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[duckroll]

You're completely misunderstanding me. I'm not saying plagiarism is not a bad thing, I'm saying this case is something that could easily be forgiven and doesn't warrant this kind of punishment; and I also don't like this voluntary policeman stuff, especially when it's aimed at the small guy. I also think that focusing on this kind of stuff is a bit hypocritical.

I'm not sure why it should be forgiven. If I'm a customer service officer at any company, if I am rude to a customer and he/she complains about it by writing to a major newspaper and it's published on the forums page, there will probably be an investigation. I could be fired, and no one should blame the person complaining. It's unacceptable, even if the company I work for is known to have bad service or has a bad rep for giving customers a raw deal.

Will the firing make the company better? Probably not. Does this mean we should endorse the poor environment at the company which does not generally care about poor service like this unless there's a complain? No. But does this mean I didn't deserve to get fired because looking at the big picture it's a shitty company anyway, and the customer should think about the consequences of me possibly losing my job before making that complain? FUCK NO. The idea that the "small guy" is somehow less culpable for an offense because of the poor state of the working environment is bullshit. Everyone who works is responsible for their own actions, we're not zombies or robots, we are intelligent beings with free will.

The reviewer knew what he was doing when he did it. It doesn't matter if gaming journalism on a whole is "shit" or it's "doomed" or whatever. If you choose to work in that field, you either have a choice of contributing to it positively because of pride in your own work, or contributing negatively to it because "it's so bad anyway". In the latter case, you don't deserve to work in the industry, regardless if your bosses are "just as bad" or not. The fact is being irresponsible has it's consequences on each individual.

There is also no voluntary policeman stuff going on. I would love for you to expand on this point, because it really strikes me as confusing. Any person reading a publication, be it a review or a news article, is an audience member and in hence the consumer/customer of that piece of work. If the consumer is not pleased with what is presented, criticism and comments should ALWAYS be welcome. If you don't want someone commenting on your work, you don't release it. It's as simple as that.

If I read two reviews which I notice similarities in, and I look again to notice entire sentences copied, why should I keep quiet? Where is my obligation to not voice something out simply because there might be a negative consequence for someone whom I feel has performed poor service to me in the first place? See the original scenario presented above.

It's not like someone went out of their way to get this guy fired, he simply pointed out an observation and shared it with the community here. If the natural cause of action is that someone gets removed for committing and offense as pointed out, it is only fair. While it might be "sad" that someone lost his job, this opens the opportunity for someone else of potentially better character to now fill that position. How the hell is that a bad thing?

I don't really care hehe. I'd just like to get my point across tbh. I've seen too many peons blamed and punished for systemic problems and mismanagement to agree with this stuff too easily.

This matches perfectly with what I just posted. You basically think that the "peons" should not be responsible for any of their own actions, which I completely disagree with. Thinking like THAT is what actually causes more systemic problems because people feel no need to take responsiblity for their own actions and end up having zero ownership in their own work, and it results in poor work ethic and poor motivation.

 

[Timekiller]

Again, I'm not saying it's not a problem. I'm not saying he shouldn't be punished. I just think it's hypocritical and that the punishment is too severe. If this is common practice, even more so.

I think I have this opinion partly probably because I live in Hungary and we trust the law and simple clear-cut rules a lot less than you guys. Even seeing "call this number if this driver is a shithead" on trucks is a bit negative for me (and a lot of Hungarians I know). I can't avoid asking "why did the guy do this and why didn't the system he works in teach him not to do it and filter it", simply because he's a low-level grunt. Nothing to do with ethical standards imo.

You're basically assuming that questioning power figures for evident corruption and bias, checking for quality control and honest commercial relationships, and to rely of feedback should not be choosed as standards for a democracy in 2009 because is easier to trust then question? You could be CEO in that website, then.

I don't know you mate, but hey, i think that here we should do things in open air with a critical approach, with serious consumer participation, or my country is going to be based heavily on corruption for the years to come as in the past and nothing will never change. Damn, did you hear about the shit our prime minister is currently doing (Our prime minister is a businessman and that tells everything of separating politics from industries, and journalism approach on both)? I am sick of all this i just want to work clean as i like and to have a role that is based on a sincere relationship with readers, am i asking too much?

 

[Nose Master]

When you're writing a review for a game like Water Warfare, who gives a shit? Really.

 

[Iced_Eagle]

Hm I'm not sure why some people are feeling pity. I don't think anyone here had anything to do with his firing. All that happened was that someone say similarities between articles, and called them out, like anyone should. The fact that he got let go is not anyone's fault on here, because it was the wrtier's fault. If you think the punishment is too much, then talk to gamepro, and not the OP.

Overall though, I think it's a good thing. If GamePro wants to maintain their journalistic credibility, they did the right thing by letting him go. In the world of journalism, plagerism is one of the worst offenses, and how many times since high school has everyone known this?

It's the writers fault for what happened to him, not ours. GAF just bought it to GP's attention, and it was their decision what to do.

 

[duckroll]

When you're writing a review for a game like Water Warfare, who gives a shit? Really.

When you're fired for ripping off IGN over a review of a game like Water Warfare, who gives a shit? Really.

 

[Zenith]

Oh, I can feel the righteous rage burning in you.

talking of rage:

This is so incredibly pathetic. Jesus fucking Christ, the whole idea of being able to plagiarise a fucking game review, especially the parts that LIST FUCKING FEATURES is ridiculous in itself. OP = busybody douchebag

what a hypocritical douche you are. I figure either you know the writer or have been caught out stealing someone else's work yourself. Only explanation for a near meltdown over a topic you profess not care about in the slightest.

 

[Stinkles]

It's comparable to stealing a pack of chewing gum from a shop or something. I'd tell the guy to put it back, but I definitely wouldn't call the cops on him...

You want it to be one way. But it ain't. It's the other way.

 

[Firestorm]

I'm actually really surprised someone took the time to read two reviews on Water Warfare. The guy got fired from a job that he did as a volunteer. There's nothing to moan about here. I can't believe he's 22, right at the end of university most likely, and didn't realize plagiarism always bites you in the ass.

 

[Skiptastic]

Great, now this thread is going to prejudice me to think that Hungarians don't care about plagiarism.

 

[Flachmatuch]

I'm not sure why it should be forgiven. If I'm a customer service officer at any company, if I am rude to a customer and he/she complains about it by writing to a major newspaper and it's published on the forums page, there will probably be an investigation. I could be fired, and no one should blame the person complaining. It's unacceptable, even if the company I work for is known to have bad service or has a bad rep for giving customers a raw deal.

I don't agree with that. I'm a hypocrite because I get really easily pissed off with bad customer service and stuff (although I don't complain to bosses), but I think it's better, especially in this case, if you understand the other side too and don't just put forward rigid demands. Customer service, especially on the phone, is one of the shittiest possible jobs, and when I remember that when I'm talking to people with this work, I'm a better person I think it's just way too easy to make demands like this and expect people to work like robots.

But I don't think this is a good example. Plagiarism is much, much worse than bad customer service, they can't even be compared imo.

Will the firing make the company better? Probably not. Does this mean we should endorse the poor environment at the company which does not generally care about poor service like this unless there's a complain? No. But does this mean I didn't deserve to get fired because looking at the big picture it's a shitty company anyway, and the customer should think about the consequences of me possibly losing my job before making that complain? FUCK NO. The idea that the "small guy" is somehow less culpable for an offense because of the poor state of the working environment is bullshit. Everyone who works is responsible for their own actions, we're not zombies or robots, we are intelligent beings with free will.

In practice, it's actually the boss that can do anything against this. If you have a poor customer service department, just firing the assholes won't get you anywhere, and it won't, in any way, get you closer to a better department. You probably do this because the environment you're working in condones it, your work is hard and annoying and you don't get paid enough etc etc. Yeah, you can punish the small guy, and you're formally completely right, but that doesn't change anything, and the next guy coming in to replace you will probably turn into the same type of asshole if the environment doesn't change. Anyway, actually the smaller the guy is, the less responsibility they should have, because it's great power that means great responsibility. It really does matter a lot in practice.

The reviewer knew what he was doing when he did it. It doesn't matter if gaming journalism on a whole is "shit" or it's "doomed" or whatever. If you choose to work in that field, you either have a choice of contributing to it positively because of pride in your own work, or contributing negatively to it because "it's so bad anyway". In the latter case, you don't deserve to work in the industry, regardless if your bosses are "just as bad" or not. The fact is being irresponsible has it's consequences on each individual.

But in actual fact most of the time stuff like this only has consequences on the lowest level grunt, noone else, even if it's common practice or even if it's directly encouraged by bosses. BTW, if I were the writer, I'd be completely ashamed and would never write here and if he came up with these arguments, I'd consider them hypocritical...but I think there are some arguments for the guy. Also, as I said, maybe it's just a cultural thing.

There is also no voluntary policeman stuff going on. I would love for you to expand on this point, because it really strikes me as confusing. Any person reading a publication, be it a review or a news article, is an audience member and in hence the consumer/customer of that piece of work. If the consumer is not pleased with what is presented, criticism and comments should ALWAYS be welcome. If you don't want someone commenting on your work, you don't release it. It's as simple as that.

This is a bit irrelevant, but just to clear things up: when you're reading the review, you're not a customer. The customer is the guy who pays - the guy who sponsors the review with the ads, ie. the advertiser. You're actually the product they're buying.

If I read two reviews which I notice similarities in, and I look again to notice entire sentences copied, why should I keep quiet? Where is my obligation to not voice something out simply because there might be a negative consequence for someone whom I feel has performed poor service to me in the first place? See the original scenario presented above.

It's not like someone went out of their way to get this guy fired, he simply pointed out an observation and shared it with the community here. If the natural cause of action is that someone gets removed for committing and offense as pointed out, it is only fair. While it might be "sad" that someone lost his job, this opens the opportunity for someone else of potentially better character to now fill that position. How the hell is that a bad thing?

Yeah, I did overreact on the OP.

Anyway...are you really discussing something with me? So is my opinion really not just "that people should be allowed to breach moral ethics which I don't really care for to begin with, and the world is a terrible place if it does not condone such behavior in some way"?

 

[Micromegas]

Great, now this thread is going to prejudice me to think that Hungarians don't care about plagiarism.

You're probably going to be ok.

 

[Flachmatuch]

what a hypocritical douche you are. I figure either you know the writer or have been caught out stealing someone else's work yourself. Only explanation for a near meltdown over a topic you profess not care about in the slightest.

Ehh, I write like that quite often, nothing to do with rage or meltdown. I did have some kind of meltdown in a thread. And no, I don't know the writer and I haven't stolen anyone else's work (but had my work stolen a few times by my bosses, including a patent application :-/).

 

[Timekiller]

It's comparable to stealing a pack of chewing gum from a shop or something. I'd tell the guy to put it back, but I definitely wouldn't call the cops on him...

You don't understand. It's radically different, bigger, wider, worse, and even tolerated if compared to this. It's a widespread system based on lies and strategies to take advantage of a legitimate system, something that in the business everyone can see and that a lot accepts or collaborate with to build a rewarding career, not a single occasional childlish forgettable mistake. A website earns millions, from a point of view is a mass fraud.

And i think: i was the one forced to resign because i was ostracized - so here someone lost his job opportunity for refusing to be thief, in a place full of thieves, for the politics of one who organizes robberies as a strategy to maximize earnings. If you feel pity for him, you don't for me, shame on you :lol

 

[Timekiller]

I'm actually really surprised someone took the time to read two reviews on Water Warfare. The guy got fired from a job that he did as a volunteer. There's nothing to moan about here. I can't believe he's 22, right at the end of university most likely, and didn't realize plagiarism always bites you in the ass.

He took his life lesson, he should be already grown up at that age. Also: writing for a commercial website (commercial or with goals of earning money in the future) is a JOB and anyone working for free with the excuse of "doing it just for passion cause you love videogames" is just a victim of a scam organized by the owner of the commercial website and ruins the job market for his better skilled colleagues that would like to earn that place.

 

[morningbus]

Yes, how very ridiculous to ask large, publicly traded, multi-national corporations, serious questions about their product and developers.

Well, to be fair, it is different for large multinational corporations. Doing hardcore investigative journalism on these companies could easily be seen as corporate espionage or revealing trade secrets. Few people want to take the risk of a lawsuit from a corporate behemoth. I'm not saying this is a particularly great arrangement, but at the end of the day we're just talking about videogames and taking it that seriously could come off as ridiculous.

It would be similar to a soda journalist demanding Coca-Cola reveal its "secret forumla" or listing all the "natural flavors" on the bottle. Is having the company explicitly state something or really dogging on them for not being transparent that beneficial to your reader? It's just soda. As much as I miss Surge, I don't need to read scathing tomes decrying Coca-Cola's lack of forthrightness.

Mind you, I'm comparing this against what most people hold up as the "real" journalism, reporting on politics and society. It is absolutely important to ask the President why the response to Huricane Katrina was so blundered; Asking Nintendo why Motion+ wasn't included in the Wii-remote from the beginning, is another, far less important story.

 

[Flachmatuch]

You don't understand. It's radically different, bigger, wider, worse, and even tolerated if compared to this. It's a widespread system based on lies and strategies to take advantage of a legitimate system, something that in the business everyone can see and that a lot accepts or collaborate with to build a rewarding career, not a single occasional childlish forgettable mistake. A website earns millions, from a point of view is a mass fraud.

Originally I thought that the guy just couldn't be bothered to play the game too much, so copied some stuff over from IGN. If it's the first time he did this, he should be warned by his editor not to repeat this stuff again, and that's it, imo. Otherwise, if it's systemic, and it was actually his editor that told him to do this, it's pretty obvious that he's not the only one to be punished, and not even the main culprit. I didn't really take this into consideration as there's no proof for this in this particular case and it'd have made my argument much easier.

And i think: i was the one forced to resign because i was ostracized - so here someone lost his job opportunity for refusing to be thief, in a place full of thieves, for the politics of one who organizes robberies as a strategy to maximize earnings. If you feel pity for him, you don't for me, shame on you :lol

I consider that much worse than this situation, obviously. Do you want me to feel pity for you? I think I feel more respect than pity, don't know if I can change that

 

[Flachmatuch]

He took his life lesson, he should be already grown up at that age. Also: writing for a commercial website (commercial or with goals of earning money in the future) is a JOB and anyone working for free with the excuse of "doing it just for passion cause you love videogames" is just a victim of a scam organized by the owner of the commercial website and ruins the job market for his better skilled colleagues that would like to earn that place.

I don't want to use what you're saying to support my argument as I seem to disagree with you on the actual main point (was it right to fire the guy)...but this is exactly what I mean by "systemic" errors and punishing the little guy. In my experience, most of the time you see stuff like this, it's just an effect of a larger problem and the small guy's punishment is just a decoy.

 

[RocketDarkness]

I don't want to use what you're saying to support my argument as I seem to disagree with you on the actual main point (was it right to fire the guy)...but this is exactly what I mean by "systemic" errors and punishing the little guy. In my experience, most of the time you see stuff like this, it's just an effect of a larger problem and the small guy's punishment is just a decoy.

I dunno about Hungary, but in the US, if that was in fact the case, you'd probably see lawsuits spring up reaaaaaal fast.

 

[Flachmatuch]

Well, to be fair, it is different for large multinational corporations. Doing hardcore investigative journalism on these companies could easily be seen as corporate espionage or revealing trade secrets. Few people want to take the risk of a lawsuit from a corporate behemoth. I'm not saying this is a particularly great arrangement, but at the end of the day we're just talking about videogames and taking it that seriously could come off as ridiculous.

It would be similar to a soda journalist demanding Coca-Cola reveal its "secret forumla" or listing all the "natural flavors" on the bottle. Is having the company explicitly state something or really dogging on them for not being transparent that beneficial to your reader? It's just soda. As much as I miss Surge, I don't need to read scathing tomes decrying Coca-Cola's lack of forthrightness.

Mind you, I'm comparing this against what most people hold up as the "real" journalism, reporting on politics and society. It is absolutely important to ask the President why the response to Huricane Katrina was so blundered; Asking Nintendo why Motion+ wasn't included in the Wii-remote from the beginning, is another, far less important story.

You're very much mistaken if you think there wouldn't be important questions you could pose about games. I mean, games are slowly becoming as important as TV, and their educational and propaganda effects are not discussed at all on gaming sites. What you get is Jack Thompson and the Hot Coffee crap, but no serious discussion and research. No serious discussion about violence or the effect on attention span or the general propaganda and worldview stuff in games, just the stuff that's obviously stupid.

I dunno about Hungary, but in the US, if that was in fact the case, you'd probably see lawsuits spring up reaaaaaal fast.

I'm not 100% sure of that tbh.

 

[Barrett2]

When you're writing a review for a game like Water Warfare, who gives a shit? Really.

The amount of stupidity in this thread cannot easily be comprehended.

 

[biggkidd32]

Wow @ this thread. Plagiarism is a big deal, no matter the venue.

 

[Timekiller]

In my experience, most of the time you see stuff like this, it's just an effect of a larger problem and the small guy's punishment is just a decoy.

And that's another problem. If noone does anything after this, consumers or law, it has all been only a resolution with confined beneficts. He's not going to occupy without merit a place of work, and at least his colleagues or aspiring collegues can count on some work rights.
But we should aim for common benefits.

Usually, it's the same here, when it happens. The guy is the sacrificial lamb, and everyhitng else is clean as crystal. Anyone that doesn't question the law or the businessmen and just trusts his own government, the next day goes to work whislting, and everything is hidden under a carpet.

Another thing: you know how the old and new leaders in italian gaming magazines build a lot of public that made'em leaders? Giving games FAQS and cheats and walkthroughs to the public in italian language. Those FAQS were stolen and translated from gameFAQS during CJC's times, and all the work done for passion by gamers for gamers was simply exploited to build fake careers based on theft. Today, while earning thousands and thousands of euros thatnks to that scam that noone will ever question, they ask their public for credibility, and still oragnizing services based on lies, WTF.
This is the past and the present of almost all of the people that have high roles in this business, just imagine what they can do at 30, 35, 40, 50 y old. Earn, by any means necessary.

 

[RocketDarkness]

The amount of stupidity in this thread cannot easily be comprehended.

You cannot comprehend the true form of this thread's stupidity.

 

[morningbus]

You're very much mistaken if you think there wouldn't be important questions you could pose about games. I mean, games are slowly becoming as important as TV, and their educational and propaganda effects are not discussed at all on gaming sites. What you get is Jack Thompson and the Hot Coffee crap, but no serious discussion and research. No serious discussion about violence or the effect on attention span or the general propaganda and worldview stuff in games, just the stuff that's obviously stupid.

Those skirt the lines between their respective genres, though, as evidenced by those stories being covered in the mainstream media. Questions like,"What does sex/violence do to an impressionable mind?" are societal issues and have been asked to many different industries. And, typically, the specialized press have had the best and most accurate responses to these kind of stories.

I'm not saying there aren't important issues to be covered, either. If I remember correctly, I'm the one for raising and maintaining the standards of anyone who claims to be a journalist. It's just that the most important, strictly videogame story, is always going to be less "important" than a strictly political one.

 

[Foxtastical]

Taking responsibility for your actions? Ah!

 

[Timekiller]

If I remember correctly, I'm the one for raising and maintaining the standards of anyone who claims to be a journalist.

Really? For the american\english journalism you mean? I don't know anything about it and i never met you, i'm interested in your over-the-ocean stories on the subject, please tell, also in PM if you like. It's the right time for me to hear about it

EDIT: oh sorry, i misunderstood, was just reading too fast.

 

[FirstInHell]

Out of everything in this thread, I am most surprised that anyone reads Wii Ware reviews.

 

[Timekiller]

Out of everything in this thread, I am most surprised that anyone reads Wii Ware reviews.

What's wrong in searching informations for non meanstream games? I don't read em, but i can't see something surprising in doing so.

 

[morningbus]

Really? For the american\english journalism you mean? I don't know anything about it and i never met you, i'm interested in your over-the-ocean stories on the subject, please tell, also in PM if you like. It's the right time for me to hear about it

Oh, I meant in the context of this thread where I said something along the lines of "writers should be held to strict standards" and Flachmatuch replied "That's irrelevant because the industry does not have or follow journalistic standards."

I do have my own ideas, but that's for another thread.

 

[Coverly]

You cannot comprehend the true form of this thread's stupidity.

found it for you

 

[Timekiller]

Oh, I meant in the context of this thread where I said something along the lines of "writers should be held to strict standards" and Flachmatuch replied "That's irrelevant because the industry does not have or follow journalistic standards."

I do have my own ideas, but that's for another thread.

Yes, sorry hehe, edited just now, i misunderstood, read that line too fast

 

[Nicktals]

Ehh, I write like that quite often, nothing to do with rage or meltdown. I did have some kind of meltdown in a thread. And no, I don't know the writer and I haven't stolen anyone else's work (but had my work stolen a few times by my bosses, including a patent application :-/).

Was it a patent for a new kind of chewing gum?

 

[inner-G]

You cannot comprehend the true form of this thread's stupidity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P_BvrtuxAI

 

[Flachmatuch]

Those skirt the lines between their respective genres, though, as evidenced by those stories being covered in the mainstream media. Questions like,"What does sex/violence do to an impressionable mind?" are societal issues and have been asked to many different industries. And, typically, the specialized press have had the best and most accurate responses to these kind of stories.

I'm not saying there aren't important issues to be covered, either. If I remember correctly, I'm the one for raising and maintaining the standards of anyone who claims to be a journalist. It's just that the most important, strictly videogame story, is always going to be less "important" than a strictly political one.

There's research and dissemination of research and than there's propaganda/public education. You'll see articles in the specialised press (ie. psychology journals etc) about the harmful effects of violent entertainment etc, but you won't see articles on gaming sites about new research that indicates that gaming may have any harmful effects, just the ridiculous stuff. Just like you don't really see too many programmes on TV that describe its harmful effects.

Oh, I meant in the context of this thread where I said something along the lines of "writers should be held to strict standards" and Flachmatuch replied "That's irrelevant because the industry does not have or follow journalistic standards."

Journalistic standards are irrelevant and referring to them is hypocritical in something that's the opposite of journalism (game sites, whose function is marketing - the opposite of journalism). It doesn't mean that plagiarism is not something wrong even in the context of advertising (I think duckroll pointed that out). Reviewers are probably judged according to how many hits their reviews provide for the site.

Anyway, feel free consider me an idiot. The only point I wanted to make was that people should look at deeper stuff behind this crap and not just jump on the first small time guy who gets caught red-handed.

 

[Drkirby]

It's comparable to stealing a pack of chewing gum from a shop or something. I'd tell the guy to put it back, but I definitely wouldn't call the cops on him...and if someone did that, I'd think of them as much bigger assholes than the guy who stole.

Of course you don't call the cops, you pull the shot gun from behind the counter, and tell him to drop it. The cops would take far to long to get there.

 

[sonicmj1]

Journalistic standards are irrelevant and referring to them is hypocritical in something that's the opposite of journalism (game sites, whose function is marketing - the opposite of journalism). It doesn't mean that plagiarism is not something wrong even in the context of advertising (I think duckroll pointed that out).

Just checking, is this comment directly related to the statement you made earlier?

This is a bit irrelevant, but just to clear things up: when you're reading the review, you're not a customer. The customer is the guy who pays - the guy who sponsors the review with the ads, ie. the advertiser. You're actually the product they're buying.

If so, that's the way that literally all journalism works in this day and age. Basically every form of media short of books and movies makes the majority of its money through advertising.

 

[Etelmik]

You've posted over a dozen times to say you think everyone's being hard on him.

We got the message.

 

[Flachmatuch]

Just checking, is this comment directly related to the statement you made earlier?

If so, that's the way that literally all journalism works in this day and age. Basically every form of media short of books and movies makes the majority of its money through advertising.

Absolutely, and the effect is quite evident through all forms of media. In gaming is much more obvious and pronounced though and has extra problems. Political newspapers may still contain traces of real journalism, but that's almost completely impossible with gaming stuff.

 

[Calcaneus]

In what world is plagiarism not a big deal? In college, you get fucked in the ass for plagiarizing, dude should have learned that he would probably get fucked in the ass for doing it in real life as well.

 

[sonicmj1]

Absolutely, and the effect is quite evident through all forms of media. In gaming is much more obvious and pronounced though and has extra problems. Political newspapers may still contain traces of real journalism, but that's almost completely impossible with gaming stuff.

In what ways is it impossible in gaming to have 'real journalism' where it's still possible in politics? Is it because the advertisers are sometimes less tied up in the issues? Or does it have to do with the audience?

I can't tell if you're upset with journalism because you're holding the profession as a whole to some impossible standard, or if you're upset because they aren't following particular issues you wish to see. Even when gaming publications aren't focusing on the long-term impact of gaming on how gamers see the world, they're still serving a necessary and useful function for their readers. And even if journalists as a whole are going to be corporate shills who serve only to reinforce the views the establishment wishes the public to hold, the least they could do is do their job well.

 

[LaserBuddha]

It disturbs me that several people in this thread don't know what "hypocrite" means. Its being used as a general insult apparently.

 

[Flachmatuch]

In what ways is it impossible in gaming to have 'real journalism' where it's still possible in politics? Is it because the advertisers are sometimes less tied up in the issues? Or does it have to do with the audience?

The difference is their history and traditions and of course because politics is obviously more important and is taken a lot more seriously.

I can't tell if you're upset with journalism because you're holding the profession as a whole to some impossible standard, or if you're upset because they aren't following particular issues you wish to see.

Neither of these, it's more about viewpoints and information being completely missing in a lot of media, or presented as ridiculous. I mentioned long term effects of media violence - the whole question is presented as completely ridiculous basically everywhere, with the worst possible arguments, as if it was something that shouldn't even be considered seriously. Is asking journalists to look at this objectively "holding the profession to an impossible standard"? Or do you think media overconsumption, which is quite obviously behind a lot of the problems in education, is just some secondary issue that noone should care about only professionals?

Even when gaming publications aren't focusing on the long-term impact of gaming on how gamers see the world, they're still serving a necessary and useful function for their readers.

Of course they serve a function in the context of how the industry works and part of it is even useful to end consumers, but that's not their main function imo.

And even if journalists as a whole are going to be corporate shills who serve only to reinforce the views the establishment wishes the public to hold, the least they could do is do their job well.

Not at all, badly done propaganda is a lot better than good propaganda This is irrelevant in this case though, as we're talking about plagiarism and not badly done propaganda.

 

[Joe Shlabotnik]

Are they seriously leaving the review up??

"Dear Mr. Hatfield: We sincerely apologize for stealing your work. As a gesture of goodwill, we will continue to represent your stolen work on our site--which is probably attracting a fair amount of traffic at the moment--just to prove how sorry and responsible we are."

 

[Speevy]

When you're copying IGN reviews, you seriously need to find a new line of work.

 

[Joseph Merrick]

hatfield got paid to make his review, this guy didn't. so really this guy is just making ign's money work for ign, spreading the amazingly good word. what a hero of capitalism. hatfield should kiss his feet.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

When you're copying IGN reviews, you seriously need to find a new line of work.

He seems competent enough to work at IGN now.

 

[morningbus]

Are they seriously leaving the review up??

"Dear Mr. Hatfield: We sincerely apologize for stealing your work. As a gesture of goodwill, we will continue to represent your stolen work on our site--which is probably attracting a fair amount of traffic at the moment--just to prove how sorry and responsible we are."

It's a catch-22. If they take it down they could be accused of trying to hide the fact.

I think it shows they're serious about the charges and that they want to be as transparent about it as possible.

hatfield got paid to make his review, this guy didn't. so really this guy is just making ign's money work for ign, spreading the amazingly good word. what a hero of capitalism. hatfield should kiss his feet.

Sharing work? That sounds an awful lot like Communism, comrade.

 

[Visualante]

It's a catch-22. If they take it down they could be accused of trying to hide the fact.

I think it shows they're serious about the charges and that they want to be as transparent about it as possible.



Sharing work? That sounds an awful lot like Communism, comrade.

Not really a catch 22. You should retract the review and apologize. There's no hiding what has been done at this point.

 

[Joseph Merrick]

Sharing work? That sounds an awful lot like Communism, comrade.

snap. I've been found out

 

[morningbus]

Not really a catch 22. You should retract the review and apologize. There's no hiding what has been done at this point.

Forum discussions on the internet have no standards so you are being hypocritical to hold me to anything.

Spoiler

You're right though, it is a no win situation. Catch 22 sounds better, though.