• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

Cliffy B's response to Roger Ebert's death

Status
Not open for further replies.
LaserBuddha said:
Elbert's death, as great a person as he was, can be viewed as symbolic of a passing of an old school of thought about games, with Bioshock Infinite simultaneously serving as a symbol of the increasing stature of games as an art form. It's an ill fit since his comments on games did not define his career at all, but he was also the sole visible voice against the idea of games as art as far as I know.

I don't think people owe some reverence to the dead to the degree that they should be shamed for choosing how and when to express timely thoughts about them. I can't say it isn't in poor taste, but so what if it is?
Click to expand...

I'm not asking for reverence for the dead, I just think Cliff's response sucked.
 
This isn't even criticizing Rogert Ebert in any way. What the fuck are some of you talking about? Are you all reading the same tweet or just bandwagoning onto other people's interpretations?
 
Gonzo The Great said:
You mean cracking a joke at a well respected dead man's expense hours after his death isn't even remotely offensive?
Click to expand...

Please, explain this joke to me because I'm missing it.

And start it with, "So a guy walks into a bar..."

But seriously, explain the offensiveness. And don't just say "Eerie" because that's not offensive at all.
 
Schnozberry said:
BioShock Infinite is not the game I would present if I was going to try to prove that games are an art form. In any case, the only thing about it that I find even marginally insulting is that he said there was something eerie about the timing. No there wasn't Cliff. Only someone with an axe to grind and an ego problem would even try to tie those events together.
Click to expand...

.
 
Holy shit, good thing that a lot of you feel offended by what he said! I bet Ebert would appreciate the sentiment. Good job, PC-GAF!
 
John Rabbit said:
everyone has wanted to make this joke. thank cliffyb for doing it for you.
Click to expand...

The only people who even connect Ebert with games are people who can't let go what he said ages ago. We all play games, that's why we're here, but if you really think video games were something Ebert devoted even one per cent of his thoughts to, you're deluding yourself. He didn't need to think about games. There was nothing forcing him to. Cliffy made someone else's death about his industry because that's what he does. He makes things about himself, he is the most important person in the universe.
 
Ebert would be embarrased that people are getting upset at someone say RIP and noting his death as a "loss" while bringing up a topic he enjoyed debating.



Fuck twitter.
 
It's not a joke or a criticism... It's more of a "too bad Rogert Ebert couldn't have experienced this game that may have changed his mind."
 
That's one of the unfortunate things about Twitter. The dumb thought to keyboard connection is faster than ever, or in some cases a poorly framed though. It was a tasteless thing to say but I wouldn't crucify him for it.
 
It's a stupid tweet, but not offensive. Saying it's 'eerie' or trying to make a connection between the two suggests there's one to be made, which is just downright stupid.

I'm more curious about why he chose Infinite as the point where games finally 'became' art. Sounds like a regular FPS to me? Either way, keen to check it out. At least he wasn't pimping one of his own games.
 
LaserBuddha said:
Elbert's death, as great a person as he was, can be viewed as symbolic of a passing of an old school of thought about games, with Bioshock Infinite simultaneously serving as a symbol of the increasing stature of games as an art form. It's an ill fit since his comments on games did not define his career at all, but he was also the sole visible voice against the idea of games as art as far as I know.

I don't think people owe some reverence to the dead to the degree that they should be shamed for choosing how and when to express timely thoughts about them. I can't say it isn't in poor taste, but so what if it is?
Click to expand...

It's not about being "reverent" of the dead. It's called having a little bit of fucking respect and empathy for the emotional trauma that goes along with the death of any human being.

That Stephen Fry quote is completely misplaced.
 
RedNumberFive said:
320px-CliffyB.jpg


Me, me, me, me, me!!!

A respected film critic just died, but lets make this about me!
Click to expand...

He didn't make this about him. You guys did.
 
Zeer0id said:
It's not about being "reverent" of the dead. It's called having a little bit of fucking respect and empathy for the emotional trauma that goes along with the death of any human being.
Click to expand...

Can you tell me/show me what in Cliff's tweet is disrespectful?
 
I dont think thats a bad comment to make. I had ( well hes still my friend) that loved Halo but died early on in life. Every so often I think about how he will never get to play or even know about halo 4
 
Spring-Loaded said:
I find it unnecessary and considerably tasteless, though I can see why others wouldn't care. Just out of curiosity, what would it take for you to consider the tweet inappropriate? Like if he said he'd leave a copy of BI on Ebert's grave?
Click to expand...
How about, "Bioshock infinite was amazing and everyone should play it. #YOLO Berty knows what I'm talking about."
Now that would be offensive.
 
Stet said:
The only people who even connect Ebert with games are people who can't let go what he said ages ago. We all play games, that's why we're here, but if you really think video games were something Ebert devoted even one per cent of his thoughts to, you're deluding yourself. He didn't need to think about games. There was nothing forcing him to. Cliffy made someone else's death about his industry because that's what he does. He makes things about himself, he is the most important person in the universe.
Click to expand...
my post was not meant to be an endorsement for Clifford Bleszinski Industries. more that you should be grateful there are vacuous dolts out there who will vocalize every dumb thought they have so that you may have these dumb thoughts in private and not embarrass yourself.

also, you're diminishing the relative impact ebert's remarks had and continue to have on the discussion of the gaming medium.
 
Oh boo hoo.

I hate how someone dying means we get out the torches and pichforks.

It's hardly offensive.
 
Nothing eerie about it at all IMO.

As far as Bioshock Infinite being art... I don't considering myself a "GAMES ARE ART" zealot or anything, I'm pretty indifferent about it right now, but if there was a game that I have played (keyword: played. I have not played Journey or other artsy games, so don't jump on me for this) that I would consider "art," Infinite would be one of them. I have never been so impressed with a game world as I have with Infinite's.
 
terrdactycalsrock said:
I dont think thats a bad comment to make. I had ( well hes still my friend) that loved Halo but died early on in life. Every so often I think about how he will never get to play or even know about halo 4
Click to expand...

Your friend loved Halo. Roger Ebert did not care about video games. There's nothing eerie about the situation because there's absolutely no correlation. Clifford used the death of someone who was a giant in his own field to restart a conversation Cliffy wanted to have.
 
Look at it this way:

1) Cliffy plays BioShock Infinite. --> 2) Cliffy feels the game does what Ebert said games often fail to do, having compelling themes and characters and a graceful arc and so on. --> 3) Cliffy thinks, "Man, I hope Ebert catches wind of this game. I'd be interested to see what he'd make of it, since it addresses many of his points." --> 4) Cliffy then learns that Ebert died.

That is eerie, and saying so doesn't diminish Ebert in any way, shape or form. It's just a way of saying, "It's an unfortunate coincidence, a strange twist of fate." He's not laughing at Ebert. If anything, he's respecting Ebert's intellect by caring what Ebert thinks in the first place.
 
SkyOdin said:
That is a pretty classless tweet. You don't drag a dead man into a pointless argument mere hours after his untimely passing. It either reeks of people's insecurity over the issue, or is a pretty awful way of getting attention for a game.

No matter what, it isn't accomplishing anything meaningful. Ebert isn't alive any more to weigh in on the argument, so trying to drag his name back into it is simply self-serving. It borders on shameless promotion of a game on the back of a man's death.
Click to expand...

Well this is one of the more articulate responses and I thank you for that.

Unfortunately Cliffy's tweet was too ambiguous. You can interpret it as insensitive, clueless, regretful, mournful and so on.
 
MormaPope said:
Can you tell me/show me what in Cliff's tweet is disrespectful?
Click to expand...

Sorry, I wasn't trying to wag my finger at Cliff much, even though it's always dumb to make a comment about the "timeliness" of the death of an individual. Just responding to the guy who said "so what if it's in poor taste?"
 
Stet said:
The only people who even connect Ebert with games are people who can't let go what he said ages ago. We all play games, that's why we're here, but if you really think video games were something Ebert devoted even one per cent of his thoughts to, you're deluding yourself. He didn't need to think about games. There was nothing forcing him to. Cliffy made someone else's death about his industry because that's what he does. He makes things about himself, he is the most important person in the universe.
Click to expand...

Well said.
 
Zeer0id said:
It's not about being "reverent" of the dead. It's called having a little bit of fucking respect and empathy for the emotional trauma that goes along with the death of any human being.

That Stephen Fry quote is completely misplaced.
Click to expand...
It's completely apt. You're holding him to a standard he is under no reasonable obligation to comply with. I doubt Ebert himself would be offended at someone bringing up his views right father his death. I doubt his family, who have lived with a critic all these years, would care as much at this point as the people in this thread. All you need to do is not read his tweets if it bothers you.
 
Stet said:
Your friend loved Halo. Roger Ebert did not care about video games. There's nothing eerie about the situation because there's absolutely no correlation. Clifford used the death of someone who was a giant in his own field to restart a conversation Cliffy wanted to have.
Click to expand...

You know what, that actually makes more sense. That does seem in poor taste
 
Neiteio said:
Look at it this way:

1) Cliffy plays BioShock Infinite. --> 2) Cliffy feels the game does what Ebert said games often fail to do, having compelling themes and characters and a graceful arc and so on. --> 3) Cliffy thinks, "Man, I hope Ebert catches wind of this game. I'd be interested to see what he'd make of it, since it addresses many of his points." --> 4) Cliffy then learns that Ebert died.

That is eerie, and saying so doesn't diminish Ebert in any way, shape or form. It's just a way of saying, "It's an unfortunate coincidence, a strange twist of fate." He's not laughing at Ebert. If anything, he's respecting Ebert's intellect by caring what Ebert thinks in the first place.
Click to expand...

That's probably all there is too this. GAF reading too much into it.
 
Okay. CliffyB hears that Roger Ebert is dead. He goes RIP. And then he says something that might or might not be stupid on his Twitter account, followed by a clarification that it was not meant to be a negative comment. I reckon lots of people on GAF have a Twitter account. Lots of casual stupid things are said on Twitter every single day. Some are said by people who are more well known, some are said by people who are less well known but have many detractors, some are said by absolute nobodies.

At some point we have to ask ourselves why this matters so much, and why we want to give importance to it. If someone says something on this forum which is frowned upon, we can deal with it on this forum. If someone says something which is actually newsworthy, there could be something to discuss. But there has to be a line somewhere right? Let's be rational and sane people here. There's no story here, there's no scandal here, and there is nothing to discuss here really.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

1,200 Ubisoft workers strike in response to recent restructuring
News  2 3
100
804
tr1p1ex replied
Death Stranding 2 is a total mess
2 3
106
900
Red Crayon Aristocrat replied
After feedback that Death Stranding was 'too slow,' Kojima wanted more players to see Death Stranding 2 all the way through to the end
Opinion Game Dev 
33
357
Deerock71 replied
Death Denied - Official Announcement Trailer
Trailer Indie 
3
120
Loomy replied
Ezio Auditore Voice Actor Roger Craig Smith Reflects on The Legacy of Assassin's Creed
Opinion Trailer 
0
100
IbizaPocholo replied
Top Bottom