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Videogames are stupid and babyish, states 'games journalist' photo

A group of "videogame journalists" scaled a soapbox this past week at GDC in order to rant about the industry and bad jurnalizmz, basically calling out everyone and everything in existence. While a lot of it seemed to be self-satisfactory preening, the words of one Heather Chaplin -- game critic, author and apparently the most mature and intelligent on person on Earth -- really twisted the knife. 

"I've been covering the games industry for eight years, mainly for mainstream outlets, and I often find myself acting as a translator," stated Chaplin at GDC's rant panel this week. "... It's not that the medium is in its adolescence, it's that you're a bunch of ****ing adolescents. It's even worse because you're technically supposed to be adults."

Chaplin wasn't the only one on the "Burned By Friendly Fire: Game Critics Rant" panel. There were plenty of names that you could expect to see on a panel with such a grandiose title -- Leigh Alexander, N'gai Croal, they were all there, and they all had something to say on the subject. Still, it's Chaplin that took the gold trophy by describing how immature and pathetic the industry is. There's no Bob Dylan of gaming, allegedly, because everyone in the industry is a baby. 

I could easily and happily pick the arguments apart -- talk about how there is room for both the mature and immature, how the medium is in its infancy and it takes time for game developers to grow up and have the life experiences necessary to create a truly stunning piece of interactive art. However, I'm instead going to point out that this kind of stuff is why I never want to be a "games journalist." My job as a blogger is ridiculous and I don't ever want to lose sight of that. Think about it -- I get paid to play videogames and then tell strangers what I think about those videogames. If that's not a completely ludicrous career, I don't know what is. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do and I never want to give it up, but I could never attach such self-importance to myself and call it journalism. 

I am so glad I'm a "bad journalist" if this is the attitude that comes with being a good one.


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78 comments | showing # 1 to 50

Bioautographical's Avatar
Bioautographical at 03/28/2009 22:54
Goddamn right.

A silo of dicks is yours for the eating, games journalists.
Rankcanine's Avatar
Rankcanine at 03/28/2009 22:56
i don't know if she see's the hypocrisy but if she calls us gamers immature then she should be called immature also for the way she said that slut.
eternalplayer2345's Avatar
eternalplayer2345 at 03/28/2009 22:57
Wardrox said it better :D I do applaud you Jim for taking this stance on journalism.
link331's Avatar
link331 at 03/28/2009 22:57
Chaplin/Chapman.
Doomsday Forte's Avatar
Doomsday Forte at 03/28/2009 23:01
Obligatory OTHER TEAM IS BABIES comment.

I could've sworn this site was journalism, but I'd rather take the blogging over...this any old time.
Jim Sterling's Avatar
Jim Sterling at 03/28/2009 23:06
"I could've sworn this site was journalism."

Depends who you ask, really. If I were inclined to believe in the idea of "games journalism" I'd put Nick Chester and Dale North and Brad Nicholson there. They do amazing work as reporters and fact finders and interviewers.

However, it seems that to be a real games journalist, you need to remark about how shit everybody is while using really, really long words.
BlackFreefall's Avatar
BlackFreefall at 03/28/2009 23:07
Who die and made them god?
drgonzo666's Avatar
drgonzo666 at 03/28/2009 23:07
video games are stupid and babyish but so is sports and war
MrSadistic's Avatar
MrSadistic at 03/28/2009 23:11
she's a poopie head
PrinceofCannedPeaches's Avatar
PrinceofCannedPeaches at 03/28/2009 23:14
Immature, yes, but for my money no less mature than the standard fare of public discourse.

I can see what she's saying: the way the the gaming press examines itself and issues at large is unsettling. It really tends to get too far submerged in pedantry and oafishness to be considered "mature". Gaming journalists (but journalists of sensational topics, altogether) tend to look at the world through a kaleidoscope, seeing only the fragments of the big picture that create the nicest visuals.
Bioautographical's Avatar
Bioautographical at 03/28/2009 23:18
P.S.

Videogames are fun. Above all, they're fun. Lose touch with that, and you lose touch with any audience who play videogames to have fun.

If that's journalism, then have it.
icarus's Avatar
icarus at 03/28/2009 23:18
To be honest, I have never even heard of Heather Chaplin before and based on her rant I am not sure why I should care about anything she has to say about gaming or journalism.
Spivey's Avatar
Spivey at 03/28/2009 23:20
I was actually at the critics rant... Yes, as a games journalist.

I'd suggest that everyone watch it, because Chris Hecker ("Do your fucking job right") and Adam Sessler ("Fuck Metacritic") were absolutely spot-on. Chaplin kinda caught me off-guard. I don't know exactly what crawled up her ass, but please don't apply it across the board.

That, and Leigh Alexander was waaaaay too peppy for her own good. Only caught hald of what she was saying.

Oh yeah! One of the presenters mentioned Jim's article on how un-racist RE5 was, which gave me a huge dtoid boner.
zanthox's Avatar
zanthox at 03/28/2009 23:23
Yeah, video game journalists are immature and that is why Germany has blamed the recent shooting on farcry2. yeah. someone needs to get the log out of their eye before they get the spec out of someone else's.
Harris Hatsworth's Avatar
Harris Hatsworth at 03/28/2009 23:26
Isn't a significant portion of the demographic actually adolescents? And video gaming is in it's adolescence (or even in tweens) so his metaphor is shit anyway.
Chronic Logic's Avatar
Chronic Logic at 03/28/2009 23:34
Calling each other n00bs, fags, griefers, and "you sux" online is a sure sign of adolescence. So he's sort of right.
Jetsetlemming's Avatar
Jetsetlemming at 03/28/2009 23:36
I hope Leigh Alexander wasn't joining in with that attitude. Just last week she was on the Rock Paper Shotgun podcast drunk, talking about porn games and furries.
Lurfadur's Avatar
Lurfadur at 03/28/2009 23:36
I'm LOLing at the image in my head of a baby Bod Dylan singing Blowin' in the Wind with his trademark "looong voouul" accent, mixed with a 3 year olds' broken English.
bluexy's Avatar
bluexy at 03/28/2009 23:47
There's definitely a demographic of older people who use video games as an excuse to act like infants. So you can't say, "we're childish because we're mostly children." We're not even mostly children anymore, I suppose. It does balance out though, like you say Jim. For every adolescent, there's a mature gamer out there as well. The best of us straddle the line and try to enjoy gaming as a whole. We can take the childish rubbish and Chaplin's bullshit in stride and come out the better for it.
Daxelman's Avatar
Daxelman at 03/28/2009 23:49
@Chronic Logic: Yeah.

Mature people just go out and kill the people they don't like.
Ceallach's Avatar
Ceallach at 03/28/2009 23:53
Is she a little right? Yes. But I think that is true for most media these days. I do feel like we're tredding closer and closerto idiocracy as intelligence and professionalism give way to misplaced irony and unnecessary attempts at humour.

That said, she was the very definition of hypocrisy with how she presented herself.

And we have plenty of extremely well-spoken, charismatic, intelligent reporters for games. You named two of the best, N'Gai and Leigh; Hsu also springs to mind.

Not that humour doesn't have its place, this very blogsite presents the news by very articulate, if still crude, genuinely witty personnel peppered in with great reporters. It's really a great group of unique vioces. NickChester, Dale North, Jim Sterling, Collette Bennett, et. al. bring something to each item posted.

For fucks sake, someone give this lady a link to gamasutra or GamePolitics.
Suigyoken's Avatar
Suigyoken at 03/28/2009 23:58
So it's an "argument" of "I'm -ALWAYS- right and you're wrong!"? But to be fair, a lot of gaming PR has been pretty childish lately, what with the guy from Capcom saying how we should be grateful for last minute DLC, "indie" game designers crying about their game not selling enough, and development studios having pissing contests.
Sharpless's Avatar
Sharpless at 03/28/2009 23:58
I know Leigh Alexander still has a few friends amidst the Dtoid community, but I honestly can't stand the woman. She can write up a storm, but she can also be pretentious as hell. There's nothing that makes me lose respect for someone faster than a good dose of pretension.

Get off your high horses, stop being so arrogant, and recognize that you're getting paid to ramble and philosophize about games. Yes, you exert effort, and yes, you do your jobs well, and yes, you're technically journalists, but you're reporting on a form of entertainment. While games can be art, they are first and foremost meant to be fun, so never forget where you're grounded. It's this childlike arrogance and "Look at me, I'm special!" attitude that helps keep gaming down, just as much as the idiots do.
hitnrun's Avatar
hitnrun at 03/28/2009 23:59
"While a lot of it seemed to be self-satisfactory preening,"

At the GDC? Get outta town.
BMK's Avatar
BMK at 03/28/2009 23:59
Is there a link to the video of the ranting?
Monodi's Avatar
Monodi at 03/29/2009 00:03
games suck anyway.
BahamutZero's Avatar
BahamutZero at 03/29/2009 00:11
I hate to "twist the knife" but maybe that's because you aren't, technically, a journalist? Just a thought...

PS sounds to me like Ms.Sandy R. Vagina needs to get laid and play flower or something.
nukka jdav's Avatar
nukka jdav at 03/29/2009 00:11
Wow, what she said offends me personally.

Haha, it really is quite stupid of her to generalize EVERYONE who plays video games like that.
ElfAngel7's Avatar
ElfAngel7 at 03/29/2009 00:11
Some of what was said was right, some of it I think is misplaced fear. With the fall of EGM, video game journalism (without the quotations) is becoming an increasingly scary field to work in, especially with up and coming blog writers showing that they are equal in skill to the experienced journos.

As a print major, I can say the most bloggers, while insanely entertaining, lack many elements in order to be consider journalists, which is ok as long as you aren't trying to pass yourself off as LOL MEDIA.

Jim, you're a helluva blogger and a crappy journalist and I hope you stay that way. If you were to wear the mantle of Journalist, you'd have to suppress the very rants that make you so damn entertaining to read. Just saying.
Drach's Avatar
Drach at 03/29/2009 00:18
Interesting, Jim. I guess she can be technically right. However, what a lot of you fail to take into consideration is that video games will always have a younger crowd tacked onto the adult's coat tails. another observation is that video games exist for the soul purpose of having fun. If you're not having fun while in the industry, or even writing about it... why are you even there?
Another thing this person forgets is that a lot of them ARE adolescents.

Jim's having fun. I can tell. Which is why his articles are always an interesting yet FUN read.
The Amazing Shenazin's Avatar
The Amazing Shenazin at 03/29/2009 00:23
she's just mad because not enough games contain dick physics as opposed to breast physics
Wedge's Avatar
Wedge at 03/29/2009 00:32
Ha ha ha. People that cover video games for a living complaining. Try working a real job and then see what you have to complain about. Spot on Jimmles.
CaptainCarnage's Avatar
CaptainCarnage at 03/29/2009 00:34
Sounds like this chick takes herself Waaaayyyy to seriously.
CelicaCrazed's Avatar
CelicaCrazed at 03/29/2009 00:39
Why doesn't Dtoid hire her so that we too can become serious business?? I mean, I'm having a wonderful mental image of her sobbing in tears, drinking whiskey at 3am while she reads through Jim's posts and everyone's comments ^_^

Sure it's great to be professional and being able to appeal to anyone who may stumble upon your website. But without a unique voice, you can't stand out and find a real audience. The fact that the editors here are actually allowed to have their own opinion and will call out users and developers on their BS is something not seen on many other sites. May not be the most "professional" actions but we the readers know that you guys love your video games just as much as we do, which helps us to build trust between each other. For a community that is extremely opinionated and diverse, we really have very few trolls. We all know when to band together and drive out a user who "doesn't get it".

Speaking of becoming "professional", look at what happened to Nex when he left for Game|Life!! He's got no personality now!! It's just awful!!
Josh Tolentino's Avatar
Josh Tolentino at 03/29/2009 00:39
@Sharpless

I don't really see that pretension. I'm a reader of SVGL and I think she operates from a pretty good perspective, without assuming that she has some kind of absolute authority over us. She's a gamer, too, one who, like others, is concerned about evolving games as a cultural product and seeing it as accepted into the greater cultural space as music and film, something which games have not quite done yet.

I'm of the opinion that a lot of what we think is wrong about games coverage, be it in blogs, mainstream outlets, or even how the general public regards our favorite pastime, is related to a lack of communication and miscommunication between developers, journos and the gaming public, and part of dealing with that issue is games being able to provide mature content that doesn't necessarily have to do with gore, headshots or foul language.

Of course, there ARE games that do just that, but they're not as visible as they need to be.
CaptainCarnage's Avatar
CaptainCarnage at 03/29/2009 00:45
Also at harris hatsworth,
Anyone can paint, and painting is thousands of years old, and the first painting where on cave walls and they told simple stories or left messages, which also what paintings are today, trying to tell you a stories, send a message.
Isn't that what games are today? The beginnings of a new art form? He isn't measuring in years, he is measuring it in how much its developed and its accessibility, you have to learn how to make a game, but you need but put something on a canvas to paint. And just like games, thousands of years ago, paint was hard to make or expensive, and not everyone could do it.
Daxelman's Avatar
Daxelman at 03/29/2009 01:11
@unang: That's the point though. Why does gaming have to fall into the same cultural guidelines as other forms of media...no, FORMS OF ENTERTAINMENT. Guidelines people created so that they could give more meaning to things that honestly don't need it.

It's just entertainment, for Christ's sakes.

That's all music and TV and movies and games are. They are ultimately something that you can sit down, look at, and enjoy. Why can't they be just that?

What happened to fun?
Doomsday Forte's Avatar
Doomsday Forte at 03/29/2009 01:16
If you were to wear the mantle of Journalist, you'd have to suppress the very rants that make you so damn entertaining to read.

This made me laugh. Mainly because these people are journalists and ranting and...okay, I killed the joke, sorry.

@Jim: Well, I'd accept this place as journalist work over most places. I mean, professionalism isn't exactly the order of the day here, but I feel this place has a closer bond to its audience than most because it too is a part of the audience. I mean, sure, "professionals" are gamers too but they seem removed from that group because of those standards they have to upkeep with being professional. Here, it's like everyone is more or less on equal footing (excepting the people getting paid of course), and things here take on a more casual approach instead of it being stuffy businesslike and all.

Truth be told, I'd rather be immature and have a closer bond with my audience than look professional and not connect with them.
Qraze's Avatar
Qraze at 03/29/2009 01:25
a goddam journalist is not allowed to have an opinion, only report on what they say with no personal feelings added.
C4Vicious's Avatar
C4Vicious at 03/29/2009 01:40
Haha! The linked article links back to a Dtoid article by some bitch bitching about some shit...
HarassmentPanda's Avatar
HarassmentPanda at 03/29/2009 01:41
Jim, no one here will ever expect any more of you than what you already are. And I mean that in a good way.
Josh Tolentino's Avatar
Josh Tolentino at 03/29/2009 01:57
@Qraze
@C4Vicious

Of course journos are allowed to have an opinion, one of the biggest problems with games writing right now is the misconception that journalists and reviewers must operate from an impossible position of supposed objectivity and authority.

That's not the case, and never has been for ANY form of entertainment. Film critics aren't expected to be completely objective, and neither are music or literary critics. Why should game critics be obligated never to editorialize?!

Look, these sessions are called "rants" for a reason, and while some of the ranters use incendiary language that has obviously got our hackles up, but those speakers have a point: games are still in their infancy as cultural products, and face increased resistance from a mass public that refuses to recognize them as any more than violent influences or toys for children and immature adults.

To get past that we DO need to emphasize and credit games that DO include content that is mature in ways outside of gore, expletives or nudity.

We do, of course, have games that do just that, and there's a lot of space in the medium for entertainment on both sides of the spectrum, but the critics have a point. If we want the medium to mature, more of us need to think more critically about what we play, and we should start expecting our critics to do the same. It's what they're there for.
DeusPayne's Avatar
DeusPayne at 03/29/2009 02:05
I love the label Yahtzee gives himself. He's not a game reviewer, he's not a games journalist, he's a game critic. Now we just need a word for a blogger/critic. Blogtic? Crigger?
Vitamin Awesome's Avatar
Vitamin Awesome at 03/29/2009 02:37
....aaaaand that's why I like blogs more than periodicals.

I'm a video game enthusiast. We all are, which is why we're here. I'm willing to bet her little speech would never wind up on whatever publication she works for in print. It's an opinion-based article. Sure the way video game bloggers act on their respective sites are considered "immature" by so-called "professional" standards, but to me, it's more personal- it's intimate. I come here for my information on the industry, and I'm sure that makes her mad because I could give a mouse's mule about her degree and her 'mantle' of journalism. If I'm not entertained when reading about my entertainment, then what's the point?

Look at critics in other fields, like movies: Roger Ebert isn't highly regarded because he just gives facts about movies, he has an opinion on what makes a good movie and what doesn't. Is he considered immature by Somedude McWhatshisface, the guy that copy/pastes the box-office sales figures for the weekend in your local paper?

On that note, it sounds like somebody had themselves an extra bowl of bitch flakes that morning.
Korolev's Avatar
Korolev at 03/29/2009 03:31
Maybe this "journalist" should spend time in other industries, where she (the name is Heather, so I'm going to assume it's a she) can uncover the startling fact that immaturity exists in almost all other consumer areas.

Sure gamers will sometimes descend into stupid name calling and fanboyism - but I'll be damned if I haven't see the same nonsense in the automobile industry, in which morons enthusiastically say "Ford SUX" or "Toyota SUX" and so on. Or what about sporting rivalries?

Even in politics, we see immature idiots. My nation, Australia, has a parliment whose collective behavior would shame a 5th grade school room. Our politicians jeer, interrupt, mock and shout abuse at each other, in a manner which reminds me of monkeys. And they're OUR GOVERNMENT.

Immaturity exists everywhere. Even in science, we get immature pranksters. Gaming is no different.
Paul Soth's Avatar
Paul Soth at 03/29/2009 03:41
So... basically the attitude is "fuck the outsiders" but when they deionize us, they're the bad guys. Yeah, we're doomed, aren't we?
Cowboy TTop's Avatar
Cowboy TTop at 03/29/2009 05:08
While this Heather person is entitles to her opinion, I agree with Korelev. Us human are always backwards coming forwards. We tell each other to grow up, but don't because its actually steps closer to death.

Fact, people are stupid, smart, mature and immature, in all walks of life. Heather, you are fucking crazy. Hollywood has its one cling ons, trolls, etc. If you want to go and pander to them because they are considered by the masses as more hip or whatever, then do so and try not to bite the hand that feeds you.

How old is the film industry? Over a hundred years old or so, yet this same industry act like babies when dealing in a digital content age? Would you call this mature?

In other walks of life like Hollywood or the car industry, mavericks like Jeremy Clarkson, Dtoid or Edge crew are needed to tell it how they see it, without fear of backlash from their creators/publishers etc. This is why Top Gear is still the best and most respected show about cars on the planet, and why Dtoid does the same for games. At the end of the day, you are more respected not because of you degrees in journalism, but having fun and contributing your true opinion.

When you stop enjoying or start moaning, perhaps its time to take a break or get out, Heather. Even if you leave the games arena, there's still never any guarantee you'll be taken seriously like you want to be, elsewhere, as the audience you slate still ultimately decide.

Whatever guise or name you choose (blogger/journo,etc, it really matters not), all we want is fun, passion and the all seeing eye of truth, when where, why and how its needed.
Rosseh's Avatar
Rosseh at 03/29/2009 06:47
Because throwing a tantrum sure is mature.
jctrustme's Avatar
jctrustme at 03/29/2009 06:55
This whole thing stinks of journal-ism, I think its disgusting that in this day and age that these guys can get away with being so journal-ist in front of so many people, the whole argument is just a hate speech against all the bloggers that are coming on to the internet and taking their jobs.
Scralotos's Avatar
Scralotos at 03/29/2009 07:18
Saying that The gaming community has no "Bob Dylan" and that "After thirty-five years film had Fritz Lang, film noire,
and was a few years away from Citizen Kane" and the gaming industry cant compare is utter bullcrap

ive seen alot of legendary movies and read a decent amount of classical books,
but ive yet to find a story teller who succedes Hironobu Sakaguchi as this man imo is one of the best story tellers of all time.
His work is completely brilliant and without a doubt gaming`s own Bob Dylan or Tolstoy.
there are ofcourse other people who have done glorious work in the gaming industry but i wont rant on about this as ive made my point clear :)
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