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April 2nd, 2008 @ 20:36
Following publishing an editorial this morning claiming games were a “colossal waste of time” and that he hated “being told to immerse myself in smack and teenage pregnancy before passing judgment on them”, Times writer and author Giles Whittell’s book is receiving something of a kicking on Amazon.co.uk.
Reviews have started popping up along the lines of, “I thought this book was a colossal waste of time. Clearly the author has never been to Central Asia. Anyone wanting to know what Central Asia is really like should play Call Of Duty 4.”
Warning bells: this will probably get worse for Mr Whittell. The last time an author suffered the same fate, Cooper Lawrence - the American psychologist who appeared in Fox’s “SeXbox” piece on Mass Effect - was forced to admit she was wrong after angry gamers battered her book with almost 70 “reviews” on Amazon.com which effectively destroyed her sales rank on the site.
You cannot beat the internet, Giles. Good luck with that.
(Thanks Hero of Canton)
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April 2nd, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Seeing as you’ve glorified this into a story in its own right, I’ll reproduce my comment from the earlier article - it seems fitting:
That behaviour makes me despair for this culture.
Nothing proves the critics right by showing that you can be just as dense and reactionary as the first guy but make yourself look worse by using spite as your motivation.
It’s no wonder this culture attracts such criticism, few people in it seem to act responsibly or maturely.
April 2nd, 2008 at 8:46 pm
I agree, for what it’s worth. I do think it’s newsworthy, though. I’m a firm believer in turning the other cheek.
April 2nd, 2008 at 9:09 pm
By the same token, is it fair that people get away with this sort of stuff unchecked? It seems the Byron report’s bringing them all out of the woodwork, and some people find it hard to ignore.
I can see why it’s a bad thing in some ways, but I can also see the other point of view.
April 2nd, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Vigilantism should never be allowed to leave fiction. Who watches the watchmen and all that.
One of these days the ID crowd will get clued in on how to silence their opponents and then it will be too late.
April 3rd, 2008 at 9:52 am
Hero of Canton,
Is it fair? Of course it’s not fair. But asking that question feels like a rather immature retort. We all know how these things work in the media - sensationalism sells.
But stooping to their level (or, by mixing it with childish spite or revenge, lowering it) just proves these people right.
Yes, in the short term the vocal gamer ‘wins’ (everything is about winning or losing in games isn’t it?) but in the long term - something that most gamers seem incapable of considering - it does greater damage and gives our detractors more ammunition.
Hmm. Forum rant coming..