How Duke Nukem cost a dude his job

Matt Hawkins Contributing Writer, Video Games

Also, my “review” of the game, if you can call it that. But first…

duke1 How Duke Nukem cost a dude his job

So writing about video games is basically a ridiculously fun gig. I know I’m living a teenage boy’s wet dram and feel legit lucky that I’m able to pay my rent by posting copious amounts wacky YouTube vids of game related nonsense. Tracking down the latest game related news can be tricky, but if you know where to go and have a decent/unique enough angles, it’s also all good.

Now when it comes to game reviews, that’s when things get a little tricky. As you might have noticed, I haven’t done a whole lot of them around here… at least as of yet. Mostly it’s because I’m actually not very good at playing games, and it takes almost forever for me to beat anything. I’m also fairly lazy. There’s also a third factor that is hardly the worst thing in the world, but can be slightly annoying: if one wants to review a game, primarily if it has yet to be release, one must constant the PR firm that’s handling the game. Sometimes it’s an internal team within the publisher, or hired hands.

PR folks will either kiss your ass or blow you off, depending on how important they believe you are in their eyes, and that depends on how prominent the outlet you’re representing is. Thankfully Guyism is known well enough that I certainly don’t have to get on my hands and knees to request a game. I guess I’m just turned off by the entire process, from experiences in the past, when I really was a nobody, hence why I don’t even want to get started. Ultimately, if a game is important enough, I can just buy a copy myself. That stance is actually in reaction to some fellow game journalists, the whiney ones who act so offended and mortified if they’re denied a game, but that’s a whole different conversation. Basically, even if I did get a title before the rest of the public did, there’s a good chance I wouldn’t beat the thing until it’s finally out.

Also, back to cry baby reporters, this is one of the reasons why I sometimes sympathize with PR people, because if I had to handle countless requests from arrogant game writers (reporters and reviewers are a bitter, bitchy lot to begin with, but if your main bag is that you know more about Super Mario more than the average person on the street? yikes), more than likely a few deserving ones will get lost in the shuffle. I try not to take anything personally, basically. Still, the whole infrastructure can be rather awkward.

Once you get the game, the PR person will no doubt want to know what you think and a copy of the review. It’s part of their job after-all. And if you have less than kind things to say, that’s when things can get very uncomfortable. Again, I sympathize, because often they’re representing total train wrecks, and its not their fault, since they didn’t make the game themselves. And their bosses want… nay, demand high scores, which must make their jobs pretty difficult.

Sometimes I will feel legit bad for saying something negative about a game, because I feel like I’m really hurting the bottom-line of the publicists (well, I am… whereas I generally have zero sympathy for the game’s publishers, since it’s their damn fault for okay a crap game), but in other instances it just opens another can of worms.

A good number of them can definitely handle the negative news better than others, whereas the worst ones get genuinely pissed at you if you don’t like what they’re offering. That’s where being blacklisted comes in. I’ve been removed and banned from so many game company PR lists that I’ve lost track. For the most part, and not to name names, but its from the bigger publishers, who have the biggest, most inflated sense of self worth, that trickles down directly to their handlers. Not helping is the army of other writers who love to kiss their asses, to get in good with the free stuff.

The absolute worst instances have had perturbed PR goons send angry emails to my editors, who have all thankfully stood my side. Basically, PR involves drinking the Kool Aide, which I totally get, but some don’t delude the formula enough with water. Though no one holds a grudge all that long, and every PR firm with beef with me has eventually forgiven and forgotten. Or, to be more precise, there were personnel changes and whomever hates my guts has moved on elsewhere.

But yeah, being written off because, honestly, you were just doing your job and they did after-all want their opinion, is pretty obnoxious. They’re not supposed to be behave in such a manner, and every PR firm will most certainly dent that it goes down. But it does, no one simply talks about it, or simply accept the fact that it’s just how business is done.

Enough with the background, time to talk about DNF: I was one of the “lucky” reporters to be approached by the entity that 2K hired to represent the game, about the idea of a review. Honestly, I probably would have said no in most instances because, among other reasons, I’m just not a FPS guy, they’re hard for me to play. I’ve also always had a disdain for the character of Duke, yet I also like a comeback story, and was hopeful that a game that has been stuck in limbo for 10 plus years might be good enough after-all.

When it finally showed up one morning, I gave it a quick run, and was mortified by what I was experiencing. Not soon long after, the first, other outlets decided to run their reviews, and they were all pretty scathing… yet totally on the money. Around this time, an email came out from the PR dude that was in charge of Duke, asking everyone to hold off on reviews till it came out, so one could play alongside other actual players, to judge the game in its ultimate environment. There’s been debate among my peers if such a request was valid one, or overstepping any boundaries. I honestly believe it was a fair request, and I was willing to totally play along.

But others did not, and the negative reviews kept coming and coming and coming. Which I knew this dude… Jim… would have to compile and present to his bosses, which had to suck. The thing is, the number one rule of being a PR person is to NEVER lose your cool. Unfortunately, Jim broke that rule a few nights ago when he went on Twitter and basically lambasted all journos that needless trashed the game in his eyes (I will admit that there’s instances in which a game will become a needless punching bag and this instance is most certainly NOT one of them) and said that all complainers will be denied access to future games.

As noted above, this isn’t exactly new, but never before has anyone actually come out and said it in public. Anyhow, because I didn’t follow the guy on Twitter, I totally missed all this, but I didn’t miss the following email that sent out after his online breakdown…

Hello,
 
I would like a quick moment of your time to humbly ask for your forgiveness. I made a major error in judgment. I acted out of pure emotion without any thought to what I was saying. It is with a sad heart that I come to you now asking that you forgive me. I posted a Tweet this evening saying that I was reviewing The Redner Group’s policy for future reviews of video games based on today’s Duke Nukem Forever scores. I must state for the record I was acting on my behalf. 2K and all other clients had nothing to do with my comment. I want to be very clear that this came through me and was in no way affiliated with any of my clients especially my former client 2K.
 
Though I didn’t name names, I did say that I thought some reviews had gone too far in tone. Meaning, that the tone of some of the reviews was poor. I respect the scores, it had to deal with the tone. I was unable to properly convey that in 140 characters. But that it beside the point. We are all entitled to our opinions regardless of score, tone or meaning. My response was a juvenile act on my part. I know better and my emotion got the best of me. I have worked very hard on this project. I want it to succeed. I just got upset and acted out.
 
I believe we are all allowed to voice our opinions and that opinions by their very nature are correct. Many of you quickly pointed out my error in judgment. For that I thank you and apologize.
 
I truly respect what you do. You have helped me achieve a little bit of success in this industry. I depend upon you. Your coverage is of the utmost importance to me. You have helped me secure coverage for all of the projects that I have touched. I have tried to treat you all with respect, dignity and honesty. Tonight I threw that all away, and I am extremely sorry.
 
The video game industry is an industry that I love. I have tried to dedicate myself to this industry.  Tonight I failed the industry.
 
With much respect, I hope that when we meet again you will be able greet me with a smile and without malice. I will gladly do the same.
 
I am truly sorry for what I did. I know better than that. If I have caused you any issues, now or in the past, I apologize.  
 
Best of luck,
 
Jim Redner

… And not too long afterward, the dude was fired. And thing is, the stupidest part of it all, is how Jim could have easily taken all the negative reviews and put a decent enough spin on them. Dude had to know what the rest of the world already knows: fans of Duke are going to buy the game anyway, regardless of the harsh criticism. He could have presented a case that basically stated “Screw all the haters, DNF isn’t for them, it’s for YOU!!!” That’s like marketing 101, Jesus Christ.

Well with all that in mind, here’s my review…

duke2 How Duke Nukem cost a dude his job

Duke Nukem Forever totally sucks. Everything bad you’ve hard about the game is true. Don’t buy it.

End of story.

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