Today I discuss the fine line between being a fan and a journalist.
Suggested reading - “No cheering in the press box” and other rules games journalism needs by AJ Glasser (via GamePro)
Today I discuss the fine line between being a fan and a journalist.
Suggested reading - “No cheering in the press box” and other rules games journalism needs by AJ Glasser (via GamePro)
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I think it’s a vicious cycle. Video game companies build up hype relentlessly for their conferences and reveal things as if they are deserving of cheering. Plus with the video simulcast of many of those items, I think they want the press cheering so that the people at home get swept up in the buzz while watching. Not that any of that’s right, but I have a hard time imagining how the companies would react if no one in the audience did anything. In fact, Sony is notorious for hiring people to sit in the audience and freak out/cheer during its E3 press conferences, and I wouldn’t be surprised if MS had done it once, too.
I think integrity is important for game journalists when it comes down to the actual writing of stories, whether previews or reviews. That’s where objectivity is most important– after the glitz of an event fades away and the writer has had a chance to sit down and digest what she or he saw. Of course, with all the gift giving and favors, publishers and PR do their best to not let the afterglow fade when that moment arrives, too. But that’s when journalists need to rise above that.