Its quite suspicious that when you watch the 'perfect' review of Witcher 3 that the gamespot review has a sponsored by The Witcher 3 on it?
And hey, I've already bought the Witcher 3 because I think it'll be great.
But, consider Gamespots diabolic transparency and conflict issues (see Danny O'Dwyer') is there a risk taht this game would have got a 8/9 rather than a 10 if it wasn't sponsored?
I would hope Gamespot would be happy to clarify that their marketting group and reviewers do not share information as per IGN, who despite their usual oddities and naughtiness have managed to deal with these problems much more robustly in this year long controversey.
That's an excellent point which i did not notice. This should be disclosed, but it won't. Because Gamespot has yet to implement a freaking ethics policy. They've said for almost 5 months now that they're "working on it". This means they don't give a shit
They already have one. They're owned by CBS who have their own ethics policy which can be viewed here
Correct, however it is iffy when compared to the policies now in use at IGN, Polygon, Destructoid, The Escapist et al. as it does not specify the requirement to disclose funding of projects explicitly.
It does not specify the minimum limits for the declaration of gifts, instead delegating that to 'individual companies' to decide.
Accordingly I would suggest that the CBS group policy has been drafted which then requires either a gamespot policy or guideline from subsidiaries and group companies to define those limits to be in compliance with the CBS group policy.
Therefore, consideringt that the writers and editors also ignore the policy regarding conflicts of interest on Page 4. See Danny O'Dwyer and Zoe Quinn. and that there is a lack of a set of policies or guidelines which explicitly state the requirements for Gamespot to honour the CBS Business Conduct Statement (2012! How Long Ago?) and the policies within.
--- COIs (Page 4) ---
CBS requires that you disclose, in writing, any personal, business, or other relationship that could potentially affect your business judgment on behalf of your Company and CBS. The existence of a potential conflict of interest, potential conflict of interest, potential conflict of interestsuch as one or more of the situations discussed below, does not necessarily constitute a violation of CBS’s conflict of interest policy. Our policy is one of disclosure and review of potential conflicts and prohibition of actual conflicts of interest. In some cases, disclosure actual conflicts of interest may be all that is required. In others, the situation may require additional action to avoid a conflict of interest or to remedy one.
But remember, in all cases, you must disclose all potential conflicts of interest.
--- Gifting (Page 6) ---
Accepting any of the following from a current or would-be supplier, customer, or competitor of your Company: entertainment, meals, gifts, discounts, services, transportation, or favors that (i) are worth more than a minimal value or (ii) obligate you or influence your decision-making in any way, regardless of value. Each Company establishes its own guidelines for what constitutes minimal value. If you do not know the amount that your Company has established as constituting minimal value, please ask a member of your Company’s Law Department or a Human Resources Representative. Disclosures under this and the following paragraphs should be made first to your supervisor or a Compliance Officer who will advise you if an updated Certification formis required;
http://www.cbscorporation.com/_uploads/mce_files/2012BCS.pdf
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