Literally all marketing for a game, which game journalists are subjected to day in and day out as part of their job, is designed to influence your opinion of it. That is, indeed, the entire point of marketing. Press kits are no more bribery than the early previews journos get to play before consumers, or whatever dumb swag they throw in to an E3 bag. Any game journalist worth a damn is utterly desensitized to it because they are bombarded with it at all times to the point of it becoming routine.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Why do press kits exist?
- Thread starter thequickandthedead
- Start date
Literally all marketing for a game, which game journalists are subjected to day in and day out as part of their job, is designed to influence your opinion of it. That is, indeed, the entire point of marketing. Press kits are no more bribery than the early previews journos get to play before consumers, or whatever dumb swag they throw in to an E3 bag. Any game journalist worth a damn is utterly desensitized to it because they are bombarded with it at all times to the point of it becoming routine.
Because I run a website that's focused on game coverage. We do well when we can hit embargoes. If we don't hit the embargo, very few people give a fuck.
Is getting an early/free promo disc bribery? By your logic, everyone who buys it gets a "better experience" than I do with titanfall 2 because my disc came in a clear plastic case and the disc looks like every other promo. Or does that differ somehow?
I couldn't give a flying fuck if we got a digital code for every single game we reviewed. If it means we can get coverage out at the same time as everyone else, great. Whether that comes in a shiny box with a feather in it, or a series of numbers I tap into the psn store, it makes no odds to me, nor 99.9% of people doing this either professionally or as a hobby.
ClosingADoor
Member
That depends on how you handle it. I have personally known people who just ran a blog for years and years to get free games. Now, there is little wrong with that if that's what you want. And every websites starts small of course, if people make it work these days with a new website I can only respect that. But I won't then put the same expectations on you in terms of journalistic guidelines and behavior since there are no checks in place. There is no editor in chief who handles the different editors and the experience might be lacking in how to look through some of the PR practices that larger and more established outlets have.
I am going to guess that your IGN/Kotaku/Gamespot/Eurogamer/other-established-websites do not have editors who are going around offering their press kits on ebay, and if they do and are caught they will not be getting away with it, since that is not correct behavior for a journalist.
Of course your point that PR tries to influence media is correct. That is their role in the process. I however would argue that when it comes to press kits, that influence on any decent media outlet would not be there.
This is just silly. Are you really arguing that reviewers should buy all the products they review? You run into multiple problems with that:
1) Costs. That stuff adds up.
2) Time. Because review copies are sent out earlier still in a lot of cases so people can have a day one review.
3) The reviewer still gets it for free, since the company would pay for it.
For all the talk about corrupt media I have seen over the years online, can you actually give me some examples? Because I haven't found them. Are there cases where a reputable and established website has been proven to change a review score just because the publisher bribed them?
I guess in that respect we differ a little - we're big enough to have a small team, and I'm the EIC who looks after all of the team, but we're still hobbyists...
There is a difference between pleasantness and giving someone shit for free.
You can't control someone's pleasantness. You can reject free gifts from the people you cover.
Pretty simple.
I would also say people saying it doesn't impact them worry me the most. I would assume this is the general opinion. Even if this is the outlet's policy to accept these things, understanding these things impact you, is the key to confronting these issues and mitigating their impact.
It doesn't matter. The items being fairly valuable and yet not being relevant to the business of reviewing the game content itself could constitute bribery in most countries. It's basic business ethics.
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/bribery.html
Doctor Decimate
Member
"Subconscious bias" in this context is one of those nonsense arguments that very neatly allows people to accuse journalists of wrongdoing while simultaneously writing off any protests from said journalists or the lack of actual evidence by virtue of the fact that it is allegedly subconscious. It's manufacturing a train of "logic" where your claim is the only thing that can be trusted, despite the claim itself being founded on...what? The idea that "everybody knows"? That some people gave some AAA release a better score than you would've? Faulty leaps in judgment based on some eBay and YouTube links? These are not the foundation of a sound argument.
It is distressing how often I see this kind of circular conspiracy in games journalism threads, and it is difficult to escape echoes of the anti-mainstream media sentiments that saddled the US with its current President-Elect. Like, sure, it's "just games journalism" or whatever but the trains of thought aren't all that different and I find that alarming to see so frequently in these circles.
It is distressing how often I see this kind of circular conspiracy in games journalism threads, and it is difficult to escape echoes of the anti-mainstream media sentiments that saddled the US with its current President-Elect. Like, sure, it's "just games journalism" or whatever but the trains of thought aren't all that different and I find that alarming to see so frequently in these circles.
No. Previews are part of the journalistic coverage of the video game in question. You preview the video game people will buy. Previewing a game has no concrete monetary value, and they can be either good or bad, and if they have no expectation or pressure upon the previewer of presenting a favorable opinion, they are not bribery. Some E3 swag could be considered bribery depending on the value and its availability to the public attendees and depending on the situation in which the swag is given (like, fucking free video game consoles). Press kits could be considered bribery.
These concepts of bribery are not only basic ethics we learn in company training, but tenants of basic engineering and business ethics we learned in my courses at school.
The game industry is completely comfortable with bribes.
So sue Sony?
I don't know how many times I can make the same argument over and over again. The game... Is the same... As the game... That people will buy...
But they are receiving material that has monetary value (try seeing how much people will pay for this online, it would definitely be more than the $50 gray area people use for common bribery determinations) influences the reviewer that the buyer does NOT receive. It could be consitituted a bribe.
I'm simply stating the fact that it could be reasonably argued that the games industry is comfortable with bribes. Don't be shocked. It's not like it's uncommon for certain industries to be swollen with certain bad practices.
Journalistic coverage? Give me a break. Previews are pure marketing brought to you by your favourite games not-a-journalist. They're vapid and have no merit. The only reason previews exist is because publishers want to create hype and because game sites want to generate clicks.
Oh, hey, I'm sorry. You do get it.
Wow...I was actually considering doing a short mini-video series showing some of the press kits I've received over the years, but maybe I won't do that...
As for those claiming it is a bribe, most outlets and journalists don't really care about the stuff that comes in it. I've received key chains, t-shirts, and random things that are cool in relation to the game, but don't have a practical purpose. The talking box that came with Heavy Rain was pretty cool for a press kit.
If you see someone selling the press kit or portions of the press kit on eBay they are a very select few and they are doing some unethical bullshit by doing so. I do know an individual who has sold various bits of press kits they have been given, and they got caught by a publisher and were blacklisted as a result.
Prior to the release of Twisted Metal PS3 Sony sent out Sweet Tooth masks to members of the press. I don't think anyone gave the game a higher score because of a clown mask. It's just a silly extra.
As for those claiming it is a bribe, most outlets and journalists don't really care about the stuff that comes in it. I've received key chains, t-shirts, and random things that are cool in relation to the game, but don't have a practical purpose. The talking box that came with Heavy Rain was pretty cool for a press kit.
If you see someone selling the press kit or portions of the press kit on eBay they are a very select few and they are doing some unethical bullshit by doing so. I do know an individual who has sold various bits of press kits they have been given, and they got caught by a publisher and were blacklisted as a result.
Prior to the release of Twisted Metal PS3 Sony sent out Sweet Tooth masks to members of the press. I don't think anyone gave the game a higher score because of a clown mask. It's just a silly extra.
Some outlets do reject the extras. I've seen folks at media events turn down a notebook with the game's logo on it because it is a freebie. Could a smaller outlet give the game a glowing preview because of the notebook? Sure, that is possible, but that boils down to that individual and their ethics.
A journalist covers games.
Being allowed to cover a game is part of the business of games journalism so it usually doesn't constitute a bribe.
I really don't see it at all. If Ubisoft want to send Katy Perry round to my house with a million quid, copy of the Steep disc and have her do all manner of things to my jiggly bits while I play, you better believe that gets a 10/10
But a press kit? Yeah, no. It's not swaying anything. For the *VAST* majority of people.Heaven forbid a website wants you to look at their content.
Previews are another kettle of fish entirely, look at Giant Bomb's stance since the Bethesda review policy changed.
The perceived or actual influence of the item doesn't matter. If it COULD influence the reviewer in some favorable way, it could constitute a bribe. Keychains and mugs are often okay as gifts in business relationships, because they are small gifts with little monetary value. But the moment it is associated with earning favor regarding a product or service of a client or vendor (offering a mug or keychain inside a press kit of a game asking to review the game), it could be considered a bribe.
The industry is comfortable with this.
Thankfully I will never work in games industry.
Clicks for content, not for previews.
I really don't see it at all. If Ubisoft want to send Katy Perry round to my house with a million quid, copy of the Steep disc and have her do all manner of things to my jiggly bits while I play, you better believe that gets a 10/10
Then I see that you don't really know what a bribe is.
HR really needs to do a better job at teaching employees what bribes are if they aren't learning it in ethics courses at school.
But... Previews... are... content?
Sarcasm. How does it work?
Trust me. If someone's score for a game is based on whether they're getting a couple of pieces of merchandise and a fancy box, then their opinion probably isn't worth checking out.
Repeat after me: previews are marketing.
I've received press kits that are cooler than the game. The game got a terrible score because it was bad. The press kit went into a container or filing cabinet and was forgotten about.
Gotcha. What are reviews then?
Wait, what are trailers?
What is E3?
What is anything?
You've got me questioning my entire existence.
Previews are content. You might not like them, but if I see a game at a preview stage and think it looks shite, I'll tell you. In fact, I have done.
Visualante2
Member
Maybe it's going to YouTube now.
Gravy Boat
Member
You're still not getting that for everyone of these that gets sent out, there are dozens if not hundreds of games that only send a zip file with some screen shots and trailers. It seems like a lot because you're specifically searching for them.
CamHostage
Member
On the whole, it is good for watchdogs to be on the lookout. And for sure, there's an agenda to every move a PR rep makes. Know where your money is going and why.
I will say, on your point of understanding these things, that it's good to know the whole of it though, because it's not all insidious bribery. Fumito Ueda wants you to buy and have others buy his game, but he also just wants to celebrate the game being done, and he wants others who have been invested in this journey to share that sense of history. When PR sends out big swag for Uncharted and Halo, they're in part putting the package together to say, "Holy shit, isn't it awesome we finally have a new Uncharted/Halo?!?" There's the job involved in selling the product, but also there's the pride and excitement for the product, and the two are intertwined in a way that cannot be removed from the process (until we invent robot game reviewers who can actually review a game "objectively", of course.)
PR also has a budget that it has to spend or it will lose it, so it's better to spend it on fun stuff that celebrates titles PR reps think are cool ways to blow petty cash then it is to cede next year's PR budget (which you might actually need next year or some year in the future; you NEVER want to give up budget, so spend spend spend) back to accounting's discretion. If they like a game or brand and they like the crew who made a game, they're going to put a little extra oomph in, especially since it looks good to your bosses when your budget line-items synch up (whether caused or otherwise) with the sales charts of games you promoted hard.
And also, sometimes you just spend time and money because there's an expectation. GAFers have complained about there not being advertising for Last Guardian or other games in the past; there's a similar hype baselines in PR. If Ubisoft doesn't do something crazy for the launch of the next Assassin's Creed, is that a sign that Assassin's Creed is in trouble? If Activision just emails you a download code for Call of Duty, is this an important Call of Duty or just another entry in the annual franchise. They want everybody up and down the line to feel the "event" of the moment, and review scores maybe will or maybe won't factor into that moment, what's more important is that everybody gets it that reviews are out and the product is available and the moment is here.
So part of the job of journalism is to be at the circus (because negative or positive score, there are big clicks involved in bringing that circus feeling to readers on hot titles, so that's its own ring in the circus) without joining the circus yourself. It's all very amusing and exciting to see the circus in action, but at the end of the day, you don't get paid by being a circus fool or MC, you get paid for writing about what's at the heart of it all. And when that time comes, there's surely some challenge in putting the relationships and frivolity out of your mind, but PR doesn't pay you (and doesn't dictate advertising spends either, although we can talk about the common understanding versus the reality of Gerstmanngate another time...) Readers pay you. So you write for them. And if readers are happy with your work, and if your relationship with PR remains whatever the score (which is most often the case, as it's a long-term relationship and it's usually foolish to break up over one game score ... especially since PR usually knows when a game is going to suck), then you do it all over again next time.
The check thing? That was a very limited publicity stunt. The review press kit came with a copy of Dante's Inferno text, the animated DVD, and an action-figure.
Most US-based PR firms have ceased doing press kits for new releases. EU may be different.
From one extreme...
...to the other.
We get press kits as a thank you for covering the game. It's not a bribe.
Visualante2
Member
New York Times' policy is not even a cup of coffee as a thank you.
And some other outlets follow that code of ethics. As I said there are those will refuse a notebook at a media preview event for that very reason.
test_account
XP-39C²
I think they exist to make a better first impression. Kinda like at a resturant when someone decorate the plate. Its probably also there hoping that the reviewer might go a bit easier on the review, but i cant really see such things altering the reviews scores, especially not in any significant ways, generally speaking.
If its about bribe, why limit that to press kits by the way? Why not regular copies of games as well that are given away for free to the reviewers? Surely that could also alter peoples opinion about a game? But if reviewers dont get a game for free, its usually seen as a bad sign that the game might be bad.
Personally i'm not worried. Bias in reviews could always exist for different reasons (reviews are subjective things for the most part anyway). If one is worried that free games given to reviewers are being seen as bribe, i think its best to not read any reviews and rather check out Youtube videos etc. of the game instead.
If its about bribe, why limit that to press kits by the way? Why not regular copies of games as well that are given away for free to the reviewers? Surely that could also alter peoples opinion about a game? But if reviewers dont get a game for free, its usually seen as a bad sign that the game might be bad.
Personally i'm not worried. Bias in reviews could always exist for different reasons (reviews are subjective things for the most part anyway). If one is worried that free games given to reviewers are being seen as bribe, i think its best to not read any reviews and rather check out Youtube videos etc. of the game instead.
User 479360
Banned
Press kits like this are very rare, as far as I know.
Generally speaking, press kit means the page you go to to get all of a game's trailers, screenshots, info and contact information.
Generally speaking, press kit means the page you go to to get all of a game's trailers, screenshots, info and contact information.
Considering all those big press kits are from AAA games this doesnt really make sense to me. The media would cover those games no matter what simply because there's so much buzz behind them.
Gravy Boat
Member
At the end of they day, if you're listening to journalists whose opinions are so fickle that they can be swayed by stuff like this then you're not listening to someone worthwhile. Any big site or decent journalist has been in the game for so long that stuff like this is just clutter to them.
A thank you gift. In any other industry, if someone sent a vendor a gift for doing business with them, it could be under scrutiny for a bribe based on certain criteria. If the gift is a thank you gift that could or is directly intended to influence the favorability of a current product, service, or likelihood of business conducted between the two parties and/or if it is not a gift of insignificant monetary value (cheap pen, not a $100 nice pen), then it could constitute bribery in many countries.
Like I said, games industry is just so used to it they don't even think much about it anymore, it seems like.
Yes,it works as an advertisement.One ad in the hundreds of ads you'll see each. It's not remotely close as to bribe.
Bronetta
Ask me about the moon landing or the temperature at which jet fuel burns. You may be surprised at what you learn.
If they're so desensitized then surely they would have no problem with digital codes or a white sleeve with the disc inside.
Stop with this extravagant opulent shit, it comes out of the end customers pockets. Just don't complain to me about rising costs of development or additional sources of revenue if you gonna waste it on fuckboii shit like free handjobs to gaming media.
Architechnophile
Member
FWIW I don't think this is the intent behind most of the tchotchkes that would get sent with press copy. Not a thank you--but instead either a surreptitious hope that the recipient will display the thing online (and thereby act as a host for advertisement), or that they'll think more kindly on the game that comes with it.
Thankfully, I also don't think that the quoted notion is one shared by most professional game critics.
I want to just quote what I said earlier, because I really think this is the way that a good critic approaches this (and the standard that readers/viewers should expect):
I think that's a better foundation for a critic to work with than simply pointing out that tchotchkes might be commonplace for them. It wouldn't just be that these things are blasé--it's that the critic sees them as inherently tainted.
Because the market is saturated, and something like this can help your product stand out and get coverage.
And these are not directed at gaming outlets as much as they are the mainstream press, i.e. people who won't even take notice of a game unless it's sufficiently gussied up when it arrives because they've never actually heard of it before that moment.
And these are not directed at gaming outlets as much as they are the mainstream press, i.e. people who won't even take notice of a game unless it's sufficiently gussied up when it arrives because they've never actually heard of it before that moment.
autoduelist
Member
In the general news industry, content is expensive. In the old days, you would need to have journalists come up with ideas, pay to send them out to research it, and pay for them to write articles.
Companies realized they could create their own news by sending out press kits/press releases. They also realized many news agencies would simply quote the press release rather than do any investigative research.
News switched from investigative to parroting corporate narrative very quickly, because it's far cheaper to parrot than produce. This, plus general ownership and conglomeration, is how corporations took over media completely.
Press kits in gaming are just an extension of this. It's common practice in many industries, but it's a result of fundamentally flawed ethics in journalism. On one hand, it makes sense to present reviewers with nice kits to 'help' them, in practice it's as broken as everything else in modern journalism.
Companies realized they could create their own news by sending out press kits/press releases. They also realized many news agencies would simply quote the press release rather than do any investigative research.
News switched from investigative to parroting corporate narrative very quickly, because it's far cheaper to parrot than produce. This, plus general ownership and conglomeration, is how corporations took over media completely.
Press kits in gaming are just an extension of this. It's common practice in many industries, but it's a result of fundamentally flawed ethics in journalism. On one hand, it makes sense to present reviewers with nice kits to 'help' them, in practice it's as broken as everything else in modern journalism.
ClosingADoor
Member
Most people would welcome download codes. Microsoft does all their review through download codes these days. It's great. Just active them and download. It's also quicker most of the time, since it doesn't need to be mailed.
It is not the journalists asking for press kits. It's the publisher sending them to stand out or to receive additional coverage in ways of social media presence or unboxing videos.
The product in the restaurant is the food and service. Those two are not constants, since they can change every day. A video game is a product that is not different for different people. It is a set product. Publishers can not give a reviewer a version with less bugs. The press kit does not influence the quality of the product like a cook might do with a food review.
Wait, where are people getting hand jobs? I need to get into these circles...
There are a lot of manbabies in this business though. From small youtubers, over blind enthusiast shills like Rooster Teeth to entitled reviewers for bigger outlets. I'd say it works more often then not. Most of them think that of course they are immune to publisher influence but they are not.
... Exhibit A.
lol. which site do you work for again?
Also this. If it means people can get on with the game in a timely fashion, a download code is perfect.
Terrific post.
I dunno about you guys but I drop thousands each year on games, I post my own reviews in a group I run amongst mostly friends & friends of friends.
While I consider this a hobby, I've turned multiple hobbies into jobs and it sucks all the fun out of it after a while, personally, I think if I got brought out to pressers (and still had to do my job) I wouldn't really consider it bribery, just unfettered access to something I can write off as a business, most collectors edition type stuff doesn't appeal to me anyway, it goes on a shelf and collects dust the minute I get it. (looking at you pip boy)
That said I have a lot of collector's editions of games that I still won't hesitate to rightfully shit on if they don't meet the expectations they set forth in the marketing (looking at you Division)
Point is, while your average consumer might "ooh and ahh" over a collectors edition & getting your travel expenses covered. reality is, it would just start to take on a triteness inherent to the process.
But I get this much, publishers want to get their product in front of people with access to the megaphone of media and this is just an easy way of doing that for them at a pittance of what it would cost to push a full on marketing blitz.
Not only is it cheaper to buy up a block of hotel rooms and fly out a bunch of reviewers, it's a good way to get some fresh eyes on a product that's otherwise probably surrounded by yes-men of the same company who made the kool-aid to begin with.
While I consider this a hobby, I've turned multiple hobbies into jobs and it sucks all the fun out of it after a while, personally, I think if I got brought out to pressers (and still had to do my job) I wouldn't really consider it bribery, just unfettered access to something I can write off as a business, most collectors edition type stuff doesn't appeal to me anyway, it goes on a shelf and collects dust the minute I get it. (looking at you pip boy)
That said I have a lot of collector's editions of games that I still won't hesitate to rightfully shit on if they don't meet the expectations they set forth in the marketing (looking at you Division)
Point is, while your average consumer might "ooh and ahh" over a collectors edition & getting your travel expenses covered. reality is, it would just start to take on a triteness inherent to the process.
But I get this much, publishers want to get their product in front of people with access to the megaphone of media and this is just an easy way of doing that for them at a pittance of what it would cost to push a full on marketing blitz.
Not only is it cheaper to buy up a block of hotel rooms and fly out a bunch of reviewers, it's a good way to get some fresh eyes on a product that's otherwise probably surrounded by yes-men of the same company who made the kool-aid to begin with.
