The Game Dev, The Dog Killer and the Media Cover
When a developer won't give his own name it's time to stop the interview
Michael Vick - for our non-North American readers - is a US sportsman, a quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles football team. He also went to gaol (aka 'jail') in 2007 due to his involvement with a dog-fighting setup via his own 'Bad Newz Kennels' and the killing at his hands of losing hounds. He's got a video game out on mobiles that is apparently 'dope'.
Sadly it's not 'dope' enough for one of its developers to attach his own name to it. Nor for an interviewer to tell him that this isn't Watergate, it's a guy shilling a product for money. Here's what happened.
GamesBeat (part of the VentureBeat) ran a story called, "How a studio ignored the hate to make Mike Vick: GameTime". The idea is that this studio, KBJGames, had produced a game using the infamous Mr Vick - convicted animal killer and sportsman - to give it buying power. Fair enough. Some people like Grid Iron and some people like cruelty to animals, and there's probably an overlap.
So, the "interview" about the brave company who fought the haters trundled along and then:
Yes indeed, a game developer who makes (and will make money from) a video game asked a journalist writing about that video game, "not (to) use his full name for fear that it would interfere with his other work."
At the very best this either means that the guy is being disingenuous to his other employers, or he simply lacks the courage in his own game-making convictions. As for the journalism... well sure, if this was anything other than a puff piece for an iOS game, then protecting the identity of a source is crucial. But this was a piece about making and selling a product.
Let's also say that Mr Vick has served his time, has shown remorse, is over the whole dog cruelty/animal murder thing and is completely reformed. Let's say that "Josh's" statement that, “It’s Mike Vick. Any time he tries to take a step forward, he gets people trying to shout him down. We don’t ever directly reply to anyone, but we just made sure that we made a quality game that represents us well and Mike’s brand well — the game speaks for itself" is also true.
Then why the hell hide your name? And, on the other side of the coin, where are the journalist's questions to that effect? Because if you can get behind the product on both a moral level and in terms of quality, then there shouldn't be anything to worry about.
Sometimes it's not easy understanding why people don't treat games journalism with deep respect... sometimes.
Before we leave this sorry tale, here's the WHOIS data for the site: kbjgames.com:
"Registrant Contact Details:
KBJ Games
Keyur Joshi (@gmail.com)
5440 Cecilia Court
Cincinnati
OH,45247
US
Sadly it's not 'dope' enough for one of its developers to attach his own name to it. Nor for an interviewer to tell him that this isn't Watergate, it's a guy shilling a product for money. Here's what happened.
GamesBeat (part of the VentureBeat) ran a story called, "How a studio ignored the hate to make Mike Vick: GameTime". The idea is that this studio, KBJGames, had produced a game using the infamous Mr Vick - convicted animal killer and sportsman - to give it buying power. Fair enough. Some people like Grid Iron and some people like cruelty to animals, and there's probably an overlap.
So, the "interview" about the brave company who fought the haters trundled along and then:
“We knew we had to capture Mike’s electricity and bring that excitement to the game,” Josh of KBJGames (who asked we not use his full name for fear that it would interfere with his other work) told GamesBeat. ”Mike is known for being a mobile quarterback, but his style has evolved. He’s more known as a pass-first QB now.” Using that philosophy, KBJGames built an objective-based passing game that requires players to reach a certain amount of points to win a game. “We worked hard to make sure players could have a meaningful experience in three minutes,” said Josh.
Yes indeed, a game developer who makes (and will make money from) a video game asked a journalist writing about that video game, "not (to) use his full name for fear that it would interfere with his other work."
At the very best this either means that the guy is being disingenuous to his other employers, or he simply lacks the courage in his own game-making convictions. As for the journalism... well sure, if this was anything other than a puff piece for an iOS game, then protecting the identity of a source is crucial. But this was a piece about making and selling a product.
Let's also say that Mr Vick has served his time, has shown remorse, is over the whole dog cruelty/animal murder thing and is completely reformed. Let's say that "Josh's" statement that, “It’s Mike Vick. Any time he tries to take a step forward, he gets people trying to shout him down. We don’t ever directly reply to anyone, but we just made sure that we made a quality game that represents us well and Mike’s brand well — the game speaks for itself" is also true.
Then why the hell hide your name? And, on the other side of the coin, where are the journalist's questions to that effect? Because if you can get behind the product on both a moral level and in terms of quality, then there shouldn't be anything to worry about.
Sometimes it's not easy understanding why people don't treat games journalism with deep respect... sometimes.
Before we leave this sorry tale, here's the WHOIS data for the site: kbjgames.com:
"Registrant Contact Details:
KBJ Games
Keyur Joshi (@gmail.com)
5440 Cecilia Court
Cincinnati
OH,45247
US
Comments
fail 1 May 2013 17:30
1/3
lolz.
so "Josh" = Keyur B Joshi
It's a pretty distinct name so I had a quick nose around the nets and got;
oops
so "Josh" = Keyur B Joshi
It's a pretty distinct name so I had a quick nose around the nets and got;
Keyur B Joshi was born in 1985. Keyur currently lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. Before that, Keyur lived in Cincinnati, OH in 2011. Before that, Keyur lived in Cincinnati, OH from 2011 to 2012.
Keyur B Joshi is related to Bhavna Joshi, who is 58 years old and lives in Eastover, SC. Keyur B Joshi is also related to Bhupendra Joshi, who is 62 years old and lives in Cincinnati, OH.
Keyur B Joshi is related to Bhavna Joshi, who is 58 years old and lives in Eastover, SC. Keyur B Joshi is also related to Bhupendra Joshi, who is 62 years old and lives in Cincinnati, OH.
oops
Jeff Grubb 2 May 2013 14:12
2/3
I'd like to point out that I wasn't contacted for this story.
Eric Smith 2 May 2013 22:43
3/3
@Jeff_Grubb Why would you actually want to talk to the subject of your article? I mean, it's not like the author of the story would have any insight into what happened. It is much easier to write baseless stuff when you don't know all of the information.