Bribe review scandals

[tecnologgamer]

Hello!

I'm starting to make a research (for an article from collegue) about some scandals about some games review who suppossed to be receive bribe to make a good (or bad) review about a game.

I try to google somethings but I found nothing, I'd like to know if someone knows some history about it.

Thanks!

 

[Guest User]

this reddit post seems to have a good explanation of different methods of 'bribery' in the game journalism industry. this also leaks into other things like youtube entertainers. it was also a big thing on steam, where journalists were given free "press edition" versions of the game and there was no way of knowing for a really long time which reviews were actual gamers and which were press. (granted, steam also had an issue where people who didn't even own the game could leave a review lol, you can imagine how THAT was used to skewed rating scores as well [for better or for worse] )

so essentially the issue seems to be that game journalists, and the game reviewing magazines/websites they work for, rely heavily on publishers to make money. publishers do the "wine and dine" thing with journalists, which lures some into the company's pocket as they'll keep getting "nice stuff" if they give good reviews. in one case a journalist has been fired for stressing their site's relationship with a big company.
moreso, gamers themselves may also leave or denounce the websites if their favorite games aren't scored highly, which shrinks the reader base, decreases revenue, and tarnishes the site's reputation.

<<note: this was all found through quick googling. i am providing these links to hopefully help you get started in the case that no actual historians come along. i am not an authority on the subject.>>

 

[tecnologgamer]

Thank you for help me, @hipstercapitalist and @blacklemon

 

[NAL]

"Guru" Larry Bundy Jr did an excellent video on a big example of journalism "bribery" - the Driv3r fiasco. To summarise, a heftily broken copy of the game was given to just a couple of review outlets so they could run it as a big exclusive, in exchange for making their reviews positive under the assumption that the brokenness of the game would be fixed in the released version. It wasn't.

i heard some feminist was fkin some guys for good reviews. <link>

Return of Kings is a godawful site to use as a source. It's one of those pathetic, and heavily biased, "I hate women because they won't fall in love with me" cesspits. The writer of that article seems to be content with placing all the blame on Quinn just for liking sex, which is absolutely absurd.

 

[zendraw]

"Guru" Larry Bundy Jr did an excellent video on a big example of journalism "bribery" - the Driv3r fiasco. To summarise, a heftily broken copy of the game was given to just a couple of review outlets so they could run it as a big exclusive, in exchange for making their reviews positive under the assumption that the brokenness of the game would be fixed in the released version. It wasn't.



Return of Kings is a godawful site to use as a source. It's one of those pathetic, and heavily biased, "I hate women because they won't fall in love with me" cesspits. The writer of that article seems to be content with placing all the blame on Quinn just for liking sex, which is absolutely absurd.

well then, hur sleepin with those specific guys must have been a coincidense...
PS:what does your opinion of a suite or the suites reputation has to do with facts?

 

[NAL]

well then, hur sleepin with those specific guys must have been a coincidense...
PS:what does your opinion of a suite or the suites reputation has to do with facts?

If the suite has a specific agenda it is trying to push - which Return of Kings does - then its relay of "facts" is going to be tenuous at best and outright wrong at worst. That site in particular is anti-woman. Shock and horror that it might embellish what has never been 100% established as fact, placing most or all of the blame on Zoe Quinn in the GamerGate situation and little to none on the journalists (who were willing to compromise their journalistic integrity for a shag, if the story is even as we know it) and spending huge chunks of the article delving through Quinn's private life for anything that might label her as promiscuous to further their agenda.

Kind of ironic that a site so devoid of legitimate journalism reported on a journalism corruption scandal.

 

[zendraw]

i mean it doesnt matter where the info comes from, as long as its facts. now another thing, to end this discussion betwean me and you, i dont really care, as far as im concearned it is stupid to even judge hur that she slept with those guys, no matter wether its for good reviews or just for the sex. i dont see why wuld any1 care about reviews anyway. there are demos, gameplay footage and all that jazz, why bother reading a review or watchin? its just some guy`s opinion.
but i posted it becouse, as you can see, its a scandal, and what the op requested for. it doesnt matter whos wrong or right.

 

[0.Bytes]

Bribes in games review, oh god, this is mankind hitting its lowest point in history lol

What I know it happens a lot, specially in indie games and indie reviewers, is that thing of giving free games and maybe gifts, that although it is not a bribe, (tbh it is marketing stuff) it is(indirectly) a way to earn the empathy of the person who is making the review, I dont consider that a bribe far from that, it is all marketing, and it is a thing that it has to be done to promete your game, but in some way that always sounds like a "light/socially acceptable" bribe =p.

Althought, again, I dont think this is a bribe.

Anyway, I would love if you could share your research with us, when you finished it, I would love to read it. And good luck =D

 

[chance]

...that thing of giving free games and maybe gifts, that although it is not a bribe, (tbh it is marketing stuff) it is(indirectly) a way to earn the empathy of the person who is making the review, I dont consider that a bribe... (snip)

True. Not really a bribe, since there's no quid pro quo agreement.

Film critics, publishers, magazine columnists, etc. are routinely treated to lavish hospitality by companies eager to court their favor. It's common in industries like music, film, fashion, food, art and literature, travel and hospitality, etc.

There's no requirement for recipients to return the favor by giving good reviews. But on the other hand, companies wouldn't do this if it weren't effective to some degree.

 

[roytheshort]

There's no requirement for recipients to return the favor by giving good reviews. But on the other hand, companies wouldn't do this if it weren't effective to some degree.

Well if they don't give good reviews, then word will spread and that reviewer will not be offered bribes. So to find the honest reviewers, you probably have to find the ones the scummy developers hate the most.

Bribes in games review, oh god, this is mankind hitting its lowest point in history lol

Mankind's top ten lowest points

1. Bribing in the gaming industry
2. Mao
3. Hitler
4. Stalin
5. Genghis Khan
6. Jim Davis writing his first Garfield comic strip
7. The Star Wars Christmas Special
8. Hitler again (because he was so bad he deserves to be on the list twice)
9. Ivan the Terrible
10. Pol Pot

 

[Gamer (ex-Cantavanda)]

Yeah, f*** the lasagna cat comic strips

 

[0.Bytes]

Mankind's top ten lowest points

1. Bribing in the gaming industry
2. Mao
3. Hitler
4. Stalin
5. Genghis Khan
6. Jim Davis writing his first Garfield comic strip
7. The Star Wars Christmas Special
8. Hitler again (because he was so bad he deserves to be on the list twice)
9. Ivan the Terrible
10. Pol Pot

That is exactly the same list I had on my mind ! lol

 

[tecnologgamer]

WoW I don't expect many replies

thanks for helping me.