Stupid Gaming Things in Print

[Jaynz]

Okay, time for fun here for a change. This is a small list of things I've read over the years in actual gaming magazines. I've long maintained that gaming magazines make for poor journalism, but let's take a few examples. (Unfortunately I don't remember the exact magazines these statements were in, and if anyone here does, please feel free to post them.)

"Nintendo invented video games with Super Mario Brothers."

"The first video game was Doom." (This was followed up with a correction, which read "the first PC video game was Doom."

"The SNES was the first home game console."

"Online play was invented by Microsoft for the XBox."

"White Wolf invented the RPG genre."

"WotC invented Dungeons and Dragons."

"Mortal Kombat is the first two-player game ever."

"Computers couldn't do 3-D graphics before Doom."

"PokeMon is a japanese word meaning 'Demon'."

"The Metal Gear franchise started on the Playstation 2."

"The Playstation 3 cannot play DVDs."

"Nintendo, makers of the Playstation."

"Donkey Kong was introduced in Donkey Kong Country."

"Atari replaced the old Atari with the Colecovision."

"Bioware created Dungeons and Dragons."

"TSR created Bioware."

"Microsoft owns Nintendo." (This is usually followed by them also owning Playstation, and any number of other gaming companies, none of which true.)

"Microsoft invented analog joysticks."

"The first computer was a Pentium released in 1990."

"The first color video game was made by Nintendo for the NES."

"The first D&D action game was D&D Heroes for the XBox."

"The XBox is the first American console."

[Skidmark]

"Nintendo, makers of the Playstation."

All right,I'd like to know who wrote that article.

"Microsoft invented analog joysticks."

Actually the creator of the Magnavox Odyssey console invented the analog joystick

[Jaynz]

All right,I'd like to know who wrote that article.

That was in Game Informer, a couple of years ago. No idea who wrote the article, but Game Informer is one of the WORST magazines about this kind of stuff.

Actually the creator of the Magnavox Odyssey console invented the analog joystick

Actually, it was the US Air Force.

[Skidmark]

Actually, it was the US Air Force.

I realize it was first used when airplanes came around,I'm talking about actual gaming purposes.

[wolfbolt86]

That was in Game Informer, a couple of years ago. No idea who wrote the article, but Game Informer is one of the WORST magazines about this kind of stuff.

Could that have been in the April Fool's volume? Also what is wrong with Game Informer?

[Jaynz]

Could that have been in the April Fool's volume? Also what is wrong with Game Informer?

Sadly, it wasn't. It was mentioned in passing.

Game Informer is a lot like a lot of 'gaming news' websites, though slightly more reliable about new information. Sadly, they're all but worthless for anything resembling gaming history of any time. Way too much 'fanboy' stuff and no checking on sources.

I realize it was first used when airplanes came around,I'm talking about actual gaming purposes.

Okay, a little bit of snark. It's actually a bit of a tie between Tandy (who came out with it for the old MS Flight Simulator and similar games) and Magnavox (who made it their 'default' joystick controller).

[Ostentatious]

"PokeMon is a japanese word meaning 'Demon'."

"Bioware created Dungeons and Dragons."

These two made me laugh out loud. Really, who would be stupid enough to write this stuff? For that matter, how in the 9 Hells did it get past the editor? If guys like this can get a job writing for Game Informers, well....

[wolfbolt86]

Sadly, it wasn't. It was mentioned in passing.

Game Informer is a lot like a lot of 'gaming news' websites, though slightly more reliable about new information. Sadly, they're all but worthless for anything resembling gaming history of any time. Way too much 'fanboy' stuff and no checking on sources.

This that why some of their Nintendo games get lower marks than like Game Pro or Gamespot?

[Jaynz]

These two made me laugh out loud. Really, who would be stupid enough to write this stuff? For that matter, how in the 9 Hells did it get past the editor? If guys like this can get a job writing for Game Informers, well....

The Pokemon thing was all over, but, sadly, the first appearance I remember it from was Nintendo Power. (PokeMon, of course is a contraction of 'Pocket Monster'.)

And Bioware making Dungeons and Dragons? XBox magazine. (Honestly, since the X360 came out, the official XBox magazine has had an awful lot of stupid statements like this.)

[Sir Auros]

OXM has really gone down the crapper, but I think you're being too harsh on Game Informer. Their reviews are untrustworthy garbage (I've thought so ever since their sad justification for panning Paper Mario 2), but I think that out of all the gaming mags I read, they have the best non-preview gaming culture/history articles. I imagine the Nintendo Playstation remark must've been some sort of editing snafu. Their editorial staff is a bunch of fanboys, though.

EGM has editorial integrity coming out the wazoo, and is the only gaming mag I'd really trust, but GI and OXM at least have enjoyable if not informative articles.

Anyone remember PSM? I thought it was pretty good when it was new, but I got a subscription in 06-07, and it was terrible. Talk about a magazine for the fanboys, by the fanboys.

Actually, re-reading the first post, a lot of those read like somebody got sloppy with their typing and spellchecker. For example, "Their first D&D action game was D&D Heroes on the Xbox," could have their turning into "the" through negligence. Doesn't excuse sloppy editing, but most of those are errors too glaring to believe even a gaming blogger would make, much less someone in the print world.

Where it's really at is old videogame magazine ads. I don't think anything hurts their credibility more than some of the advertising.

[Galvatron91]

I realize that once upon a time, when I was a wee lad, I enjoyed Metallica quite a bit...but honest to God, St. Anger was almost unforgivable...no pun intended. But really? They've had 6 years to come up with an album...and this garbage is what they came up with? I've only heard half the album, debuted on a local station in the Twin Cities...and I wanted to pound my head through a cinder block...maybe I've grown up...hell, maybe I've just plain matured...nah...that's not possible, but seriously? I'm sorry...what the ****?

The Day That Never Comes was one of the few songs on this I liked...and even that one at times I had to pause and sort of cringe. Still, it's better than most of the rest of the noise I heard off the other four tracks from Death Magnetic.

[Jaynz]

Just be glad I didn't cite the 'professional' web sites.

But, a lot of this stuff is in passing, and where it hurts is when people repeat it as 'true' despite how absurd it is. (Even if it's chalkable to an editing error, it still gets parroted as gospel.) The 3D gaming stuff are the really big jokes, though, as there are a lot of gamers out there that think gaming actually did startewith 'Doom'. I have no idea how where they think the big-ass yellow PacMan game cabinets came from, mind you.

[Sir Auros]

Re:Galvatron91 Wait, did I miss something, or did you hit "reply" instead of "create new thread?"

Re:TFVanguard - 1up.com is the only gaming site I think is on the level. Gamespot and IGN have demonstrated time and again that they can't be trusted, and Kotaku reads like it's a blog form of NeoGAF.

[Jaynz]

Wait, did I miss something, or did you hit "reply" instead of "create new thread?"

Maybe he was reading 'Play Magazine'?

[Galvatron91]

Re:Galvatron91 Wait, did I miss something, or did you hit "reply" instead of "create new thread?"

Re:TFVanguard - 1up.com is the only gaming site I think is on the level. Gamespot and IGN have demonstrated time and again that they can't be trusted, and Kotaku reads like it's a blog form of NeoGAF.

Whatever do you mean? I would never do such a thing...

[Jaynz]

Re:TFVanguard - 1up.com is the only gaming site I think is on the level. Gamespot and IGN have demonstrated time and again that they can't be trusted, and Kotaku reads like it's a blog form of NeoGAF.

After a few major IGN fiascos, I tend to not even visit any online gaming sites for anything more than walkthroughs. (Dammit, YOU find the .hack ghosts without a walkthrough!) Fortunately my wife and I have enough of an 'insider network' (to use the term somewhat loosely) left these days that'll tell me what I'm likely to like or not still.

I just find a lot of the gaming-related stuff funny, and it kinda sticks with you in the 'they could NOT have meant that' sort of way. The 'Doom is the first video game' one, for instance, really sticks out in my mind, because when they corrected it, they still royally screwed it up. (The magazine responsible is long dead now.)

[secretcode]

Anything in Game Informer is idiotic. I get all my news from N4G (http://n4g.com) or Kotaku (kotaku.com)

This Post Dedicated to my Xbox 360: May 7th 2007- September 4th 2008.

[electro girl]

I think you're right in that game mags dont make for great journalism but I read them for the reviews. I read Ngamer btw.

[Sunstreaker2]

I've had a subscription to Game Informer for a while. Mostly because I get one when I renew my Game Stop card.