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[Tan]

Nintendo direct is an infomercial, nothing more. That's not journalism.

In what world a biased highly prettified PR propaganda is "better game journalism".

Came to post this. They will obviously not say anything bad about their products.

And just because gaming sites are reporting news in their own "frame" or however you want to label it, is not impeding discussion in the least. They report the news, they give an opinion, possibly a little teaser to keep you coming back to the site, then end the article. Just like how any news would be reported or discussed anywhere. Facts+opinion, done.

We talk about whether Nintendo is "trapped," "only promising," and "behind the times" because they tell us to.

And forget this garbage, those topics are completely valid discussion points that come up time and time again, whether that's through the media or on a school playground. And again, not stopping us from finding more discussion topics. I haven't seen any discussion about the controversial look of Wind Waker HD in the media, and you can go look at the Gaf thread to see how completely crazy that discussion has gotten.

 

[Starchasing]

Information that is purely meant to sell you on a product, yes.

Do you think that they will report on the fire emblem x megaten game will have a horrible bug midway through (to be fair, some gaming news sites sometimes fail to report these to), or that the X game turns pretty horrible at chapter 4? Purely hypothetical and I'm not making judgements on any game, but you get what I mean.

So far they have said that the know the Wii U OS is too slow and they are trying to fix it. So i expect them to recognize their future failures too

And we don't get that from games media anymore its all " nintendo announces xxxx but will it pull them out of their hole of doom?"

Internet games media seems to be focused on pure click bait articles and PR infested reviews.

Came to post this. They will obviously not say anything bad about their products.

They actually hace said some bad things about past products such as the wii u os.

As if Nintendo don't have their own agenda.

Yes they have their own agenda but you know it so you can calibrate what they say. The problem with media is that you dont know their agendas soy you can not put in perspective what they say.

 

[Durante]

Reality is never accessed in the raw, but is always represented.

And obviously it's best presented by the same people who want to sell you the stuff. This is not journalism (not that much of "games journalism" is), it's marketing.

Anyway, I'm not quite sure how Nintendo invented the more direct communication between fans and developers. Have you been following the crowdfunding explosion last year at all?

 

[partyphone]

gaming journalists really need to start acting like real journalists. the internet is slowly disintermediating them. news and reviews are becoming less and less valuable but they're often afraid to ask companies hard questions and hound them until they answer out of fear of losing access.

 

[pixlexic]

Echoing what a number of people have said already, but seriously, George Orwell says hi.

As if Nintendo don't have their own agenda.

Their agenda is just giving information with these videos. they are pointed at people who have already bought a wii u or 3ds.

 

[Famassu]

Nintendo Direct is a great thing, it has all the information you could possibly want on a game directly from the source. The sooner gaming journalism goes the way of Blockbuster the better.

You brainwashed masses are hilarious. God I hope you never get to decide on anything important in anyone's life.

gaming journalists really need to start acting like real journalists. the internet is slowly disintermediating them. news and reviews are becoming less and less valuable but they're often afraid to ask companies hard questions and hound them until they answer out of fear of losing access.

99% of this "real journalism" is shit as well. Don't fool yourself. The only way to get actual information is to learn to filter the shit//bias from all sources. "Media reading comprehension", basically.

 

[LuchaShaq]

Since when are internet delivered infomercials such a big deal? I don't get the obsession outside of fanboyism desperate to cling to anything with the Nintendo name.

 

[outunderthestars]

You brainwashed masses are hilarious. God I hope you never get to decide on anything important in anyone's life.

Is this kind of personal attack necessary?

 

[Antiwhippy]

So far they have said that the know the Wii U OS is too slow and they are trying to fix it. So i expect them to recognize their future failures too

Without the audience kicking up a fuss and the gaming media spreading the news do you really think nintendo would respond as fast as they did? They obviously had no scruples releasing the OS as it is.

Also pardon me if I'm wrong but didn't the lack of system transfer news first blow up when giantbomb discovered it on their launch livestream?

 

[Tan]

They actually have said some bad things about past products such as the wii u os.

Saying that after release is not helpful to me. The Press, on the other hand, warned me before I had the chance to spend $350 on one.

 

[FourMyle]

Holy shit

 

[djplaeskool]

Though I like the manner NDs are presented and the fact that it is a fresh take on giving the consumer product information, they are just that: Presentations.
That's NOT journalism.

 

[Famassu]

Is this kind of personal attack necessary?

Probably not, sorry, but I can't just take you basically taking a huge dump on one aspect of gaming with such a blatantly black & white view of the world.

 

[Starchasing]

Without the audience kicking up a fuss and the gaming media spreading the news do you really think nintendo would respond as fast as they did? They obviously had no scruples releasing the OS as it is.

Also pardon me if I'm wrong but didn't the lack of system transfer news first blow up when giantbomb discovered it on their launch livestream?

We can only speculate about that, but im sure gaming media is losing their "vice of the people" status, since now people have their own voice in the internet.

You brainwashed masses are hilarious. God I hope you never get to decide on anything important in anyone's life.

99% of this "real journalism" is shit as well. Don't fool yourself. The only way to get actual information is to learn to filter the shit//bias from all sources. "Media reading comprehension", basically.

Totally agree with you and thats why i like Nintendo Direct. Its easier to filter when you you know the source bias.

Saying that after release is not helpful to me. The Press, on the other hand, warned me before I had the chance to spend $350 on one.

And you could be warned also through other internet media, such as tweeter or neogaf itself. Thats why i think gaming press is becoming irrelevant in both ways... they are no longer representing people... and companies have their own ways to reach consumers

 

[Ridley327]

I'm starting to think that the OP would do well to make a banner stating that they don't think that the NDs are journalism, just so we can curtail the "it's not journalism, OP!" posts a bit.

 

[DaBuddaDa]

Though I like the manner NDs are presented and the fact that it is a fresh take on giving the consumer product information, they are just that: Presentations.
That's NOT journalism.

True. I think the argument is people feel more comfortable using themselves as a filter through which to judge a presentation than rely on the games press to filter it for them, and/or have to worry about filtering the presenter and the press outlet at the same time.

 

[pixlexic]

Saying that after release is not helpful to me. The Press, on the other hand, warned me before I had the chance to spend $350 on one.

No they didn't. Game forums and blogs did.

Games sites just echo what everyone is already talking about but with their own spin.

forum says" nintendo announced a new Mario and Zelda !"

Game site " nintendo stuck releasing same games over and over."

 

[Azelover]

Echoing what a number of people have said already, but seriously, George Orwell says hi.

As if Nintendo don't have their own agenda.

It's a lot more subtle than the agendas of the gaming press.

 

[Antiwhippy]

We can only speculate about that, but im sure gaming media is losing their "vice of the people" status, since now people have their own voice in the internet.

I don't know what that has to do with spreading the news. Social media has made it a lot easier and freer before, but let's not pretend people sharing information and opinions online didn't exist before that. They've always had their own voice, yet gaming media is still prevalent.

They don't have to be my voice, I just have to be interested in hearing theirs. Not every gaming editorial piece is a press release regurgitation, and for that kind of stuff I'd be happy to have them presented in ND-esque stuff from other publishers.

 

[MrCompletely]

Their agenda is just giving information with these videos. they are pointed at people who have already bought a wii u or 3ds.

Make no mistake, this infomercial is carefully designed to sell you shit. This is a play for your dollar among all the other games that will be announced and released over the next 12 months.

Nintendo is a public for-profit corporation with shareholders and board members. They have one goal, to get your money. Their mission is not altruistic.

 

[digita1alchemy]

I mostly grew out of using professional game websites for information a long time ago and as such I appreciate Nintendo Direct quite a bit. I suppose I trust Nintendo to more accurately represent their products than third-party information sources. That said, I don't think game journalism is actually journalism (usually), it is enthusiast press and expectations should be adjusted accordingly.

 

[partyphone]

99% of this "real journalism" is shit as well. Don't fool yourself. The only way to get actual information is to learn to filter the shit//bias from all sources. "Media reading comprehension", basically.

There is a lot of shit, sure. But you can point to people doing good work, finding important stories and asking tough questions. Can you say the same thing for gaming media? Granted we're not dealing with anything that is Serious Business but if your site is little more than video game PR I'm not going to click.

Look at the blowup over the always online DRM in SimCity. It gets perfunctory mention until people go ape shit on the Maxis AMA for the game and then every site just copy and pastes EA's shitty excuse and moves on. And it's all our fault. We still go to these sites and we're still going to buy SimCity.

 

[Jest Chillin]

The idea that news directly from the source is somehow journalism is laughable. I get that people are a annoyed that their beloved Nintendo is being questioned for the first time in years, but it's not the first time ever and they're not the only company whose decisions have been second guessed. It's not unfairness, it's not bias, and it's not propaganda.

Information directly from the source is guaranteed to always have the most positive spin they can deliver. They'll never express a doubt, discuss an idea or projects similarities to another brand in a realistic way, or ever admit they truly effed up in the past. This stuff is simply a big commercial. That's it.

Is Nintendo smart for doing it? I couldn't honestly tell you. I mean, sure hype is high right now.. but if nothing comes out before E3.. and what we see there turns out to be a lot of this Nintendo Direct info with a few extras.. I have the distinct feeling Nintendo fans will be rather disappointed.

 

[Randdalf]

Iwata Asks is often more insightful, informative and interesting than most interviews conducted by the big media outlets (which are often just another form of regurgitating press releases).

 

[Prime crotch]

Sony does this as well, MS too with Major Nelson or at least it did.

 

[Balb]

Iwata Asks is often more insightful, informative and interesting than most interviews conducted by the big media outlets (which are often just another form of regurgitating press releases).

True, but a lot of that is because the developers (especially from Japan) are very guarded about the development process. Of course they're going to open up if Iwata is the interviewer.

 

[666]

ITT video game company tells fans what they are doing, people realise games journalism never existed anyway.

 

[one_kill]

The idea that news directly from the source is somehow journalism is laughable. I get that people are a annoyed that their beloved Nintendo is being questioned for the first time in years, but it's not the first time ever and they're not the only company whose decisions have been second guessed. It's not unfairness, it's not bias, and it's not propaganda.

Information directly from the source is guaranteed to always have the most positive spin they can deliver. They'll never express a doubt, discuss an idea or projects similarities to another brand in a realistic way, or ever admit they truly effed up in the past. This stuff is simply a big commercial. That's it.

Is Nintendo smart for doing it? I couldn't honestly tell you. I mean, sure hype is high right now.. but if nothing comes out before E3.. and what we see there turns out to be a lot of this Nintendo Direct info with a few extras.. I have the distinct feeling Nintendo fans will be rather disappointed.

Where have you been? Last time I checked every action or non action by Nintendo has been put to discussion. Also, I'm pretty sure that Iwata's apologised a couple of times in Nintendo Directs.

For me, I think the last Nintendo Direct was for Iwata to apologise to current Wii U owners who may be second guessing their purchase. I'm sorry for the lacklustre OS, we'll try to fix it up in the coming months. I'm sorry for the lack of games, here are some updates on games we've already announced, and some teasers for projects we are working on.

 

[Wynnebeck]

? Isn't Nintendo Direct basically just infomercials about their games telling the fans what's coming out? How does that equate to games journalism?

 

[zoukka]

? Isn't Nintendo Direct basically just infomercials about their games telling the fans what's coming out? How does that equate to games journalism?

It doesn't.

 

[StatsChu]

Great article OP. Let me see if I understand your point. Without direct exclusives to game previews, gaming news sites are having to rely more and more on sensationalist articles (meaning those that create lots of flame wars) to garner consumer interest - which seems to be the case with the four articles you just mentioned.

With the Nintendo Direct, users were left with a broad variety of topics to discuss, including the individual elements shown by each trailer with only Nintendo's filter and our own past opinions and dogmas (we all have them) as a guide. For gaming media, however, there was a level of disconnect between announcing these games themselves and not having the ability to frame their birth. Each site is now RUSHING to frame each and every game, and perhaps most interestingly, to frame the entire Nintendo Direct as a whole.

1. IGN: Wii U Strikes Back
2. EDGE: Promises, promises
3. Screen Digest: Nintendo behind the next-gen curve
4. Gamespot: Is Nintendo Trapped By Its Legacy?

Each of these present a good/bad scenario in terms of the "broader" picture of the Nintendo Direct. Each one presents age-old arguments about Nintendo, but recirculated for a new time, a new event, a new sight. These are easy arguments that are apparent to us because we are framed and accustomed to seeing them. While they are based in a material reality, they are nothing more than a limiting view of the world that constricts our possible discussion avenues. We talk about whether Nintendo is "trapped," "only promising," and "behind the times" because they tell us to.

Reality is never accessed in the raw, but is always represented.
​

I mean, that's how Faux News and CNN work right? Bill O Reilly is a "commentator", not a journalist. People love to hear/see opinions that reflect their own...and more viewers = more ad revenues right? I don't think the average gamer really cares about pure gaming industry news - how popular is Gamasutra to Gamespot or Ign?

 

[EMT0]

So, what the article in the OP is saying, is that Nintendo advertising is more honest than what games 'journalists' *cough* offer us? Perish the thought.


Games journalism is incredibly unprofessional and reads like bloggers posting their thoughts and opinions, for good or bad, on whatever the hell they please. I'd much rather drink the Nintendo kool-aid from the source, and form my own opinion, than go and visit Gamespot or Kotaku. I don't get how this is even an issue that can be debated.

ITT: 'I don't want to form my own opinions! Tell me what to think IGN!'

 

[Wynnebeck]

So, what the article in the OP is saying, is that Nintendo advertising is more honest than what games 'journalists' *cough* offer us? Perish the thought.


Games journalism is incredibly unprofessional and reads like bloggers posting their thoughts and opinions, for good or bad, on whatever the hell they please. I'd much rather drink the Nintendo kool-aid from the source, and form my own opinion, than go and visit Gamespot or Kotaku. I don't get how this is even an issue that can be debated.

ITT: 'I don't want to form my own opinions! Tell me what to think IGN!'

lol So you're basically saying, "I don't like that IGN and other sites actually have criticisms for Nintendo so I'm just going to ignore them! That'll teach em!"

Ignorance is bliss I guess?

 

[one_kill]

lol So you're basically saying, "I don't like that IGN and other sites actually have criticisms for Nintendo so I'm just going to ignore them! That'll teach em!"

Ignorance is bliss I guess?

I don't think that's being ignorant.

 

[Famassu]

There is a lot of shit, sure. But you can point to people doing good work, finding important stories and asking tough questions. Can you say the same thing for gaming media? Granted we're not dealing with anything that is Serious Business but if your site is little more than video game PR I'm not going to click.

I don't have a go-to place for my gaming news, but I've read plenty of interesting articles and interviews here & there that present stuff in a good manner & ask good questions. I don't keep note of such things and have a bad memory of who did what and where, just like I don't have a readily available list or mental image of other kind of journalists that I think are good, so I can't really pinpoint you to any good stuff.

What I CAN say about journalism in general (as I follow the local as well as global news media a lot) is that it's gone to shit in all areas of journalism. Mainline (& smaller) news media is horrible crap that is even more biased or doesn't know shit about things they are handling than gaming media. They are often a bit better at hiding their incompetence, bias & shit (though, not always, sometimes they are blatantly obvious), but it's still there (which is why more emphasis should be put on teaching people media reading comprehension, not to take everything at face value). Of course there's still some good journalism as well and by the virtue of gaming being a small part of the world, there's obviously more of the good non-gaming kind of journalism (in absolute terms).

 

[EMT0]

lol So you're basically saying, "I don't like that IGN and other sites actually have criticisms for Nintendo so I'm just going to ignore them! That'll teach em!"

Ignorance is bliss I guess?

I'm still getting the same news I'd have gotten, but without the spin and personal opinions of another person diluting that information. I still don't see how anyone can spin getting your source directly and forming your own opinions on things as something bad.

Yes, gaming news sites will continue to exist for the near future. Yes, they will continue to give me information that I most likely could not get otherwise. But if I can do differently, I'd happily take it.

Which I can, when it comes to news on Nintendo.

 

[Margalis]

Why wouldn't I ignore opinions on something I can just form my own opinion on?

Like...I watched the video, I liked what I saw. Some guy at Wired didn't. Ok? I care because...?

It's not like these criticisms are well written or thought provoking or introduce any new information.

 

[ultron87]

I think you guys are overvaluing the amount of people that actually watch a Nintendo Direct. Most people don't have time to watch a press conference at 9 am on a work day.

Sure, a lot of folks that go to GAF may have, but that doesn't stop every blog from putting up a story for every single announcement that likely gets a ton of hits. Then they can later put up a reaction piece to enrage people and get even more hits, like they would with any other announcement.

 

[Ridley327]

? Isn't Nintendo Direct basically just infomercials about their games telling the fans what's coming out? How does that equate to games journalism?

It doesn't, which is what you'd be able to ascertain if you read the entirety of the OP, as it centers around how Nintendo Direct circumvent the traditional "games journalism" process for delivering information to the consumer as it happens, and how it can impact how they do their own reporting, as they can't rely on being that first exposure for the consumer.

 

[REV 09]

If the media/news/information is coming from the company who produced the item then it isn't journalism. This is just basic PR or marketing but in a different format. Journalism is supposed to report and cross reference the material that the producers release.

I know you like ND, but it is marketing not journalism.

 

[Balb]

I think you guys are overvaluing the amount of people that actually watch a Nintendo Direct. Most people don't have time to watch a press conference at 9 am on a work day.

Sure, a lot of folks that go to GAF may have, but that doesn't stop every blog from putting up a story for every single announcement that likely gets a ton of hits. Then they can later put up a reaction piece to enrage people and get even more hits, like they would with any other announcement.

Yeah I think only 12k people watched the NA Nintendo Direct.

 

[gamergirly]

Make no mistake, this infomercial is carefully designed to sell you shit. This is a play for your dollar among all the other games that will be announced and released over the next 12 months.

Nintendo is a public for-profit corporation with shareholders and board members. They have one goal, to get your money. Their mission is not altruistic.

You can say that about any company including Microsoft and Sony. I guess the difference is that everyone should have their own mind and not believe that a company is bad or good just because a journalist said so. And unfortunately, that's the case with the general public and advertising is such a HUGE business. This is the main reason why Nintendo has went this route. To not let the media shape the majority of opinion of a company to the masses.

Also, let's be honest here. If 75% of the media topics are "bad" as the OP has stated, then what do we have on the first 2 pages on GAF related to Nintendo? Topics with those 75% "bad" subjects as thread starters. So what do you think will come out of a topic that presented a picture negatively to begin with? Nintendo should keep Nintendo Direct. I'd rather see footage of games that I'm interested in then some media's report of how bad or good the company is.

It's a shame that this has to be discussed because it truly shows you that there are way too many people arguing or trying to shape a company's destiny on a major forum than actually playing games. WHICH IS THE ENTIRE POINT lol

 

[StatsChu]

So, what the article in the OP is saying, is that Nintendo advertising is more honest than what games 'journalists' *cough* offer us? Perish the thought.


Games journalism is incredibly unprofessional and reads like bloggers posting their thoughts and opinions, for good or bad, on whatever the hell they please. I'd much rather drink the Nintendo kool-aid from the source, and form my own opinion, than go and visit Gamespot or Kotaku. I don't get how this is even an issue that can be debated.

ITT: 'I don't want to form my own opinions! Tell me what to think IGN!'

I don't think that the OP is saying that Nintendo is being "honest" in that they are unbiased about their products. They are still a company, and the goal of a company is to make $$$. I don't think a company would say"Our new game isn't as great as we thought" or "This game won't appeal to everyone".

I think the point is that gaming sites have less "exclusive reveals" on games and video game hardware that would be interesting to fans - so they have to rely on something else that will get people to visit their websites, aka editorial pieces like the ones that were in the OP. Editorials works in other news industries - sports, politics; and it sure as hell works in this industry.

 

[Maxrunner]

Because it changes nothing about Nintendo. They've never really given the game media much attention.

It can be said that because the gaming press is constantly dismissing Nintendo this is probably a better solution quite frankly....

 

[Captain Smoker]

Yeah I think only 12k people watched the NA Nintendo Direct.

But every gaming forum has a link with the information/trailers/pictures in real-time + gaming media.


X - trailer has already >400.000 views for example.

 

[wildfire]

I think you guys are overvaluing the amount of people that actually watch a Nintendo Direct. Most people don't have time to watch a press conference at 9 am on a work day.

Obviously you never heard of VODs.

 

[Jest Chillin]

Where have you been? Last time I checked every action or non action by Nintendo has been put to discussion. Also, I'm pretty sure that Iwata's apologised a couple of times in Nintendo Directs.

For me, I think the last Nintendo Direct was for Iwata to apologise to current Wii U owners who may be second guessing their purchase. I'm sorry for the lacklustre OS, we'll try to fix it up in the coming months. I'm sorry for the lack of games, here are some updates on games we've already announced, and some teasers for projects we are working on.

The OP is talking about the Media questioning Nintendo's moves, which they haven't collectively done in awhile since the Wii was so obviously successful financially. And I wouldn't take Iwata's statement as an apology for a mistake that was made as much as a 'Sorry it's taken so long to get to you, but we swear it's on the way!' kind of statement. I'm speaking to real big mistakes. Sony's never said "Man we really messed up on our handheld support. You won't see us make that mistake again!" Microsoft will never say "We really screwed the pooch on our initial 360 production QA but we've fixed it now and we'll be sure it won't happen with the next system!" Nintendo will never say "Man we should've never allowed for that amount of shovelware on the Wii. We'll be doing our best to work with 3rd Party Devs to ensure a higher quality overall for games on the Wii-U!"

Of course, we as consumers sort of read between the lines and know that these companies must recognize the faults and fix them.. but these businesses are never that candid with us.

 

[EMT0]

I don't think that the OP is saying that Nintendo is being "honest" in that they are unbiased about their products. They are still a company, and the goal of a company is to make $$$. I don't think a company would say"Our new game isn't as great as we thought" or "This game won't appeal to everyone".

I think the point is that gaming sites have less "exclusive reveals" on games and video game hardware that would be interesting to fans - so they have to rely on something else that will get people to visit their websites, aka editorial pieces like the ones that were in the OP. Editorials works in other news industries - sports, politics; and it sure as hell works in this industry.

Right, I do agree with everything you said. My post was more aimed at the people that were trying to spin Nintendo Directs as insignificant.

When I was talking about 'more honest', I suppose I could have used a better word or phrase, like 'less diluted'. Forming ones' own opinions on a piece of marketing rather than going through the opinions of another person, based on that same marketing is preferable, IMO.

 

[StatsChu]

It doesn't.

I argue that it does. Game previews are a huge focal point for many websites - IGN, Gamespot, Kotaku, Destructoid... the list goes on and on.

 

[Epcott]

ND is only important to enthusiasts who regularly visit game sites, and of that group, only a fraction who are actual fans.

For the average Joe who only receives info from a Gamestop clerk, TV commercial, or enthusiast friend, it's non-existent. For the average gamer, it's "Nintendo exes announce things." ND is hardly Earth shattering.