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In one of her previous "Biting the Hand" editorials, Jessica Mulligan raved on the relationship between the writing press and game developers/publishers, hinting at the fact that these relationships might be too tight to be good.
As could be expected several columnists jumped behind the keyboard and flamed her. Some of these responses you can find in her latest Biting the Hand column. To warm you up here is one of the replies:What bothered me about Mulligan's column was her assumption that all game writers are unable to resist the "unwritten quid pro quo." It reminds me of a saying I heard attributed to Willie Brown (former Speaker of the California Assembly, now Mayor of San Francisco) on the effect of lobbyists: "If you can't come here, drink their liquor, eat their food, and then still vote against them, you don't belong here." Similarly, I expect professional writers can take the junkets, eat the food, drink the beer, and write a savage review if the game warrants it. It is the same thing I expect out of any other specialty magazine. If a particular writer breaks that trust ("I forgot I wrote the strategy guide and the only positive review."), then I will remember that when I read any other reviews from them.
Her assumption doesn't even pass a facial test. If all it takes is free stuff to sway a review, why is there ever a negative one? Why didn't Swamp Buggy Racing win at least one Editor's Choice? |
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Jessica Mulligan gets her hand bitten
