Gameprwned

Games
1

http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2008/04/gamesetfocuson_how_we_made_gam.php

Hm, faithful GameSetWatch readers, it’s time to admit something rather naughty. We played a little practical joke on IDG’s GamePro.com, because we noticed them ‘borrowing’ some data from us without crediting.
The following is a cautionary tale about plagiarism and factchecking. If you are a professional journalist, please avert your eyes. If you’re at all tickled by ‘things game journos do to amuse themselves’, please continue reading, forthwith.

2

Served. Seriously.

That’ll teach people to copy and paste without fact checking.

3

copypasta FTL

4

Heh. In the comments the author of the article admits to lifting the Gamasutra “Release This!” data from GameStop, Gamespot, and Amazon, and he doesn’t credit them either.

5

He hasn’t removed the fake games from past articles on GamePro, either.

Bruce

6

Just because you’re right doesn’t mean you’re not an asshole. Even when you’re only acting like a dick to prove a point, you’re still acting like a dick.

Does anyone think this petulant stunt is going to be a turning point in poor online journalism?

7

How is proving that they’re stealing their content acting like a dick? I mean, besides using an anagram nobody would ever figure out.

8

The author of the article is not in the comments. The only GamePro person is news editor Blake Snow, who apologizes.

Troy

9

The dickishness lies in the method, not the goal.

10

So how else would they have done it? Approach them and say “hey are you guys stealing our content?”

11

They probably couldn’t have done it without being dicks. And now it’s over, how has anyone benefited?

12

Well, if nothing else it’s a good reminder to people that they should credit their sources.

13

So if the only method for doing it is “being a dick” then what exactly are you complaining about?

I don’t know, has anyone benefited from our argument here? From anything ever said on this board? From anything every said on the internet? I mean, we all die anyway so what does it really matter?

14

Seems more like gentle ribbing than being dicks, to me. It’s not like they’re threatening lawsuits or personally insulting the other site’s mothers.

15

I smiled.

And GamePro does suck, so there’s that.

16

Considering that the normal response in this situation is to have legal send out nasty letters, is this really less dickish than that?

17

I just think the whole thing is pointless dick-waving, Guido. Dicks dicks dicks. I’d love to see more due diligence in online journalism, but I’m not holding my breath. Especially when it comes to gaming.

18

A nasty letter is a warning, a public humiliation is an assault on someone’s bottom line. Is it justified? Maybe.

19

Heh - while “The Gunny Sack Trilogy” was nice, I appreciate the second title a litte more. Considering providing information to read is both a website’s and a magazine’s means of subsistence, shamelessly “borrowing” another’s writing and work is pretty low.

20

I benefited from having a good laugh. I think that was worth it.