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Pete Dodd (aka famousmortimer) is running an Indigogo campaign for a new website
- Thread starter ElTorro
- Start date
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anexanhume
Member
I thought it was more for the flex funding. Kickstarter is only funded if you hit your goal. With indiegogo, you get every dollar pledged regardless of whether you hit the goal.
I hope you thank this person profusely, because web design is not cheap.
captscience
Member
Good luck Pete. Use my money well!
Joe Shlabotnik
Banned
It would just mean recommended to everyone without reservation.
Cirekiller
Member
Just donated. People who constantly complain about the lack of integrity in games "journalism" should at least give this a shot. If there is no support for the truth in the industry then it will never change, and all we can/will ever do is complain about it. Best of luck to you famous!
Lumination
'enry 'ollins
Wish you could be able to break NDAs. Doesn't matter how truthful and unbiased your review will be if you can't publish it before millions of day 1 buyers pick up their BF4s and such.
One could probably argue that some games that are the pinnacles of their genres might also be the games that are the least friendly to non-fans of the genre.
famousmortimer
Banned
Multiple times a day.
I'm also a minimalist. Do not expect this to look like polygon. We are shooting for simple but elegant.
Good.
But just because it has a minimalist design, doesn't mean it is easy to make. People never seem to understand this.
EatChildren
Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
NDAs have flimsy legal repercussions so they can be broken, the onus being on the publisher to take action if they so wish. Reviews that pop up too early are technically breaking embargo, but in 99.9% of cases the publisher obviously isn't going to sue.
But continual NDA breakers just wont get code or invites from publishers. Simple as that.
Cirekiller
Member
Please take EVERYTHING that Polygon does, and just do the opposite and my donation would be worth it.
Sort of sarcasm 
I hope it works for him but I wonder, couldn't what he is trying to accomplish work by just posting on GAF? I don't know all the little rules of GAF but it sounds like what he is trying to do would be within the rules here. Couldn't he just make a thread for what would have been his articles?
Would be a lot cheaper for him with less risk.
Would be a lot cheaper for him with less risk.
Just having an editor(s) that is more worried about pesky things like facts and truth in reporting, rather then simply page clicks would be a god send.
I mean, the crap we deal with now:
Talk about misleading, cynical fanboy click bait...
I agree. I think I would give my money to someone a little less biased.
What would make this site different from, say, GiantBomb? Part of your goals seem exactly like what a site like GiantBomb is set up to do: cover video games without all the nonsense.
GiantBomb isn't perfect, but they're also not in the pockets of publishers or anything like that. Jeff, Patrick, the others have been critical when they wanted to be, and have ridiculed plenty of 'traditional' video game coverage when necessary. Plus, GiantBomb is inside enough to still be able to cover games *on* the release date, but they're also totally willing to call a shitty game out when it's shitty.
I wish you plenty of luck with your plans, more people trying to do good stuff is always better. But running a small site on a tiny budget... what makes it different from just a guy with a Wordpress blog?
GiantBomb isn't perfect, but they're also not in the pockets of publishers or anything like that. Jeff, Patrick, the others have been critical when they wanted to be, and have ridiculed plenty of 'traditional' video game coverage when necessary. Plus, GiantBomb is inside enough to still be able to cover games *on* the release date, but they're also totally willing to call a shitty game out when it's shitty.
I wish you plenty of luck with your plans, more people trying to do good stuff is always better. But running a small site on a tiny budget... what makes it different from just a guy with a Wordpress blog?
Rebel Leader
THE POWER OF BUTTERSCOTCH BOTTOMS
Oh I know. It was a pain in rhe ass
SpinningBirdKick
Banned
Terrible idea.
But you can't fault him for trying to separate fools from their money...
But you can't fault him for trying to separate fools from their money...
Where are the windmills? Behind the giants?
Everyone has biases. The important thing is (a) to be open about them and (b) to value facts and reason over everything else, and from what I have read and heard from him, this is the case here.
Just have a look at his podcast/twitter/blog. There is "pro Xbox One" stuff there as well.
It's just that the Xbox One has ruffled way more jimmies during the last months. Consequently, more people working at Microsoft, developers and publishers are willing to give out inside information to people, especially information that might be considered critical.
famousmortimer
Banned
Oh god, I just read the youtube comments.
Rebel Leader
THE POWER OF BUTTERSCOTCH BOTTOMS
Because getting insider access to industry folk working behind the scenes is hard work? Getting them to be candid is harder, and building out a network of reliable sources is very, very hard?
Not to disparage everyone that's working in "gaming journalism" (because there are some that do and try to do a good job), but a lot of it is blindly relying on press offices and regurgitating tightly controlled marketing messaging with a tiny flavors of opinion sprinkled on it.
If this site can become a place where industry sourced insiders can sidestep the bullshit and we get some real investigative journalism on whats happening in game development, publishing, and developer studios; amen.
SEGAvangelist
Member
Any death threats?
Pie and Beans
Look for me on the local news, I'll be the guy arrested for trying to burn down a Nintendo exec's house.
I respect the intent, but the branding around your own name and more is just not very good I don't feel. Would there be other writers on the site, if so, surely a more neutral and actually game thematic choice would make sense.
Its not called Gerstmann & Bro's or Kototilo.
Its not called Gerstmann & Bro's or Kototilo.
Having to pay his rent and utilities:
Rent: ($375 x 12) = $4500
Utilities ($100 x 12) = $1200
$5,700 of this $8,240 proposal for his personal use/Arthur Gies uses.
"Yikes." As you say.
So, let me get this straight: You're charging $500 for a "free" website design?
So, let's add in that:
$6,200 of this $8,240 proposal is being used for your personal use then?
Am I the only one seeing a problem here? Unless your "rent and utilities" are "website hosting" in which case: you need to be more clear on this front because I'm extremely dubious you're using this for good purposes.
BruiserBear
Banned
It's almost like you're being forced to contribute. How about you let the people who contribute their money decide if they think it's worth it.
Is it an office space in a studio setting? Or is it his own personal living space?
ReignofSparrows
Member
The Youtube comments are awful. I don't envy anyone having to deal with that stuff. Unfortunately, I am not sure Dodd will be able to shed this 'Sony bias' perception with any ease. He already tweets and talks positively about the Xbox One, but people are going to hold some of those past leaks against him regardless. I don't see the site panning out, but I wish him the best of luck.
Freedom = $1.05
Banned
That'll get you a moderately-sized walk-in closet in these parts. Either he lives in the wheat fields or he's sharing a space.
Lactose_Intolerant
Member
So it will eventually become fatbabies 2.0
Yeah, wow, those were doozies, right? Those are the kind of things you just want to hold a bitter grudge over for like...ever.
-MD-
Member
I like the idea but I'm not a fan of the name of the site.
Oh, good. Yeah change that. Nothing against your personal name but leave it out of the site's name.
Oh, good. Yeah change that. Nothing against your personal name but leave it out of the site's name.
Oh man, I am still reeling from his dust over. I was in such a bad depression, my wife left me.
famousmortimer
Banned
I already know how it's going to play out with publishers and I'm ok with that. Every review we put up that is a week late because I had to buy it with my own money will get far less clicks. But there's a long game here. In a year from now when you look at our reviews and compare them to every site that will sit in a hotel room for 2 days to get a review out you will find ours to be far more accurate. For instance, if my review of sim city came out a week late... well it wouldn't be in the 9 or 10 range. Same with bf4. Same with (insert game here). My hope is that being more in line with what consumers are experiencing will eventually lead to trust and pull in traffic. And if there is traffic... the publishers can ignore us but will lose coverage to the ones that are willing to work with us on our terms.
As for the tiers... there is zero reason to give money at any level if you want stuff. It's about supporting an idea. The higher tiers are pretty much a joke. I don't expect anyone to use them. In fact the few things I do give away at the 15 and higher tiers are removed from the $1000 tier just because.
I get the idea that people in this thread fully support more games journalism, it's just that this Indiegogo campaign is pretty vague. There's some amibition, but it's barely sketched out and generally not quite there yet. At least, to me.
As I said, it kind of feels like someone starting a Wordpress blog but also promising to change games journalism. That's... not immediately something that makes me want to throw my cash at someone.
I support the sites I like. I'm a GiantBomb member, and I've donated to some other journalistic projects through Kickstarter. But I'm not willing to commit here yet.
TheOctodad
Member
Excited to see this Mort, best of luck to you! Couldn't think of a better person to do this.
Vire
Member
Also want to put in my two cents as well about naming it after yourself is kinda a weird move for a serious investigative website. If you are trying to push a brand to increase viewers thats fine but that doesn't seem like that would mesh well with what you are trying to do here. It comes off a little cult of personality to me.
Impeccable
Member
Good luck, Pete.
It might just take something like this to shake up how the industry is still run off some old timey "mob" rule. Whether or not it works only time will tell but at least someone is attempting something.
It might just take something like this to shake up how the industry is still run off some old timey "mob" rule. Whether or not it works only time will tell but at least someone is attempting something.
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