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[EverythingsOverrated]

I used to be a really big fan of Sterling. I was a big fan of podtoid with Jonathan Holmes, had a lot of laughs listening to Jim do his weekly Willem DaFoe impression while talking about absolutely absurd stuff. The DaFoeverse on Wii U is still legendary. Used to love the Jimquisition videos. When he started his patreon and started doing the podcast with Gav and Laura it was different but in a good way.

Around 2017 or so I stopped checking for their content because it just had become so repetitive and self indulgent that it was no longer appealing to me. In my opinion Jim's content turned very much into pandering which was ironic because his lack of pandering to any particular audience is what drew me to Jim's content in the first place.

If you go back and watch the early Jimquisition vids they were usually pretty short (10 minutes or less) and would be thoughtful as well as humorous. Over the years those 8 minute videos turned into 20-30 minute videos of them covering the same thing covered several times previously while repeating the same shit over and over again. To be fair, this issue is far from being a Jim Sterling thing and it has permeated not just gaming Youtube but sports, politics, and movie channels as well.

As for his mental state and preceived personal issues, I have nothing to say about that. I wish Jim nothing but the best and am thankful for the entertainment and laughs throughout the years. The content just isn't for me anymore and it hasn't been for a while.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Oh wow very smart

Another one to my ignore list.

It was pretty smart actually. In your attempt to signal your obedience to this craziness, you actually fucked up and engaged in the cardinal sin of misgendering.

Your post was actually such a good bit of irony that I almost thought it was intentional trolling.

 

[supernova8]

Oh wow very smart

Another one to my ignore list.

Please do! And while you're at it, don't forget to get off your high horse

 

[ANDS]

TLDR: Jim is headed for a crash. And it's a matter of "when" and not "if." I truly hope someone stages an intervention, because if that doesn't happen, we're all bound to hear him rant and rave about the supremely evil United States healthcare system, and I don't think I'll be able to ignore his YouTube death rattle.

Jim, if you're reading this...you're not the video game version of John Oliver or John Waters, and you're not a good wrestler or even a good "bad wrestler." Please get back to your core, Jim. You were a good writer and an adept video game critic. I implore you to get back to that persona, and please, please, please dial down the hamfisted political cringe you think is so cutting and profound. It's not, and you sound like a nut job, a moron, and a hopelessly naive little shit.

Please, Jim. Do it for yourself.

Give me a fucking break. You're entire argument boils down to "The way this person dresses makes me uncomfortable - and makes me concerned that it might awaken something inside me - and I don't like their politics so they must be headed for a mental break. I think Sterling is a bit of a Seaward myself, however I wouldn't take that as an evidence of some mental decline.

What is most hilarious about this screed of yours is that you link to an article where Sterling discusses their issues with identity and then completely and spectacularly fail to take that into account. Instead you give the equivalent of "pray the gay away" as a solution to Sterling's "problems."

Classic internet.

 

[Haggard]

Who is that?
Why should I care?
Why do you care? Why would anyone besides the mother of the gentleman, maybe?

 

[junguler]

aren't we all going a little crazy lately? this guy just happens to have a weekly show that is easy to notice.
anyway, i don't think this is related to gaming in any way and the off-topic section might be a better place for it.

 

[Korranator]

Hasn't Jim's 2 seconds of fame expired yet? I honestly don't even know anybody who watches or cares.

 

[rkofan87]

This is transphobia if I ever seen one.

She ( he if you are so triggered) don't give a fuck about loyalty or fanboyism and would say it as it is. I like her content and she still make game reviews (like hades and others).

And what's wrong with wrestling? You think WWE has no abuses against it's contractors?

its they they are nb now

 

[ShadowNate]

Future AI parsing texts from this period will be so confused.
Oh they said that? How many? Wait, one person did?

I don't get why people think this crazy trend is going to last, and hop on it like it will give them a popularity boost, but it's kind of obvious that this is not as "catchy" as it was a while ago and it is already starting to get tiresome. To say the least. It also, you know, makes you look like a deranged person.

 

[MacReady13]

Why are people like this fucking moron so common in gaming “journalism”?

 

[Chiggs]

Give me a fucking break. You're entire argument boils down to "The way this person dresses makes me uncomfortable - and makes me concerned that it might awaken something inside me - and I don't like their politics so they must be headed for a mental break. I think Sterling is a bit of a Seaward myself, however I wouldn't take that as an evidence of some mental decline.

Except it doesn't? I mean, I wrote a pretty large post, and while you might feel it's a complete load of shit, you somehow only latch onto the physical appearance stuff, and I'm pretty sure that's because you didn't read the post and only looked at the pictures, while skimming the rest.

Outside of his sexual preferences....Jim has changed, and it's not for the better.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Why are people like this fucking moron so common in gaming “journalism”?

Because serious people do not become game journalists. You have to be a bit deranged to actually believe you can build a career and lead a fulfilling life out of simply writing or talking about video games. Anyone still doing it well into their 30s without having made millions as an influencer will ultimately be forced to come to terms with the fact that they've basically squandered any potential they may have had and that's a tough pill to swallow.

 

[matty3092]

I started watching the jimquisition in 2016 or so and really enjoyed his content but starting in 2019 or so his content started to become really bizarre then his lectures about politics started and that was enough for me shame cuz I used to enjoy his content.

 

[OuterLimits]

He seems to always be on this "anti capitalism" thing despite building his entire career around multi million dollar entertainment products. He is himself part of a sub-industry of that industry.

This is on top of basically being the poster boy for capitalist excess.

An obese man, surrounded by silly little toys, ranting about entertainment products and being paid 13k a month to do so. He's all about that anti capitalism though.

I am sure it is stressful and draining to live that contradiction day in and day out.

Why doesn't he drop the whole "industry watchdog" thing. Stop focusing on AAA content. Just dedicate his channel to talking about smaller games that he likes.

"I hate capitalism and this world of excess we've created is unjust and unequal. Now gather round and look at my collection of expensive memorabilia as I stuff my face with food!"

This reminds me of that other video game site that supposedly has a ton of posters that despise capitalism much like Jim. They even post topics like "Wouldn't video games be so much better in a Communist system ?",

Yet at the same time the vast majority love to argue which plastic box is selling the most and were strangely supportive of Sony raising the price of their games to $70.

Honestly, I think Jim Sterling was one of the best when it came to writing reviews. Not only were they often informative but his writing style/ability was vastly superior to almost everyone else.

I realize though that writing reviews isn't a big money maker and why he needed to shift.

 

[Kerlurk]

nvm

 

[GodofWhimsy]

I enjoyed some of the content he was creating around 2014-2015, but he just came off as creepy more than anything after a bit. He gives off vibes of having an overwhelming urge to be 'different'.

Up to him how he conducts his personal life, just don't try to shove it down my throat and expect me to stick around.

 

[BennyBlanco]

Yea. Guy has lost the plot. I stopped watching a long time ago but it’s kind of sad. This is what happens to people who have zero irl social interactions.

 

[Bragr]

He has built his platform on going after problematic business practices and views himself as someone who calls out the bullshit in the industry. The problem is that all his content is going after people, it's abuse in nature, and he's become more and more abusive these last few years. I think he views himself as some sort of champion of industry injustice, but I find that most of his content is just reading articles with very few level-headed opinions. I know a lot of developers hate him because he creates so many Twitter trolls that sit all day just attacking people for mostly nonsense. If you would make a list of the most hateful and abuse people in the fan-sphere of video game culture, he would rank number one. Ironically, he is the sort of person he attacks in his videos.

 

[Mikey Jr.]

I unsubbed.

He got too fucking weird for me.

And it was just constant negativity over and over.

And the dresses and make up. If you want to become a girl,then go ahead. But it was just Jim sterling in a wig and lipstick. That's it.


I noticed I stopped clicking his videos, and then I just purged a bunch of subs and he was one of them.

 

[yurinka]

I thought since several years ago that this folk needed therapy. I won't make fun about it.

 

[ANDS]

Except it doesn't? I mean, I wrote a pretty large post, and while you might feel it's a complete load of shit, you somehow only latch onto the physical appearance stuff, and I'm pretty sure that's because you didn't read the post and only looked at the pictures, while skimming the rest.

Outside of his sexual preferences....Jim has changed, and it's not for the better.

You might want to learn how to write then: if your opening thesis is "look at this guy. . ." then readers are going to assume the foundation (or at the very least the catalyst) of your argument is based on that.

. . .I'll also note that I referenced both parts of your armchair-psychoanalysis: Sterling's appearance and political views. Despite your retort it is still a load of bullshit that you're using this as a sign of their mental decline instead of Sterling attempting to discover themselves (which, again, you would have caught on to if you did anything more than a cursory look at the evidence you posted).

 

[OmegaSupreme]

They've always been a bit of a cunt.

 

[Chiggs]

The problem is that all his content is going after people, it's abuse in nature, and he's become more and more abusive these last few years.

This is what I kept coming back to when I wrote my original post, which I know is hardly the most gentle of commentary. Jim is pretty ruthless. Sometimes, that ruthlessness is completely on-point, but sometimes (and mostly these days), it's off the mark. In some ways, it's hard to drum up the empathy or sympathy needed for him, given his rancor. That certainly influenced what I wrote.

You might want to learn how to write then: if your opening thesis is "look at this guy. . ." then readers are going to assume the foundation (or at the very least the catalyst) of your argument is based on that.

. . .I'll also note that I referenced both parts of your armchair-psychoanalysis: Sterling's appearance and political views. Despite your retort it is still a load of bullshit that you're using this as a sign of their mental decline instead of Sterling attempting to discover themselves (which, again, you would have caught on to if you did anything more than a cursory look at the evidence you posted).

I can write just fine. In fact, I'd say the proof of that are the responses in this thread, which know exactly what I'm getting at. You call it "armchair psycho-analysis," maybe so, but I've worked around enough people like Jim to know exactly what he's headed for...and it's hardly unique. Could it have been phrased a little gentler? Sure, look at my response above to Bragr .

Also, I didn't get to it in my last response to you, but you indicated that I've just dismissed his political/business perspectives because I don't agree with them. Hardly. I dismiss them because he sometimes shows a complete lack of fundamental understanding of the topics he's discussing. One example from the top of my head is Revenue vs Profit. At times, he has used the two interchangeably, which they are 100% not, and he starts hurling accusations at companies, directors, producers because he doesn't grasp that a company can haul in loads of revenue and not make any profit, given their financial realities. This is one such example of his pseudo-babble.

I keep coming back to it: Jim is off the mark. Jim-fans can chalk up the subs fleeing to homophobia or transphobia, which some of it could be, but I'd argue it's considerably more than that.

 

[Dr Kaneda]

It sounds like he grew up in an environment with a lot of degenerates and/or morons and that resulted in him developing a "I'm the smartest person in the room complex" because his entire tiny world was filled with idiots so it gave him and inflated sense of intelligence/insight. I'm sure we all know/met people that this in our lives, but with Sterling it's been further exacerbated by x1million given he developed a large online audience that helped him validate this unfounded inflated sense of intelligence.

He's nearly 40 years old, and even before he started LARPing as a tranny he still dressed up in ridiculous gear. There's being "different" and then there's being a freak, if you eat shit that's certainly "different" but it's not exactly the type of "different" you want.

I don't say this to be nasty, it's genuinely sincere advice. Does anyone, include him, believe his lifestyle/behaviour is sustainable as he goes into his 40s, 50. 60s etc..? What's the long term plan?

 

[Madflavor]

“The tuuuuuhhhriiiipllle A industry”

That shit has gotten old, not gonna lie.

 

[swaffles23]

Bro looks like the Björk stalker guy

 

[Chiggs]

I don't say this to be nasty, it's genuinely sincere advice. Does anyone, include him, believe his lifestyle/behaviour is sustainable as he goes into his 40s, 50. 60s etc..? What's the long term plan?

It's absolutely not. As the subscribers grow and mature, they will abandon the channel because they don't want to be around that kind of person...even virtually.

I'm sure all of us had high school friends that we watched flounder about into their 30s...it's tough to watch. Jim is definitely more ambitious, and I hope he's socked away some of that Patreon money, but after his last video where he was complaining about the cost of GBA carts, part of me thinks "no."

 

[Dr Kaneda]

It's absolutely not. As the subscribers grow and mature, they will abandon the channel because they don't want to be around that kind of person...even virtually.

I'm sure all of us had high school friends that we watched flounder about into their 30s...it's tough to watch. Jim is definitely more ambitious, and I hope he's socked away some of that Patreon money, but after his last video where he was complaining about the cost of GBA carts, part of me thinks "no."

Exactly, that's what I'm thinking. Regardless of how many weirdos he has in his viewers, it's not going to be anywhere near enough to sustain audience when he's in his 40s and 50s. Honestly, who's going to watch a mid 40-50 year old obese cross dresser's low effort video rant about games?

 

[CitizenZ]

Another loser who would be stuck in their basement alone if it wasnt for social media trash.

 

[ShadowLag]

Yeah I used to watch the Jimquisition every monday during a certain period of time because he was shedding a big light on the increasingly bullshit practices of EA/Actiblizz/Ubisoft/etc. that needed to be shone.

I enjoyed his videos until he started complaining about his viewer numbers on certain topics and whatnot, listening to Twitter/ERA mobs only to find that he's still not achieving high viewership even after listening to them, then actively acosting his own audience for it. Along with that, every video started to invariably contain phrases such as "Donald Fucking Trump", "racists" and "bigots" in just about every damn segment... just vitriol being launched in every bandwagon-y direction without any proof or truthful analysis backing up such attacks (again Twitter/ERA style noise).

Then the lipstick... I couldn't click on the thumbnails any more after that, and finally unsubbed one day. The combination of these things reveals a pattern that I'm tired of watching play out.

If OP is right and Jim does need some help, I hope he gets it and is able to bring the quality content back.

 

[Humdinger]

Interesting. I'll just throw two thoughts in.

When Jim says there was "a psychiatric evaluation where I was confirmed to have bipolar type 2 and complex PTSD as a result of what can only be described as a couple decades of having my sense of identity systematically destroyed by caregivers," to me, what that means -- and I spent decades in the mental health profession -- is that the guy was badly abused as a child and has borderline personality disorder (often masked as "bipolar II" diagnostically, because insurance will pay for that). BPD would help to explain the erratic behavior. It's characterized exactly by that -- erratic moods, erratic self-concept, erratic behavior.

You also mentioned weight fluctuations. Going on some diets can contribute to mental and emotional problems, because of nutrient deficiencies. I have to assume he wasn't eating healthy even before the dieting -- you can be eating too much and still be short on plenty of essential nutrients + flooding your body with slow poisons -- and that too can cause mental and emotional problems.

I'm not saying that's the whole picture. Just that they might be adding to it.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Another loser who would be stuck in their basement alone if it wasnt for social media trash.

LOL. Well, at least he has 900,000 subbers.

On the other hand, a lot of people are wasting their time trying to be an internet star with their 500 subs when they should be putting more effort into getting a good job or training.

My buddy's wife is in that boat. Half the time she isn't even working, when she does get a job it's some shitty low end job, she complains (and probably embarrassed) she has zero career though my buddy has a decent job to cover the whole house.

Yet somehow she has time uploading videos every week after dinner talking about random shit.

 

[BadBurger]

Honestly Jim became pretty much self parody years ago. He's like a character some writer evokes for 15 to 30 seconds of "look at me I am an excessive critic" that plays on a monitor in the background of some scene in a TV show, not meant to be taken seriously but rather as a gaff on online critics.

That he is now full blown - whatever the fuck - isn't surprising. This is his brand. This is how he chases dollars.

 

[Polygonal_Sprite]

“The events of recent weeks have been particularly affecting for me, as I've begun to come to terms with my own history. While all of this talk of abuse is going on, I've had a psychiatric evaluation where I was confirmed to have bipolar type 2 and complex PTSD as a result of what can only be described as a couple decades of having my sense of identity systematically destroyed by caregivers, followed by people convincing me I was making stuff up and that I wasn't even mildly depressed.”

More like diabetes Type 2.

 

[cragarmi]

Common sense does not apply to someone who wants to be identified as they/them.

Jim seems to think he is something in between, thus either gendered pronoun must be equally offensive or inoffensive.

Ok, I'll leave you to your bigotry.

 

[nush]

Why are people like this fucking moron so common in gaming “journalism”?

Typically games reviewers did a stint from their late teens to mid 20's and then made enough contacts to bailout into a position at their favorite game company. Others just used games writing as a foot in the door to bailout into writing about something with more credibility and perks I.E Music,movies, tech.

Then you have the lifer games writers, that watch the industry fade into irrelevance while not having the skills or ability to transition into anything else. And they are damn bitter about it.

For a fun exercise plug in some of the names of the games writers of your youth into Linkedin and see how many of them have amounted to jack shit often ebegging for freelance writing becuse thier actual day job is un-glamorous shit.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Ok, I'll leave you to your bigotry.

Just like Jim's deciding to call himself "nonbinary" does not make it so, your calling me a bigot for not going along with the insanity does not make it so, either, but I do hope you are enjoying your the height of your horse.

 

[TheInfamousKira]

B

Because if you make an effort to look more feminine, it's clear they don't want to be mistaken for a man? Common sense really! Anyway going off topic now. In terms of content I do agree some of his older stuff was wittier, but I don't agree he is heading for a breakdown, he has just come out as trans, which is going to take its toll, he just needs sometime to adjust.

I think I look more feminine in my relatively well adjusted, cis straight white guy existence than they do with a wig. Not hating. Garbage content, but whatever makes a person happy if it's not hurting anyone. I just think if that's the bar you're setting for femininity, I've seen more stunning and brave trick or treaters.

 

[Mister Wolf]

Once I saw dude starting to wear lipstick and shit I got outta there.

 

[Harts316]

Another gaming personality aging out of the industry. Pivoting to wokeness is pretty predictable given what’s currently trendy in gaming media.

He can join the likes of Giant Bomb’s current and former staff on the trash heap.

Good riddance.

 

[The Skull]

I mean I used to like Jim. He called out bullshit in the industry but he's now to embedded with the "clique" to even entertain the idea of listening to him. I'll start watching him again when he does an investigation on said clique and what harm they have caused the industry.

 

[nush]

I mean I used to like Jim. He called out bullshit in the industry

That was a good time when he was calling stuff out and not having to worry about getting blacklisted or beholden to advertisers. It ended when he used to raise the issue of assets flips on Steam after that it was just same three topics in rotation. I unsubbed when I knew the old style content was never coming back and I wasnt even clicking on his videos.

 

[Convicsik]

Jesus Christ when did Neogaf become r/thedonald.

 

[Jack Uzi]

Once I saw dude starting to wear lipstick and shit I got outta there.

Yup I noped the fuck outta there. Turd wearing lipstick

 

[ZoukGalaxy]

Honestly, I simply hate him and never understood why he gets some much attention and why he derserve a thread right now or for his so called "review" videos.
I don't get what have he done or accomplish in its life to "count" so much for people.
Even metacritic count him, that's ridiculous.
Sorry, not sorry.

 

[Ozzie666]

Not much difference between Jim and Yong Yeah, in terms of negative commentary and fueling fires. One has some charisma and one doesn't. Jim looks to be playing a character, not entirely sure now to be honest. His stuff used to be really creative and funny, a lot of work went into his videos, he had a decent balance.

During the pandemic, it seemed to change, he went to extremes and always negative. Like i said, I am not sure if he is playing a character or a persona, or just pandering to an audience. A lot of streamers and people in general have come out or identified themselves as something different. Seems to be the trend.

As long as he doesn't identify as a deer and eat grass.

He's a smarter business man (person) than most of us, because he's getting clicks and wrestling. Making a living off whatever persona he is playing or not playing.

 

[three_muffins]

Armchair psychologist tries to psychoanalyze a youtuber that’s playing a character on screen, news at 11

Pretty much this.

 

[Interfectum]

 

[Alexios]

He was always like this, just because you liked his make up and costumes back then or even agreed with the stuff he inanely ranted about like Nintendo or Wii or whatever doesn't make the whole concept so different. He has to make new content somehow after all.

 

[Keihart]

I don't watch Jim enough to have a strong opinion on the matter, but OP reads more like someone butthurt about not agreeing Jim's politic stuff than anything else.