. I'm not a big baby.
Then you let publishers abuse it ? It’s not about being mature or neither realistic here. It’s about the value of consumer and good will of industry. You sided with anti consumer practices and you are pretty much anticompetitive.
It was not until I played a certain game - Black Desert Online - did I not realize how powerful those cosmetics could be. Now I know it's an entirely different market over there and that the game only costs around $15 or so to get in, but not being able to customize my armour was a huge turnoff for me. I remember seeing some pretty badass armour, and wanted to work towards that (as well as playing the relatively fast-paced and intense gameplay) and only kept receiving extremely minor upgrades to the armour set visually. That is when I learned that the game only has the cool looking sets locked behind a paywall, and justifies it by saying they are just costumes. That only made me more upset, and after a bit of contemplating, just dropped the game entirely. I am unsure of how the Eastern MMORPG market is, but I know that I love seeing the progression of my character from peasant to a legendary warrior. If I can simply by an outfit to do that, it removes that thrill for me. Unfortunately, it is also what ultimately removed me from an otherwise fun game. Thankfully, I got it on sale and did not pay too much. I actually did get my money's worth from game time, but I could have gotten much more!
@SlapHappy,
I agree with you. Your detractors avoid addressing the major part of your argument which is the irrelevancy to which Jim has slipped. And it is his own doing.
All DLC is not evil. Thinking so demonstrates a lack of base comprehension and an inability to differentiate between even simple matters.
Can you explain then, why do games need DLC at all when we had already paid $60 for it? Oh and don’t give me the “game are too expensive to make” bullcrap, as it had been debunked times and times again by Jim Sterling.
No matter what you think of my opinion it in no way excuses the bowels of journalism to which a once relevant game industry commentator has sunk. Using Jim Sterling, a person who yammers about an industry in which he does not work is a poor and quite fallible means of supporting a deduction.
The fact is games do cost money to make and schedules are laid out with dedicated work and resources - which means man hours. A budget. Some budgets are large and some are small but accurate ones are laid out to account for a set amount of work. If you want to produce material beyond those man hours for some other purpose it costs money. I know basic arithmetic must seem like some form of ancient mysticism or fire to a caveman. If it is beyond your ability to grasp what happens when Billy has two apples and has to give one to Sally then there is no amount of explanation that can assist you. It really is no more complicated than that.
Yes I supported the DLC and it was DLC that awarded an advantage to no one in a Single Player game except the person that purchased it. You like it? Buy it. You don't, then don't. If enough persons purchased it to pay for its production then the company may do so again. If they did not then consumers have spoken and companies will be less likely to conduct such endeavors in the future. But if they do you'll just have to learn to accept there are plenty of people in the world that think differently than you do. Then again, no adult or mature person should have an issue accepting this reality. Then again, there are always persons of such tortured egos they cannot stand the fact someone else might have had an easier time with something that in no way affected or should affect their own enjoyment. It reminds me of the people throwing themselves off of buildings over the Dead Space 3 Scavenger Bot DLC...for Single Player. I laughed at them all the way until they impacted the literary pavement.
I appreciate someone can be mature, and actually discuss the topic at hand. It's as I've always said though, N4G is a bunch of 30 somethings, behaving like pre-teens, masquerading as gamers. Intelligent conversation is not often had here.
"hurdur microtransactions bad" is mostly what you can get.
The rising cost of game development, and the different tiers of microtransactions on offer, are not valid parts of the argument, I guess.
What are you talking about? Jim Sterling is one of the best gaming Youtubers out there. He protects the interest of the gamers while bashing the “AAA” gaming industry left and right when they try to f*** with us.
He genuinely want gaming to go back the way it once was, pay once and get all content without all the “cosmetic” microtransactions that you’ve mentioned.
I get the message. Being pro-consumer is good.
Crying every time somebody puts microtransactions, even cosmetic, into their game is immature. As even a fan, to an extent, this day, he is highly immature.
“Crying every time somebody puts microtransactions, even cosmetic, into their game is immature”
This is why DLC and Microtransactions are the norm this gen because people like you just keep quiet and don’t do anything about it. I respect Jim because at least he tries to do something about it.
This is the reason why gaming community have been divided because of you and others as well. We tried to fight against the shady practices of industry for decades but you just defending it without knowing the publishers abusing the heck out of it. Metal Gear Survive just pushes MT even further. Would you defend it or against it ? Everyone have their opinions, but people need to raise their standards.
He is addressing the greedy companies and "modern dlc" which is anti-consumer practices.indeed. In fact It is you that is not the voice of the consumer!
Replies(3)
@47
so that was your 2 cents dlc debacle. calling someone fat! you could at least have thrown in some anti sjw sentiment in there, you know being the "alpha male" that you are... on n4g Lol.....
There are a lot of gaming YouTubers out there, some that are better than others. Here are some of what a Gaming Ape author thought are some of the best.
I mean I like Game Grumps, no doubt, but I tried to stay on the relatively "obscure" side. I doubt Game Grumps needs the recognition. That said, these are still among my favorites.
As reported by Sterling, the development of the next chapter in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided continues.
Great, great news. I love this series and more of a good thing is only good. Hope S-E doesn't can it.
Well i for one am not buying it, the last gen dues was great. This last one had nothing new to bring to the table, the control schematics sucked. It felt down right last gen. Seeing how this game is already in development shows they going the same safe route and sticking to that clunky gameplay. Thanks but ill save my money on this one
Mankind Divided was a good game and leagues above what most mainstream developers and publishers offer in terms of level design and player choice. The problem with it is that is was cut short. It felt like there was a grander plan for Mankind Divided and that plan was cut by square Enix that wanted to cut divided into two separate games, leaving us with a technically unfinished game, but the content that existed there was of a very high quality.
"Seeing how this game is already in development shows they going the same safe route and sticking to that clunky gameplay"
lol what?
How on earth can anyone tell this based on the game being in development?
I'm still waiting for them to fix the base game, it has an unplayable framerate on my GTX1060 and FX8350 (same with Dishonored 2). Prey ran like a dream so I played that instead and loved it.
Wasn't there an article yesterday about not another Deus Ex this console generation?!
Possibly. I feel like this generation is finally hitting it's stride and not even thinking about a next already. Crazy!
It's kinda hard to say no to a free 400 bucks. But I do agree it puts a journalist integrity on the chopping block
If this was really a concern all the big publishers and manufacturers would get only 9+ scores and thats not the case
I want a free PS4, screw you Sony.
LooooOOOooooL
that Ps4 Licking at the end was hilarious!!!
These journalist go to these events and have to subject themselves to countless cosplay ass and tits. I mean, that's a hard days work and they deserve some relief... Sometimes you feel like getting a nut, sometimes you feel like a ps4.