And make enemies.
We've all been in the mires of our own, probably earnt, derision. You've made a choice, it's been the wrong one, and the consequences are probably just and fitting- but that doesn't mean we have to like and accept the hands we've been dealt. Not at all. In fact, I'll bet that most of us will grumble and whine whenever it comes to eating just desserts, but in our hearts we handle it, because it's what we served up to ourselves. So even when it came to reminding Kotaku exactly why it was that Nintendo were blacklisting them for coverage of the new 'Tears of the Kingdom' Zelda game, I could see a sliver of sympathy their way, because I understand that frustration. Senior staffers should probably maintain a little more professionalism to be sure, but I'm not heart-broken and affronted just because one got a little crazy up on the mic stand. Of course, then there's pettiness.
Pettiness is like the disease that sets in if the illness of 'perceived misjustice' goes untreated, the lowest level of discourse we're all in danger of descending to unless we check ourselves and are allowed to be checked. Be a punching bag for as long as Kotaku has been, however, and humble pie beings to lose it's taste, the skin hardens to slapbacks, the brow thickens against the emitted rays of distributed sensibility. Pettiness is the seductive call of the Id, tugging against sense and reasonability, railing against good sense and posture, seeking to drag you down to that primordial state of slime. Class and gusto would rally our hearts against such primitive pleasures- maintain the higher sensibilities of high-functioning humans. But we're not all subject to class and gusto, else we wouldn't have that font of 'journalistic integrity' know as Kotaku to being with, now would we?
To set the stage, Tears of the Kingdom has been kept staunchly under wraps by Nintendo until very recently, with a few gameplay videos and now early impressions gifted to trusted outlets. (Of which Kotaku is no longer a number thanks to reasons I've discussed in other blogs.) I'd imagine that these 'trusted outlets' are about to be subject to severe investigation in the very near future, however; because the worst has come to past and Tears of the Kingdom has broken the street date, leading to leaks and unsanctioned impressions already hitting the internet. Now of course, being who they are, Nintendo are in panic mode trying to plug these leaks as fast as they can, and most outlets are watching from the sidelines hoping that blame for this deluge breaking through the dam of the review circuit doesn't land on their doors. But for the already punished Kotaku, I guess they feel immune to consequence and integrity.
Because lo-and-behold, Kotaku took it upon themselves to document and present every bit of learnt leaked knowledge they could about Tears of the Kingdom and present to their 'millions of readers'. Yes, mere days after whining that Nintendo wouldn't play with them anymore, the business spits in the face of the big N by profiteering from their misfortune on a public stage- that's just about the height of unprofessional conduct and further validation, if it were ever needed, for Nintendo to never even consider re-establishing cut contact. Any illusions of being atop some form of high horse, for merely being an outlet of something resembling news, is shattered by this- the highest form of gossip rag. Kotaku might as well go around following industry professionals and making creepy bitchy posts about them. Oh wait... Kotaku already has history doing just that... Why do we consider them mainstream again?
Now am I going to say that this a crime against common decency? What kind of hypocrite would that be for the man who watched the GTA 6 leaks like an addict searching down a gram of crack? Reupload the leaks for all I care, do whatever makes you happy and those that want to spoil that experience for themselves will have accepted the consequences. I question what the point is when the game is literally around the corner, but leak enjoyers play by their own drum set. But there has to be a point where you realise that you lose the moral high ground with your actions. You can't whine about how mean Nintendo are treating you, and then piss on their upcoming game publicly for all the world to see. In fact, that should probably elucidate anyone who still tolerates your company as to exactly what breed of 'professional' they're dealing with.
And what's more, we already know just how litigious Nintendo are and can be. Stepping on this landmine of a situation is frankly just an asinine direction to take oneself as an 'apparent' purveyor of news. Not in the pursuit of anything hard hitting or standing up to the tyranny of oppression, but in the vain pursuit of appeasing personal vendettas. Within the bible of journalistic ethics this is pretty much the absolute pits of 'do not do' conduct. But Kotaku have sailed past the boat of integrity a very long time ago it would seem. If this doesn't earn that a cease and desist at the very least I will absolutely flabbergasted, because the relationship between publishers and content creator's is a fragile alliance at the absolute best- a draw bridge held up by mutual begrudging trust. If anyone is going to burn that bridge and ruin things for everyone else; it's going to the selfish and petty cretins who squirm about the Kotaku offices.
Of course, 'Leak Culture' in general is a little of a snippy topic, isn't it? Leaks for video games can, at the wrong times, be worse than a scuppering of marketing efforts- in the worst instances they can lead to entire games being canned for being seen before they were ready. Some leaks drive a stake through the heart of developed work and the worst of the worst can compromise a game's code before the title has even had the chance to hit shelves. Engaging with that is like wrestling with your own heart and asking how much you're willing to bear whilst still being able to sleep at night and recognise the mug in the mirror. As a moral hotpot, I guess it's no surprise that an institution like Kotaku spared no expense in leaping face first in that mire to get a whiff of it's prize in return for quick and cheap clicks.
Kings of their mountain of trash, the folks over at Kotaku squirm and wiggle like rats- and once again they bring down the bar of all their compatriots with their antics. The fact that Kotaku ever grew as big as it currently is remains a total mystery to me, but I know well the effect they've had on culture. Thanks to them, any bizarre games journalist drivel has a knee-jerk attachment to their rag, even when it originally belonged to someone else. I have to check everytime that the Miles Morales review quote wasn't from their staff, because the team are just so darn notorious for it that I have to. In the currently world we're in the sway of 'intuitions' is evaporating, and it's the arse end of Kotaku that reveals exactly what these people are when backed into the corner. Opportunists. Rats. And self-righteous hypocrites. Let them starve, I say. What them eat themselves alive.
