I was a Gamer Before I was a Blogger

Before I wrote my first word on the internet about games, I was a gamer.  I started playing Asheron’s Call while home on a medical leave.  As an avid lover of all things fantasy, I was so mesmerized by the concept of playing a game online with other people, I felt compelled to write about it.  By the time I’d moved over to Asheron’s Call 2, my mind was a light with all sorts of stories and tales about my MMO adventures that I wanted to chronicle – what being in a virtual world was like, what I was doing, what kinds of characters I was playing and the types of people I met.  I setup a website and for the past seven years, I’ve been writing about the games I’ve played, in one form or another.  I am not a professional blogger. I would however, be writing regardless, just not on the internet.

I’m getting more than a little ticked off by people – podcast show hosts, writers for commercial gaming sites and some comments I’ve read recently, that lump bloggers together, as though we are this single entity with a shared mind, attitudes and behavior.  The podcast from Channel Massive in particular, tends to utter these comments more than most.  I get the impression that they feel as though they are a cut above the rest.  Why is that I wonder?  I find their “Blogosteria” section where they tend to poke fun at the blogging community for blowing something out of proportion rather ironic, given their podcast’s intro shtick with that brutal reference to Vanguard.  Bloggers are no more the same than all Americans, Europeans, Asians, etc.  I’m writing about games because I’m passionate about them and like to share my experiences and thoughts.  No one is paying me to write about them or telling me what to write.

When there is a growing feeling or seemingly pervasive opinion, there just might be a root cause.  Is there an increasing negativity about recent MMOs?  From where I sit/read there seems to be one.  Does that mean it’s the dominant or only opinion?  No.  And because that opinion may be shared across some of the more widely read blogs (I don’t count mine among that tier) does it mean that they are all in cahoots and working together to bring down the population morale?  Nope.  If there is some little league of blogging conspirators, I certainly wasn’t invited to join.  Consider this general rule of analytic thinking, that correlation does not constitute causation. 

Speaking for myself, I’m just a gaming enthusiast writing about the games I play – nothing more and nothing less.  I have no agenda other than sharing my ideas, feelings and opinions about MMOs, some of which may spark thoughtful dialogue.  There are lots of different blogs out there.  Some are purely, personal journals of the gamer’s MMO experiences, while others cross over into discussing gaming news and general commentary.  Blogs are as diverse as the people writing them. There is no common “them” or “those bloggers”.  If a group of blogs shares the same opinion there is probably a reason why they are in agreement.  I’m sure there are followers, as that behavior exists in any community.  However, there is no shared brain or conclave of bloggers off cackling in a corner, plotting what negative set of posts to publish next.

Not reading blogs you don’t like is easy – stop going there.  If you’re still high on a particular game and a podcast show isn’t, stop listening.   There are enough sites, blogs and podcasts out there for you to find the ones that share your opinions and sensibilities.  Hmm, I think I’ll take my own advice and cut Channel Massive out of my podcast rotation.  See how easy that was?

Comments

[p@tsh@t]

/agree

A couple of thoughts to add-- I was a game blog reader before I read Massively precisely because of the things you mention. Independent, insightful, diverse and (if you are just a wee bit selective) vastly more articulate than the so-called gaming press.

I haven't listened to Channel Massive, but I find it just a wee bit ironic that they apparently exhibit such disdain for the source of what is it? at least 1/2 of their site's content?

Without the blogosphere, they'd be stuck rewriting (or not as the case may be) game company press releases and calling it news.

[Saylah]

@P@tsh@t - that is indeed ironic. I've never gone to Channel Massive's website. I found the podcast on iTunes.

[Jason]

@ p@tsh@t

In case there is any confusion (and in all fairness to the editors of massively.com), we are not associated with them in any way whatsoever.

/begin plug for massively.com and Virgin Worlds in sad attempt to gain favor with Michael and Brent

Massively.com has their own podcast and can be found either there, The Virgin Worlds Podcast Collective or Itunes.

/end plug for massively.com and Virgin Worlds in sad attempt to gain favor with Michael and Brent

@ Saylah

Congratulations on being the first blogger to be publicly offended by our Blog-O-Steria segment! Your prize of Age of Barbie: Wrath of The Burning Dreamhouse Online will be sent to you in a few weeks.

"There is no shared brain or conclave of bloggers off cackling in a corner, plotting what negative set of posts to publish next."

Are you sure about that statement Saylah? :) Then may I direct you to the blogosphere and it's blowup over Mythic's recent announcements about Warhammer Online? You couldn't walk five feet on the interwebs without bumping into a blog post about it.

No, there may not be a "League of Blogging Consiprators" (you need to trademark that or at least let me steal the idea from you), but you have to admit that it sure seems that way sometimes.

And don't even get me started on the Bartle interview by Michael Zenke. That was a level 10 blogosphere dramabomb. You can't deny that.

I find that we (MMO podcasters and MMO bloggers alike) are comprised of some of the most rabid gamers out there. At times we tend to take ourselves a little too seriously and we need to step back and poke a little fun at each other. Games are all about the fun, but when the MMO community loses sight of that we like to step in and inject a little humor into the mix.

The Blog-O-Steria segment isn't necessarily pointed at the blogosphere as a whole (although I'm sure it seems that way depending on the particular hot-button topic that week) and yes, I admit that we go off on some bloggers a little harshly. Some will probably be a little cheesed off when we use one their blogs in our show.

When that happens, hopefully they'll take it with a grain of salt, brush themselves off and laugh along with us (or at us). They shouldn't take it as a personal attack on their very soul. At least that's not our intent...unless their soul is made of chocolate. Then we must eat the soul with graham crackers and marshmellows after we roast them on a burning fire of pure rage! None shall be left to blog! NONE!

But I digress...

The point is that WE DON'T HATE BLOGGERS. It's just that some of the rants are too insane (and sometimes insanely funny) to be taken seriously. No one should mistake our little jabs at a particular blogger (or group of bloggers) as a damnation of blogging in general.

We're sorry to have lost you as a valued listener. Perhaps we can direct you to some of our less humorous podcasts from the IGL Network?

Like "One Armed Jeb's Farm Accident Report (with special guest Half A. Bubba)?" Or for our narcoleptic friends, "Wake Up! We're Talzzzzz...."

Sincerely,

Jason (resident drunken idiot of Channel Massive)

[Saylah]

@ Jason - "Are you sure about that statement Saylah? :) Then may I direct you to the blogosphere and it's blowup over Mythic's recent announcements about Warhammer Online? You couldn't walk five feet on the interwebs without bumping into a blog post about it." Then you didn't walk 5 feet far enough. More irony for ya, in using that as an example, when replying to a blogger on whose blog you can't find a post about that or Zenke/Bartle. I commented on other sites but since I don't do news, it that's not something you'd find here. I'm pretty much a first-hand experiences blogger.

There are blogs that post about gaming news - those are the blogs where you'll read about those types of events. Then there are blogs that talk about personal gaming experiences where you generally won't find those types of posts. I will hazard a guess that you're reading the blogs that post about news, but aren't actually new sites.

My point is that at least the CM podcasts I've listened to, there is rarely a mention any particular blogger - they're just all rolled in there together. The Channel Massive podcast isn't the only group exhibiting this behavior but the weekly segment just makes it more obvious as an example.

Yet another characterization about bloggers as being amongst the most rabid fans. Like how would you know that when you'd have no inkling about what people who don't blog behave/think in order to judge how rabid they are or aren't?? In my experience, forum addicts/trolls tend to show more rabid behavior than those of any bloggers I frequent.

As for Massive's podcast. I'm well aware of them and listen to them regularly. :-) And offended, hmm sure, but more like annoyed and cheesed off. No different than being a woman and having "all women" characterized as being a particular way. Or anyone of a certain ethnic background that would prefer their race not be lumped together - or doctors, lawyers, etc. Most people prefer to be recognized for themselves and their own actions versus being labeled with the pack.

Again, I'll stand by my statement that bloggers are as different as the people writing them. Will some of them be the same? Sure, just like people can be similar. Then others will be very different and seeing as how I didn't post about either of the events you mentioned, the five feet you walked obviously isn't every blog, so can't speak to every bloggER.

Like a previous poster said, if you read some of the newer blog or blogs from new gamers, the vibe you're going to get is very different. Perhaps your blog reading rotation is the common denominator and primary factor.

[Relmstein]

I only listen to a few MMO podcasts like Massively Speaking, Van Hemlock, and Shut Up We're Talking. A majority of other ones try way to hard to be entertaining and come off sounding like morning talk radio.

There does seem to be some competition between bloggers and podcasts trying to be the primary source of MMO discussion. Blogs mostly win the news reporting angle because of RSS feeds, but podcasts have more time to explain complicated MMO design. I've never heard of a podcast having disdain for blogs, but Warhammer hype makes people do weird things.

[Openedge1]

Wut's a podcast?

Really, I think I would rather read words than have some geeks who think they are radio personalities speak of THEIR opinions of games.
It is the reason I avidly track all bloggers who post to this "Blogosphere".
Each are unique in the way they write, what they post about, how they post and of course how often.
I do think I will get a more honest point of view about a "Released" game from a blog than a news site.

As to podcasts, naw, it may be hip, but like MMO's, which I also abhor "voice chat" in, I will take the written word and try to create my own opinion based on how I read it.

Cheers

[Saylah]

I listen to many podcasts discussing various subjects. It's a convenient and passive method of hearing opinions and news. I can listen in the car, while dressing or working. I read many more than I listen to but I find it useful.

[p@tsh@t]

@ Jason: Oops. I stand corrected.

*decouples Massively comment from CM comment*

That's what I get for posting in the wee hours.

[Gaming Diva]

I have also been a gamer long before I became a blogger. In fact Gaming Diva is my newest website. I've been blogging for over three years.

I remember gaming on my Commodore 64. I'm now 37. I'm a business owner and writer. I write about technology and technical writing. On the technology websites, I do get a chance to review games which is very cool, but it doesn't sway me when writing a review. If the game sucks, I'll write about it. If I like, it I'll write about that also.

Gamers are different, and it annoys me to no end when some will lump us or any other group into one neat little group. It isn't that easy. I've always thought it best to judge people as an individual. No one likes being judged incorrectly so why do it to others?

I do know that some websites will go out of their way to push buttons, because they receive more traffic on their websites. Of course, they aren't all like that. I'm speaking of a few that I've worked within the past which is one of the reasons I don't write for them anymore. For the most part the websites I've written for have been great and don't inaccurately label people, and they still get a lot of traffic. :-)

[Saylah]

I hear ya, Diva. Blogs since they are personal type web content for the most part and not tied to corporations vary so widely because it's individual people. It's just impossible for "blogs" or "bloggers" to be any particular way. That was all that was bothering me. Personal blogs are being maintained by people out of their own pockets and talking about whatever interests them. I don't like the idea that there's a increasing amount of people blaming the negativity surrounding MMOs on bloggers in general. That's the crux of my beef. :-)

BTW, we share a past career - well, past for me anyway. I'd love to chat sometime how about what you're doing and how it's working out for you. I decided to sell out and re-join Corp America when the dot.com bubble burst. Everyday it's snacking on little bites of my soul. I hope to get out again in the next few years, permanently! *crossing fingers, eyes and toes*

[Gnova]

The article and comments actually are a pretty good indication of how SOME bloggers take themselves too seriously.

It is pretty clear to anyone who listens to the CM show regularly that they obviously don't mean every game blogger on the planet is to blame. However, some of the blogoshere (the part they poke fun at) is a very viral community. This community all link each others blogs, read them, and quote/comment on them in their own blogs often making half-baked observations into full blown fact by the time it has passed through the 3rd blog post. This leads to blogosteria, which I think is a pretty good description of the phenomenom.
Add to that the fact that someone bitching and complaining about a game will get more readership hits then postive feedback. This makes for good kindling for the negativity fires burning brightly in a lot of the mmo blogs at present.

I listen the the channel massive podcast every week and they are pretty indescriminate on who they make fun of. Themselves/bloggers/podcasters/people writing in to the show....

Isn't it great that people think it is okay to move into a public forum, post their often negative "the sky is falling" views, trash public figures and gaming companies, but then can't stand having the mirror turned back onto them.
Lighten up.

[Saylah]

I suppose if we should all lighten up, poke fun and comment on what's going on out there in the blogging community, gaming community, podcasting community, etc., me posting about what I hear/see and my impressions of it, are right in step. *Whew* Glad that's settled.