Fitz Rhapsody

Him getting paid to do this is what everybody is so worked up about, and unless he demanded to be paid, your beef is with the employer.

wildfire759

SuperFox

Anyways though, I'm looking forward to more post by Christian, I can't wait to see what he has to say.

Ashkihyena

But when my room mate played it, he spent months before he even got to the end. And no, it wasn't that he was busy with work and school and stuff. He played it constantly. It was kind of funny because when he first started playing it, he'd been playing it for several hours before he finally came to me and asked how to "put on clothes."

English wasn't his native language though.

I just really got a kick how he spent hours every day for months playing that game.

Deozaan

TearsandScreams

I don't see what the problem is. Gametap wanted a different take on gaming so they gave him a blog. Sure, he as exposure with a certain demographic, but that is what makes it a good idea for Gametap.

I --foolishly-- expected better behavior from my fellow Kotaku commentors. If you don't care, that is one thing, but to attack a man which you know nothing about and make unfair accusations of his charactar and intent . . . that's just childish and petty.
--
You Stay Classy, Kotaku

Kaosu

How do you define "talentless?" Would you say The Rock, Dwayne Johnson, is talentless? He's been the leading actor in two #1 movies (The Scorpion King and The Gameplan.)

SuperFox

AnEternalEnigma

AnEternalEnigma

and what's this talk about serious journalism? It's fun and insightful.. Politics is where the serious business is.. I don't even consider journalism based on movies meaningful, so I sure hell don't think journalism on gaming is either. Relax and breath.

Christian has experience writing, he's done it before, and he's also a bright and funny young fellow. Not all wrestlers are morons, I know it's hard to believe. Most wrestlers are nice, calm people who are just doing what they want to do. Respect their choices.

Also, don't think of him as a wrestler, think of him as a gamer.. like everyone here. How many people here have degrees in anything gaming related? That's what I thought. He's as qualified as anyone else.. He's a gamer.

NotSoCool

Mr.SithNinja

Whoa, where did this animosity come from? Did Cage kick your dog?

NeverSage

Ashkihyena

Ashkihyena

Prophane33

wisconsinista

Streeks1984

I guess it's not as bad as that one game blog where they write these "note" posts to each other all the time that don't even have anything to do with gaming at all.

Player2

On a related note, while I have no umbrage with Ashcraft, Kotaku itself does have some writers whose posts I only scan for clickable media. My opinion and all that, but I wouldn't be casting too many stones at the glass tower across the way.

Calhoun

All blogs talk of the personal life. Kotaku is one of them. Sometimes the stories are great (bash with his son and the stuffed animal down the sewer in texas) sometimes, meh, it is filler. But all blogs do this to some degree. Is he ranting and rambling? Yes. Does Crencence do this from time to time? A little. Do other writer's do it? Yeah.

This is mister Cage's field. He knows wrestling, and he is a what seems like a casual gamer. That's a unique look that most of us will never see. Is it ground breaking Romeo style gaming new? No, but it is a nitch and it could be interesting, it could be entertainment. That's a point. You don't want to give him a chance because he's a action soap star more known as a pro wrestler.

And top spin for 8 months? Heaven help him if he ever finds wow.

huginn

The_Foo

There is nothing elitist, or mean, or rude, or even slightly wrong with Brian's post.

speaking for myself AJ I was just joking, note the winky face guy on my post.

To be honest though, the post isn't that bad. It's obvious he isn't a writer so you have to cut the guy a little slack. if someone approached me and offered to pay me for writing about games I'd have a hard time passing it up even though I'm a building contractor.

Cell9song

Says the guy that posts his personal email once daily that gets sent back and forth between him and another editor on his own gaming page. So insightful!

I like Kotaku and all just pointing out the kettle to you pot.

Adam In Texas

Agreed, I didnt think it was that bad. I mean it filled the readers in to what kind of person he is and that will make it easier to judge his reviews when he starts writing about actual games.

Sparx

airzooka

Fallible

Agreed.

Wei

Just because you're fairly recognizable and you also play video games, doesn't mean a gaming column is a good idea. He should get a blog, post a few articles, and take it from there.

Wei

He likes games and he'd obviously like to write about something he likes. If you want to fault the fact a celebrity is writing about games, blame whoever hired him - not him.

Shimmergeek

Slick-Rick

I also agree with Arstal. AJ dedicating his tag title win to Pokemon Diamond was classic...though AJ likes Stuntman, so maybe he shouldn't get his own column.

madnesshero

But yeah, why do we need some "celebrity" to ramble about how much he loves video games? As my grandma used to say, "who gives a rat's ass?"

seafisch

arstal

ビッグ ボス

I'm the same way, but unlike Christian, I won't pour hours into a game unless I really love it (which is why I'm glad there isn't a glut of Sandbox games out there as that's my fave genre). I will, however, continue to play stuff I've already completed over and over again while my collection of cellophane-wrapped titles grows.

Part of the reason I keep picking stuff up, of course, is because of discontinuation. The week I went to get Disgaea Afternoon of Darkness, it was discontinued. :(

dunetiger reads kotaku, seems pleased

I see what you're saying but I don't think they're really trying to say that this wrastler is at the same tier as other writers.

People write books all the time, it doesn't mean that they're instantly at the same level as other novelists. If BAshcraft is really sore over this I think he needs to take it with a grain of salt. I don't think anyone is trying to say that this wrastler feller is at the same level as other journalists.

Channing

i don't like pro wrestling. but some people do. and i'm sure a lot of them are aware that it's fake. and yes, wrestlers should probably stick to brawn rather than brain. but this guy has fans who probably appreciate his opinions on video games, intelligent/qualified/blah blah or not.

blaked569

Well my point really was that the bar is low.

While Crecente and Ashcraft and the whole gang are professional and organised and are doing well for the gaming communities, the level of writing for games is fairly low when compared to the rest of the journalism crowd. So much so, that some wrestling retard can just start a gaming column and do the exact same thing content wise that is being done here with meticulous dedication.

I'm fairly certain that everyone who dedicates themselves to writing for Kotaku is attempting to spearhead, or to more accurately put it, attempting to BE the spearhead of a new emerging kind of journalism, which is the gaming section of the world.

The thing is, the craft of writing about games, is very much underrated. As the TV was the tool of the devil, so are the computers today and the digital devilry that they deliver through the intertubes. It is the tool of the Satan himself first, before it's recognised as the most superior form of art (which games made today, the high budget ones, are).

However, until the industry starts high fiving itself and starts pouring money into being its own standalone format without the need for Samuel L. Jackson, a film actor, to present its awards, but for someone relevant to gaming to do so, gaming journalism will be on the fringe of serious journalism, if even there.

There are no Pulitzer prize categories for this type of journalism, as hard as Kotaku may try (which I endorse, and I wholeheartedly wish to be realized), it speaks a lot about your craft when a Wrestling Scientist (seriously, if all the jumping around and smacking your head against the floor hasn't depleted you of braincells, then the decision to do that for a living has) can enter the game and write on almost the same level as the top industry leaders of game related authority (Kotaku in this case).

I know if I was Ashcraft, I'd be pissed too. Hence, the article.

That's my take anyway.

BlackDove

Saint Anima

EvoAnubis

What about all the boys that like wrastling? They're obviously going to enjoy this man's article. They (hopefully) wouldn't have him write without a reason, would they?

Channing

Sabre_Justice: Okay, no more long name.

@Atheist Jew: Dude, they're not meant to be geniuses. They're meant to connect with gamers on a more down-to-earth level.

Actually, we do have blogs for this. But fuck, if you no likey no ready.

Sabre_Justice: Okay, no more long name.

That's a special kind of stupid.

EvoAnubis

Pro Wrestlers should stick to doing what they do best: Talentless acting. Just because this douche is a pro wrestler doesn't mean he suddenly has an opinion about games that I give a damn about. He's already shown he can't write to save his life, and despite his lack of writing ability he's being paid to pen an article for GameTap every month? No, sorry, they hired him for his name, not his opinion on games.

So don't give him respect he doesn't deserve.

Pro Wrestlers are nobodies to me, especially when it comes to their opinions about games. Get someone who's opinion I actually give a damn about, like Will Wright, or John Preskill, or Tetsuya Mizuguchi, or Toshio Iwai to name a few, and I will sit there and happily read their minds put to text. Oh wait, what's that? They don't have the time to write articles? They're changing the world with their talent, intelligence and ingenuity? I guess I can do without their articles on gaming, then.

Atheist Jew

@BD:
Yeah, so he gets money for being famous? What's your point? Rich and famous people always get paid for something stupid that someone else could do much better. It's the way the world works, unfortunately. Or, at least the way America works.

Also, BD, I hope that second sentence which was directed at you was not taken the wrong way. It's not a "What's your point? (You suck)" It's more of a "What's your point? (this is not something new)"

Channing

Omnidum

jbit

photoboy

Cell9song

i kid, i kid <3

blaked569

Some dumbass wrestler is about to be winning the bread for doing the exact same thing people here at Kotaku are getting paid for.

That has to sting. Equal opportunity Pulitzer winner, lawlz.

Personally though I don't seek the opinion of wrestlers on games, so I'll be skipping his column much like a good portion of the rest of the internet.

BlackDove

William Sun

Ra is on Seinfeld

Aiwokote

Brian Ashcraft

daibondo

BigManZam

Piscusphish

Kobi