Gamespot too Commerical??

Over the recent years Gamespot has become more and more popular, and that's great. But with this new found popularity has their marketing department gone too wild with the advertisements and promotions? Just recently I've been logging in to find massive ads that span across the background and include a intrusive flash banner that when rollover makes annoying sounds.. I thought to myself, sure gamespot has to make some money for running this great site, and if i wanted no ads id subscribe. But it was today that i felt they had gone too far. Today i was confronted with a "Spiderman Launch Center". And i was shocked.. I've seen these for the launches for all the consoles, and i thought that was great! But for a game,... and this game out of all the games that they did it for that i found myself shocked. They have never done this for any other game that i know of(please tell me if there are others), so many other games deserve this before they do it for the Spiderman. What about games like Gears of war, C&C3, Zelda, etc etc? I feel like Gamespot has sold out entirely, and people like Activsion with Sony supporting them can just buy a space on this site, and whoever has the biggest budget will get the most coverage, like this "Spiderman Launch Center". What are your thoughts on this?

I appreciate your thoughts and your comments, but at the same time there is a flaw in your logic. You complain about Gamespot getting too commerical, yet you admit that you don't pay for the service. Gamespot is a business like any other, and as a result they need to make money somehow, hence the sometimes transparent advertising. Also the subscription fee to Gamespot is very reasonable, and costs nowhere near the amount of a magazine subscription, yet better and more current stories/reviews.

Spiderman 3 is a huge event movie, and as a result the game is echo-ing that sentiment, with many thousands of people anticipating the release. I think Gamespot was valid in putting up the launch centre as (lets face it), not a lot else happens in the may month. I forsee Gamespot doing launch centres for other games as well such as Forza 2, Halo 3, Half Life Episode 3 and GTA IV, at least I would hope so. 

However at the same time I think this poll raises a really interesting question on how close Gamespot can get to the publishing community without being tainted by biased opinion. This may be the reason for Gamespots review of Spiderman 3 taking longer than it should have to appear on the site. After all if you post a review saying its average, you diffuse all the hype surronding the launch centre and potentially stop a lot of people buying the game on day of release.

Playing devils advocate is fun, but at the same time we need some perspective. Gamespot is an entertaining service which delivers time and time again with most people not paying for it. Without money this site wouldn't run and communitys such as GSU would be disbanded and we would have to rely on other sites for games related topics. I personally think that maybe throwing in a few background advertisements, and sponsored segments on Gamespot TV is a small price to pay.

Speaking of 'On the Spot', anyone remember the sponsored quizzes?

 "This weeks competition is sponsored by Juiced Eliminator!!!"

Anyone? Anyone? Ok I'll shut up now. 

TBH The only ad that has ever really kinda bothered me was that Wendy's ad that sometimes comes up during Button Mashing since I kinda pay to not see ads but it's a really quick short ad that doesn't really do much so it's not like it matters but still. :P

If the other really annoying ads bother you, though, you can do 2 things. One, you can pay to have them removed like the previous user already told you. Finally, you can switch to a free and ad-free gaming website (good luck with that).

As for your Spiderman thing, you have to understand that some companies have more money in marketing than others. Sony has a ton of money in their marketing department, it's nearly bottomless. So I think it's fair to give them more ad-space if they're willing to pay up. Gamespot can't just say "OK we're giving [some small pubisher] ad-space because we think they deserve it even though they will pay a lot less than this other high-profile publisher." This website is about making money, just like any other company. The only exceptions are non-profit orgs and even they have to make money somehow otherwise they're back at square one. They earn their money in different ways, however. Like donations and fund-drives.

But Gamespot works like any other company out there. They have to make money somehow to pay for the bandwidth, the bills, the staff, the equipment and the maintenance required to keep everything running. They do that by offering companies ad-space. The more they charge for ad-space the more money they make and the more they can expand their business so they can charge more money for ad-space. See how that works?

Thanks for your comments guys. I wouldn't consider that a flaw however Bribb85 as I stated if I wanted no ads I'd go and pay, and I have done that previously, but point where I think they went too far was where they have done this major launch center thing for spiderman YET have never done anything like this for any other game, and if they don't do it for the games you mention (Forza 2, Halo 3, Half Life Episode 3 and GTA IV) in the future this will really prove my point. Launch centers and things like it should be given to big events (Console launches), not a movie to game offering, or great games like the one mentioned above, they shouldn't be given to whoever has the money to pay. It's like giving them a higher score if they pay more (i know they would never do that)

It's like giving them a higher score if they pay more (i know they would never do that)

olthof

I would put those assumptions a side until you see the spiderman review :D  

When a web site become popular it becomes more profitable because advertisers will pay more due to the large audience, the people who own the site would be silly to turn the money down and that cash also pays for the enhncements the site gets which is good for us.

Not only this but adverts do actually give us useful info which I like to know.

Its not like TV where you have to sit through 5 mins of solid adverts about stuff you dont even care about, its just there at the side and its about stuff that applies to you so its a good thing, not only that but the nature of the web site means that you can just ignore it if you want too, and even if you cant it doesnt interupt your normal browsing.

If it gets like satalite and cable with silly infomercials you have to sit through no matter what, then I'll boycot the site, but until then I like the way it is.

The Spider-Man 3 launch center is not the first we've done. We also did one for God of War II -- http://www.gamespot.com/pages/event/uberpop/index.php

They are new features we are trying out around big games. Face it, Spider-Man is huge. It also gives us an opportunity to point out other Spider-Man entertainment content that we have, like film reviews and soundtrack. The decision to put up these launch centers is editorially driven. Thanks for your comments though, and rest assured that we have no intention of "selling out"

gamespot is a business website, these ads are what makes them money, just like other sites do.ElendilElessar

Like a canned response with you, eh?

Gamespot.com? its meant to be commercialfrozenthino

gamespot is a business website, these ads are what makes them money, just like other sites do.ElendilElessar

The Spider-Man 3 launch center is not the first we've done. We also did one for God of War II -- http://www.gamespot.com/pages/event/uberpop/index.php

They are new features we are trying out around big games. Face it, Spider-Man is huge. It also gives us an opportunity to point out other Spider-Man entertainment content that we have, like film reviews and soundtrack. The decision to put up these launch centers is editorially driven. Thanks for your comments though, and rest assured that we have no intention of "selling out"
CraigB

Great to see so many opitions on this, i wonder if there will be more or less advertising as Gamespot continues to grow in popularity..

Honestly, whether or not GS is commercial or not, it just seems as if there's too much excess information and things going on.

I'm not trying to ***** and complain, but I'm just stating my opinion.

The same thing goes with IGN. I remember when they were strictly gaming. Now they're full of entertainment. When my Opa had WebTV when I was younger, I used to go to codes.ign.com (But I used the url gamesages.com) and it was great. Now it's all well, everything. 

I used to be quite active here, but now the only reason I still log in is to read the occasional blog. Not often a thread piques my interest :) Gamespot used to be about games, it seems its priorities have shifted and it's now about revenue. Yes it's a business, and businesses need money, but there's discrete advertising and then there's excess. GS feels like an EA game with all the advertisements plastered everywhere, which is ironically a reason they constantly slate EA games.
In the space it takes the front page of the site to load, I can scroll down the entire page of Kotaku or Joystiq, reading all the headlines. And those sites report news up to a few days in advance of GS too, so there's not much point in coming here for news anymore. Regarding the advertisements, I never even look at them (it's hard not to, with them dominating much of the page, but still), and wouldn't bother clicking on them. Where is it going to take me? Probably the game's official site, which will offer me screenshots etc. that are already up on GS? What's the point. Advertisements actually turn me off games, rather than make me more excited for them. Typically it's mediocre games that need excess advertisement anyway, as they won't sell off reputation for great gameplay/graphics alone.

Reviews-wise, I'm somewhat in agreement with the OP. When I come here I want a review. That's it. I don't want "launch centres" that sickeningly tie in the game's related film, the film's related soundtrack, all conveniently located on GameSpot's© sister® sitesTM. I really had to laugh at Gerstmann when he was complaining about how commercial Sony's new Home project was going to be, because for me it's a perfect parallel for what GS is now; Advertisers first, gaming is incidental.
GS used to be the only source I would consider for reviews, but now I'm not so sure. When they give a mark way lower than any other site, I start to feel that maybe they're just doing it to generate more site traffic, but maybe I'm being too cynical. Yes Spiderman 3 is "big", but the game itself is terrible, and doesn't warrant a launch centre! The film, maybe does, but not the game. Maybe you could work that way. If it's a good movie, give it a launch centre on the movie site, not this one.
I'm not harking back to the "good old days" of the late 90s when it was just games with maybe a banner ad or something, gaming and the internet evolves quicker every year, and I'm all for it. But it seems the only thing that's evolved on this site is the way advertising is implemented (yes there are things like tournaments etc. but they're all geared towards the US users, the UK site serves no purpose). The same, archaic review system is still in place, and it is dreadfully in need of an overhaul. Anyway, rant over, I doubt anyone read it anyway :cry:

You know, I think these huge ads for games that turn out to be utter **** hurts Gamespot's credibility. I wish they'd quit taking money to push games that everyone knows ahead of time are going to be total crap. A little ad in the corner is one thing, but plastered all over those crappy sidebars that everyone hates is another. Now we know the real reason why they switched to 600x800 resolution: so they could pimp those empty side bars out for ad space.

I have Total access, but that might change if they're making everyone pay the current subscription price now, since I've had the service since the beginning and always paid $24.99.

 ^ dude, those other publications has more annoying ads in their site than gs

seriously you people complaining about these ads, don't know how the business and adverisement industry works..

@GrlGmr: I would also like to add that making 600x800 res is not to put ads at the side but it is used so that users with that screen resolution can view the webpages nicely.jakeboudville

And really, how many of those people are out there in these days when the base monitor size is 17"? I seem to remember more than one report saying the vast majority of users are 1024x768 or higher. How much holy hell got raised when it switched from the resolution being set by the user's browser to a tiny fixed resolution that makes text miniscule on large screens, screws up the text in posts with screenshots, and makes it neigh impossible to look at a long list of them? When someone posts a dozen 1080 x 720 screenies, I just love looking at half a picture before I scroll down to the very bottom to move the scroll bar over so I can scroll all the way back up and look at the other half of the picture, don't you? If you think ad space wasn't taken into consideration when they made that moronic decision, I have a bridge to sell you.

I used to be quite active here, but now the only reason I still log in is to read the occasional blog. Not often a thread piques my interest :) Gamespot used to be about games, it seems its priorities have shifted and it's now about revenue. Yes it's a business, and businesses need money, but there's discrete advertising and then there's excess. GS feels like an EA game with all the advertisements plastered everywhere, which is ironically a reason they constantly slate EA games.Schillinger

I agree. Also there seems to be more suggestive ads as well. 

Reviews-wise, I'm somewhat in agreement with the OP. When I come here I want a review. That's it. I don't want "launch centres" that sickeningly tie in the game's related film, the film's related soundtrack, all conveniently located on GameSpot's© sister® sitesTM. I really had to laugh at Gerstmann when he was complaining about how commercial Sony's new Home project was going to be, because for me it's a perfect parallel for what GS is now; Advertisers first, gaming is incidental.

Anyway, rant over, I doubt anyone read it anyway :cry:Schillinger

I read it and I totally agree with everything you said.

If you were a full access subscriber you would not see any advertisement at all. You can go directly to the reviews if you want to and just disregard all the extra features.acamike

Still, you shouldn't have to subscribe to a website just so you aren't annoyed by ads. I would feel better knowing that my money paid for subscribing is going towards new interesting features. That's just one of the many reasons I didn't renew my subscription.

@GrlGmr: I would also like to add that making 600x800 res is not to put ads at the side but it is used so that users with that screen resolution can view the webpages nicely.jakeboudville

Regarding the advertisements, I never even look at them (it's hard not to, with them dominating much of the page, but still), and wouldn't bother clicking on them. Where is it going to take me? Probably the game's official site, which will offer me screenshots etc. that are already up on GS? What's the point. Advertisements actually turn me off games, rather than make me more excited for them.
Schillinger

This is a point that rings true, are these large/flash ad counter productive? I know from years of being a regular internet user that anything that pops up on my screen without me wanting it to, is rubish and i won't even look at it. Kinda like those emails you get saying you've won a million dollars, im desensitized to these tactics.

They should try a new system, like one were in your profile you have a wishlist like now, but you can included other items other than games. Like i want a new gaming headset, so i would put that in there. Then advertisers like logitech could see who might want their products, and target users. Just an idea...

Wow this is still here?

You guys are going crazy over something that Gamespot has no control over. Honestly, how much bandwidth to we all take up? It's impossible to run this site with no ads or very few ads. It gets tons of hits each day (esp the forums) and it's just ridiculous to expect them to pay for the bill by themselves. What about the video section? Don't you think it costs money to run all of that stuff?

And how can you say that they focus on revenue over games? That statement alone amazes me. Are we really visiting the same website?

I'm guessing you're not aware of the gameplay marathons or the tournaments. Long gameplay marathons that (as far as I know) nobody else does. That 6-hour Madden marathon that the guys all did on their spare time was awesome and I highly doubt it was all for revenue and not gaming.

And let's not forget Button Mashing, which was a small one-time thing that was brought back because we asked for it. And then there's Time Trotters. Seriously guys, you're all complaining over something that they have no control over. Do you honestly think thank GS can stay in business without those ads? Nope, I don't think so.

All of these huge websites NEED ads to run.

The reason they have the larger ads is because they get paid more for them than small ads or text ads. They also look nice sometimes. I still remember those rollover ads, they were really annoying but they have a close button so get used to it. :)

This issue is the same with IGN. There even worse acutally. Although the future is "free" Have you heard of "HOTorNOT"? they use to be a paid service, now its free. myspace, free. Ads do bring in revenue but they also can't be pushed in your face like some sites. Ive noticed a few in your face ads on gamespot and other websites. They will learn to get better as they find people going to other free sites for there gaming info.

Just because someone doesn't subscribe doesn't have to mean that they have to get a less user-friendly experience.

These page spanning ads do hurt Gamespot and the World of Warcraft ones that are on now really suck.. they even block the main flash movie with all the latest and greatest features for a few seconds..

Those ads don't make me feel like paying for a subscription, they make me feel like visiting other sites more often.. :s

Over the recent years Gamespot has become more and more popular, and that's great. But with this new found popularity has their marketing department gone too wild with the advertisements and promotions? Just recently I've been logging in to find massive ads that span across the background and include a intrusive flash banner that when rollover makes annoying sounds.. I thought to myself, sure gamespot has to make some money for running this great site, and if i wanted no ads id subscribe. But it was today that i felt they had gone too far. Today i was confronted with a "Spiderman Launch Center". And i was shocked.. I've seen these for the launches for all the consoles, and i thought that was great! But for a game,... and this game out of all the games that they did it for that i found myself shocked. They have never done this for any other game that i know of(please tell me if there are others), so many other games deserve this before they do it for the Spiderman. What about games like Gears of war, C&C3, Zelda, etc etc? I feel like Gamespot has sold out entirely, and people like Activsion with Sony supporting them can just buy a space on this site, and whoever has the biggest budget will get the most coverage, like this "Spiderman Launch Center". What are your thoughts on this?

olthof

Your views are totaly unfounded not to mention ungrateful. With he amount of top quailty content gamespot provides for free I couldnt care less if they have ads or anything. If it bothers you do what i do and get firefox and adblock plus. Go to ign and see the LAUGHABLE amount of content you get there

[QUOTE="olthof"]

Over the recent years Gamespot has become more and more popular, and that's great. But with this new found popularity has their marketing department gone too wild with the advertisements and promotions? Just recently I've been logging in to find massive ads that span across the background and include a intrusive flash banner that when rollover makes annoying sounds.. I thought to myself, sure gamespot has to make some money for running this great site, and if i wanted no ads id subscribe. But it was today that i felt they had gone too far. Today i was confronted with a "Spiderman Launch Center". And i was shocked.. I've seen these for the launches for all the consoles, and i thought that was great! But for a game,... and this game out of all the games that they did it for that i found myself shocked. They have never done this for any other game that i know of(please tell me if there are others), so many other games deserve this before they do it for the Spiderman. What about games like Gears of war, C&C3, Zelda, etc etc? I feel like Gamespot has sold out entirely, and people like Activsion with Sony supporting them can just buy a space on this site, and whoever has the biggest budget will get the most coverage, like this "Spiderman Launch Center". What are your thoughts on this?

ForlornHope

Your views are totaly unfounded not to mention ungrateful. With he amount of top quailty content gamespot provides for free I couldnt care less if they have ads or anything. If it bothers you do what i do and get firefox and adblock plus. Go to ign and see the LAUGHABLE amount of content you get there

He was just expressing his opinion on how he feels that Gamespot may have gone a little overboard with advertisements lately. With all of his solid reasons for feeling that way, his view is far from unfounded and ungrateful. If anything your response to it was unfounded and ungrateful.

[QUOTE="ForlornHope"][QUOTE="olthof"]

Over the recent years Gamespot has become more and more popular, and that's great. But with this new found popularity has their marketing department gone too wild with the advertisements and promotions? Just recently I've been logging in to find massive ads that span across the background and include a intrusive flash banner that when rollover makes annoying sounds.. I thought to myself, sure gamespot has to make some money for running this great site, and if i wanted no ads id subscribe. But it was today that i felt they had gone too far. Today i was confronted with a "Spiderman Launch Center". And i was shocked.. I've seen these for the launches for all the consoles, and i thought that was great! But for a game,... and this game out of all the games that they did it for that i found myself shocked. They have never done this for any other game that i know of(please tell me if there are others), so many other games deserve this before they do it for the Spiderman. What about games like Gears of war, C&C3, Zelda, etc etc? I feel like Gamespot has sold out entirely, and people like Activsion with Sony supporting them can just buy a space on this site, and whoever has the biggest budget will get the most coverage, like this "Spiderman Launch Center". What are your thoughts on this?

Link2025

Your views are totaly unfounded not to mention ungrateful. With he amount of top quailty content gamespot provides for free I couldnt care less if they have ads or anything. If it bothers you do what i do and get firefox and adblock plus. Go to ign and see the LAUGHABLE amount of content you get there

He was just expressing his opinion on how he feels that Gamespot may have gone a little overboard with advertisements lately. With all of his solid reasons for feeling that way, his view is far from unfounded and ungrateful. If anything your response to it was unfounded and ungrateful.

Wow retorting with the same words i used, how clever. Like you totaly convinced me. If you dort like it, leave. Easy.

[QUOTE="Link2025"][QUOTE="ForlornHope"][QUOTE="olthof"]

Over the recent years Gamespot has become more and more popular, and that's great. But with this new found popularity has their marketing department gone too wild with the advertisements and promotions? Just recently I've been logging in to find massive ads that span across the background and include a intrusive flash banner that when rollover makes annoying sounds.. I thought to myself, sure gamespot has to make some money for running this great site, and if i wanted no ads id subscribe. But it was today that i felt they had gone too far. Today i was confronted with a "Spiderman Launch Center". And i was shocked.. I've seen these for the launches for all the consoles, and i thought that was great! But for a game,... and this game out of all the games that they did it for that i found myself shocked. They have never done this for any other game that i know of(please tell me if there are others), so many other games deserve this before they do it for the Spiderman. What about games like Gears of war, C&C3, Zelda, etc etc? I feel like Gamespot has sold out entirely, and people like Activsion with Sony supporting them can just buy a space on this site, and whoever has the biggest budget will get the most coverage, like this "Spiderman Launch Center". What are your thoughts on this?

ForlornHope

Your views are totaly unfounded not to mention ungrateful. With he amount of top quailty content gamespot provides for free I couldnt care less if they have ads or anything. If it bothers you do what i do and get firefox and adblock plus. Go to ign and see the LAUGHABLE amount of content you get there

He was just expressing his opinion on how he feels that Gamespot may have gone a little overboard with advertisements lately. With all of his solid reasons for feeling that way, his view is far from unfounded and ungrateful. If anything your response to it was unfounded and ungrateful.

Wow retorting with the same words i used, how clever. Like you totaly convinced me. If you dort like it, leave. Easy.

First of all, the whole point of this thread was to express concern over the amount of advertisements displayed on Gamespot. Of course not everyone is going to agree with it. Some people are fine with it and don't see it as a problem. The problem here is you belittling those people that don't share your view and making it seem as if they're totally wrong for thinking so.

Also, I used the same words on purpose and even underlined/bolded them in your original quote to indicate how you're belittling him. Constructive criticism is always welcome but if you don't have anything to add that isn't constructive, then don't post at all.

[QUOTE="ForlornHope"][QUOTE="Link2025"][QUOTE="ForlornHope"][QUOTE="olthof"]

Over the recent years Gamespot has become more and more popular, and that's great. But with this new found popularity has their marketing department gone too wild with the advertisements and promotions? Just recently I've been logging in to find massive ads that span across the background and include a intrusive flash banner that when rollover makes annoying sounds.. I thought to myself, sure gamespot has to make some money for running this great site, and if i wanted no ads id subscribe. But it was today that i felt they had gone too far. Today i was confronted with a "Spiderman Launch Center". And i was shocked.. I've seen these for the launches for all the consoles, and i thought that was great! But for a game,... and this game out of all the games that they did it for that i found myself shocked. They have never done this for any other game that i know of(please tell me if there are others), so many other games deserve this before they do it for the Spiderman. What about games like Gears of war, C&C3, Zelda, etc etc? I feel like Gamespot has sold out entirely, and people like Activsion with Sony supporting them can just buy a space on this site, and whoever has the biggest budget will get the most coverage, like this "Spiderman Launch Center". What are your thoughts on this?

Link2025

Your views are totaly unfounded not to mention ungrateful. With he amount of top quailty content gamespot provides for free I couldnt care less if they have ads or anything. If it bothers you do what i do and get firefox and adblock plus. Go to ign and see the LAUGHABLE amount of content you get there

He was just expressing his opinion on how he feels that Gamespot may have gone a little overboard with advertisements lately. With all of his solid reasons for feeling that way, his view is far from unfounded and ungrateful. If anything your response to it was unfounded and ungrateful.

Wow retorting with the same words i used, how clever. Like you totaly convinced me. If you dort like it, leave. Easy.

First of all, the whole point of this thread was to express concern over the amount of advertisements displayed on Gamespot. Of course not everyone is going to agree with it. Some people are fine with it and don't see it as a problem. The problem here is you belittling those people that don't share your view and making it seem as if they're totally wrong for thinking so.

Also, I used the same words on purpose and even underlined/bolded them in your original quote to indicate how you're belittling him. Constructive criticism is always welcome but if you don't have anything to add that isn't constructive, then don't post at all.

Explain to me then how lecturing me has anything to to with the topic and is constructive then? I just think with the insane amount of content gamespot provides for free, theres absolutey no reason to complain wihtout looking pedantic and mroe than a little ungrateful. Sure if the sitesd not working how it shoudl it should be mentioned and be delt with, but hassling them for making money somehow to supprt the 18 million users they have the staggering server space and their masses of content is just not on. It woudl take a stupidy huge amount of hard work to keep gamespot running and current and making money oiff of it is wholy within their rights.

[QUOTE="acamike"]If you were a full access subscriber you would not see any advertisement at all. You can go directly to the reviews if you want to and just disregard all the extra features.Link2025

Still, you shouldn't have to subscribe to a website just so you aren't annoyed by ads. I would feel better knowing that my money paid for subscribing is going towards new interesting features. That's just one of the many reasons I didn't renew my subscription.

My subscription is up for renewal on the 10th of June. I doubt I will be renewing either. The main reason being that I have had the service since it first started, and it has always renewed at my initial subscription price of $24.99. Unfortunately, they've decided to do away with this and now everyone is going to pay whatever the current subscription price is. Let's have a look at now this stacks up to other magazines and services, shall we? Magazine prices are from Amazon.com.

Electronic Gaming Monthly: $19.97 per year
Game Informer (includes Gamestop More Card for 10% off used stuff): $14.99 per year
Gamepro: $24.97 per year
Games for Windows Magazine (formerly Computer Gaming World): $19.97 per year
OXM: $24.95 per year
PC Gamer: $19.95 per year
PSM: $10 per year

IGN Insider (includes Gamespy and FilePlanet): $19.95 per year
Gamespot Complete: $39.99 per year.

IGN Insider (includes Gamespy and FilePlanet): $19.95 per year
Gamespot Complete: $39.99 per year.

GrlGmr

As I understand it, IGN Insider doesn't include a Fileplanet subscription. Founder's Club does include both IGN Insider and Fileplanet and costs $59.95. The Fileplanet subscription alone costs $39.95. These are the prices I see posted on those sites and perhaps there's a promotion I'm not seeing.

GameSpot does have a $19.95 subscription option that unlocks all of our content, including HD movies and special events: GameSpot Plus.

The difference being that the IGN Insider $19.99 subscription gets rid of the ads, whereas the Gamespot $19.95 Plus does not.

If you only have the subscription to block ads and don't care about the rest of the features, $39.99 is too much to pay. Gamespot should have a subscription that gets rid of the advertising and does nothing else for $10 a year or something.

To be fair the ads aren't anywhere near as bad as other websites. Particular mention both gamespy arcade and ign, where both force you to watch an online advertisement before watching any video. I personally think that like any service, feedback and criticism is necessary in order to continue great service and satisfied customers, and that is what this thread is for. The topic starter obviously enjoys the gamespot service because he or she is using the forum facilities and is not trying to enrage gamespot supporters. It was just an attempt to promote discussion and debate on the relationship between gaming websites (such as gamespot) and advertising.

One of the more interesting forum threads, at least it wasn't about Dragonball Z and who would win.

Think yourselves lucky.

To be fair the ads aren't anywhere near as bad as other websites. Particular mention both gamespy arcade and ign, where both force you to watch an online advertisement before watching any video. I personally think that like any service, feedback and criticism is necessary in order to continue great service and satisfied customers, and that is what this thread is for. The topic starter obviously enjoys the gamespot service because he or she is using the forum facilities and is not trying to enrage gamespot supporters. It was just an attempt to promote discussion and debate on the relationship between gaming websites (such as gamespot) and advertising.

One of the more interesting forum threads, at least it wasn't about Dragonball Z and who would win.

Think yourselves lucky.

Gribb85

And to add, our new player has sequencing for video ads. Non-subscribers will now only see an ad after every 3rd video watched. So now people can watch more video and less ads.