public relations

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The Problem With Games PR
Gaming PR In The Age Of Blogs
Public Safety Notice: Games PR Are Watching You Post
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Sony America's PR Mistress Flees

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Elsmooth
11/24/08

In reply to The Problem With Games PR
All this talk about game journalism and still nobody's willing to do an actual scoop. Maybe these "journalists" should take a different approach to obtaining the information they want. Perhaps if these journalist weren't so cozy with the game makers and too busy worrying about losing advert monies they would break something interesting. Do what you gotta do if you want to be a journalist, otherwise you're just another game critic.
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imalanjohnson
11/25/08

@Elsmooth: I'm right there with you. I mean, at least at the stage the industry is in right now it's hard to come by game a games "journalist" that is actually doing any news gathering and reporting.

From what I can tell, game news tends to be in the vein of "game company holds press event that is really nothing more than having an early build of a game in the the same room as free drinks and food where the "journalists" interview the on-hand developers...only to all run back to write the same exact thing on their respective sites about the game." i do not see how that is reporting more than it is a party piece.

anywho...
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thespyderboy
11/25/08

@imalanjohnson: Yes, there is a problem with game journalists, and that problem typically lies with game PR. Pretty much all game information is relegated through the PR divisions from people who mostly know very little about their companies and games, and rely more on a formula for spreading information (opening paragraph referencing past titles, second paragraph about the actual title, third paragraph being a quote by a VP of some relatively irrelevant position, etc. etc.).

If anything, PR should be coaching developers, producers and designers how to talk, and then let them do the talking. Granted, most people who are actually working on games don't really have the time to answer said questions, but the responses would be more honest and accurate.

It's also hard for game journalists to get information without insiders, and it's hard to have insiders when there are NDAs and people's jobs are on the line (in an ever-worsening economy, on top of that). If game creation was more like film or television, where a person could walk on set or talk to an extra (or something), then the information pertained would be different.

Unfortunately, until the situation changes, game PR and journalism will continue as is.

Personally, I've dealt with a lot of game PR, and while there are some good people, their tactics are all wrong. It's really just a stone's throw away from marketing, and it's really all about the hype train. I would be very curious to see how that affects games/journalists if PR wasn't as prevalent and journalists were more investigative...
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Makidian
11/24/08

In reply to The Problem With Games PR
Thanks for this, this is the field I am trying to break into after I wrap up college, game PR. Hopefully I am never hated as much as some people in the industry
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d_r_e
11/24/08

@Makidian:

As long as you don't take 1,000 and 1 clients and at least know the big names of the people you're representing ... you should be fine.
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SituatedDread
11/24/08

In reply to The Problem With Games PR
I never even knew what game PR was til' this generation and yes there is a big problem with it! When journalists and developers hype a game up to such a high level and you finally get to play it, you're underwhelmed. For example, Resistance 2 was a great game, but I was underwhelmed when Ted Price did PR for the game and said something about big boss battles being done right, and although I, am not trying to spoil any part of the game, I will say the levithan boss battle left me in utter disappointment. Other examples include the original Motorstorm trialer, Lair, and for some reason, even though gameplay of Alan Wake hasn't been released I have a feeling it will not live up to it's tech demo.
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bean
11/24/08

@SituatedDread: This is why being a cynic is not such a negative thing this generation. If you think that something is going to be awful, you can be pleasantly surprised when it surpasses your lowered expectations. Conversely, if a game is horrid, it's not a disappointment.

It's win/win!
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Thorax
11/25/08

@beanerific!: I still think cynicism is arrogant as fuck.

I'll just go with the Clippers Nation mindset.
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Luke Plunkett
11/25/08

@SituatedDread: Yeah, but...this article's about games PR in terms of the people that attempt to manage and disseminate information on games.

Not advertising.
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d_r_e
11/24/08

In reply to The Problem With Games PR
NDA's make it hard to find information on games as well. Thanks for linking that article Luke, it's a good read.
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