A perfectly bad style choice.
Let's fight.
Edit: way to start off the page with an important, topical and not at all irrelevant post.
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Games Journalism! Wainwright/Florence/Tomb Raider/Eurogamer/Libel Threats/Doritos
- Thread starter papersleeves
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Edit: way to start off the page with an important, topical and not at all irrelevant post.
I... um... maybe? I used to do it but I'm sure I picked up from somewhere that it wasn't the right thing to do. So I've probably screwed up somewhere. I know for sure I haven't used it myself for years and when I accidentally do, it just looks wrong. That's not to say it is, though.
Me... until now, I guess.
Maybe it's just a thing where you either use it or you don't, like aluminum or aluminium. (Side note: Guess which one of those Firefox decided to highlight as a spelling error. Yup.)
Right after that, they start talking about ethics...
Sorry to drag this out any more, but... I can't remember when I started using the Oxford/serial comma, but I didn't even know it was a named thing when I did. Writing something like "I went to the store and bought bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes" without that comma before the last "and blank" would seem weird to me. It creates the right pause between each item, and ensures the last two aren't lumped together.
Why do people hate it so much? I read the pros and cons on the Wikipedia article, but none of the cons seem to outweigh the pros.
Why do people hate it so much? I read the pros and cons on the Wikipedia article, but none of the cons seem to outweigh the pros.
Mmmm the comedic ditty playing in the background should have started at that point, not stopped.
Heavy's Sandvich
Member
Brian Crecente is Manchester's fifth best Eddie Vedder impersonator.
Diablohead
Member
I'll just leave this here.
I'd have no problem with a letter like that IF they did not force you to force a review score, that is just tipping the scales way too much.
The only reason I don't like it is because it just looks weird, and out of place. Like aluminum, mom and the board game "Clue" (it's "Cluedo", damnit).*
*Yes, I'm aware it was never "Cluedo" in the US. I'm just being whiny.
PS. What were the chances that something I randomly picked up on just happened to have a discussion on it by the Polygon team? Is it like that thing where you can name any anime and there'll be a clip of it on YouTube that's dubbed with Linkin Park, or how there's always a weird drawing of a Sonic character with your name somewhere?
Yeah, it's one of those "American English vs British English" things. Both are grammatically valid, and I think both are fine. It's a style choice.
I will not stand for anyone denying man the freedom to use the Oxford comma, though. Our Founding Fathers shed their blood, sweat, and tears so that we could use the Oxford comma, and I will not accept that their sacrifice was in vain. Take that away, and you may as well just raise the Union Jack over the White House.
EDIT: Cluedo isn't even a word.
yurinka
Member
Just check if their site has huge Halo 4 ads.
Being funded by Microsoft helped Polygon to be really impartial and ethic with their reviews.
The artile is great but how is what you're describing not mainly the fault of the publisher, and maybe even Obsidian for agreeing on those terms?
Cromulent_Word
Member
Sorry to jump on this, since your question is fair, but here's how it really works...
Obsidian very likely had 2 options: no potential for bonuses, or bonuses based on metacritic. When provided those two options, which would you take?
Game dev contract negotiation is a brutal tug of war meets battle of attrition meets david vs goliath. It's insanely hard to sign good deals. It's almost impossible to sign great ones.
So, while Obsidian did sign the contract with these terms, stating it's 'their fault' is inaccurate.
The example is to say that they matter enough to warrant scrutiny, not necessarily that they were at fault, which may or may not turn out to be the case after said scrutiny.
Would they have got that extra 1% if the PR team were extra schmoozy? Were there enough New Vegas bottles of Champagne sent to Joystiq? Who does the fault lie with?
I don't know that anyone who isn't a suit-wearing, monocle-shining high-level executive believes that Metacritic bonuses are actually a good idea. I've written about this before: http://www.kotaku.com.au/2012/03/why-are-game-developer-bonuses-based-on-review-scores/
The flags dammit, the goddam flags!! Someone send a new vegas flag to the kotaku video editor this instant!
That sentence is ethically wrong.
grimshawish
Banned
Its not high-level its mid-level looking for an 'excuse' as to why their projections failed.
Sorry, I'll try again: "I went to Walmart and bought Doritos, Mtn Dew, and a Geoff Keighley."
That sentence is not worthy of discussion.
This is potentially amusing and relevant to see the guerilla fightback spreading. The 2012 TIGA Awards were held in Bath, UK last night and this flyer made an appearance on behalf of one of the entrants:
Later that night, this appears to have happened to the front door of Future Publishing:
(full disclosure, I may be guilty of the idea but not the implementation
)
Later that night, this appears to have happened to the front door of Future Publishing:
(full disclosure, I may be guilty of the idea but not the implementation
)I see a comma in lists as a stand-in for either "or" or "and". Thus having both the "or"/"and" and the comma repeats the same piece of information twice. It's a syntax error.
I'm an expert
Formerly worldrevolution. The only reason I am nice to anyone else is to avoid being banned.
How about no, no, and no.
radioheadrule83
Banned
I'm impressed something was held in Bath for once! I know you're not a Future employee yourself, but were they involved in the organisation of it at all? I've lived in Bath myself and I've got friends in Future, but it seems like all the cool events take place in London (Golden Joysticks etc).. what venue did they use?
Jake Tower
Banned
I was taught to it this way in school. No foul here on that matter.
I'm an expert
Formerly worldrevolution. The only reason I am nice to anyone else is to avoid being banned.
It's accepted as the grammatic standard by most college boards and entrance exams as well. See LSAT or GMAT.
Jake Tower
Banned
You're not a native English speaker, are you?
I'm an expert
Formerly worldrevolution. The only reason I am nice to anyone else is to avoid being banned.
We're discussing journalism. And some of the syntax these writers use is pretty horrible. Look at GB reviews and their love of conjunctions as sentence starters.
ar you going to propose to Jeff in this thread..?
Cromulent_Word
Member
Agreed - my only point was that given NO BONUS or METACRITIC BONUS as the two options on the table, everyone will take the metacritic bonus. People shouldn't blame devs for taking that deal when it's (quite likely) the only carrot a publisher is dangling.
It would all be pure hypothetical, so I can't say. Again, my point was that the poster I was responding to claimed that, perhaps, some of the fault is the devs for taking the deal.
I'm an expert
Formerly worldrevolution. The only reason I am nice to anyone else is to avoid being banned.
What?
The Assembly Rooms, nice venue and also agree it's good to see such things outside of London. I don't know if/how Future were involved, the little I understand is that it's wholly TIGA organised.
teruterubozu
Member
I believe in the "Elements of Style" it says comma (before "and") for long lists and no comma (before "and") for short lists of 3 or 4. Not sure though.
???
Why would the length of the list make a difference? Either do one or the other.
just kidding.. lol.. friday you know..!
Oh, absolutely. And from what I've heard, Obsidian didn't have much choice in the matter. I don't think they can be blamed for signing the contract that was available to them. It's on Bethesda (and other publishers) not to use such a ridiculous metric to measure ANYTHING.
I'm an expert
Formerly worldrevolution. The only reason I am nice to anyone else is to avoid being banned.
Ok then.
You're not sure of what you believe in?
Does believing in God necessarily implies one is sure of His existence?
teruterubozu
Member
Ah, just found my copy of "Elements of Style":
So yeah I was wrong.
LOL
If one believes in the existence of God, then yes.
Cromulent_Word
Member
The sad thing is that Metacritic-based bonuses are low on the 'offensive and terrible things in game contracts' scale... Sigh. Siiiiigh.
It can if one is sure of something.
But if I know god exists, I have no Faith, I have knowledge.
Edit: so 3 and a 1/2 K for a mock review. Not bad.
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