Please don't bring personal politics into a video game review...

[CM30]

Seriously, who greenlit this?

https://archive.is/to0pJ

Cause 99% of the 'review' is talking about how Australia is represented in the media and how same sex marriage politics work in the country. In a review about racing cars round tracks set in Australia.

This is irrelevant:

To my mind the most accurate video game representation of Australia, as it stands right now, is 2004's Escape from Woomera. It's a game that was made partly with funding from the Australia Council (for the Arts), and is meant as an indictment on our treatment of refugees. It was released in an unfinished form and proved hugely controversial, attracting criticism from politicians and human rights organisations.

And this is just...

This is not a feeling I'm entirely comfortable with. On the same day my review code for

Forza Horizon​

3 appeared in my inbox, our current prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull – who unseated previous gargoyle prime minister Tony Abbott during a now-traditional vicious leadership spill in September 2015 – introduced a much-maligned same-sex marriage plebiscite legislation in Parliament. This plebiscite, proposed by a prime minister who has openly stated that he supports same-sex marriage, will let the public vote on whether they think same-sex marriage should be allowed or not.

Here's a hint for the writer; 99% of people reading this do not give a toss what the laws are in Australia or who Malcom Turnbull is or that there's a vote on same sex marriage. For most of them, they couldn't do anything about it even if they wanted to, since they're not Australian. For the rest, they're living their life and voting as expected.

Get to the bloody point.

Say something about the game. People came to the site to read about Forza, not a political diatrebe by some bloke on the internet.

I mean, it's not like you couldn't write about these issues in say, a political article on Vice or whatever instead. That would at least be relevant.

But yeah, don't do this people. When you're writing about a video game, you're supposed to be writing about the game. Not the political situation in the country the game is supposedly set in. This is a perfect example of how not to be a good journalist.

 

[Calin]

When you're writing about a video game, you're supposed to be writing about the game. Not the political situation in the country the game is supposedly set in. This is a perfect example of how not to be a good journalist.

It's amazing how many people don't get this.

 

[Artisan Vistra]

It's called journalism. They can get away with hell.

The game was developed in 2003 and 2004 by a team of Australian video game industry professionals and an investigative journalist, using Half-Life's GoldSrc engine. The developers received an AU $25,000 grant from the Australia Council to make the game, propelling the project to national attention, where the idea received a predominantly negative reception. The Australia Council's decision to fund the game drew condemnation from both Minister for Immigration Philip Ruddock and Australian Human Rights Commission leader Dr. Sev Ozdowski. Unable to secure further funding, a full game was never developed, and the playable prototype was made available free of charge online.

^This is excellent business strategies right here. ^

Bigots will be given a large forum, and funding, to voice their hate.

Can't agree more.

 

[Kaynil]

I pretty much agree with you guys, if you are doing a proper review keep it related to the game. I think it is fine to go a bit to the tangent to express points but those shouldn't take more room than the content related to the game. They should be kept to a minimum and swiftly shift the topic back to the game itself.

Although to be fair, checking the article itself I get the feeling this was never meant to be a review and it was more about voicing something, like an itch that needed to be scratched, on how this game did more than what we usually see when it comes to seeing Australia depictions in the video game industry.

Personally, I think he should have taken out those paragraphs explaining Australian chaotic politics and condensed in his own summary "Australia is, to be blunt, a hateful country in a lot of ways right now". Going in detail like he did just detract from the point he was trying to make which is that the game did an excellent job capturing Australian's neighbourhoods to the point he almost felt Patriotism, although there is a lot not to feel proud about right now going on in the Country.

 

[CM30]

If it's not meant to be about the game, label it as something else.

That stuff could have been part of a different article which was about Australia in general, not part of an article about Forza Horizon 3.

 

[Artisan Vistra]

If it's not meant to be about the game, label it as something else.

That stuff could have been part of a different article which was about Australia in general, not part of an article about Forza Horizon 3.

You don't like to have your peas and mashed potatoes mixed?

That's just the impression I am getting.

 

[Calin]

You don't like to have your peas and mashed potatoes mixed?

That's just the impression I am getting.

It's not really peas and mashed potatoes as much as it is peas and an ice cream sundae. Like who the hell eats peas with their ice cream sundae? Nobody wants that garbage.