I knew it! Uh-oh. 'Was only a matter of time.
The video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sd1eLLksnxs (lame)
But wait, there's more :
http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2006/05/the_great_gamelife_conspiracy.phpSomeone else we know who's agreeably cantankerous, Matt 'Fort90' Hawkins, has posted an extremely long 'expose' of the GameLife online video show's 'depraved' past - we've previously covered a lot of the reaction to this 'Wayne's World'-style show on GSW.
Well, that's a lie - we haven't covered the recent 'insanity', which started up somewhere around a tip to UK Resistance about fake snuff-ish pictures posed by female host Melissa, and then... ack, this is all so LJDrama that we can hardly bring ourselves to write about it.
Anyhow, there was some alleged (and pretty weaksauce) scandal, as described by Matt (with additional vague conspiracy theories about Chobot-style power grabs), and now Melissa and friends have posted 'E3 True Hollywood Story: Gamelife Melissa', which makes the excellent point that - uhm, they can do pastiches of E! True Hollywood Story with a reasonable degree of accuracy? OK, we give up, we're never going to be Defamer - time to go back to talking about text adventures.
The video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sd1eLLksnxs (lame)
But wait, there's more :
Here's Jim MySpace ; http://www.myspace.com/unprofoundThe Very Dirty World Of Video Game Journalism (part 3): Gamer Grrrlllsss, Possible Retards, Bloggers, Internet Superstardom, Viral Marketing, Trash Talking, and Crappy Art School Photography
So who likes conspiracies and mud flinging?
Okay, as Ive mentioned before, I havent been able to pay too close attention to all the E3 related news and shenanigans over the past week or so due to a variety of factors, and in less than a five minutes of trying to catch-up, Ive come across a big brew ha-ha which at the very least exemplifies why video game journalism, which I am proudly associated with, is so fucked up these days. But those who might not care should read on since it involves possible retards and maybe a underhanded scheme by a cute gamer chick to grab game and fortune at said retards expense.
Lets start from the very beginning and talk about GameLife. Well what is it? GameLife is a video game review show on the internet that debut a few months ago and made an immediate and massive splash. Not because it was necessarily good or anything, but because it was a verifiable horror show.
The first episode was created and hosted by two kids, Andrew and Alex, who for all intents and purposes, appeared to be the biggest gamer dorks on the planet. So much so that Andrew seemed vaguely mentally disabled (and Alex just comes off as a awkward teen). Its basically 45 mintues of them reviewing assorted games (mostly Nintendo titles) in a magazine format, but in an extremely forced and awkward manner, to great comedic effect. It was so bad it was good, plus there was a certain charm that was, regardless of ones opinion of the show (or trainwreck, again depending on ones opinion), difficult to deny. So right off the bat, the two kids became the butt of jokes on video game message boards. But again, they really seemed retarded, so many took offense that folks who taking cheap-shots at a pair of kids who were simply enjoying themselves and video games.
I myself first caught wind of GameLife when it was first making its initial rounds on the internet. Like many, I simply couldnt sit through the whole thing, because like I said, it which weighs in at almost an hour. Plus the two kids just seem so sad, that I just didnt want to be perceived as poking fun online at two retarded kids.
So the first episode was a smash success and Andrew and Alex find themselves stars. As many folks have ridiculed them, they also develop a rabid fan-base that loves the two and eagerly awaits the next episode, which comes out not too long after. This second episode is more of the same: Andrew and Alex who stumble and mumble through each game review (causing many to wonder why they didnt do multiple takes and inspiring others to create wacky Photoshops and animated GIFs at gaming forums everywhere). But this time there are two new onscreen personalities thrown into the mix. First is Dave who also comes off as being possibly mentally handicapped (even more so than Andrew). Then theres Geoff, whos basically a scrawny kid with perhaps ADD this time around who talks in gangsta talk. Clearly the loose cannon, wacky-type.
Again, the shows a big hit among game bloggers and those who dwell on message boards, and Andrew, who at this point has become the face of GameLife is being interviewed by various bloggers and podcasters. Not too long ago I caught an interview with Andrew and Alex and you find out that both kids are not 13 but in college (and all of a sudden, those who were mercilessly mocking them have more leeway with the insults).
Naturally, everyone waits with baited breath for episode three. And thats where the story starts to get interesting (I apologize for such a long, drawn out intro, but the details are totally necessarily me thinks) .
GameLife episode three again has Andrew, Alex, Dave, and Geoff, in a very bizarre segment that seems to venture off in its own little world, but now theres two additional reviewers, the first being Zeolahn , who dresses up as the black spider suited Spider Man for a review of Ultimate Spider Man. But the true highlight is final new face, which happens to be female.
Her name is Melissa and its a mystery as to what a conventionally hot gamer chick is doing on such a show. How does she know these dorks? Where did she come from? Well its at least a mystery to me . perhaps the details are out there, and I guess I should also apologize for any factual errors, but the truth is, Ive hardly paid attention to GameLife since episode one, till the current controversy popped up. Anyway, her demeanor is not at all like the other guys; first off she comes off very clear and coherent almost like a real on-camera personality. But again, shes a attractive young woman, so why is she hanging with such a crew.
Needless to say, Melissa becomes the new star attraction of the show among gaming nerds on message boards, who often go ballistic over any remotely attractive looking girl that admits to playing video games. Instantly, a fan site pops up in her honor. Further investigation uncovers her MySpace page. One quick look at here pics page reveals an image of her with an guy, an older gentleman with grey hair who at the time to most came off as a mystery. Many assumed it was her boyfriend. This is sorta relevant later.
Anyway, as E3 approaches, many wonder if the GameLife crew will going to E3, and they do. Many folks are eager to meet the folks, including the folks at 1UP.com, Ziff-Davis online presence. Some might recall that I used to write for ZD back when they published GMR. And some might also recall me ruffling some feathers when I called attention upon ZDs practice at one point of promoting 1UP in the pages of their print magazines, such as EGM or Official PlayStation Magazine, by printing the faces of their young female bloggers without any real compensation. 1UP has its own internet show, or video podcast, called interestingly enough, The 1UP Show, which features assorted writers and editor from both the print and web side of ZD.
The 1UP Show is a fairly popular and is perhaps the most professionally and slickly produced thing of its kind out there today. It certainly has a great pedigree when it comes to the folks in-front of the camera, which includes James Milkman Mielke, whos the guy that first noticed me at the GAF and who hooked me up with the GMR gig (I dont profess to be friends with the guy, but in my interactions with the guy, he was always a straigh shooter, plus Ill always be grateful for the opportunity he provided) and Jane Pinckard (a.k.a. Game Girl Advance), whos one of the top female journalist in the field of games, and behind. Many people absolutely loved the 1UP Show at first, but critics are starting to pop up everywhere. I have no strong personal opinions regarding the show (Id like to think that Ive at least pointed out that I can have a problem with the site but not with those who work for it), so Im just stating what Ive heard, and that many feel that game journalists and bloggers often attempt too hard to transcend from reporting the news to becoming the news, and that the ultra clean and hip looking 1UP Show crew is an example of this. And while I can certainly see such a point of view, theres a lot of jealousy in the world of game journalism, with many secretly thinking Hey, I can do that! Why arent I? Well, because of that, they must suck!!! Though another thing that didnt help ZDs rep was a whiles back when one of its editors called for everyone else in the profession to act more responsible without naming names and the fact that ZD doesnt exactly have a clean history, leading many to speculate that it was a desperate attempt at attention grabbing.
Anyway, one of the 1UP guys (Patrick, whom Ive actually spoken with on occasion due to his association with the Gaming Age Forums very nice fellow) interviewed the GameLife crew, which everyone can check out here (I would link to the whole thing, on GameVideos.com, but it, much like 1UP.com is serious piece of crap on a Mac and is guaranteed to crash Safari). And this is where trouble starts to brew: many seem to have taken offense to Patricks handling of the interview. Some feel that hes just being exuberant and was trying to get and keep the interview rolling. Others, such as Consolevania deemed that Patrick was being condescending and mean spirited, and that it was all just a set up to make the GameLife people look bad, even implicated other members of the 1UP crew. Again, I dont profess to be best friends with Pat, but I do believe he meant no harm. But I can still see why people can be so upset by the piece.
But today is where things got really crazy, when UK Resistance pointed towards this: an arty-fart photography site that feature Melissa, as well as others, including the older gray haired guy from before, impaled on a fence and shot in the head.
And on NeoGAF, in this thread where the news first hit the fan, and where Ive gotten most of my information and leads for this story, people have finally begun to ask about the connection between Melissa and the rest of the GameLife guys and all the little details, such as the timeframe in which she entered the picture. Many have begun to suspect that she may have seen an opportunity to latch onto an up and coming internet fad and sought to squeez herself into the picture, to perhaps further her career, which in this case is hers or her possible boyfriends sub-art school grade photography(?!?!?!). I for one agree with this scenario. And if true, Id be extremely upset since it would be yet another female that has to use (and abuse) the Look at me! Im a HOT CHICK that plays VIDEO GAMES!!!shtick. Its women like here that gives real girls that enjoy video games another reason to groan and keep their interests in the closet. And the fact that dumb, lonely, horny guys are all too eager to empower them. Granted, dumbass girls who flaunt their feminine charms to get what they want from nerds is nothing new, but when viral marketing, game journalism, and hackneyed art school grade pictures is involved (oh boy, a picture featuring a doll, and ALL FUCKED UP!!!), I cant helped but be annoyed.
Meanwhile, others feel that the GameLife/1UP episode/incident is all part of some massive viral marketing campaign to generate buzz (Ive seen MTVs name being thrown about a few times do they have a deal in the works?). Then the mystery gray-haired man, who was reportedly seen hanging around the GameLife crew, has his MySpace page uncovered, and the pics paged revealed a photo of him with Melissa and himself dressed in drag. Also mentioned was another interview with the GL kids, this one with a seemingly high Geoff, accusation that Melissa dabbles heavily in pirated DS software, the idea that the older guy might be her father, and accusations that Geoff is a furry. Wow, huh? EDIT: And now snuff porn has been added to the pile of stuff. Sweet.
So who knows where this is going to go next, provided if it goes anywhere. I apologize if this all just screams childish bullshit to you, but I happen to find all this bullcrap fascinating.
Gee, there went my Thursday evening
