Ethics in Games Media discussed by Stephen Totilo of Kotaku

[DigitalHermit]

I woke up today and found this vid on my feed...

 

 

Will edit OP later as I need to attend some classes... The vid is more than an hour long...

 

My initial thoughts:

This might turn out to be interesting with all the discussions around this topic happening almost everywhere...

 

Watermelons in Sexy Underwear/Watermelons that look like butts

"You're upset that Kotaku is not just about video game news"

Throwaway pieces... i.e. Watermelons that look like butts

Amount of content on a website vs. a YT

YT: less often as it may be viewed by spam

website: more often to keep readership...

Slight background on Kotaku

Less articles, 1 post every half-hour

Image-less posts

There used to be a quota for writers

 

On reporter-source relationship disclosures

Quinn, Grayson, and relationship disclosures

Why disclose?

At what point?

Appearance of impropriety

What is the harm of disclosing reporter-source relationships?

 

 

[this is something to watch as a whole... I cannot outline the whole essence of the video..]

[IdortMasterRace]

Kotaku? Discussing ethics?

 

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 

[Syntaxvgm]

Kotaku is literally responsible for gamergate and they constantly post articles about people being tired of it as if they have nothing to do with it. Scumbags. 

[Mooshi]

>Kotaku

>Cynical Brit

>Ethics

 

I can already tell TotalBiscuit is doing a GamerGate vid. Will have to watch this one later.

[IdortMasterRace]

>Kotaku

>Cynical Brit

>Ethics

 

I can already tell TotalBiscuit is doing a GamerGate vid. Will have to watch this one later.

 

He did a huge blog post. Basically he said he agrees with GamerGate wanting to change the industry for the better and that he wants the same; that he doesn't agree with the threats and harassment from both sides (though acknowledges that they don't necessarily actually represent any group or side); and finally said that if the anti-GG side stop crying racist and sexist and actually deal with the accusations of unethical issues at hand then maybe they'll actually be taken seriously.

[HalGameGuru]

Decent video, at face value its going over interesting and pertinent subjects, and its up to the viewer to decide if all the talk was on the level. A lot of it seemed to be a more damage control and trying to calm the waters over airing change and promoting a more professional industry. But, we will see how things pan out.

[dalekphalm]

I'm 1h12m in so far, and it's an excellent interview/discussion. TB hasn't shied away from the tough questions, but honestly, I feel like Stephen Totilo is being very honest and upfront about the issues and his answers.

[DigitalHermit]

I'm 1h12m in so far, and it's an excellent interview/discussion. TB hasn't shied away from the tough questions, but honestly, I feel like Stephen Totilo is being very honest and upfront about the issues and his answers.

 

Do feel free to outline it in a post... I'm in the middle of class right now, so I can't exactly do the pseudoscript/outline...

[Colonel_Gerdauf]

It is very nice to see this gamergate issue from the other end with good mannerism, considering the overall hostile environment it has become.

 

Also, keep in mind, the person talking to the person from Kotaku is TotalBuscuit, a man well-known for his no-nonsense attitude when it comes to gaming. That tells us that he is at least interested in hearing the other side of the story, rather than jumping to conclusions and arbitrarily connecting dots together.

 

PERSONAL NOTE: While most of the pro-gamergate people are with legitimately good intentions, there are still a few that go out of their way to cause trouble. This is enough to damage the reputation of the cause, and turn gamergate into a bit of a cobra effect. I understand that these people are not representative of the overall movement, but I also understand the power of the vocal minority. The same can be said for the anti-gamergate members, which makes the entire issue a convoluted stalemate.

 

As said, now that they have a clear and concise say on the matter, it is up to the viewers to decide what to take from it.

[Misanthrope]

Kotaku and ethics? On the same sentence? That was a fucking joke even before gamergate

[Mooshi]

He did a huge blog post. Basically he said he agrees with GamerGate wanting to change the industry for the better and that he wants the same; that he doesn't agree with the threats and harassment from both sides (though acknowledges that they don't necessarily actually represent any group or side); and finally said that if the anti-GG side stop crying racist and sexist and actually deal with the accusations of unethical issues at hand then maybe they'll actually be taken seriously.

 

I'm sure their main company would like advertisers to stop pulling out. Gawker media lost a lot and they keep losing. If actual two sided journalism takes place, people will come to a better understanding. Been following GamerGate from the beginning and seen the extreme ends on both side that gets us no where. I'm not a woman hating misogynist, I'm a gamer fed up with the bad going on behind the scenes, that's all.

[ShadowCaptain]

Its a very interesting interview I listened to it last night

[DigitalHermit]

I just finished listening to it...

 

Posting important points out of context won't do the interview the justice it deserves...

 

People need to listen to this, even if they might think that what Totilo says is damage control...

 

There are some points in the interview where Totilo sounds agitated, which puzzled me...

[ShadowCaptain]

There are some points in the interview where Totilo sounds agitated, which puzzled me...

 

They were quite difficult questions, its understandable

[Guest]

I think Totilo's agitation may have been at the tough questioning and the disagreement as to the state of the friendship between Grayson and Quinn at the time of writing and publishing the original article.  TB believes they must have been friendly or close-friends as their romantic relationship took off shortly after the article came out, where as Totilo doesn't believe it's entirely possible to accurately distinguish the precise moment when a source or professional relationship has transitioned into a friendship.

 

I think it's a great discussion here, I fell asleep last night listening to it so will be picking up on the latter half today.  At least it appears that both side on this discussion are looking for clarity and for answers, they agree that this incident does indeed raise questions and fairly so.  And it's fantastic to see both sides condemning the heartless actions of those less emotionally and socially developed who always shit in the punch bowl and ruin it for everyone.

[Octagoncow]

Although the video is long, it's fairly interesting. TB asks some really good questions during this interview. I would suggest listening to it while you do something else though. I couldn't imagine staring at the screen actually watching it.

[Linusinium]

I'm 1h12m in so far, and it's an excellent interview/discussion. TB hasn't shied away from the tough questions, but honestly, I feel like Stephen Totilo is being very honest and upfront about the issues and his answers.

I watched it last night and arrived at same conclusions. I always admired people that can disagree with something without spouting off little venom in their remarks. Stephen Totilo is legit.

[Trik'Stari]

Someone please tell them this for me

[Vedge]

I watched the first 25 minutes and all the editor does is making excuses. Hoping to see some real discussion in the later parts of the video

 

edit: and I dont think he has to do that

[SpaceCore]

I listened to the whole table talk. all 105 minutes of it.

 

Totilo did good. I was very skeptical at first, but he did ok. I disagree with Totilo about apologies and side more with Totalbiscuit. "an apology by a company is a sign of good faith"

Totilo seems to think apologies are not necessary or beneath [Kotaku].

 

All in all, I'm glad Totalbiscuit did this talk. it was necessary.

[exyia]

I almost didn't want to watch it at first because I haven't followed nor cared about the stupid gamersgate crap

 

but I was pleasantly surprised

 

I think Totalbiscuit even changed his opinion on the subject halfway through (or at least after the first ~30min). He opens with a typical "so would you say that you ____" that most journalists do - trying to squeeze answers in a certain phrasing/wording, but Totilo actually responded quite well imo.

 

and then after that, it gets even more interesting. how games media is boring and a joke - all perspectives from their side

[Colonel_Gerdauf]

I just finished listening to it...

 

Posting important points out of context won't do the interview the justice it deserves...

 

People need to listen to this, even if they might think that what Totilo says is damage control...

 

There are some points in the interview where Totilo sounds agitated, which puzzled me...

 

This is a pretty long video, and there are many topics and questions to write down.

 

With that said, one of the key point to take home from the video is Totilo's views on the Grayson-Quinn dilemma. This is pretty open to interpretation, but he explained that the underlying matters is not as black-and-white as many may see it. He asked a question that gave TB a pause for though; Between the acquaintances, interviewees, and personal friends, how do you tell one from the other, and where exactly do you draw the line?

 

People may see this as an excuse or damage control, but this is something that I can understand from an out-of-context perspective. For reference, it was just a few days ago that another LTT member and myself were complaining about the state of the forums [1]. The moderators returned with essentially the same question that Totilo gave; to what extent is a given member causing trouble, and how far can infractions go? Although it can been seen as irrelevant, I find them to be at least relatable.

 

Once again, it is TotalBuscuit that coordinated the discussion table, and at no point did he attack Totilo for his views. TB gave him some tough questions, Totilo stayed calm and answered as best as he can, and TB came to at least a partial agreement with what he has said. Moreover, the discussion is over an hour long; This is a sign that both are interested in having a legitimate conversation, rather than brushing it off and mocking the other.

[StingBull]

I'm just listening to it and I have to say. Stephen Totilo is full of shit. I don't even know who he is but just listening to him, I can tell he is just bullshiting.

[dalekphalm]

I'm just listening to it and I have to say. Stephen Totilo is full of shit. I don't even know who he is but just listening to him, I can tell he is just bullshiting.

He's the Editor in Chief for Kotaku. He's essentially the head of that entire website/company. He's been the head of the company since 2012.

 

I won't say he's completely bullshitting. He makes some very valid points, though some of his answers are obviously "PR" answers.

[StingBull]

He's the Editor in Chief for Kotaku. He's essentially the head of that entire website/company. He's been the head of the company since 2012.

 

I won't say he's completely bullshitting. He makes some very valid points, though some of his answers are obviously "PR" answers.

 

I would say all of his answers are PR answers. I call bullshit on him being genuine. I've never felt that he even once actually said what was on his mind. He always dodges the point or brings up something else. And whenever he is caught in a bad spot he just plays stupid.