How Close is Too Close?

Jeff makes a number of good points in his post below on the 1up/EGM SSX reviews.  There’s a huge gap between the favorable previews and the damning reviews, and regardless of the fact that the site had different people writing each one, I think it hurts their credibility considerably.  Gaming writers at a given site don’t have a duty to anyone to agree.  They do, however, need to be somewhat consistent in their approach, or they run the risk of having nothing useful to say.  As I mentioned in my comment, that’s part of the value that a single gaming brand like “1up” or “EGM” brings to the table - you expect the brand to have a point of view, or if not to present the different perspectives up-front.

But contrary to some comments I’ve seen floating around, I don’t think that these sites stumbled because they hate Nintendo, or have a bone to pick with IGN, or any similar reason.  I do think that it’s likely a result of the closeness that the industry has with the larger reviewing community.

You might remember the video of Matt Casamassina interviewing Perrin Kaplan, Nintendo’s marketing VP.  When you can describe one of the participants “accost[ing the other] with all the enthusiasm of a drunk college girl,” you’ve got a bit of a problem.  The relationship they have is clearly not that of a journalism professional and an industry executive.  If a New York Times journalist had a similar interview with the President, there would be a lot of questions regarding their impartiality and ability to report objectively - regardless of whether there was really cause for concern.

While I don’t mean to single Matt out here, or to suggest that his writing is biased in any way, I do think this is indicative of a broader, troubling trend in the industry: since game sites are so dependent on publishers to give them access, exclusive information, interviews, etc., they are under a lot of pressure to portray those companies favorably.  This pressure may be overt or not, but it’s always going to be there.  What can sites do about it?  Be frank about your opinions, disclose your conflicts of interest fully (and keep them to a minimum), and make sure to keep a respectful distance from your corporate benefactors - especially in public.  The more your reviews matter to your readers (and thus influence sales), the more carefully the industry will treat you.

If readers can’t be reasonably certain that what they’re reading is coming from an objective source, they’re not going to keep reading.  They’re looking for an independent opinion, not the latest issue of Nintendo Power.  Gaming sites should keep this in mind the next time they’re tempted to get a little too close to the industry.