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[Haunted]

Pretty much. Such is the irony of Gaming-side: we get pissed off when a games writer takes the easy way out, parrots PR and sticks to the tired "graphics paragraph/sound paragraph/gameplay paragraph" style of shitty writing, or says nothing of value in their writing, but whenever a writer decides to not treat the audience like a gaggle of idiots and says something that requires a little more critical thought or is potentially controversial, we jump down their throats for being arrogant or out-of-touch and then AltogetherAndrews goes on another rant about how all critics need to die for some reason or another.

Pretty much, although I like to think that these are two different groups within GAF.

 

[FrankT]

Yea I pretty much had enough of him after the RE5 rant. It was pretty awesome to see the RE5 New York Times review first sentence pretty much put that into perspective. Anyhow I thought he was moving on to other things outside game journalism. Probably for the best at this point. Time for something else I'd say.

 

[kamorra]

This.

Don't get mad because a gaming journalist actually fulfills the "journalist" aspect of the job description in a manner that respects the subject matter he covers.

That still doesn't mean that you have to like his work. I didn't read much from him so I can't comment much about him but there is always some highly intelligent journalist, politician, academic or whatever who say things which I don't like.
I think a lot of people just don't like what N'Gai sees in gaming and that's ok. For me it doesn't matter if he's intelligent, the only competent video game journalist or a likable looking black person. Attacking him as a person seems stupid to me, attacking his work or his point of views, regardless of his intellect or ability to use the right words, not.

 

[Xenon]

Agreed. Most of the teenybopper jerkoffs on GAF are seething with rage and jealousy than N'Gai has done more in the gaming industry than they'll ever hope to do.

Wow this is so true. He has said and done nothing to bring criticism to himself. This is true of anyone in the public's eye. =P


That said, I think its funny that the OP is perpetuating the very thing that he says is bothering him. "I'm sick of N'Gai. I'm going to make a thread about him"

 

[Rahxephon91]

N'Gai seems annoying on those 1up podcasts.

Oh no since I don't like him I'm a no good jealous gamer.

WTF?

 

[Calcaneus]

Yea I pretty much had enough of him after the RE5 rant. It was pretty awesome to see the RE5 New York Times review first sentence pretty much put that into perspective. Anyhow I thought he was moving on to other things outside game journalism. Probably for the best at this point. Time for something else I'd say.

Wow, I just read that NYT review, it misses the point just as badly as some of the posters here.

 

[myDingling]

Wow, I just read that NYT review, it misses the point just as badly as some of the posters here.

Totally. I was shaking my head throughout that whole review considering it was NY Times of all places. Guess critical consciousness isn't required for games reviews at the times -_-

 

[bishoptl]

That still doesn't mean that you have to like his work. I didn't read much from him so I can't comment much about him but there is always some highly intelligent journalist, politician, academic or whatever who say things which I don't like.

I never said you had to like his work. I did say that it would be nice to appreciate the work of a gaming journalist who, by the nature of his professionalism, stands apart from the rest. Disagree with what he says, but not how he says it. This industry needs more writers in that vein, and less hyperbolic fanboy nonsense, ie. this.

 

[FrankT]

Wow, I just read that NYT review, it misses the point just as badly as some of the posters here.

No it totally nailed the point in the first sentence. Slam dunk. Maybe they're not intelligent enough.

 

[kamorra]

I never said you had to like his work.

Yes, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have used your comment as a quote.

 

[Kintaro]

N'Gai is what he is. No big deal. It's good that he brings about a different prospective to gaming as a whole, but I believe that it was a real stark contrast to how people actually view video games in the world. In a way, he was just as "hardcore" as other members in the press, just in a different way. The difference was that he had a mainstream outlet to express these views.

I'm curious on just exactly who or what he'll be consulting on given his taste in games and gameplay...

 

[fennec fox]

The fact that people on NeoGAF can name N'Gai, and probably not be able to name anyone on the staff of [for example] Game Informer, pretty much encapsulates my opinion on the matter.

 

[truly101]

It is all too real.

http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?publicUserId=4549175&bId=8992178

Jesus, I'd have more respect for him if the blog read, "Hey Microsoft, can I have a job?"

 

[BravoSuperStar]

I never said you had to like his work. I did say that it would be nice to appreciate the work of a gaming journalist who, by the nature of his professionalism, stands apart from the rest.

I absolutely agree with this. Love him or hate him his professionalism and viewpoints have effected gaming journalism in a positive way. Gaming culture in general would benefit from more people like N'Gai.

 

[Kintaro]

The fact that people on NeoGAF can name N'Gai, and probably not be able to name anyone on the staff of [for example] Game Informer, pretty much encapsulates my opinion on the matter.

This doesn't really mean much. GAF is a hive mind. I honestly never heard of N'Gai until he appeared on 1up podcasts...which became popular because of the hivemind of the forum. So on and so forth. Game Informer is associated with GameStop which is THE MORTAL ENEMY.

So, bad comparison.

I absolutely agree with this. Love him or hate him his professionalism and viewpoints have effected gaming journalism in a positive way. Gaming culture in general would benefit from more people like N'Gai.

Can you name, in a tangible way, how he has affected gaming journalism? There is just as much bad gaming journalism as there is good before and after N'Gai...

 

[Walshicus]

This doesn't really mean much. GAF is a hive mind. I honestly never heard of N'Gai until he appeared on 1up podcasts...

Pretty much. There are a tonne of personalities... products that are known to near enough everyone here that I never see referenced elsewhere. This NGai person for example - I don't know who the fuck he is aside from the fact that you people care enough about him to know his name.

If the quotes in the OP are a fair representation of his writing style then I guess he does seem to be an arsehole, if not then dismiss said insult. Either way the market for gaming opinion pieces is surely small enough to just not care?

 

[Kazuma Kiryu]

this.

oh man, that thread about e3 quotes was pure gold:lol

 

[Kintaro]

If the quotes in the OP are a fair representation of his writing style then I guess he does seem to be an arsehole, if not then dismiss said insult. Either way the market for gaming opinion pieces is surely small enough to just not care?

His writing style is good. He's a good writer, like Bishop said. Just the content is up for debate as always. That sort of thing is nothing new. Like anyone, he cracked a smile when people talked about whatever he posted about. He even had daily posts providing links to them (which in a way, increases traffic round and round).

 

[BravoSuperStar]

Can you name, in a tangible way, how he has affected gaming journalism? There is just as much bad gaming journalism as there is good before and after N'Gai...

His perspective as far as not being a hardcore gamer his whole life and his education brought a unique viewpoint to gaming issues. Him being different than the stereotypical gaming journalist with a platform in a major publication exposed gamer culture and news to a broader audience. I feel that anyone who contributes to bringing gaming more mainstream recognition as a legitimate topic is positive.

 

[Calcaneus]

No it totally nailed the point in the first sentence. Slam dunk. Maybe they're not intelligent enough.

By "first sentence" you mean this, right?

Let’s get this out of the way: Resident Evil 5 is not a racist game.

The problem with that sentence is, it has nothing to do with what N'Gai was talking about, and the fact that it goes on and on about it for the rest of the review is embarrassing. N'Gai made it clear from the beginning that he never thought RE5 was racist. He (and everyone who agreed with him) had to trip over himself saying that he wasn't trying to insinuate that the game was made with racist intent. I could understand people not getting that early on, but its been like a year now.

 

[Kintaro]

His perspective as far as not being a hardcore gamer his whole life and his education brought a unique viewpoint to gaming issues. Him being different than the stereotypical gaming journalist with a platform in a major publication exposed gamer culture and news to a broader audience. I feel that anyone who contributes to bringing gaming more mainstream recognition as a legitimate topic is positive.

I agree with you, however this doesn't really support your statement. None of this has affected gaming journalism, as a whole, in the slightest.

I honestly don't believe his gaming background mattered in the least to his approach to covering gaming. He just found a different, unexplored niche to covering it. Kudos for that, definitely.

 

[BravoSuperStar]

I agree with you, however this doesn't really support your statement. None of this has affected gaming journalism, as a whole, in the slightest.

I honestly don't believe his gaming background mattered in the least to his approach to covering gaming. He just found a different, unexplored niche to covering it. Kudos for that, definitely.

Well that might be true, but we can hope other publications will now consider taking gaming reporting more seriously and treat it more along the lines of books/movies as far as objectivity?

 

[Flavius]

The fact that people on NeoGAF can name N'Gai, and probably not be able to name anyone on the staff of [for example] Game Informer, pretty much encapsulates my opinion on the matter.

Not to derail, but if you can't name anyone on GI's staff, you've either never picked up the magazine, or never bothered to read a byline and/or the editorial page. Pretty sure Andy Mac, Reiner, Kato, and a few others have been there for a what seems like a decade (or more).

And speaking of which (so that I can justify my reply further), that seems to be a magazine that has "grown up" as guys like N'Gai, and Luke Smith, and Shawn Elliot, and many others out there has elevated games writing. It may be the Stockholm Syndrome talking, but now that my U.S. videogame magazine options have dwindled, I've been reading GI and I have to admit, it seems to be much, much better than it was when I last checked it out several years ago. Obviously, I'm not saying N'Gai (and the other folks) were the cause of any sort of Videogame Writing Renaissance, but I certainly think guys like N'Gai played a role in getting the writing and reporting up to snuff, no doubt.

 

[myDingling]

I agree with you, however this doesn't really support your statement. None of this has affected gaming journalism, as a whole, in the slightest.

I honestly don't believe his gaming background mattered in the least to his approach to covering gaming. He just found a different, unexplored niche to covering it. Kudos for that, definitely.

How would one even begin to produce such concrete evidence? N'Gai has had an obvious effect by the mere fact that we are talking about him and no one else. If you want objective scientific evidence then you might be disappointed to find out that mind share and public perception is hard to quantify.

 

[Zeliard]

That NYT review committed a basic logical fallacy right off the bat with the first sentence. Impressive.

 

[Kintaro]

Well that might be true, but we can hope other publications will now consider taking gaming reporting more seriously and treat it more along the lines of books/movies as far as objectivity?

Online? Sure. Publications? Not in the sorry state they're in. =/ I mean, for all N'Gai did, it wasn't enough to stick around as Newsweek since they offered him the money to scott. Being the smart guy, he took it.

Not to derail, but if you can't name anyone on GI's staff, you've either never picked up the magazine, or never bothered to read a byline and/or the editorial page. Pretty sure Andy Mac, Reiner, Kato, and a few others have been there for a what seems like a decade (or more).

I've had a subscription to the mag for awhile and no, I've never read a review or article in the magazine that interested me enough to the point where I wanted to see WHO wrote it. I do find some of their obscure interviews interesting though.

You know what would help with this? If websites and magazines started to ask publishers who use quotes from their reviews to actually start using the name of the person as well as the site they write for. That would be a good first step. They do it for books and movies, why not start demanding it for games?

How would one even begin to produce such concrete evidence? N'Gai has had an obvious effect by the mere fact that we are talking about him and no one else. If you want objective scientific evidence then you might be disappointed to find out that mind share and public perceptive is hard to quantify.

It wasn't my claim to prove in the first place. But when you still have more drivel like Mielke's out than you do N'Gai's stuff...well, <shrugs>. I mean, did you follow any of the E3 blogs out there? Did you see how they were run on the websites themselves? The overflow of snarky bullshit that flew every which way any every conference. There's still just way more examples of junk writing and acting then there is otherwise. Any good stuff is just drowned out it seems. =/

Perhaps GAF should begin a new hivemind mission to find those obscure, out of the box thinkers instead of relentless threads about 1up spittle.

 

[Timedog]

Reporters don’t make news – those that try to do are in the wrong business. Those that write about themselves as if they are news are even worse.

Tell that to Hunter S. Thompson, buttwiper. NuhGuy Crow or whatever is the fucking voice of our generation!

 

[Flavius]

Tell that to Hunter S. Thompson, buttwiper. NuhGuy Crow or whatever is the fucking voice of our generation!

So N'Gai Croal's articles are the comparatively sedate, blow-free, non-Jack Daniel's-fueled equivalent of gonzo journalism?

It's all starting to make sense...

 

[RichyDevil]

Tell that to Hunter S. Thompson, buttwiper. NuhGuy Crow or whatever is the fucking voice of our generation!

If he's so smart, how come he's dead?

 

[myDingling]

If he's so smart, how come he's dead?

Hahaha okay bad poster, the combination of good reference and good avatar pic has redeemed you.

 

[truly101]

Ngai hasn't been to bat country yet.

 

[Porridge]

He never said RE5 was racist. Keep missing the point.

He's always implied it, always questioned it. And having played (I wonder if he's beaten it) the completed game, he still hasn't backed away from opinions that stemmed from a trailer

And it's his right of course, but when just about the whole gaming world thinks his lone wolf view is such a farce, what else can you be but annoyed at the whole thing?

And who said anyone was jealous of N'Gai Croal? I don't get that at all.

 

[Porridge]

The fact that people on NeoGAF can name N'Gai, and probably not be able to name anyone on the staff of [for example] Game Informer, pretty much encapsulates my opinion on the matter.

It might also encapsulate the fact that no one on NeoGAF goes to GameStop anymore.

 

[myDingling]

He's always implied it, always questioned it. And having played (I wonder if he's beaten it) the completed game, he still hasn't backed away from opinions that stemmed from a trailer

And it's his right of course, but when just about the whole gaming world thinks his lone wolf view is such a farce, what else can you be but annoyed at the whole thing?

And who said anyone was jealous of N'Gai Croal? I don't get that at all.

Hardly.

 

[wonderkins]

He's always implied it, always questioned it. And having played (I wonder if he's beaten it) the completed game, he still hasn't backed away from opinions that stemmed from a trailer

And it's his right of course, but when just about the whole gaming world thinks his lone wolf view is such a farce, what else can you be but annoyed at the whole thing?

And who said anyone was jealous of N'Gai Croal? I don't get that at all.

Questioning N'Gai's gamer credentials - check
Claiming his viewpoint is aberrant - check
Spurious strawman about some perceived accusation of jealousy - check

...but you forgot the Sony shill accusation. Witness the usual collection of avatars. If you're gonna earn some street cred with them, you gotta go all the way.

 

[fistwell_old]

Pretty much. Such is the irony of Gaming-side: we get pissed off when a games writer takes the easy way out, parrots PR and sticks to the tired "graphics paragraph/sound paragraph/gameplay paragraph" style of shitty writing, or says nothing of value in their writing, but whenever a writer decides to not treat the audience like a gaggle of idiots and says something that requires a little more critical thought or is potentially controversial, we jump down their throats for being arrogant or out-of-touch and then AltogetherAndrews goes on another rant about how all critics need to die for some reason or another.

Oh god, give me a FUCKING break. A writer can have something interesting to say without auto-fellating half the time. There's a goddamn happy medium between hilary-retard-fuck and nGai-LOOK-AT-ME-FUCKER.

Edit: GODDAMNSERIOUSLY

 

[Porridge]

Questioning N'Gai's gamer credentials - check
Claiming his viewpoint is aberrant - check
Spurious strawman about some perceived accusation of jealousy - check

...but you forgot the Sony shill accusation. Witness the usual collection of avatars. If you're gonna earn some street cred with them, you gotta go all the way.

Smarmy internet post - check

But I didn't question his credentials. I honestly don't know if he's finished the game, which might yield a different viewpoint. And yes, judging a game based on a trailer is aberrant. Are you going to defend that?

The jealousy thing was in response to someone actually claiming Gaffers are jealous of the guy. Did you read the thread?

You can try again.

 

[Porridge]

Hardly.

Start reading comments sections on news articles and be proven wrong.

 

[shintoki]

Meh another crappy writer, I don't see what's to specifically hate about him compared to the 100s of others. At least I don't see his Twitter account being posted as a source yet for hype. :lol

 

[bishoptl]

And yes, judging a game based on a trailer is aberrant. Are you going to defend that?

Are you aware that at the time, the trailer footage was what we had to go on, since the full game wasn't released yet?

Are you aware that trailers, by their very definition, are designed to provide the potential consumer an idea of what to expect in the final product?

Are you aware that Croal was asked his opinion on the trailer, and offered his opinion on said trailer without passing judgment on the game's overall worth, since he hadn't played it yet?

You can try again.

 

[truly101]

It might also encapsulate the fact that no one on NeoGAF goes to GameStop anymore.

Thats pretty unlikely considering there are a lot of gaffers who live in towns where mom n pops are not an optionand the local Wal-Mart or Target only carries the big titles. If you want to pick up something a bit more niche on release day, you go to GS. Not everybody here desires to be an internet hero railing against GS's supposed evil empire.

 

[Anerythristic]

Who would of thought that N'Gai Croal would be such a polarizing figure? :lol Personally I like the guy.

N'Gai you must be do something right.

 

[Woffls]

We're worrying about Croal and Mielke while IGN still exists?

Priorities, GAF...

Vaguely on topic, anyone who's outspoken will divide people. I'd rather we had an industry of people like this than have nothing to talk about.

 

[I AM JOHN!]

Oh god, give me a FUCKING break. A writer can have something interesting to say without auto-fellating half the time. There's a goddamn happy medium between hilary-retard-fuck and nGai-LOOK-AT-ME-FUCKER.

Edit: GODDAMNSERIOUSLY

Hey, uh, I think you missed something:

EDIT: just to be clear, this isn't about N'gai specifically so much as it's about games writers in general. I've never read enough of N'gai's work to form an opinion on him.

Reading comprehension is good for you.

 

[Kintaro]

BTW, who WAS the first one to find profound unease with the RE5 trailer? The only thing I can find are links to some questionable blogs with extreme posts like accusing Capcom os starting off kids early on hating black people. =x

 

[Salazar]

Well that might be true, but we can hope other publications will now consider taking gaming reporting more seriously and treat it more along the lines of books/movies as far as objectivity?

There was an interview with Robert Silvers, inaugurator and editor of the New York Review of Books, in which he was asked if there was anything he'd change about the Review's coverage. He said he greatly regretted that they had not paid attention to videogames.

Objectivity is a less important quality than sincerity, thoughtfulness, and rigour, or it is a misidentification of what much games journalism is missing.

 

[Patrick Klepek]

Are you aware that at the time, the trailer footage was what we had to go on, since the full game wasn't released yet?

Are you aware that trailers, by their very definition, are designed to provide the potential consumer an idea of what to expect in the final product?

Are you aware that Croal was asked his opinion on the trailer, and offered his opinion on said trailer without passing judgment on the game's overall worth, since he hadn't played it yet?

You can try again.

Truth.

 

[Jinfash]

The Royal 'I,' Scrutinized: http://is.gd/16FqT

He tweeted...

 

[Dante]

I like N'Gai a lot, I wish this industry had more people like him.

 

[WrathOfOtaibah]

I don't care much for him at all.

If you think those who don't like him are racist or conservative, you're pretty much a retard.