So as many of my fellow gamers today I was watching a live-stream of the Microsoft media briefing, and like a lot of gamers out there I was making snide comments about the presenters and their lack of stage presence.
I wasn't even really mad until the Kinect demos started. I had such high hopes that this peripheral would be some miracle device that bridged the gap for the hardcore and the casual gamers, even though I hate to classify gamers in those two categories the major game companies have forced us to start categorizing ourselves into these ideologies of what kind of gamers we are, and I am rather sick of it, but that is a completely different rant for a different day.
My main problem with Microsoft's media briefing was this massive new Xbox 360 giveaway.
Let's take a look at the receiving end of Microsoft's generosity. It was mainly for industry people. So, we have this audience of people who were probably going to get the new 360s in their offices or in their stores soon enough. I guess it was cool that people got 360s but it just seemed a bit in poor taste to give people new consoles, when many people not in the industry are having to pay for new 360s to continue the hobby they so enjoy.
Some might read this and think I am jealous, know that I am not. I have a four month old elite sitting in my entertainment center and I use it frequently. A nicer gesture from Microsoft would have been a random giveaway of some kind, or giving these away to loyal Xbox customers who have had more than four red rings. I know this is a little unrealistic as many people have had to send in their systems more than four times, but seriously giving them to the industry seems almost a moot gesture to me as Microsoft would have given the journalists at least one or two to try in the office. I guess they just get them for personal use now...
I really don't want to be taken the wrong way and have this be read as some kind of advocacy for a call to arms against people in the industry, because it's not, I enjoy the work that many websites produce and enjoy reading them on the daily.
Feel free to tell me I am wrong about this act being in poor taste, or my views on the industry I would love to have a discussion with all of you on Bitmob about what you thought.
The Xbox giveaway was a reaction to all previous E3s where the journalists complain about the little details. Not only do they whine, they write articles about their discomfort! I'm in Arlington Heights, IL, and I could care less if the journalists had to wait in line too long. I just want news and to see a good show.
The problem with journalists is they aren't accustomed to working very hard. They aren't professional either. So, when a journalist is compelled to work hard, he doesn't have professional courtesy to keep it to himself.
E3 is supposed to be special. Game journalists need to keep the trials to themselves and put on a good show. It's only 1 week!
I disagree with you on the point that journalists don't work hard. I feel the work really hard, but the type of work they are doing is for the most part something that they all enjoy, granted every now and again you have to write a review on "Barbie Horse Adventure 2," but then you get to go to things such as E3 and other media events where you are the first people to get to see the new stuff out there.
I will agree though that in recent years journalism has become a bit lazy, but I feel there is a new life in the gaming press that is bringing cool new and creative ideas to a tired medium, and you are getting news from all of the sites including free live streams to almost all of the really cool content.
My bigger problem with this event is I don't know how ethically sound it is to accept such a gift from Microsoft. I myself, am a journalism student and our advisor teaches us that we shouldn't accept anything from anybody, which is stupid because we go to screenings for movies and we get in for free but that's a different story.
I just figure there was a better way to distribute the new Xboxs to other people.
I know how you feel about this, but I'm not exactly on the same page. I was way more bothered by the white poncho affair the night before at the Kinect coming out party. To me, that played as Microsoft managing to rope a bunch of game writers into appearing in the commercial for their new product. But nobody seems to be all that bothered by that transgression, either.
As for the free 360, I feel like it's a little more ambiguous. After all, game journalists do get sent a whole lot of free games to review, and those games often come with a lot of free promotional items. If those free 360s go live in an web site or magazine's offices, I don' t think it represents a huge breach of ethics. But if they go live in a particular writer's living room, then I think a line has been crossed. It would also be interesting to know whether MS will send out additional 360s for review purposes. I don't really know why they would, but it's still the kind of disclosure I wish we saw more of.
Good work calling attention to the problem. More people need to hold the game press accountable for this kind of thing.
I am going to try and comment from Microsoft's point of view:
The Red Ring of Death is something that almost every journalist has written about over the last 5 years. If I were Microsoft, giving each one of those very same journalists a new 360 slim seems like a quick way to ensure the RROD paranoia will die, and die fast. It would also send the message that Microsoft has complete confidence in the slim, for why else would they put it in the hands of those who spread the term RROD?
Is it right? Is it wrong? Well, Dan Hsu tweeted within minutes that he was going to be giving his 360 away. What does that say?
I don't disagree with you about it being shady, but if this is against the rules of ethics, how do you feel about the people who get flights to Europe to check out a single game demo, all on the publisher's dime?
I raised an eyebrow, but I'm not going to be cutting out websites or magazines if they don't give theirs away. Pick a notible game podcast, and I'm sure if you listen long enough you'll hear them at one point talk about whether they purchased x game, or if they received it free. Does that immediately make you want to turn off the podcast? Because it's the same thing, basically.
I've been milling this over for a while now. Is this giveaway an ethical quandary? My first reaction was YES, but the more I think about the less sure I am. Don't writers routinely receive free products from video game publishers? Aren't said gifts designed to generate publicity?
I do think that any full-time employed E3 attendee who received an Xbox should give it to someone else (i.e. donate to Child's Play). But if some freelancer is there who only gets a few bucks a post, why shouldn't he/she take the gift?
As to the issue with the flights to Europe comment Dan Hsu has said that during his time at EGM, he has said that if Ziff Davis couldn't pay for the flight and room and board then they didn't go. I don't turn off a podcast at the mention of a free game but I know sites like Destrutoid used to and might still be based on the concept that they rarely accept free games...at least I recall hearing that on one of their podcasts that if they recommend a game it is a whole hearted recommendation because they bought it with money out of their own pocket.
@Lance
Totally with you on this one. I thought it was a good gesture/move to the very people who have crucified them for the RROD and other issues (rightly so, I might add). Smart.
@Jaun
I am not saying that this didn't happen but I don't recall this happening. Maybe on an individual basis per website and what not, but the drama as you call it comes because of the way that this was done. I just found it tasteless to flaunt how "generous" Microsoft was being when they could have sent the companies these new consoles rather than give everyone one.
Plus I felt it was a trick to distract everyone from how awful the conference was. Go back and watch the videos if you want, but listen to the crowds complete lack of enthusiasm throughout most of the conference and then listen to the change when they all found out that they were getting the updated console.
If you payed attention to the other conferences today you will have noticed the difference in enthusiasm.
Again I am not an Xbox hater it is my main console, I just wish that Microsoft would stray away from the gimmicks and tricks and figure out a strong corporate identity. I certainly have no idea what direction Microsoft wants to go and it looks as if they don't either.
@Daniel
Ethically if a free-lancer is there covering the event, I still say it is unethical to accept this gift, and the promotions that game journalists receive from game companies for the most part look like they end up on their desks or around the offices which I still consider work. An example of this is looking at the old 1up Shows you can clearly see so much swag around their cubes and office it's like an episode of hoarders, but on a serious level I think that there should be a line drawn per office.
I know here at our local paper they don't accept any kind of gifts and I know that at a competing paper they accept gifts under $5 and generally only accept gifts if it is something everyone can normally acquire (i.e a cup of coffee or something) and even then they say they still refuse.
Maybe I am being to hard on the industry and Microsoft, and while I truly believe that reviews don't get paid for reviews it certainly doesn't help to quell the voices that think they do.
What I'm driving at is an Xbox, while it certainly worth a few hundred bucks, is unto itself a platform, a device by which certain specially-designed video games can be experienced. Movie critics attend free screenings and receive free DVDs. Video game writers do not have to pay for every game they review. Given that owning an Xbox is directly connected to their ability to do their jobs, why can they not accept a free one (again, provided they are not already in a position to have one provided to them by their employer).
I agree 100%. What got me even more angry is the obvious high key bribe that the 360 giveaway was apart of. Microsoft gave a pretty crappy E3 conference and they knew it. They announced almost nothing new and spent the large majority of the time showing kiddie games that no core gamer is going to play to begin with. Then, almost as if to say "Sorry about this" they gave everyone in the audience (an audience filled with journalist) free Xbox 360's....F.R.E.E. X.B.O.X. 3.6.0.'S!
It's as if they weren't even trying to hide the bribe. It was an over the table bribe infront of millions of people. I use the word "bribe" but don't think I am one of those people that accuse reviewers of taking bribes simply because they gave a game a really good or really bad review. I'm not. I own and enjoy all systems. Yet, I can't shake this feeling that we all just witnessed the largest public bribe in years.
@Daniel
I hadn't necessarily thought of the argument in this way, but if we follow that string of logic the Xbox has been expanded to do many other things other than just play specially designed video games. I would argue that this gesture would be like a film studio sending a journalist a new entertainment setup in order to enjoy the movies they are sending out more thoroughly, or sending the journalist a blu-ray player and then follow it up by sending them the blu-ray editions of the home release in order to watch the movie in the optimal setting.
I like your argument, I just can't get over the feeling that Microsoft is trying to use a feigned gesture of good will in order to further their new ad campaign.