[arg_discuss] Re: [players] Communities and resources

[Jonathan Waite]

Adrian's point is a good one, and here's the truth behind the matter -- 
we have absolutely no problems with writing critical reviews about 
games.  We've taken issue with games in the past, and have delivered 
honest, straight-forward commentary.  At the same time, we generally 
like the games we write about, and as such, are more inclined to write 
about the positives than the negatives.  This is no longer an issue of 
thinking that we need to support the genre through thick and thin, but 
instead, is a result of just being too plain nice, I guess. 

I've heard the rumors about how ARGN is "in love" with certain design 
teams, and I guess my defense to that is that certain design teams put 
in a great deal of effort and time to make sure that their game delivers 
the best possible experience.  It's also been said before that ARGN is 
biased against grassroots games, but that's simply not true.  It's not 
like we're in cahoots with certain individuals or teams, making sure 
that their games get a bigger chunk of space on the site, or that we are 
somehow scheming behind the scenes to make sure that specific games get 
a push while others get put on the back burner.  When we sit down to 
write articles, it all boils down to time and resources, not politics -- 
and this is one of those side-effects of having an all-volunteer staff 
who just simply love the games they play.

As I've stated before, and as many of you have touched on, creating or 
maintaining a more open dialogue between ARGN and design teams will 
definitely help us out in getting information out about games that will 
benefit everyone.  The choice would be up to the design team as to how 
far behind the curtain you would be willing to let people look.
>
> I would rather have ARGN (or anyone else) conduct *critical* reviews  
> of games, perhaps a couple of weeks or a month in. Unfortunately this  
> will annoy the hell out of pretty much everyone involved in ARGs,  
> which is probably why it hasn't happened yet.
>
> Adrian
>
> --
> Adrian Hon - mssv.net
> Executive Producer and Director of Play, Mind Candy
> mindcandydesign.com - newmars.com - ibiblio.org/astrobiology
>
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>
>
>   

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