Salutations, y'all!

This post is a tribute to arguably the best blogger on the Destructoid staff, Jim Sterling.

Now I could go on about how hilarious and awesome the (purposely) so-bad-it's-good Video Game Show What I've Done is, or I could muse about the Citizen Kane of games. But no, I want to discuss Jim's uncanny ability to, let's say, draw a crowd. I will focus on (and you probably saw this one coming) the article thoughtfully titled Nintendo of America needs to STFU (that's Shut The Fuck Up for those not in the know, hoho!).

Now I'm sure there are pieces that Jim has written that have gotten more comments, but 267 comments (as of this writing) for a post on a Sunday evening is no mean feat!

Now this article is great not because it makes great points, but because it makes the right points to stir discussion! The main point of the article appears to be that Nintendo fails to appeal to its "core" base. The article compares the E3 08 showing with the E3 09 showing by Nintendo. In the E3 08 showing, they had little games for this "core" gamer. While in the E3 09 showing, they had several. Mr. Sterling criticizes Nintendo for both showings, saying that the latter is merely "throwing bones" to its fans. What may strike an eye for details such as mine is that this may be perceived as hypocritical on Sterling's part. Surely had Nintendo had a similar showing to E3 08, they would have been even more harshly condemned! When the choice is between showing less games or showing more games, there is little one can do to avoid the ire of Mr. Sterling! Not to mention the fact that he says that Nintendo can be arrogant without preaching its greatness at E3, when the truly arrogant would do so at as many venues as possible!

Is this hypocritical, you ask? To ask that is to ask the wrong question, my friend. That is a question for the "Games Journalists" perhaps, but not the Games Blogger. The correct question is: will this incite interest in Jim's blog and, by proxy, the whole of Destructoid. The answer to that is a resounding yes. The refutabilty of the point isn't the be all, end all determinant the value of the point. Arguably, having more refutable points will make for a larger and more thorough discussion. Why? Because this will cause more people to chime in to correct you. This will spark heated discussion.

I have previously commented: naïvely proclaiming that Jim's article was headed down the wrong track. I was well aware of the refutability of the main point in the article, and I believed that would be its downfall. One refutation in a comment and it would be over! I believed that he needed more points that are harder to refute, such as the Wii's lackluster online or add-on and upgrade (Wii Motion Plus and DSi, respectively) shenanigans.

What a damn fool I was! I could not see the obvious result of Jim's labor! Regardless of the strength of the arguments he makes, Nintendo fans and sticklers for details alike would come to strongly criticize his article (and sometimes him). Those who were in agreement with Mr. Sterling's article were not ones to be contested, however! And they came in full force with a fury arguably surpassing that of your average Wii supporter. As the two clashed at their keyboards in a battle of wit, the spectacle before me proved that my previous intuitions had been misleading me.

As for what exactly makes Mr. Sterling such a magnet for this sort of attention, I am not fully sure. I do not believe it to be simply insulting things that gets him the attention it does. "LOLZ TEH WII SUX" is not exactly a post that would compel many people to reply, is it? I believe he blends the right amount of competent writing with equal parts sarcasm and throws some personal attacks and swearing, to taste to brew the articles which bring commenters like flies to honey.

Before you dismiss Jim as merely a sadistic pyromaniac of some sort, remember that the heated debate that he brings to the table is what blogging, nay, the entire internet is all about! And for that I salute you, Jim Sterling, for your excellence in blogging. May they never ban your sick filth!