Gaming journalism is possibly one of the most distrusted professions and there’s a great deal of scrutiny surrounding critical scores. This is expected though as people are very passionate and knowledgeable about their favourite game franchise. Additionally, becoming a professional gaming journalist is a dream for many people and it can be frustrating to see hired individuals showing a complete lack of knowledge. IGN’s readership is absolutely massive, but also known for inconsistent reviews scores, and poor standards of writing.
Recently, during a round-table discussion, one journalist claimed PC gaming didn’t have any major recording software and lacked in this department compared to the Xbox One. This is laughable as prior to the latest consoles, recording footage on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 required a dedicated piece of hardware. In contrast to this, the PC has a huge array of software including XSplit, Fraps, Open Broadcast Software, MSI Afterburner, Shadowplay, Dxtory and more! Once again IGN’s complete incompetence surrounding the PC gaming industry and hardware defies belief.
The journalist in question, Sean Finnegan, attempted to defend his comments and said:
Listen, I obviously know about Shadowplay and Fraps and other such apps for PC capture. That's not really what I was getting at, lol.
— Sean Finnegan (@_seanfinnegan) November 16, 2015
This response doesn’t evoke a sense of confidence and exemplifies IGN’s atrocious journalistic standards. To be fair, mistakes can happen, but this is a simple concept and doesn’t require years of industry experience to be aware of. Windows 10 now integrates a capture feature to make sharing footage incredibly easy. It’s no wonder gaming audiences around the world distrust journalists. Without sounding too harsh, it makes me question how someone could attain such an important job position while spouting rubbish. Finnegan’s remarks are akin to something you would hear from a devout Xbox fanatic.
As modern media changes, traditional print outlets are being closed down. Furthermore, IGN is becoming a laughing stock among a certain core demographic and these ignorant comments won’t help matters.
IGN do my head in, absolute fucktards teaching more and more people how to become fucktards themselves
This also applies to The Verge, Boy Genius Report, Mashable, etc. It is incredibly sad to see from someone that advises family, friends, and colleagues regularly on various technologies.
This coming from someone who routinely bashes anything Microsoft?
All of these dumfucks must go to the same “school of stupid” as the apple CEO.