We need to have a talk about Digital Foundry comparisons

Mass Effect · Nov 21, 2020

TaySan said:
Yeah, nothing of value would be lost disabling the comments section.

T-800 said:
Well said. Turn off the comments as nothing good comes from them.

Nothing except engagement. And less engagement = less exposure = less revenue. It sucks, but that's how Youtube works.

There's a reason the vast majority of content creators leave comments on even if it becomes toxic; they're beholden to the algorithm.

unapersson · Nov 21, 2020

Mass Effect said:
Nothing except engagement. And less engagement = less exposure = less revenue. It sucks, but that's how Youtube works.

There's a reason the vast majority of content creators leave comments on even if it becomes toxic; they're beholden to the algorithm.

Yeah, switching off comments would hurt them in the long run, they need some volunteer moderators.

Doctor Phishshoe · Nov 21, 2020

I see it is really gettin to John, he is just too nice, but i think he needs to bite the bullet. Disable comments on youtube(maybe bad for the algorythm idk) and block anyone that dares to make a consolewarring comment on twitter or even set the account to private.

The environment of their YT comments right now is just highly toxic, and you wont fix that with simply explaining things in a nice way(sadly) it calls for heavy measures. And yeah that may affect the algorithm , so i guess you could set in a mod with a vengeance to delete any toxic commenr or just never look at the comments again. I dont say that last part is easy, but come on mental well-being goes before educating the people that dont wanna be educated

HebrewHammer · Nov 21, 2020

Lord Error said:
I really feel bad for John. He's been on the same forums I was for so many years, and I really respect him. I don't know if the other guys there are taking it any better, but I've read several times now that all those comments got him down really badly. Even when you know 100% that what you are reading makes no sense, you still visualize that another actual human being, somewhere, is really angry at you. It's weird, and it's really hard to deal with something that to you has no basis in reality, but someone, somewhere is throwing stones at you over it.

Man, this is such a great and succinct take on so much more than this subject. Accurate all around.

Tortahegesztő · Nov 21, 2020

Yeah it's sad to see how much it gets to them, especially John. I guess as long as they get this kind of behaviour from all kinds of platform warriors they can be sure they are impartial.
Keep the great content coming, for the sake of those who can appreciate it properly and best wishes for the DF crew!

T-800 · Nov 21, 2020

Mass Effect said:
Nothing except engagement. And less engagement = less exposure = less revenue. It sucks, but that's how Youtube works.

There's a reason the vast majority of content creators leave comments on even if it becomes toxic; they're beholden to the algorithm.

True. Don't read them then.

Mr.Deadshot · Nov 21, 2020

As soon as you directly compare two things that have a huge fanbase and call one better than the other you will get these reactions. The best you can do is try to ignore them or not engage with the toxic ones. It sucks, but it was bound to happen.

Even around here on Era, some people couldn't wait to see which of the in most cases badly optimized launch games would perform slightly better on which hardware. It's basically like sports for them where one team fights the other and there always has to be a "winner".

But on the other side: This is what makes these videos so popular and why you can make a living out of them. Without all the crazy fanboys these videos wouldn't be as popular, so in the end it works in their favour. Maybe try to see it that way.

Xando · Nov 21, 2020

Honestly hope now that both consoles are out the warring will reduce all over the internet (even here it has become insane in the past month).

People need to get their shit together and just enjoy great games.

Alexandros · Nov 21, 2020

Firmus_Anguis said:
Alex gets this type of shit too. I'm not saying Era is anywhere close to the levels of crazy I've seen on Twitter, because we aren't.

I strongly, strongly disagree. The only difference I see between those people on Twitter and those of us who post in Digital Foundry threads is that the threat of moderation has trained people into saying the exact same crap in a more subtle and roundabout way. The Valhalla DF thread is 40 or so pages of bad-faith posting and most of those involved should feel damn lucky that the moderators didn't take a lawnmower to that thread.

The problem is twofold. It's not just fanboyism which can more or less be expected in a core-gamer forum. It's the combination of wanting to root for a specific platform combined with a sometimes shocking lack of understanding of very basic aspects of software and hardware. Digital Foundry has democratized benchmarking and most of the crowd it's pulling in does not understand the content itself, it's just there for the numbers in order to claim victory over the enemy.

Patitoloco · Nov 21, 2020

Firmus_Anguis said:
I'm not saying Era is anywhere close to the levels of crazy I've seen on Twitter, because we aren't.

That's a hard hard lie, and the moment Era as a community understands it, it might start getting better.

Xando · Nov 21, 2020

Patitoloco said:
That's a hard hard lie, and the moment Era as a community understands it, it might start getting better.

Yeah. ERA has gotten really good at skirting console war around being banned. It might not be as in your face as twitter but it certainly is BIG here.

Sparks · Nov 21, 2020

The thing I've been realizing about the issue of the internet, is that normal people just doing their jobs can be elevated to a point of "celebrity" but without the benefits of being one, so you do not have the money to help cushion against the negative consequences of being in a spotlight. (Hiring a team that can deal with all the shit for example, good legal teams and when things get even worse; security ect.) You see it all the time with streamers ect.

People can suck, it's unfortunate this has to even be an issue (sorry if this seems off topic, just something that has been bugging me).

Karlinel · Nov 21, 2020

It's typical of weak-minded, emotionally undeveloped and childish people to kill the messenger that brings them the bad news (XsX has a 3% disadvantage in a game!!). But information is key, bring the good work, Dictator and Dark1x

Overflow · Nov 21, 2020

Love the whole DF team, they quickly became my favourite YouTube group.

Type422 · Nov 21, 2020

I've got the feeling that it just got worse over people in the gaming media. In the times of PS2/GC/Xbox there were always some little battles in forums about the consoles, editors were critized etc. But it never got in the territory of pure hatred und insults.
Perhaps it was because not every idiot had access to the internet at that time...

DaleCooper · Nov 21, 2020

The guys at DF are great. Sadly, this niche collides with directly with petty fanboys. I also think that the next-gen launches are driving even more degenerates out of their holes. Hopefully they will fade away again over time.

boris_feinbrand · Nov 21, 2020

Disable comments on videos. Nothing good ever comes from them. Never has, never will.

Ramirez · Nov 21, 2020

I've been reading Dark1x's posts since the original Gaming-Age days, dude always knew his stuff. People suck.

Deleted member 8784 · Nov 21, 2020

Patitoloco said:
That's a hard hard lie, and the moment Era as a community understands it, it might start getting better.

This exactly.
We might use the fact that we're relatively progressive and the fact that obvious dickheadery gets shot down here as a comfort blanket to kid ourselves with, but it doesn't take much to peel back the veil.

The feeling of superiority is not earned - this forum is rammed with nastiness. There's a reason why good people don't come here any more.

daninthemix · Nov 21, 2020

Obviously the comments are out of order but content like this is begging for fanboy wars and bile. Begging for it.

My suggestion: turn off all comments, don't use Twitter etc. Make it a one-way feed. The content is truly great for people who are legitimately trying to decide which version of a game to get, and also for people who are simply curious. Alas, I fear those 2 groups together are a minority.

Podge293 · Nov 21, 2020

Xando said:
Yeah. ERA has gotten really good at skirting console war around being banned. It might not be as in your face as twitter but it certainly is BIG here.

Aye you just need to look at the recent DF thread around AC Valhalla for proof

Type422 · Nov 21, 2020

Consolewar this time is just silly. The differences in the two consoles are so miniscule...

kyorii · Nov 21, 2020

Heh I remember in the old place folks would dog him so bad that they even gave him the 30fps tag. How times have changed. Personally I love the work that he does for DF along with dictator.

Bitch Pudding · Nov 21, 2020

I believe, no, I know that Dark1x , Dictator and the team of DF do a great job.

Sometimes, when you publish stuff, that stuff will be subject to criticism. Both in good and bad faith. I hope they find a way to make peace with that fact. Even if that means to not read the comment section or twitter replies anymore.

Think of resetera as a place do discuss DF analyses what you want, you'll find those nutjobs here, too of course, but at least we have moderators who will take care of them (eventually).

Hitcher · Nov 21, 2020

It's the internet - simple as that.

crazillo · Nov 21, 2020

I find Twitter to be the most hostile online place. Not just for gaming, also in general. Would advise DF individuals to get off it.

Deleted member 20852 · Nov 21, 2020

They make great videos with real technical insight. I often watch their videos about games I'm not even getting just because I find them interesting. It's really sad that the content is used to fuel the usual gamer talk (tm) and console warring leading to personal harrassment.

shodgson8 · Nov 21, 2020

Bitch Pudding said:
I believe, no, I know that Dark1x , Dictator and the team of DF do a great job.

Sometimes, when you publish stuff, that stuff will be subject to criticism. Both in good and bad faith. I hope they find a way to make peace with that fact. Even if that means to not read the comment section or twitter replies anymore.

Think of resetera as a place do discuss DF analyses what you want, you'll find those nutjobs here, too of course, but at least we have moderators who will take care of them (eventually).

Sadly it's not the case. There was a thread here with Alex in where he literally got called a Nazi by one user because of a scar...people are just fucking crazy.

Huge respect to both of them (and all of DF) for producing such great content, I wouldn't in any way want the attention it brings personally but really do appreciate the work they put in.

thenexus6 · Nov 21, 2020

DF do Gods work when it comes to analysing performance of games / tech. It is super helpful having a source to base our purchasing choices on.

However the very concept of this channel / their content unfortunately invites the console war morons like moths to a flame, and there really isn't anything DF can do about that. If your DF results don't fall in line with my warped preferences or agenda then I will go HAM on your comments / social pages is pathetic.

Maybe they could do something like patrons / subs / members can type in the comment section only like twitch does. At least that might cut out alot of the comment leaving idiots.

itsaziz · Nov 21, 2020

Why don't they just moderate their comments section?

Deleted member 1698 · Nov 21, 2020

Type422 said:
Consolewar this time is just silly. The differences in the two consoles are so miniscule...

Meanwhile in the PS3 v 360 generation "But if I had to make a choice it would be the 360 version, if only for the gamerscore challenges"

War never changes.

Type422 · Nov 21, 2020

Toddhunter said:
Meanwhile in the PS3 v 360 generation "But if I had to make a choice it would be the 360 version, if only for the gamerscore challenges"

War never changes.

Yep, I guess you are right xD

Mars People · Nov 21, 2020

It comes with the territory.

If you say X is better than Y in some way and X and Y are super expensive, currently rare items, people are going to be pissed off.

And by people I mean morons.
And there are a lot of morons.

They shouldn't allow comments on the videos honestly.

Bitch Pudding · Nov 21, 2020

shodgson8 said:
Sadly it's not the case. There was a thread here with Alex in where he literally got called a Nazi by one user because of a scar...people are just fucking crazy.

Huge respect to both of them (and all of DF) for producing such great content, I wouldn't in any way want the attention it brings personally but really do appreciate the work they put in.

i remember this, that user was banned only (!) for a week (?), probably because the two of them sorted this out beforehand.

Roytheone · Nov 21, 2020

I feel it's not just digital foundry. A lot of journalists and developers stopped posting on era I noticed since even though this is one of the better gaming discussion forums, it can still be hostile as hell to them. I don't blame anyone for dipping out.

Lowrys · Nov 21, 2020

Nothing is going to stop the trolls and idiots on social media and in the comments, so sad as it is they just need to turn off the comments or, hard though it may be, ignore them all. There will always be assholes, that will never go away.

takriel · Nov 21, 2020

I fully understand and support this. However, I hope that people like John can learn to ignore these kinds of comments and stop replying to them. Nothing good comes of it.

John, if you're reading this: You're an expert at what you do. Don't let these clown tell you otherwise.

monmagman · Nov 21, 2020

Yea,it's quite a shame that stating simple facts can enrage people on the internet so much.

Koklusz · Nov 21, 2020

Alexandros said:
Digital Foundry has democratized benchmarking and most of the crowd it's pulling in does not understand the content itself, it's just there for the numbers in order to claim victory over the enemy.

This really sums up the entire issue. Some people are addicted to confirmation bias, and are getting mad and hostile when they don't get any. They probably don't even care about the brand all that much, it's all about personal validation.

Dekuman · Nov 21, 2020

We all have preferences but console warriors are terrible.
I also highly doubt it's just about some rando commenter on youtube on Twitter, i've seen people here be really salty about their analysis videos.

nanskee · Nov 21, 2020

The average console gamer is probably over the age of 24, you'd think people would be too old for this shit by now

Dekim · Nov 21, 2020

This vitrol will die down as the generation progresses and people accept whatever position their favorite toy lands at. We're still at the launch phase of this generation, so the insecurity and tribalism is at its highest.

ps3ud0 · Nov 21, 2020

Man I wish I had the time to waste on such frivolities - any time I had is taken up working out to get my PS5 to blend into my decor...

ps3ud0 8)

impingu1984 · Nov 21, 2020

DF are great... I especially love Dictator PC focused content and I'm really looking forward to deep dive on Cyberpunk, hopefully so I can dial in my ideal settings...

Don't listen to the idiots guys

eraFROMAN · Nov 21, 2020

DF helps me maximize and understand the options I have with the machine I chose and that's why I like their videos; I cannot imagine being insulted that a game runs differently on different machines, especially when we live in a world of patches. Comments should be off on everything by default at this point; the 10 or so terrible ones poison the well for all of the praise, feedback, and compliments that can come through. Wild.

Deleted member 21709 · Nov 21, 2020

Firmus_Anguis said:
John stopped posting here for a reason. Alex is still here, thankfully. Again, it's nowhere near Twitter... But it's there and we need to do better. I think setting examples helps. There's always stuff we could improve upon.

The reason why John stopped posting here is different though, and without bringing back that discussion - of his own doing.

Gotdatmoney · Nov 21, 2020

So I just watched NX gamer and the Digital Foundry AC:V comparisons. This is what people are freaking out about? Game runs worse on the Series X and tears a lot more. I was expecting a huge difference. 10-15% performance delta is notable but this is a cross gen game on 7 systems. That's a lot of work for developers. It will get better.

fontguy · Nov 21, 2020

I truly see no way around this other than not being a visible figure in any way related to the gaming industry (or anything with any sort of fandom, really). This is such a ubiquitous, endemic thing that I can't even begin to imagine what it would take to resolve it. The individuals being targeted need to (and can only) take steps to protect themselves.

headspawn · Nov 21, 2020

John needs to figure out when it's not worth it to respond to obvious troll bait; he's been stepping in it constantly... like a dude who clearly hasn't watched the video complaining about something of their own delusion and then calling out your credentials and you engage with that?

You can take two seconds to look at these peoples Twitter feeds and it's usually like one or two posts deep and you'll see that they're just toxic for the sake of being toxic.. no point in engaging.

I can see replying to correct dumbshit but he'll go in and actually try to get them to understand and shit, and that's just not something trolls are there to do. Seems blatantly obvious at times. Just stressing himself out for no gain.

Dennis8K · Nov 21, 2020

Digital Foundry is great.

I don't know what they can realistically do except to ignore the assholes.

We need to have a talk about Digital Foundry comparisons

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