Intheflorsh
Banned
I enjoyed Petit on their podcast, that's a bummer to hear. Games journalism is falling apart. 
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GameSpot lay-offs 2014
- Thread starter benny_a
- Start date
I haven't agreed with everything she's said but hopefully she finds something soon. Edit: As well as everyone else who got laid off.
What the hell?
What the hell?
Chobel
Member
Man, this sucks! I thought They're doing OK especially after reading this thread http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=855172.
I wish everyone affected by this the best of luck.
I wish everyone affected by this the best of luck.
Jimmyfenix
Member
What is wrong with you?
Visualante2
Member
GameSpot is nothing without its personalities. They should tread careful or fade into irrelevance like 1UP did.
Askherserenity
Member
Dude :/ Way to be a jerk.
I'm sorry to hear there are layoffs.
If I recall correctly there have been several layoffs this year in video game journalism, I think the games journalism quality is generally bad but it would be a disaster if it will be replaced by youtubers.
Journalism is important, good journalists are necessary for an healthy industry.
I've only read Caroline's GTA V review, I remember that because it ended awfully showing clearly that she didn't understand the game's tone:
Hopefully for her it was just an unfortunate review and she will be able to find a similar or better job in the game industry.
If I recall correctly there have been several layoffs this year in video game journalism, I think the games journalism quality is generally bad but it would be a disaster if it will be replaced by youtubers.
Journalism is important, good journalists are necessary for an healthy industry.
I've only read Caroline's GTA V review, I remember that because it ended awfully showing clearly that she didn't understand the game's tone:
Hopefully for her it was just an unfortunate review and she will be able to find a similar or better job in the game industry.
perfectchaos007
Member
Haven't been back since Gersteman left. His reviews were at times controversial, but he had a high moral standard of not allowing sponsors/game companies to influence his reviews. 8.8
Death Metalist
Member
Wish all of them the best. Shit like this makes me sad because i always enjoyed their work over the years. I hope they all land on their feet and find a place where they can be happy.
SlowRevolution
Member
management is totally new now
Petrae
Member
That is the most likely future for most involved in the field. There are only a very few paid positions, and the number of experienced people to fill them easily outpaces that number.
Freelance writing, along with personal funding campaigns, will be the way to go for most. Create content and personality, sell yourself, and hope to build a fan base.
Netherscourge
Banned
There is nothing wrong with a person having an opinion. Game reviews are one person's opinion.
GTA5 was misogynistic to the extreme. Nobody can deny that. You can argue if it hurts the overall narrative or not, but she did not make any false observations about it. That game was built top-to-bottom to entertain young, hetero males.
Not that I care, mind you. I loved it. But I can see where some people especially women or minorities, would find the game shallow or even insulting.
(Not that i want to turn this into a GTA5 review debate. Just saying. Carolyn made valid observations of these games, even if people refused to accept them.)
robovanburen
Member
Pivoting toward more video and less text, maybe?
darkside31337
Tomodachi wa Mahou
Agreed 100%.
I've really liked what Gamespot has become lately. Some really enjoyable content, it'd be a shame if they didn't realize why people visit the site.
Looking at this (http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2614915) report on the industries revinue it seems odd that so many journalists and gaming related sites/companies are having layoffs. Why isn't an exclusive video game news/journalism company viable? Bad content, bad business plan, bad management?
If this is about the review backlash, I'm absolutely disgusted. Reminds me of Adam Sessler, another great journalist who didn't happen to agree with the hive mind and as such was bombarded with threats and hopes of job loss.
SuperSonic1305
Member
Druckmann strikes again
Petrae
Member
Written content sure seems to be heading towards being less important, especially if it's not accompanied by some sort of video.
TheBaronOfNA
Banned
Jeff has talked about in his Jar Time videos.seems that GB is doing better as whole than GS in the moment because of it.
Honestly she's one of the faces of Gamespot along with Kevin. The best thing about her writing is that she does it with both emotion and wit.
Oh well then again I remember the fallout after the GS Ratchet & Clank review so I'm not surprised.
robovanburen
Member
I'm sure that there are smarter run-downs of the business elsewhere. In short: crappy ad revenue, no barriers to entry for competitors, growing popularity of YouTube or Reddit or other sources for gaming news because people don't trust traditional sites or don't like reading, etc.
Q
qizah
Unconfirmed Member
I almost always never agreed with Carolyn's reviews, but her content was always well written and presented well. Wish her the best, it's unfortunate she got cut. GameSpot needs more personalities though, it's an issue the site has been facing for some time now.
I like Danny O'Dwyer a lot, they need more people like him.
I like Danny O'Dwyer a lot, they need more people like him.
Wouldn't you say that the more on-camera stuff the better for your brand?
When I think of GameSpot I think of Chris Watters, Danny O'Dwyer, KVO, Mary Kish & Cam Robinson.
This could very easily be because I only casually follow GameSpot. I'm just thinking E3 + their big weekly show.
My thoughts exactly (on both statements) - I haven't been to Gamespot since probably the whole Gerstmanngate fiasco, am almost surprised to see it still around. Hope everyone finds a job soon. I honestly think the Giant Bomb people should pick up Carolyn Petit - will stem that whole backlash over hiring a guy and also another ex-GS person would fit in with them.
DidntKnowJack
Member
Yarp. He's like my only reason for even going to GS.
When I heard everyone talking recently about GiantBomb's new hire "Dan," I thought they were talking about him. I was sad when I learned it wasn't. (No offense to Ryckert.)
Price Drop
Member
The problem right now is two fold.
All the major video game publishers are becoming news content creators - Playstation Blog, Xbox News, Ubi Blog, and more recently Nintendo Tree House at E3 etc. It's a way for each company to maintain a consistent (and positive) message on all of their product and release information direct to the consumer. With all the live streams, hands-on previews, and interviews, it makes many of the sites that cover the same content insignificant and less necessary.
Second, it takes a lot of money to run a news publication - writers, equipment, other staff, rent, advertisement - and the money publishers are willing to give to advertise may not cover all the expenses.
Games media just has to evolve like everything else. But it's difficult when it's product-based news where companies act as a gatekeeper to all the information, as opposed to traditional media where world and live events dictate coverage.
All the major video game publishers are becoming news content creators - Playstation Blog, Xbox News, Ubi Blog, and more recently Nintendo Tree House at E3 etc. It's a way for each company to maintain a consistent (and positive) message on all of their product and release information direct to the consumer. With all the live streams, hands-on previews, and interviews, it makes many of the sites that cover the same content insignificant and less necessary.
Second, it takes a lot of money to run a news publication - writers, equipment, other staff, rent, advertisement - and the money publishers are willing to give to advertise may not cover all the expenses.
Games media just has to evolve like everything else. But it's difficult when it's product-based news where companies act as a gatekeeper to all the information, as opposed to traditional media where world and live events dictate coverage.
Of course there is nothing wrong, but it made me question her ability as a reviewer, I'm not saying that the GTA V review was representative of its work as game journalist of course( I've already explained that in my previous post) but I remember that review because it was one of the best selling games of all times reviewed on one of the most important gaming websites.
The game is a satire of a misogynistic world(and many other aspects too). It's not mandatory to like its satire but the fact that she couldn't understand what it was was pretty worrying to me.
By the way in GTA V 100% of the characters are either crazy or assholes, often both. The closest wrong interpretation of its satire would be misanthropy not misogynism.
GTA V is not politically correct but it doesn't mean it is something-istic. Maybe its satire it's bad but it's still satire.
bigwinnerx
Member
DO'D.
Harlock
Member
On the other side maybe is a good opportunity to sites like what Shane and Marcus are building.
JesseEwiak
Member
According to alexa.com (which I know, is kind of like Metacritic, but it's what we got), Gamespot.com is #510 in the US. Giantbomb is #2,092. For a comparison, IGN is #204 and Kotaku is #569.
Again, these metrics are trash, but they're probably trash in a consistent way.
I think you're right on.
Petrae
Member
Ad revenue is down. Overhead is up.
There's also a lot of competition. Thousands and thousands of other sites, just like yours, are competing those same hits. Many of those sites are run for fun, as a hobby, for notoriety, or other reasons. While the Internet gives us a voice for nothing but a computer and an online connection, it also allows for saturation of the field. Legions of voices, many saying the same thing. Anybody can be the next Andy Eddy or Jeff Gerstmann, with a webcam, a blog, and social media reach.
clutch.as.it.gets.
Member
Just judging at the quality of her work it feels wrong - she was good at her job.
TheRagnCajun
Member
I haven't visited Gamespot since the Kane and Lynch scandal, so I really don't care for the organization. I hope these people land on their feet, however.
Of course, they're one of the better gaming web sites.
bananafactory
Banned
Few points:
1. There's no way Carolyn's layoff was a result of her TLOU:R review. Reviews are always submitted to a chief editor before publication - they can't and wouldn't lay blame with her for writing her opinion.
2. Gamespot has not been interesting for ages since the days of the now-GiantBomb staff. I get most of my Nintendo/MS news from GAF and go to IGN for my Sony stuff because of Colin Moriarty (Mitch/Ryan are their XBOX guys and I can't fucking stand them
3. Regardless of how you feel about any of the people leaving GS, they are human beings and I'm sure are all great people even if you don't agree with some of their points. Wish them all the best of luck
1. There's no way Carolyn's layoff was a result of her TLOU:R review. Reviews are always submitted to a chief editor before publication - they can't and wouldn't lay blame with her for writing her opinion.
2. Gamespot has not been interesting for ages since the days of the now-GiantBomb staff. I get most of my Nintendo/MS news from GAF and go to IGN for my Sony stuff because of Colin Moriarty (Mitch/Ryan are their XBOX guys and I can't fucking stand them
3. Regardless of how you feel about any of the people leaving GS, they are human beings and I'm sure are all great people even if you don't agree with some of their points. Wish them all the best of luck
Netherscourge
Banned
Well, she saw it as a glorification of misogyny. "Misogynistic escapism" for lack of a better phrase.
That was her observation and she put it in her review of the game.
She's not wrong. She just sees it from a different perspective.
You and I both see it as satire. It's really all of the above.
Baron_Calamity
Member
So when with Giant bomb get re-branded as Gamespot?
kitschykitty
Member
I went to Gamespot for Carolyn and Danny (any news on if he's still employed there?) so this is some bad news.
RockTurtle
Member
while i didn't agree with some of Carolyn's additions to reviews (quite often of the social awareness kind) it still sucks for anyone to lose their job.
i'm sure Carolyn will be picked up by someone else soon (probably RTS or Polygon, they seem to be picking up the loose writers from other sites)
i'm sure Carolyn will be picked up by someone else soon (probably RTS or Polygon, they seem to be picking up the loose writers from other sites)