Post by: Yoshidious on May 28, 2008, 06:55:23 AM
In the famous novel To Kill a Mockingbird, it was said that it was wrong to commit that eponymous act because Mockingbirds cause people no harm, only providing music for us to enjoy. Such entities are not merely confined to the pages of Harper Lee's work or the world of ornithology, however. Indeed, I would submit that the work of this very website is its own breed of Mockingbird.
Nintendo World Report is the product of people giving of themselves, simply because of their passion for Nintendo and video games generally. Nobody earns a living from NWR; we do not praise or decry games for financial gain, there are no backroom deals with publishers for exclusives, no plastering of the site in Kane & Lynch promotional material or other such dubious practices. NWR exists only for the love of the game, if you'll forgive the expression. Having been a reader of the site all the way back to its PlanetN2000 days before joining the staff last year, I have long appreciated this fact along with recognising the outstanding quality of the staff's work over the years.
This is not to say that, due to NWR's nature, the opinions and reasoning of our staff members are somehow unimpeachable - far from it. We do not proclaim our reviews to be definitive or absolute. Passionate disagreement and debate are to be welcomed and indeed celebrated, and we are no strangers to these things as a staff either. We only aim to provide criticism and analysis that is sufficiently thorough, considered, and well-articulated that our readers can glean their own insights from our work, whether they agree with us or not. Consequently, the diverse feedback from the vast majority of our forum-goers who participate in commentary and debate regarding our work is a large part of what makes contributing to NWR so rewarding.
However, this also leads us to those who qualify as NWR's would-be assassins in this literary analogy: the furious few that seem to take our attempts to provide honest analysis as some sort of unacceptable personal attack in those instances where their views diverge from those expressed by NWR staff. Seeking to right such grievous wrongs, they take to their keyboards (with fingertips aflame and Caps Lock already enabled) and proceed to spew a mix of zealous assertions and puerile insults that serve no purpose other than to assuage their apparently volcanic displeasure at discovering that someone has the temerity to disagree with them.
I believe that such unprovoked and unreasonable attacks are, in their own small and pathetic way, analogous to killing one of Harper Lee's Mockingbirds. This is not (I'm happy to say) because any of our staff are sufficiently thin-skinned to be dealt a mortal blow by such ingeniously fashioned barbs as "you're just plain dumb with a small poo brain". The sadness here lies in the fact that some people are apparently so incapable of respectful disagreement that they do not simply refuse NWR's unconditional offerings, but instead are compelled to belittle those that work to provide them without thought of personal gain.
Though hardly a phenomenon unique to NWR or the video gaming media in general, its existence here is all the more incomprehensible given the fact that our work at NWR (regardless of whether a review is glowing, scathing, or anywhere in the vast, nuanced space in-between) is only ever in the service of our readers. The true folly of such intolerance is that we are always exclusively on your side, whether you agree with us on specific issues or not, and to behave otherwise is to your detriment, not ours.
Post by: Maverick on May 28, 2008, 02:25:57 PM
Post by: vudu on May 28, 2008, 02:35:50 PM
(For the most part) posts following articles from staff members who regularly contribute to the forums are much more civil and meaningful than those which are not simply because the original poster sticks around to answer questions and lead the conversation. If you throw something out for everyone to read and then don't hang around to see the response you shouldn't be surprised when all you get back is a flamebait and fifth-grade-level insults.
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Nobody earns a living from NWR; we do not praise or decry games for financial gain, there are no backroom deals with publishers for exclusives, no plastering of the site in Kane & Lynch promotional material or other such dubious practices. NWR exists only for the love of the game, if you'll forgive the expression.
Just want to point out that many of your staff members have used NWR as a starting point to become professionals within the industry (Bloodworth) or hope to soon (Karl). So while you aren't being monetarily compensated for your work here, you can't quite claim no benefit.
Post by: Pale on May 28, 2008, 02:45:10 PM
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Seeking to right such grievous wrongs, they take to their keyboards (with fingertips aflame and Caps Lock already enabled) and proceed to spew a mix of zealous assertions and puerile insults that serve no purpose other than to assuage their apparently volcanic displeasure at discovering that someone has the temerity to disagree with them.
That was one elegantly constructed sentence Greg. Bravo.
I have to say, I agree with a lot of this stuff and I'm often left confused by some of the responses. It happens on two levels. If you look at my The World Ends With You review... now that guy just made me laugh. It actually made my day.
Then I read Windy's Mario Kart blog post, and I just don't understand why someone like Mario, who has been a member of the forums for as long as I can remember (probably even longer than myself) and he just unabashedly mocks and attempts to belittle Windy's opinion.
I just don't get it. This isn't the only instance of Mario freaking out like this either. I wish I understood the sudden animosity towards the site.
In all honestly, I completely disagree with Windy's opinion on the subject as well, but I think his post points to an interesting love it or hate it take on the Mario Kart series. Regardless of how I feel, I'm not about to sit here and deny the fact that there is a large faction of people in this world that dislike the games.
Post by: Caliban on May 28, 2008, 02:46:05 PM
Just want to point out that many of your staff members have used NWR as a starting point to become professionals within the industry (Bloodworth) or hope to soon (Karl).
And Michael (Mike) Thomsen too.
Post by: Pale on May 28, 2008, 02:46:57 PM
Post by: Caliban on May 28, 2008, 02:49:18 PM
Post by: Yoshidious on May 28, 2008, 02:58:44 PM
Having said that, I have observed a few cases applying to other staff members' work that have crossed the line into silly name calling, and I just felt the need to express how completely senseless and futile that is (i.e.almost as much as this blog post). And while I accept the point that there can be spin-off benefits from doing work for NWR, I don't think anyone here does so with any Machiavellian scheme to exploit these benefits, and the fact remains that unlike commercial outlets, our one and only constituency is you, the readers.
Post by: Maverick on May 28, 2008, 03:09:38 PM
...I don't think anyone here does so with any Machiavellian scheme to exploit these benefits...
They fake their own journalism death by signing on to NWR only to rise from the ashes as legitimate games journalists? :P
Post by: DAaaMan64 on May 28, 2008, 03:12:31 PM
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on May 28, 2008, 03:31:58 PM
I can't believe you guys are forgetting teh billeh!
Leave former Nintendo fans out of this.
Post by: Bill Aurion on May 28, 2008, 03:53:08 PM
Then I read Windy's Mario Kart blog post, and I just don't understand why someone like Mario, who has been a member of the forums for as long as I can remember (probably even longer than myself) and he just unabashedly mocks and attempts to belittle Windy's opinion.
I just don't get it. This isn't the only instance of Mario freaking out like this either. I wish I understood the sudden animosity towards the site.
You do not cross Mario when it comes to Mario Kart...You just do not do it... ;)
As for the animosity, it most certainly isn't sudden...It's been mostly a build-up over the years of hilarious comments from NWR staff (the amusing "PSP will destroy the DS" comments particularly come to mind) that's finally causing him to snap...
(And don't think that just because some of us are quiet that we don't have our own begrudging feelings over certain reviews and staff members... :heart; )
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on May 28, 2008, 04:00:47 PM
Mario Kart Wii is the best Mario Kart to date. It's a better Mario Kart more than Brawl is a better Smash Bros. game (haha what a disaster).
Post by: DAaaMan64 on May 28, 2008, 04:04:04 PM
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on May 28, 2008, 04:06:31 PM
Post by: Bill Aurion on May 28, 2008, 04:07:32 PM
Mario didn't snap. He's being the righteous Revolutionary fueled by our New Generation of gaming. He "gets it". He's also had Mario Kart Wii a month longer than any of us Yanks. He "knows it" and "understands it". (which explains why he's kicking worldwide ass online). Mario Kart to date. It's a better Mario Kart more than Brawl is a better Smash Bros. game (haha what a disaster).
When did I say snapping was a bad thing? :cool;
Post by: KDR_11k on May 28, 2008, 04:22:53 PM
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on May 28, 2008, 04:23:32 PM
Mario didn't snap. He's being the righteous Revolutionary fueled by our New Generation of gaming. He "gets it". He's also had Mario Kart Wii a month longer than any of us Yanks. He "knows it" and "understands it". (which explains why he's kicking worldwide ass online). Mario Kart to date. It's a better Mario Kart more than Brawl is a better Smash Bros. game (haha what a disaster).
When did I say snapping was a bad thing? :cool;
When did I address that, noob?
I was saying you're wrong.
Post by: Plugabugz on May 28, 2008, 04:29:59 PM
Post by: Bill Aurion on May 28, 2008, 04:32:12 PM
Mario didn't snap. He's being the righteous Revolutionary fueled by our New Generation of gaming. He "gets it". He's also had Mario Kart Wii a month longer than any of us Yanks. He "knows it" and "understands it". (which explains why he's kicking worldwide ass online). Mario Kart to date. It's a better Mario Kart more than Brawl is a better Smash Bros. game (haha what a disaster).
When did I say snapping was a bad thing? :cool;
When did I address that, noob?
I was saying you're wrong.
No, YOU are wrong...Troll harder!
Post by: Pale on May 28, 2008, 04:49:14 PM
Now we can all wonder which list we fall on!
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on May 28, 2008, 04:51:33 PM
Post by: Bill Aurion on May 28, 2008, 05:04:50 PM
Post by: ShyGuy on May 28, 2008, 05:10:56 PM
Post by: animecyberrat on May 28, 2008, 06:37:20 PM
That of course got me into trouble as I lost my temper more times than I care to admit. So for the most part, I do agree with Greg here, some people just cannot fathom that someone out there can have a difference in taste than they do.
As for the secret list of staff members nobody likes, I would have put Ty at the top of that a year ago, but now I respect him a lot more than I did before so I try not to hold a grudge.
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on May 28, 2008, 06:42:09 PM
Post by: King of Twitch on May 28, 2008, 07:08:00 PM
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on May 28, 2008, 08:42:08 PM
Solution: edit harassing posts or ban repeat offenders.
It was cool when Ty did it.
Post by: Shift Key on May 28, 2008, 08:49:30 PM
Remind me again, how did the book end? Did he get the chair or did he get his freedom fries?
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on May 28, 2008, 09:00:13 PM
The black dude tried to escape the authorities and was shot&killed in the process.
Post by: Shift Key on May 28, 2008, 10:30:05 PM
The black dude tried to escape the authorities and was shot&killed in the process.
So the trolls killed the black man in the end? This doesn't bode well for Windy.
Post by: TheYoungerPlumber on May 28, 2008, 10:41:50 PM
Post by: Plugabugz on May 29, 2008, 03:11:29 AM
Is this a blog post or an editorial? Oh, right, it says "Staff Blog" nm.
Please elaborate.
Post by: TheYoungerPlumber on May 29, 2008, 03:25:33 AM
Post by: Dasmos on May 29, 2008, 03:50:28 AM
but I assume it was nonsense.
Post by: Kairon on May 29, 2008, 03:57:48 AM
His blog entry is lengthy, well-written, and more thought out than I'd really expect to see in a blog medium.
Don't fret. All it'll take is a few rants from me and all that wonderful integrity will go away.
THIS mockingbird can sing, and very shrilly, I assure you.
Post by: Plugabugz on May 29, 2008, 04:11:54 AM
His blog entry is lengthy, well-written, and more thought out than I'd really expect to see in a blog medium. Obviously, since we're in the "Staff Blog" talkback section, the question is silly.
There's nothing wrong with a bit of Nintendo-like-polish is there? I read it as him, very dryly, taking the pee out of flame wars. I do roughly the same with racial differences on my site for the same effect.
Post by: Mario on May 29, 2008, 11:29:32 AM
Post by: Svevan on May 29, 2008, 02:53:20 PM
(For the most part) posts following articles from staff members who regularly contribute to the forums are much more civil and meaningful than those which are not simply because the original poster sticks around to answer questions and lead the conversation.
I'm gonna go ahead and disagree with that. I've actively responded to some of my talkbacks and silently read others. I'm a semi-regular on the board. It doesn't seem to change the amount of hate.
Post by: DAaaMan64 on May 29, 2008, 02:58:45 PM
Post by: animecyberrat on May 29, 2008, 04:46:39 PM
Post by: D_Average on May 29, 2008, 05:54:11 PM
Stroke harder
"That's what she said."
Sorry, couldn't help my self, too easy.
Post by: Svevan on May 29, 2008, 09:40:44 PM
Post by: RABicle on May 30, 2008, 12:33:04 AM
Post by: D_Average on May 30, 2008, 12:36:53 AM
PHAIL.
"Ah....that's what she said."
Post by: animecyberrat on May 30, 2008, 12:44:02 AM
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taking the piss.
Is that British/Aussie slang for something?
Post by: RABicle on May 30, 2008, 01:43:13 AM
Post by: Shift Key on May 30, 2008, 02:15:37 AM
I like how an entire blog entry had to be written about Mario taking the piss.
I like how this refuses to go quietly into the night.
Post by: animecyberrat on May 30, 2008, 05:24:55 PM
Post by: Plugabugz on May 30, 2008, 05:29:15 PM
Stroke harder
Trying.
Post by: Mario on May 30, 2008, 10:22:49 PM
Post by: Shift Key on June 01, 2008, 10:32:16 PM
ok so what does it mean? I heard that same phrase in a movie once and in the context of the movie it made no sense.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=taking+the+piss
Post by: NWR_Karl on June 03, 2008, 06:33:39 PM
Also, they served cheese. CHEESE, I tell you.
EDIT: On a serious note, though, I think most of the staff, past and present, have been met with strong words from the readership (and listenership, pertaining to RFN). At some point you have to decide whether it's worth it. Personally, the fun factor of yelling at my friends over the internet every Monday night completely justified getting skewered for being a blowhard the following Thursday. This was even talked about extensively on the podcast (See For the Sake of Controversy, starring Jonny, Evan, Stan, and myself).
The most important thing to remember when talking to people on the forums is valuing what they have to say, but at the same time not depending on it. Say what you have to say, and hope that other people will identify with it. That was always my motto.
Post by: NWR_Lindy on June 13, 2008, 05:25:17 PM
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on June 16, 2008, 07:23:53 PM
Post by: Shift Key on June 16, 2008, 08:11:13 PM
Serious gamers pre-order games and line up at midnight for the same game for some stupid reason.
Fixed
Post by: Plugabugz on June 17, 2008, 06:25:42 AM
Serious gamers pre-order games and get them on time, eliminating some of the fury that induces blog posts.
Metroid Prime 2, came a week early.
Metroid Prime 3, came 2 weeks late.
Mario Galaxy, came 10 days late (but got it free!).
Mario Kart was never dispatched, so i cancelled it and got it from oxford street.
Okami, was dispatched last thursday but hasn't arrived.
I have plenty of fury despite pre-ordering..
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on June 17, 2008, 12:07:47 PM
