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General: Content and Controversy
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
MMORPG.com's columnist Isabelle Parsley is ready to get going on Player Perspectives. In today's column, Isabelle takes on the idea that many sites seem to focus content on opinions and less on information, passionately focused on the topic dujour. But is that a bad thing? Read Isabelle's Player Perspectives to find out what she thinks. Then, as always, give us your thoughts on the forums.
Like much of the discussion about games and gaming, it’s a valid opinion, though it’s not one I entirely agree with. Yes, there are a million more opinion columns, blogs and sites than there were 10 or even 5 years ago, but that’s because there are many more sites in general – and because we gamers have become content-creators as much as content-ingesters. For every new opinion column floating around there are also a ton more information and news sites or items to be read.
Read more Player Perspectives: Content & Controversy.
Comments
A well written article, and interesting for the most part.
The even handed, non-solutionist writer, blogger, or poster, is usually one of the least popular. Controversy will always win, thats why there are two stances, Attack and Defend, you don't see the third guy in the middle holding up their hands to both sides saying "Hey guys, lets just be friends, maybe order a pizza?"
Nobody pays attention to that guy. Thats one reason I can't really be a columnist, writer or blogger. I have adequate skills to articulate my point, but I'm too middle of the road to cause any waves. I like my opinions based closely to factual information released, and rarely if ever vote with emotion.
I like to read controversial opinions. Sometimes I like responding to them, but I can't help but feel, even at my most controversial point, that I still just come across as a marshmallow: It doesn't matter which side you poke me from I'm mostly soft in tone, receptive to different points of view, and malleable to the conversation... I also go good with graham crackers and chocolate.
Good article though.
I tried to read this but it didn't render me zealously in agreement or rabidly in opposition in the first paragraph so I stopped.
"Never met a pack of humans that were any different. Look at the idiots that get elected every couple of years. You really consider those guys more mature than us? The only difference between us and them is, when they gank some noobs and take their stuff, the noobs actually die." - Madimorga
Teehee, thats funny.
+1
After reading your article and Bill's it sounds as though you are both pointing in the same direction. Just written a bit differently.
I read many mails and check out forums and have posted from time to time on some things. Everyone has an opinion and should be allowed to voice it. It does seem that when some post either from the way they have worded it or just the simple fact that some don't like to be disagreed with many times people are basically attacked.
I like to write and most of the time I can (with thought) say what I have to say. Some people don't have the gift for saying what they want smoothly. Many times those get overlooked completely or attacked horribly.
Debate and controversey is all fine and can be healthy provided people respect others opinons. You don't always have to be right and sometimes there is no right or wrong just opinion.
Gikku
This reminds me of when two people come to work wearing the same outfit...
Nicely put, Ysh.
Try to be excellent to everyone you meet. You never know what someone else has seen or endured.
My Review Manifesto
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Interesting read. Some good points to think about.
Oh thanks for posting a picture of fuzzy cat. For some reason looks just like our cat.
No Bill, you don't count, you were already referenced in the article. You two are only allowed to communicate through obscure column references. You're ruining the entire aesthetic of these columns.
Well, we told you not to wear the red sequined dress to the office party, but noooooo, you wouldn't listen.
-Letting Derek Smart work on your game is like letting Osama bin Laden work in the White House. Something will burn.-
-And on the 8th day, man created God.-
I tell him and tell him that red sequins are totally not it for him -- black, yes, but red?! That's so fashion-backward for his colouring...
(Does not actually referring to him by name satisfy the Obscure Column Rule, Comments corollary?)
Since most of the rules here are made up as we go along, sure.
-Letting Derek Smart work on your game is like letting Osama bin Laden work in the White House. Something will burn.-
-And on the 8th day, man created God.-
I've made some neutral posts in my time around forums and unless its something that can start a fight people dont even care. They dont even want to have a discusion about it unless it can get them fired up. When you do make a post that has logic yes and I do say logic cause there are posts out there that have them. People usually either 1. just ignore it for the rest of the 200page thread even though that single post could solve everything 2. go off on a tangent, target something the poster said that is so small and petty and not even on the same topic as he/she is. Its just silly, silly people.
The one reason I keep coming to MMORPG.com is the debates, arguments, rants, disagreements and opinions.
For me its like movie reviews. The more opinions I get the more accurately I can judge for myself wether I should give it go or not.
The reason I come here 1st is because people are so vehement in their opinions, and opposing opinions. It just makes it easier for me to judge for myself.
Take FFXIV. It was something I kept 1/2 an eye on, but I wasnt even close to being 100% sold on it. And then the opinions started rolling in. Now you do have to filter thru all the "it sucks, ass" posts. Which btw just saying it "sucks ass" without explaining why you feel it "sucks ass", sucks ass.
Now the more posts that were made about the game the more I could filter thru and decided for myself what really would matter to me. Thats information I can use.
Example, the whole copy and paste. I can show someone lots of instances of copy and paste in WoW...but its not done in a way it breaks immersion (at least in my opinion). So that whole shit storm was more or less a none issue for me. Another, not being able to jump, whoop-de-do.
But what did grab my attention, was the pacing of the combat, the crap-ton of running to get to the quest point, the no auto attack, the issues with keyboard and mouse input lag. And other issues that played into my decision. Those last things were more personal tastes issues than game play problems.
As a matter of fact I think most official reviews didnt touch on a lot of the things I found I had a problem with. And they seem to be doing that more and more.
Most of the reviews I read here (and on other sites) by the official columnists try to be fair and impartial. To that I say, bullshit.
I say, try and not be biased, but give me your honest unfiltered opinion. Who gives a damn if you hurt someone feelings. We the people of this site deserve an honest opinion, not some watered down PC review.
But yeah, disagreeing is good. And so are opinions
Everyone sitting around holding hands and singing kumbaya makes me want to vomit uncontrollably.
"I understand that if I hear any more words come pouring out of your **** mouth, Ill have to eat every fucking chicken in this room."
I liked the photos, but there was just too much opinion and no substance.
SO...
What?
I read it all and basically what are we talking about? I've not seen a bit of controversy here at all (stuff gets locked and deleted a bit too often for anything to stick). I think it's safe to say most people can see that mmorpg.com tip toes more often than it breaks apart things.
That's comfortable I suppose. Saying your opinion on opinions about the existence of opinion.
Journalism, in particular on the interwebz, shouldn't just be about having strong opinions or having tactfully passive-aggressive opinions; it should be about not shying away from facts and being unabashful with throwing them out at the industry. That isn't going to happen anywhere other than wikileaks anytime soon tho'.
I'm forgetting that commonly used saying between syntax and semantics. Got to love classical niche writing... well it's like nails on a chalk board to me but hey some people feel pretty uppity on it.
I will look forward to your articles. Good to see another decent writer on this site.
Very nicely written anyway and an enjoyable read, its interesting to see the lack of responses for a psyche questioning article like this though. Its why mass media will continue to get more and more sensationalist and why here in the UK we have something called "The Daily mail" whose answer to every problem is "CLOSE THE BORDERS".
Because people like to get wound up and then release that.
You are correct in thinking in more ways than you may know. We as readers can feel free to use the freedom of speech and say what we really think about this game or that game and have no worries that what we say could have an impact (in great degree) on the game we speak of. In fact many of us would love for it too and we are hoping it makes a difference.
In truth though, the writers of articles don't have that freedom of speech. They can make suttle hints or point out obvious issues and start an article that will bring out the hard core comments that may give their true opinions.
We should give writers a big round of applause. It takes someone able to tip toe around their true feelings and put an article out that will draw the replies. As a writer of MMORPG or any of the gaming sites they really have to be careful of how they put out their opinions. Sometimes the impact of one of these writers could potentiionally crush a game. You may think I am blowing up a stove pipe but think about it. That in turn could cost them and/or the company they work for dearly.
Gikku