Alright. In related news to the prior announcements that TGO has become part of the ScrewAttack Advantage program, I can now confirm the debut dates for Episode 58: "Heavens to Metroid - Revisited." Yes, dates. Plural.
Here's how it's going to work: ScrewAttack users ("G1's") who have subscribed to the Advantage Program will be able to see the episode EARLY on October 13th; while everyone else will be able to view it starting October 20th.
Once again, if you'd like to give Advantage a shot (it's available in both monthly and yearly flavors) you can do so by going HERE (you'll have to register for ScrewAttack first, which is free.) If you do, make sure you pick "The Game OverThinker" from the drop-down menu asking which show you were "referred" by; which ensures that a cut of your subscription fee goes directly to supporting your show of choice.
23 comments:
I never thought moviebob would sell out
Listen, He's a cool guy with a quality product that he's been giving away for free. I think he deserves to make money off of it. If you have something to sell fucking sell it!
To anon:
Define sell out? You know what, that would require work on your part so give me 20 seconds:
"One who betrays a cause for personal advancement."
Now yes, he is getting personal advancement in the form of money, but I fail to see how he has betrayed the cause. He's still producing episodes, still preaching Games as Art. His episodes haven't changed a bit. They're just on a web site and take a little longer to be available to the public.
If the choice is "Produce episodes free for all to view and not get paid." or "Produce episodes free for all to view, just on a specific web site that is still free for all to view and get paid." than it's not being a sell-out, it's not being an idiot.
Considering he's giving you free content, I think he's earned the right to earn a little extra, all you have to do is wait a little longer. It's not like you've actually done anything yourself to warrant Bob to produce these videos, all I've seen you do is moan. The very act of him making them is the opposite to selling out.
Please engage brain before opening mouth next time.
"Sell out"?
Here's a stupid question for people that have accused Moviebob of this: If you were an artist (be that a musician, writer, filmmaker, etc.) what would be the ways to distinguish your "hobby" from a "job"?
1. Tell people how important your craft is to you.
2. Don't be an introverted prick and keep your art hidden from other people.
3. If people actually like your work, see if you can make it profitable.
Ever heard the term "starving artist"? Yeah, in our society you have to make money to eat, live, and do everything else. So what better way to make money than to do something you enjoy rather than slog through a depressing 9-to-5 job that you know you hate every week?
People who complain about selling out are people who have nothing worth selling.
The only problem I have with this is that I haven't got the ability to subscribe for this at the moment. Hope it works out for you Bob.
I agree with Aqua, Love your work hope everything works out but I'll have to watch the new Overthinker on the 20th
meh, I can wait a week. Having the damn thing dated at least let's me brace for the inevitable wails of the man-children
What, seriously? People that pay get the content earlier now? Well shit. I can't say that it's a sellout, but it sure as hell is lame regarding your previous attitude to this kind of stuff. But hey, you know best. I sure won't be paying for it.
I don't think Moviebob is a sell out, anyone creating a work of art does deserves some form of compensation to encourage their efforts and make their part time hobbies full time jobs.
What I am concerned about is people in the advantage program taking said videos and uploading them on youtube anyway which would sort of defeat the purpose of a time delay and those who paid to see it early.
On that note I look forward to seeing moviebobs revisit of Other M considering his video was the only video I have seen that supports it. Despite the fact that I loath the game and made a video refuting his Episode 40.
The only thing that annoys me about this is the use of the word 'early' paying users aren't getting anything extra. And unless time travel is involved, they aren't getting anything early. Everyone else is just getting it later.
It's like preorder bonuses in games. You aren't getting a bonus weapon. You just aren't getting locked out of something you paid for
What Dave said.
This is a step backward. Those who pay don't gain anything, but those who don't pay are losing.
Saying that those who pay get the video earlier is false, they get it when the video is completed, like we all used to. It's just that those who don't pay are "punished" for not having money by having to wait longer for the video.
It sucks that i have to wait an extra seven days to watch it, but it's nice to see you making a bit more green. :D
Okay, this is a bad business decision for Screwattack. I know paid membership is something that they can really use and I can get behind the idea of wanting to be a paying member for a website you like, that is, paying as optional, not a requirement.
Now The Escapist has also done this, and they did it a lot better than Screwattack.
Here is why:
The Escapist actually gives you something different as a paying member, no adds, high res videos. You get an advantage as a paying user.
Srewattack on the other hand gives paying members several things, HOWEVER they take away something from non-paying members, that is a delay in the ability to watch a show.
This just simply screws over non-paying members. And that is very bad for business, since they people that don't want to be paying members could potentially leave the site.
Just my thoughts.
@Everyone talking about Bob as selling out...
I just asked my friend sitting here watching vids with me his thoughts on Bob's videos being delayed a week because of this. His response was much more suscinct than I'd have managed it:
Him: How much am I paying again for Game Overthinker Episodes?
Me: Nothing.
Him: Exactly.
Seriously, what are any of us actually losing over Bob gaining a better revenue stream from this show? Not a bloody thing. Meanwhile some of us certainly will pay the extra money to see the episodes early. I could see this kind of blathering if it was a matter of only seeing them if we paid, but as that isn't the matter *shrugs*
@vlademir1
So if he decided that non-payers could still watch his videos for free, except that he only allows the audio to be heard by payers, would you still consider that fair?
Even though not as bad, this is exactly what MovieBob is doing. No one had to wait after one of his videos is uploaded and posted to watch it. Instead of making his show better for payers, he just makes it worse for non-payers.
Also, there is only a single person in these comments saying that Bob sold out, most are just unhappy by the way he handles this.
"The Escapist actually gives you something different as a paying member, no adds, high res videos. You get an advantage as a paying user.
Srewattack on the other hand gives paying members several things, HOWEVER they take away something from non-paying members, that is a delay in the ability to watch a show."
As someone who's actually been a member of the site for years, I know for a fact that ScrewAttack original content is not being delayed to favor Advantage members. They have no ads, they get additional content in the form of bloopers and stuff, and they offer higher video quality.
If nothing else, the only one deliberately delaying his content for Advantage members is Bob. ScrewAttack has stuck to the same schedule for his free content as they have for years.
@Anon 6:55
I'd probably be okay with an audio only version. A lot of people just watch for his monologues anyway. If the sensible, and not so sensible, comments that popped up with the Anti-Thinker plot are anything to go off of. ;)
But that would arguably be half a show. In which case you'd have a point. We're still getting the full episode. So what's two more weeks, when we've always waited since this show isn't on a set schedule like Bob's other shows?
TIME == MONEY
Therefore waiting a smidge longer for content is your form of payment.
Keep it up, Bob!
Ignore the haters!
Plotters gonna plot!
Alright people this is getting silly. You're still getting the entire full episode just like you always did if you don't pay. You'll still have ads (or not if you have ad blocker), just as you always did.
As far as I can tell the only damage being done is non payers have to wait a week after payees see it. OH NOES, somebody get the WHAAAMBULANCE.
I honestly wasn't even going to buy this and be content with just waiting myself. The only reason I spent any money on this was to help support bob on doing a show I enjoy so much that I can't really morally turn him down when he's asking for financial help and willing to give something a little extra back for it (which he totally doesn't have to - if his show went pay only while these comments would be more warranted he'd still have the right to do so).
Pay, or not - you're still getting the full show. As someone who did pay I don't feel cheated because I paid solely so that I could give something back to the person making the show I enjoy - anything else is just gravy.
It always amuses me when sites try to make their viewers pay to not get spammed with ads. My intertubes have been 100% ad-free since 2004, and there's no payment involved.
Eventually, people are going to have to learn that in a medium where so many people will gladly provide their views and opinions for free, trying to charge for your own views and opinions is a non-starter
Wow.. there is a stark contrast between attitudes here and what can be seen on the current posting at screwattack.
I find it amusing that people gripe about how non-paying members are losing because they have to wait an extra week to see the episode, as if waiting a bit longer is a huge punishment. If it took longer to put the episode together, if G.O. was sick and didn't get the time to knock out the episode for another week no one would be the wiser. But people perceive it as a loss because if they don't pay they don't get it so soon. SO if it was a week late it'd be no big deal, but if it's a week late(r) for non-paying it's "OMG WTF" . lol..
One commenter made a good point, it would be better for non-advantage users to not see the announcements then to see it and not have access to the video.
I see why they do it like this, the announcement is a better way to advertise and try to convince their g1's that they should support the site and pay for the advantage program. But really it looks like all it is doing is rubbing it in their g1's faces and pissing them off. I'd prefer a middle ground and maybe list the G.O. episodes on the screwattack calendar and announce the advantage release on this site so those that enjoy and follow the show are aware of whats currently out there. Those that only vaguely watch it can catch it when they want and don't get all bent out of shape because they think "the man" is trying to push them into paying for something they don't really enjoy anyhow.
I am on the fence when it comes to paying for screwattack. on one hand, I do like their content and I have no issue paying for a quality product. On the other hand, ever since the changover, half the content I've enjoyed has been from outside of their site, and their site itself runs like dogcrap on good hardware. Whatever coding and design they chose, it's just a nightmare to download half the time. Heck I'd be more akin to paying for an advantage program here at G.O.'s site just because despite being a little plane-jane it's streamlined.
In terms of content: I can understand Bob's need to finish telling the story. I can see that those skits are the real enjoyable and creative meat-n-potato's bits of the videos where he gets to have some fun (more then just a lengthy monologue in front of a microphone). But really, what we end up with is a mixture of GREAT conceptual thinking layered over low rent filmmaking that is ambitious-at-best and laughable at worst. The bad ends up tarnishing a lot of the good and so there is this lopsided product. When it was (for all intents and purposes) free to view for the public, judging it's merit and quality wasn't as necessary(though it still is going to happen). Now that it is a commodity, people have to weigh in and say "ok do I like this enough to pay for it?" and that's where the scrutiny really begins to dig in. We're still in hard economic times, so folk are especially careful with their money. Paying $40 a year for screwattack is like cutting one mid-priced game from your yearly roster(or two cheap ones).
I'd like to think supporting Bob and paying means future video's will have better production values and more interesting story lines. But really, what little he will make back is likely earmarked from a few YEARS ago when he started all this with no support at all.
I'm just sorry to see G.O. get caught in a bit of the crossfire at screwattack. I know how tough it can be to get support and maintain a website that gets heavy traffic, and I am all for rallying the troops and trying to get everyone together to help the site survive. I just hope the screwattack staff are sensitive to the brutality that's being applied to their contributors that are trying to support the advantage program, and go to bat for them as a thanks for going to bat for screwattack.
Look, it IS selling out, so let's all stop being petulant about this and trying to say it isn't "just because". Selling out is a nebulous concept but yes, basically, it's used to describe when someone who previously did things for free or "for the love of the game" or whatever start doing things or doing things differently for money. And yes, that is PRECISELY what this is. People who pay will now receive a product faster than those who do not, that is radically changing how things usually work, purely for money, so yes it IS selling out.
BUT the good news is, that there is nothing wrong with selling out. Everyone needs money and hipster movie snobs are no different--I'm sure ordering obscure foreign movies and hundreds of Scott Pilgrim DVDs must be very expensive. So as backhanded a statement as that is, I have to whole heartedly tell everyone complaining about Bob selling out to suck a fuck. He obviously decided giving the internet videoes for free is a stupid business plan, and he's right, you would too...so hows about if his defenders agree to stop being petulant you do the same?
An aside--I don't intend to pay for this, and luckily I don't have to, but I stand by the fact that I do understand why this is happening. It's still selling out, by the most concise and least disagreeable definition thereof at least, but frankly I never had a problem with people selling out. Because frankly, people who don't, people who really do "do it for the art", tend to be sanctimonious asswipes and vapid posers with delusions of authenticity (I'm looking at you P!nk, who can also suck a fuck). So just accept that real people need real money and supplying you with free videos monthly isn't an actual job.
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