Re: [DL] OK, pardners, LISTEN UP!

[SteveL1979@aol.com]

In a message dated 2/1/2001 11:19:20 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
coburn@sympatico.ca writes:

<< Well, I wish you success then.  I can't in good conscience support that 
kind
 of editorial policy, even if what I would have to say about any game I am
 likely to spend the time reviewing would be positive (unless it was such a
 barking dog that I felt the need to vent, which hasn't happened to date). >>

    Ah, but you see, Ross, that's generally the *exact same sort of thinking* 
motivating sites like I-RPG and PYRAMID, which generally only publish 
positive reviews. These sites have limited resources to expend on reviews -- 
space, reviewer time, and so on and so on. They prefer not to waste space 
trashing bad products; they'd rather promote products they like -- just like 
you're not likely to waste time writing a review of a product you don't like.
    The old subtitle for the PYRAMID review column, "Gee, Wish *We'd* Done 
That!" is a perfect encapsulation of their policy. They want to review the 
games that impress them so much they wish they'd thought of them first, or 
done such a quality job on a similar book. I don't see anything wrong with 
that, nor do I think it constitutes censorship. It's a resource allocation 
decision.
    I'm not necessarily saying I'd establish such a policy if I were running 
a website or magazine. But I think it's a perfectly understandable and 
legitimate one, and not a matter of censorship at all.

Steve Long