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Putting the Ly into Polygon, Crecente: "Oh, that I saw"

Tan

Member
All this Polygon stuff just makes me uncomfortable at a certain point. It just seems like their constantly eating away at their own credibility to the point that I question their existence.

I try not to get too worked up about Press sites I barely visit but it just feels like every week Polygon tries to pull some weird suspicious thing that throws the internet into a hate tornado.
 

awa64

Banned
Oh, hello there missing context.

0AgahGt.png
 

edeo

Member
Eggies is probably the most smug, insufferable public figure I've seen.

I don't understand how the most tiresome member of Rebel FM ended up with such a huge profile.

I had to block him on twitter since any mention of his name would cause him to appear, like Beetlejuice. Even for a nobody on twitter like myself.
 

Oersted

Member
This



Is particular confusing as, like Gies, I too spend my time writing and publishing critique on video games. I mean...he writes for Polygon. He writes reviews. He spends hours playing games, then hours penning reports that aim to analyse the components of said game and argue why they do/don't work. His career at Polygon is doing exactly what he's complaining about: telling people how to make better games.

I don't think there's anything wrong with that, it's just a baffling thing to complain about. Any time he's ever written that he didn't like a certain aspect of a video game he's suggesting it could be better, and implying he possess the knowledge to know what constitutes as "better". A statement like this is bonafide shitting where you eat.

Another classic by him:

@ChronoMichael @jmscstle @zoomba they're not selling vaccinations or aids medication. they're selling video games. get over it.
 

Alec

Member
Getting paid to be a gaming journalist is a sweet gig. Why does this seem like the only job where this type of behavior is tolerated?

If you're going to act like this, then you really don't deserve to be in such a sweet position. Everyone is replacable.
 

RobbieH

Member
I am sort of a bit confused as to whats going on now. Are polygon saying their article is completely new or what?


Its days like this I wish I miss the old 1UP.com :(

Yep.

He said their story was completely new based on an entirely original interview that had nothing to do with the same RPS story with the same source, took 3 days to put together and was inspired by their Lucy Bradshaw interview...but he didn't start working on it until after reading the RPS interview which he claims he never saw despite tweeting about it 3 days ago.
 

DaBuddaDa

Member
T-minus 30 minutes 'til @aegies tweets to his followers how it's "hilarious" there's another stupid thread about him on NeoGAF.
 
T-minus 30 minutes 'til @aegies tweets to his followers how it's "hilarious" there's another stupid thread about him on NeoGAF.

My favorite times are when he claims he ignores most of GAF, then tweets about things specifically said on GAF about him.

Like when he unironically tweeted about how he wouldn't physically assault John Walker.
 

Foffy

Banned
Another classic by him:

Isn't that great? He can easily shrug off all negativity about games with the "it's just video games" or "let's see YOU make one!".

That mindset should not be writing about games, especially reviews. Then again, he's only where he is because of friends, right?
 

Blueblur1

Member
People should stop visiting Polygon and following those folks. They're not bringing a thing worthwhile to the table so leave them behind.
 
What wasn't cool and was removed from Viridium's post...?

A poorly written limerick. It didn't even rhyme.


I mean Crecente was being extremely reasonable and very polite. I'll give him credit for that.

It didn't come across like that to me, it was a bit what's the word when you're trying to absolve yourself of any wrong doing I dunno what I mean. It was a ruddy load of ol' toffee.
 

DaBuddaDa

Member
I don't understand why these things keep breaking out on twitter. Do these men have no self control? I understand that twitter is a great way to keep up on latest topics and interact directly with your readers, but they show absolutely no restraint and seem to try to use it as a soapbox to flex their influence muscle.
 

VALIS

Member
Damn son, if you painted strokes any broader you'd cover the planet.

I never understand these things. Why don't people stop reading him and following his twitter instead of talking about him all day long? When everyone jumps in on a company hate party like EA's lately, whatever, it's a company, they can take it, they have done things to deserve it, and their actions help to shape the direction of our hobby.

And while Gies seems arrogant and wrongheaded in a lot of the things he says, he's one guy, writing about video games, and probably not making much money to do it. I'm not saying this excuses what he does wrong, but why it creeps the fuck out of me when hundreds of anonymous dudes from a forum decide to tear the fuck out of him or Keighley or whomever for a couple weeks. It really feels something like a modern day version of bored and paranoid town villagers with torches and pitchforks who've gathered for a good old hanging. It's beyond criticism of his writings, some of it is downright vicious. For a guy writing about video games.
 

dc89

Member
To the people saying Arthur is not a nice person:

What else has he done to get this kind of perception?
 
Having written network code in published console titles, I find Gies to be one of the dumbest people. I don't understand how he pretends to be an authority on this.
 

unbias

Member
Geez, internet forums amaze me sometimes. SMH

Eh, I'm guessing there is going to be a lot of sarcasm in this topic, and not all of it will be obvious or marked(and some people will mean what they say).

But with Arthur doing his thing, he is going to get a lot of the attention in the topic(justly) I'm assuming, because if there are a lot of people like me, who didnt really care about poly or arthur, until this will just focus on the king of the games media trolls.
 

jaypah

Member
I used to like Gies because....i really don't know? I just liked the way he talked about games and other random shit on RFM. But now I like him just because he riles people up so much. I know that's a dumb childish reason to like someone but it's entertaining to watch people rage out. Having said that I can admit that I only agree with the stuff he says about 25 percent of the time and I totally understand why some have a bone to pick with him. Shame too because I really like their site layout.
 

Sneds

Member
I record music as a hobby. I would not approach any criticism towards my music with a reply of "you don't know shit because you've never recorded an album before".

This is probably one of the stupidest things I've ever seen someone say. Goddamn, gies.

That isn't what Gies meant, to be fair to him. He clarified this in a more recent twitter post:
i think there's a difference between saying "i didn't like the way this was done" and "they should have done this."

So, to use your analogy, it's the difference between someone saying "I don't like your song" and "I didn't like the guitar in your song. You should have used a keyboard instead."

Now, people might disagree with Gies' view but let's not misrepresent him.
 

Mr. F

Banned
Serious question (and not specific to Polygon but to Twitter meltdowns in general); is there a point at which someone from the parent company (Vox Media in this case, I guess) would step in and tell Gies to lay off twitter for a bit? Or is that not their concern? I know 'any publicity is good publicity' or whatever, but the dude's clearly off his rocker lately; the hostility and hypocrisy is hitting higher levels every day. Can't imagine it's doing the site's image any favours, even in the eyes of its fans.
 

rpmurphy

Member
Well, it's true that I wouldn't release a fundamentally broken AAA game and also execute an utterly botched release to the video game mass market. Just being fair to EA/Maxis here just for you, Gies.
 

AlphaSnake

...and that, kids, was the first time I sucked a dick for crack
Word around E3 in LA years back (2008?) was that some journos wanted a word with Brian Crecente for his disrespectful attitude online and offline, and his inability to refrain from cursing people out in emails. The guy had a mark on him, I've always wondered if he knew. Then again, it could've just been a rumor.

Though still would've been interesting to see.
 
Serious question (and not specific to Polygon but to Twitter meltdowns in general); is there a point at which someone from the parent company (Vox Media in this case, I guess) would step in and tell Gies to lay off twitter for a bit? Or is that not their concern? I know 'any publicity is good publicity' or whatever, but the dude's clearly off his rocker lately; the hostility and hypocrisy is hitting higher levels every day. Can't imagine it's doing the site's image any favours, even in the eyes of its fans.


Probably not, as long as people put a "These are not the views of my employer" tag in their bio.
 

unbias

Member
That isn't what Gies meant, to be fair to him. He clarified this in a more recent twitter post:

So, to use your analogy, it's the difference between someone saying "I don't like your song" and "I didn't like the guitar in your song. You should have used a keyboard instead."

Now, people might disagree with Gies' view but let's not misrepresent him.

It isnt the same thing though. The original argument started with what we were told, and what the game actually did and the PR that came out of it. If someone says that using a keyboard in that song wasnt possible, without a lot of work, only to figure out the person who originally wrote the notes for the song, also used a piano, then there is nothing wrong with saying, you should have probably used a piano/keyboard. Whether you agree or not that they should have used a piano, you can no longer hold the stance that saying they should have is "going beyond your means".
 

Evolved1

make sure the pudding isn't too soggy but that just ruins everything
I record music as a hobby. I would not approach any criticism towards my music with a reply of "you don't know shit because you've never recorded an album before".

This is probably one of the stupidest things I've ever seen someone say. Goddamn, gies.

As EatChildren has pointed out, especially someone who makes a living at criticism.
 
I just don't understand how Gies can't just say, I was wrong, I was told the wrong shit, I was an asshole to some people.

I acted like he is when I was 7. I grew up though.
 
I think the frustration for many is that Polygon is the new shiny video game website that has lots of capital and early mindshare. The issues, for me at least, was the fact that they got some of the most divisive and questionable talent.

Documentary didn't humanize/relate to them, it just made them sound smug.
Twitter just reinforces my impression of people unwilling to change their opinions or at least have an open mind. They sound petty, squabble and unlikable.

I had to stop listening to Arthur on RebelFM because of the simple fact he was dominating and siphoning goodwill from the 1up cuts. He forced his own opinion into fact, negated other people's subjective views and was frustrating to enjoy the other personalities. I have yet to see why they have hired him. His personality is not for me. Now after reading his twitter on gaf, his professionalism should also be questioned.

You have to do two things at your job Arthur; to be entertaining and to get the facts right. You can't do either.
 
I never understand these things. Why don't people stop reading him and following his twitter instead of talking about him all day long? When everyone jumps in on a company hate party like EA's lately, whatever, it's a company, they can take it, they have done things to deserve it, and their actions help to shape the direction of our hobby.

And while Gies seems arrogant and wrongheaded in a lot of the things he says, he's one guy, writing about video games, and probably not making much money to do it. I'm not saying this excuses what he does wrong, but why it creeps the fuck out of me when hundreds of anonymous dudes from a forum decide to tear the fuck out of him or Keighley or whomever for a couple weeks. It really feels something like a modern day version of bored and paranoid town villagers with torches and pitchforks who've gathered for a good old hanging. It's beyond criticism of his writings, some of it is downright vicious. For a guy writing about video games.

This is a forum for video game enthusiasts, though. The passion about the subject matter is understandable. Personally I think this is disgraceful as jim-jam bongs, long time GAF poster. The other me doesn't really have an opinion.
 

border

Member
Having written network code in published console titles, I find Gies to be one of the dumbest people. I don't understand how he pretends to be an authority on this.

He isn't pretending to be an authority at all. His argument is a pretty basic appeal to ignorance, with a rather self-righteous tone.

"Nobody knows what is going on in the magical mysterious source code of Sim City! So how dare you attempt to speculate about whether or not it needs a persistent online connection!"
 

unbias

Member
GAF's obsession with twitter and Arthur Gies is starting to get a little uncomfortable.

I'm assuming you dont follow sports? It is just like this, only a lot worse. It isnt a GAF thing, it is a cultural thing. Twitter it popular and professionals(supposedly) of all stripes use it in ways that damage or create comedy.
 
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