In other words, press releases are pointless media spin
"Hey look at us! we have something important to say! Lets pay someone to make a generic sounding wall of text with one paragraph of interesting or relevant information to the title and fill the rest with pointless facts not even the press gives a shit about or already knows just to get word count and look important. "
Cool, pretty much confirmed what I knew, though in an entertaining way. It's nice to get a laugh at the suits for a change, since they all laugh at us. xD
For all I know they could just write “f-u f-u f-u, pay us monies you sheepish swine” over and over again and I would never notice, actually, I think they do this.
I honestly tel to all that when i first used to read the game reviews i would believe every thing.. My logic was u cant lie in papers or websites which can b sued.... BUT the reality soon was in front of me...
This is not only a BAD practice in MMos but Gaming community at large.. This is done by business men who are out to ruin the fun.. they know only work and no play:(
But why do we get press releases? Because gamers, gaming magazines and websites like this keep asking them to tell them about their game. So don’t look shocked when you get pointless hype. Funny article though, made my day.
The thread was great too almost a microcosm of MMO life. We had someone thinking a guy was a girl, a proposal of marriage, a declaration of love followed by a realisation they had the wrong girl and the rubbishing others in the journalist 'class'.
P.S When do we get our flying beagles as promised?
Haha, there needs to be a I told you so poll attached to your article. I've been hearing players here saying simialr things everytime a company press release is put out.
Yes, "rock solid" and "polished" are some of the terms that forum users throws around form time to time.
I guess that they mean that it's a very good game with few if any bugs but how can they be 100% sure of that before the game has been released?
Thanks Sanya, had my best laugh of the week reading this.
The sad thing it is so true of so many releases. You have to wonder how the MMORPG mods can refrain themselves from commenting when they post some of these ridiculous press releases they post in the news section.
A good example was one we saw this week from SOE about Free Realms. There were actually people on that thread trying to defend SOE. Posters can be so gullible at times.
This. This is why most devs cringe whenever the faces of their studio goes to press about anything. It's not only "me, me, me, I did this by myself because I am the studio..", but also their ego doesn't allow them to NOT alude to, or even out right promise something that simply cannot be done within the parameters they set. Now you guys see my pain whenever I hear the talking-heads babble. I do however feel sorry for the writers, because usually they are only writing what the talking head told them to write. Most writers are fresh out of school and need that paragraph...
Waiting for- Tera, Jumpgate Evo, WH40K, WWE, WOD, TSW -- -- "Hey, if Activision liked it, then they should have put a ring on it," Double Fine President Tim Schafer said. "Oh great, now Beyonce is going to sue me too."
Nice article, and I suppose we can all accept that it's true.
What are the alternatives though? How else can gaming companies with cash restrictions, development costs and financial goals reach us and hold our attention with their products?
How many hundreds of millions have game companies made off spin, although the games were poorly reviewed?
MMORPG.com alone has several Preview articles on games, and when these games are released and reviewed the scores often vary greatly from the accolades lauded upon the title in the Previews.
So what is the answer for dealing with the Gamer if not through gratuitous press releases?
although i think it was a bit exaggerated at some points, its a very good article . keep it commin Sanya
Wat!!! how can it be exaggerated at any point man!!!
Actually its under rated... cos the interview is dated in future where as the stuff happens today in the same manner... perhaps even more hype than shown in the artical
They pay people to write this type of column? This website must be loaded with lots of cash to throw around. Way to put that drama degree to work.
Either you did not read the article at all or just skimmed it and made a rash judgement without realizing you did not understand it. Either way, your post highlights how naive readers can be.
Press releases are a marketing tool, aimed at getting exposure and generating awareness across the internet, in magazines and other media.
They are not a way of communicating with the player. If you follow any game, especially MMOs, you will have noticed that when they send out a press release they will announce the same information on their own site, in plain English.
If I wrote a press release and didn't put hype in it, no website or magazine out there would print it, they'd think it wasn't interesting and not likely to draw people to their site or be of interest to their readers. A little spin and suddenly its a massive story and I get exactly what I want, a headline slot on their site / magazine.
And any half-competent copy writer will make sure there are no actual lies within the press release, just embellishments of the truth.
I thought it was a good read/article....very funny....glad she made the distinction between companies with money who are able to pay for some kind of spin release like this and little indie guys like ourselves who have to meet, butt our heads together with about 5-10 team members and designate someone to write down the ideas for a release.
Man! The *generic MMO Genre* is really heating up! I just read a press relesease the other day for SuperMega Relms of Fun and they are promising Flying Bagles at launch, and a Kruller to anyone who pre orders!
Comments
Great Read!!
Thank you Sanya. It was just what I wanted to see you explore.
Funny stuff, and once again ,great job Sanya! Its articles like yours that keep me coming back to this site.
In other words, press releases are pointless media spin
"Hey look at us! we have something important to say! Lets pay someone to make a generic sounding wall of text with one paragraph of interesting or relevant information to the title and fill the rest with pointless facts not even the press gives a shit about or already knows just to get word count and look important. "
Cool, pretty much confirmed what I knew, though in an entertaining way. It's nice to get a laugh at the suits for a change, since they all laugh at us. xD
For all I know they could just write “f-u f-u f-u, pay us monies you sheepish swine” over and over again and I would never notice, actually, I think they do this.
Great stuff! Very accurate. I had to laugh out loud a few times. Very well written.
I honestly tel to all that when i first used to read the game reviews i would believe every thing.. My logic was u cant lie in papers or websites which can b sued.... BUT the reality soon was in front of me...
This is not only a BAD practice in MMos but Gaming community at large.. This is done by business men who are out to ruin the fun.. they know only work and no play:(
lol
But why do we get press releases? Because gamers, gaming magazines and websites like this keep asking them to tell them about their game. So don’t look shocked when you get pointless hype. Funny article though, made my day.
The thread was great too almost a microcosm of MMO life. We had someone thinking a guy was a girl, a proposal of marriage, a declaration of love followed by a realisation they had the wrong girl and the rubbishing others in the journalist 'class'.
P.S When do we get our flying beagles as promised?
Yes, "rock solid" and "polished" are some of the terms that forum users throws around form time to time.
I guess that they mean that it's a very good game with few if any bugs but how can they be 100% sure of that before the game has been released?
Epic ...
I couldn't prevent myself from seeing some well known PR guys while reading.
Awesome ...
In the land of Predators,the lion does not fear the jackals...
Thanks Sanya, had my best laugh of the week reading this.
The sad thing it is so true of so many releases. You have to wonder how the MMORPG mods can refrain themselves from commenting when they post some of these ridiculous press releases they post in the news section.
A good example was one we saw this week from SOE about Free Realms. There were actually people on that thread trying to defend SOE. Posters can be so gullible at times.
Coming feature:
So true, funny and sad. I love your articles.
Gotta laugh hard at the F2P games bragging about registered users.
Still, the industry is far from being "good", MMO ones are no exception, games have their players based on hype.
The most funny thing is to read the article and then look at the advertisements this and any other gaming site offers...
This. This is why most devs cringe whenever the faces of their studio goes to press about anything. It's not only "me, me, me, I did this by myself because I am the studio..", but also their ego doesn't allow them to NOT alude to, or even out right promise something that simply cannot be done within the parameters they set. Now you guys see my pain whenever I hear the talking-heads babble. I do however feel sorry for the writers, because usually they are only writing what the talking head told them to write. Most writers are fresh out of school and need that paragraph...
Good work Sanya, spoken like a true insider
-----------------------
Tried- L2, Ryzom, WAR, DDO, PWI, Tab Rasa, Requiem, Champs, AA, JD, PWI, SUN, Dawntide
Played- SWG (pre-cu), AoC, VG, WoW, LoTRO,CoX, EQ2, DAOC, GW, PotBS, Aion, MO,APB, NASA, Fallen Earth, DCUO, Rift
Playing- EVE, Black Prophecy, TOR
Waiting for- Tera, Jumpgate Evo, WH40K, WWE, WOD, TSW
--
--
"Hey, if Activision liked it, then they should have put a ring on it," Double Fine President Tim Schafer said. "Oh great, now Beyonce is going to sue me too."
although i think it was a bit exaggerated at some points, its a very good article . keep it commin Sanya
There ya go Sanya! That's some good stuff!
Keep it coming because we want all the scabs ripped off so we can see the white meat underneath there.
"TO MICHAEL!"
Nice article, and I suppose we can all accept that it's true.
What are the alternatives though? How else can gaming companies with cash restrictions, development costs and financial goals reach us and hold our attention with their products?
How many hundreds of millions have game companies made off spin, although the games were poorly reviewed?
MMORPG.com alone has several Preview articles on games, and when these games are released and reviewed the scores often vary greatly from the accolades lauded upon the title in the Previews.
So what is the answer for dealing with the Gamer if not through gratuitous press releases?
Wat!!! how can it be exaggerated at any point man!!!
Actually its under rated... cos the interview is dated in future where as the stuff happens today in the same manner... perhaps even more hype than shown in the artical
They pay people to write this type of column? This website must be loaded with lots of cash to throw around.
Way to put that drama degree to work.
Either you did not read the article at all or just skimmed it and made a rash judgement without realizing you did not understand it. Either way, your post highlights how naive readers can be.
Have never in my life read an mmo press release. Would rather spend the time playing.
Press releases are a marketing tool, aimed at getting exposure and generating awareness across the internet, in magazines and other media.
They are not a way of communicating with the player. If you follow any game, especially MMOs, you will have noticed that when they send out a press release they will announce the same information on their own site, in plain English.
If I wrote a press release and didn't put hype in it, no website or magazine out there would print it, they'd think it wasn't interesting and not likely to draw people to their site or be of interest to their readers. A little spin and suddenly its a massive story and I get exactly what I want, a headline slot on their site / magazine.
And any half-competent copy writer will make sure there are no actual lies within the press release, just embellishments of the truth.
I thought it was a good read/article....very funny....glad she made the distinction between companies with money who are able to pay for some kind of spin release like this and little indie guys like ourselves who have to meet, butt our heads together with about 5-10 team members and designate someone to write down the ideas for a release.
http://www.forceofarms.com/index.php
Gotta love public relations:
Its not what you say; its what they HEAR that matters
Ken
www.ActionMMORPG.com
One man, a small pile of money, and the screwball idea of a DIY Indie MMORPG? Yep, that's him. ~sigh~
A good article, I fould myself chuckling several times!
Man! The *generic MMO Genre* is really heating up! I just read a press relesease the other day for SuperMega Relms of Fun and they are promising Flying Bagles at launch, and a Kruller to anyone who pre orders!
Nice work! Keep it coming...
/bravo
RIP Orc Choppa