-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
N'Gai Croal - Internet Superstar
- Thread starter FirstInHell
- Start date
AgentOtaku
Member
SatelliteOfLove said:
no shit....
WTF....I seriously can't believe this thread exists? ....on fucking GAF of all places
(>___<)
N'Gai genuinely seems like a great guy, and I've never gotten a bad or fake "vibe" from him....shit I'd love to have a conversation about The Club
i'm not one to throw language....but seriously, fuck off, and get over yourself
TheGreatDave
Banned
voltron said:
Go on. Tell me all these things.
Now i'll write this slowly so that those who are having trouble with their small vocabulary can keep up. N'Gai Croal is the fuckin man.
We are constantly bemoaning the fact that video games arent taken seriously as an artform as a business as a recreational habit. Yet we have an ambassador into Newsweek who essentially has the ear of the larger populous and you want to make that sound be Shane Bettenhausen?
Wouldn't an intelligent well spoken articulate and gifted writer be a better representative to the main stream than some guy shouting "lulz"? And then expounding on his thoughts and ideas with elitist statements and references only designed to engage people who play video games? whereas N'Gai tends to use general pop culture references ideally putting readers at rest engaging them in the conversation and showing how as a writer he has more skill in his pinky than Gamepro have in their entire staff.
I would urge you to read Edge or even games tm for an idea of how writing for video games has changed from fanboys talking to other fanboys, to real people having intelligent discourse on all subjects, holding videogaming up as just as important as music art or literature. And the problem of whilst trying to get the mainstream to understand gamings relevance, the issues of being held back by people inside and outside the industry.
We are constantly bemoaning the fact that video games arent taken seriously as an artform as a business as a recreational habit. Yet we have an ambassador into Newsweek who essentially has the ear of the larger populous and you want to make that sound be Shane Bettenhausen?
Wouldn't an intelligent well spoken articulate and gifted writer be a better representative to the main stream than some guy shouting "lulz"? And then expounding on his thoughts and ideas with elitist statements and references only designed to engage people who play video games? whereas N'Gai tends to use general pop culture references ideally putting readers at rest engaging them in the conversation and showing how as a writer he has more skill in his pinky than Gamepro have in their entire staff.
I would urge you to read Edge or even games tm for an idea of how writing for video games has changed from fanboys talking to other fanboys, to real people having intelligent discourse on all subjects, holding videogaming up as just as important as music art or literature. And the problem of whilst trying to get the mainstream to understand gamings relevance, the issues of being held back by people inside and outside the industry.
StreetDisciple
Member
Well if you thing N'Gai cuts off people you must not have heard Shane because he is king of that. And If you dislike him for using big words, Garnett not only uses them but makes them up as he goes. But, some of the long "deep" ramblings I can understand.
stephentotilo
Behind The Games
I hate N'Gai when he stiffs me on drinks.
Actually, he never does that. But if he did, I would hate him.
Actually, he never does that. But if he did, I would hate him.
I like N'Gai and his style of reporting. He may seem arrogant to some of you but to me he's just making use of his knowledge and vocabulary. If anything, Penny Arcade's Tycho is a bigger offender because he's often typing about something simple but is unnecessarily wordy. And he's been doing that for years! Where's the thread about him??
TheGreatDave
Banned
stephentotilo said:
Do you hate him when he uses those silly words?
itsinmyveins
Gets to pilot the crappy patrol labors
What the fuck does "curmudgeon" mean? Never heard the word before.
DAVIDHUXLEY
Member
shifty100 said:
This is very true. There is an air of a frustrated movie critic about him.
Gaming needs a person like N'Gai. I'm not a fan, but he's def a step in the right direction. Just like the Wii, though it's not for mii, is also a big step towards mainstream gaming acceptance. And let's be real, more games that attract all sexes and ages are what's gonna make gaming truly relevant as art, not N'Gai. Right now most games are marketed towards male adolescents. The day will come when people can discuss games just as they do music or movies, as well as offer the variety those media possess but it's still a long ways away.
Kevin Garnett? Did I miss a meme?
a.wd I like your post.
Kevin Garnett? Did I miss a meme?
a.wd I like your post.
Felix Lighter
Member
N'Gai seems like a nice enough guy and he seems very passionate about what he writes but he does seem to choose his words very deliberately. His writing lacks brevity. Other than that I think the guy makes some strong arguments.
~Devil Trigger~
In favor of setting Muslim women on fire
.Madman said:
N'Gai is generally beneficial to gamers. He does a great job distilling complex themes into succinct bits for the general public, and does an equally admirable job at prodding gamers to raise the level of their collective discourse. For the polar opposite of N'Gai, see Time magazine's utterly unreadable Lev Grossman.
The vocabulary criticism is a non-issue. He may be shift-F7'ing his text a level or two above what's necessary, but a thesaurus is never far away for a reader. There are times when he does give off an air of superiority, but I think it's unintentional and solely a problem of perception on the part of the reader.
My only real complaints are the at-times groan-inducing name-drops and allusions to mainstream art media, such as film and music. N'Gai rolls with an experienced and connected crowd, but the references seem a bit forced at time.
So, if his writing upsets you, great; that's part of his message. Maybe you'll spend a bit more time crafting your next "why this game sucks/rocks" argument. Professional video game criticism is still relatively juvenile, and it may take someone like N'Gai to prod you to hone your critical skills. He may try a bit harder than necessary to raise the bar, but I'll take that over podcasts with ten-minute discussions of candy bars* or reviewers who postulate that Halo is the pinnacle of interactive narrative.
Also, it helps to keep in mind that writers are a dime a dozen. N'Gai's found a niche, and he's done an excellent job (intentional or otherwise) of becoming his own brand. He's marketable, and that certainly helps when you're trying to earn a paycheck. So, yeah, burrowing out a successful career probably involves a little "man behind the curtain" finesse when deciding on a target audience and writing style.
*The only one who gets a pass with regards to tangential stories is Shawn Elliot.
---
And, this bit from his Bio may offer more insight into where he's coming from artistically:
The vocabulary criticism is a non-issue. He may be shift-F7'ing his text a level or two above what's necessary, but a thesaurus is never far away for a reader. There are times when he does give off an air of superiority, but I think it's unintentional and solely a problem of perception on the part of the reader.
My only real complaints are the at-times groan-inducing name-drops and allusions to mainstream art media, such as film and music. N'Gai rolls with an experienced and connected crowd, but the references seem a bit forced at time.
So, if his writing upsets you, great; that's part of his message. Maybe you'll spend a bit more time crafting your next "why this game sucks/rocks" argument. Professional video game criticism is still relatively juvenile, and it may take someone like N'Gai to prod you to hone your critical skills. He may try a bit harder than necessary to raise the bar, but I'll take that over podcasts with ten-minute discussions of candy bars* or reviewers who postulate that Halo is the pinnacle of interactive narrative.
Also, it helps to keep in mind that writers are a dime a dozen. N'Gai's found a niche, and he's done an excellent job (intentional or otherwise) of becoming his own brand. He's marketable, and that certainly helps when you're trying to earn a paycheck. So, yeah, burrowing out a successful career probably involves a little "man behind the curtain" finesse when deciding on a target audience and writing style.
*The only one who gets a pass with regards to tangential stories is Shawn Elliot.
---
And, this bit from his Bio may offer more insight into where he's coming from artistically:
AgentOtaku
Member
~Devil Trigger~ said:
alotta kids out there interpretation of a good journalist is Hillary Goldstein I suppose
BrokenSymmetry
Member
No hate for N'Gai's use of "we" in his blog?
FirstInHell said:
They say first impressions aren't everything, but this guy's smug and arrogant blog picture illustrates why he gets under my skin better than anything I could post.
This is where I stopped reading. There isn't a better way to completely shoot your credibility than a ridiculous, off-base criticism in the first sentence. He smiling OMG SO ARROGANT
All this tells me is that you hate him for having the confidence you lack.
I 100% agree with the original post.
If law school taught me anything, it is that if you truly understand something and have something to say about it, you should be able to explain it in plain english without hiding behind an arrogrant and overly wordy vocabulary.
N'Gai's appearances on 1UP Yours are an exercise in nonsensical gibberish. His discussion about Resistance 2 exemplifies this. He spoke for 10 minutes straight about the game, yet failed to touch upon a single coherent point as to what the game was like, features it had, how it differed from other games, etc.
I get the feeling he sticks with 'high-minded' themes in his blog & 1UP Yours as a way to hide the fact he really isn't much of a 'gamer' when compared to his peers. His analogies are always to trendy, of-the-minute topics, and he always fuzzes over gritty details of gameplay by changing the topic of discussion to philosophical musings about the industry; like he is some kind of futurist. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying only people who play games 50 hours + a week should talk about them, but it constantly irritates me on 1UP Yours when N'Gai railroads a legitimate discussion about games by veering into an ambiguous psycho-babble rant where he aimlessly floats from one game company Exec's statement to another, trying to piece together industry-speak soundbytes and cram them into the context of whatever the 1UP Yours crew is discussing at the moment.
If law school taught me anything, it is that if you truly understand something and have something to say about it, you should be able to explain it in plain english without hiding behind an arrogrant and overly wordy vocabulary.
N'Gai's appearances on 1UP Yours are an exercise in nonsensical gibberish. His discussion about Resistance 2 exemplifies this. He spoke for 10 minutes straight about the game, yet failed to touch upon a single coherent point as to what the game was like, features it had, how it differed from other games, etc.
I get the feeling he sticks with 'high-minded' themes in his blog & 1UP Yours as a way to hide the fact he really isn't much of a 'gamer' when compared to his peers. His analogies are always to trendy, of-the-minute topics, and he always fuzzes over gritty details of gameplay by changing the topic of discussion to philosophical musings about the industry; like he is some kind of futurist. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying only people who play games 50 hours + a week should talk about them, but it constantly irritates me on 1UP Yours when N'Gai railroads a legitimate discussion about games by veering into an ambiguous psycho-babble rant where he aimlessly floats from one game company Exec's statement to another, trying to piece together industry-speak soundbytes and cram them into the context of whatever the 1UP Yours crew is discussing at the moment.
harSon said:
I thought he plays a lot of FPS games especially bioshock. So he has to have an xbox 360.
lawblob said:
So you like it when the likes of Garnett goes off in a tangent that doesn't make any sense then gets interrupted by Shane who rambles on about something then says he cannot reveal his source or information about an awesome game?
N'Gai I suppose should use the word "like" in every other sentence and use the word "cool looking" and "awesomeness" and lets not forget "subtle beauty". Why stop there maybe you want him to speak like a rapper or reggae singer, so you won't feel he looks down on you.
I think the biggest reason why his tone is different is because of his A) education, which I believe is actually in journalism and B) audience. He's not writing for you. He writes for Newsweek and he writes a very professional sort-of-prospectus for Edge, among some other stuff.
I love N'Gai and want him to have my children. My verbose, high-fallutin, wordy children.
I love N'Gai and want him to have my children. My verbose, high-fallutin, wordy children.
AgentOtaku
Member
I can understand Lawblob's point about smeary wording vanacular over actual substantial facts
...but in all honesty, even the crew at 1up, IGN, or wherever, don't have the facts themselves alotta the time and are fumbling over what they think they remeber
In that regard, I'd rather had someone who dicuss theory and ideas instead...not someone who'll just throw out a bunch "uggh' and "it had this I think".....
...not to be mean, but specifically someone like Mark McDonald, who seems like a really nice guy, but I can't stand to listen to him because he just can't ever seem to articulate himself properly
...but in all honesty, even the crew at 1up, IGN, or wherever, don't have the facts themselves alotta the time and are fumbling over what they think they remeber
In that regard, I'd rather had someone who dicuss theory and ideas instead...not someone who'll just throw out a bunch "uggh' and "it had this I think".....
...not to be mean, but specifically someone like Mark McDonald, who seems like a really nice guy, but I can't stand to listen to him because he just can't ever seem to articulate himself properly
Anerythristic
Member
So I see N'Gai has reached the pinnacle of GAF fame. Good for him! :lol
biggkidd32
Member
Jeez, people complain about uneducated game journalists. And now people complain about educated game journalists? He's obviously an intellectual. Is there anything wrong with that?
Fart and dick jokes only go so far.
Jesus Christ!
Fart and dick jokes only go so far.
Jesus Christ!
~Devil Trigger~
In favor of setting Muslim women on fire
lawblob said:
funny, cuz i got a clear picture of what he got out of R2
-its still on the raw side(and Graphically now its R1 like)
-he play the 8 player co-op
-Insomniac let play only as Medic, cuz he suspect, now, thats the only class thats balanced or "fun" to show people.
-The sense of scale
-Team work
-how the medic gun works as of now
...
how do you say that with a straight face...srsly
Mamesj said:
What game theory? N'Gai sometimes goes into a deeper meaning of games or how it can relate to art however this does go over the heads of those that listen to 1up sometimes. Is he always right? NO, he is not, but that does not mean he does not bring anything to the discussion. I guess the OP and others would rather N'gai say "yo yo yo, I played Halo 3 for mad hours and it is an awesome game, check it out yo." instead of talking about the popularity of space marines in video games and the idea of one man taking on an army of huge proportions.
~Devil Trigger~ said:
I was going to post that. I am listening to the podcast right now. N'Gai even touches upon the whole Killzone 2 vs. R2 thing when asked about it and gives a very good answer. I can see Bryan in that position saying how he thinks one looks like crap and the other looking like less crap.
I have alot of respect for N'Gai. I find his opinions to be refreshing for the most part. I like how he takes his editorial beyond "does this game suck.."
While i don't always agree with his opinions, he always comes across as knowledgeable and intelligent (and not just because of a heft vocabulary) and I can really appreciate that.
While i don't always agree with his opinions, he always comes across as knowledgeable and intelligent (and not just because of a heft vocabulary) and I can really appreciate that.
BrokenSymmetry said:
Oh yeah, I really dislike that as well. I mean, why? I use that in papers I write for classes, but isn't the 1st person singular good enough? Is it "we" because then it's not just N'Gai, but he and his mainstream media army?
Don't mean to sound bitter - read my posts above, I like N'Gai!
disappeared
Banned
Watch out! There's an educated video game freelancer on the loose!!
NextGenitals
Banned
I dont have an opinion about him one way or the other but how the hell is that blog picture smug and arrogant? He's just smiling :lol
Xisiqomelir
Member
Goddamn, Astrolad owned everyone. Reminds me of:
