Rock, Paper, Shotgun
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Screenshot  Screenshot of Rock Paper Shotgun as of 10 October 2013. | |
| Web address |
www |
|---|---|
| Slogan | PC Gaming since 1873 |
| Commercial | Yes |
Type of site | PC gaming news |
| Registration | Optional, required to comment. |
| Available in | English |
| Owner | Kieron Gillen, Alec Meer, Jim Rossignol, John Walker |
| Launched | 13 July 2007 |
Alexa rank |
 5,260 (August 2015)[1] |
| Current status | Online |
Rock, Paper, Shotgun is a UK-based PC gaming blog written by Alec Meer, Jim Rossignol, Adam Smith, John Walker, and previously Kieron Gillen and Quintin Smith.[2] It was launched in July 2007.[3] In 2010 the website partnered with Eurogamer.[4] Rock, Paper, Shotgun reports on upcoming major releases and independent esoterica, and includes reviews, previews, features and interviews related to PC gaming and the PC gaming industry.
Contributors
The site currently has eight main contributors:
- Alec Meer is a video games journalist who has been published in The Independent.[5]
- Jim Rossignol is an author and video games journalist.[2]
- Adam Smith is a video games journalist, and has contributed to the site since September 2011.[6]
- John Walker is a video games journalist.[2]
- Graham Smith is a video games journalist previously editor of the UK magazine PC Gamer. He joined in 2014.
- Alice O'Connor is a video games journalist. She joined in 2014.
- Philippa Warr is a video games journalist. She joined in 2014.[7]
- Emily Gera is a video games journalist. She joined in 2015.
Kieron Gillen, a co-founder of the site, was a regular contributor until 30 September 2010, when he announced that he would no longer be involved in posting the day-to-day content of Rock, Paper, Shotgun, focusing more on his work with Marvel Comics, but would continue to act as a director and occasionally write essay pieces for the site.[8] Quintin Smith replaced Gillen as a writer on the site in October 2010,[8] before also leaving in July 2011.[9] Nathan Grayson was another former main contributor to the site before stepping down in July 2014.[10]
Rock, Paper, Shotgun also features less frequent contributions from several other writers, including Tim Stone, Phill Cameron, Lewie Procter, Robert Florence, Richard Cobbett, Brendan Caldwell, Craig Pearson, Duncan Harris, Lewis Denby, Porpentine, Cara Ellison, Cassandra Khaw, and Leigh Alexander.
Content
Rock, Paper, Shotgun reports on upcoming major releases and independent esoterica, and includes reviews, previews, features and interviews related to PC gaming and the PC gaming industry.
Some of the frequent categories of stories posted on RPS include:
- Diary: Impressions of a game presented in 'diary' form, often from the perspectives of many writers, and over the course of many parts or updates, such as Solium Infernum: The Complete Battle for Hell,[11] or Diary Of A Nobutoki: Sengoku.[12] These articles are differentiated from reviews as they do not seek to objectively evaluate a game, only to present the experiences of the writers playing.
- The Fixer: A column featuring guides on tinkering and fixing games.
- The Flare Path: Weekly news and impressions of simulation and war games written by Tim Stone.[13]
- Kickstarter Katchup: A weekly round up of PC game Kickstarter projects.[14]
- RPS Bargain Bucket: A weekly round up of discounted gaming downloads available from third party gaming websites.
- The Sunday Papers: A weekly round up of gaming related news.
- Wot I Think: Review of a particular game including what the reviewer thought of the game based on their first hand experience.
- Live Free, Play Hard: A weekly round up of free indie games written by Porpentine.[15]
- Hard Choices: A column on PC hardware releases and purchasing recommendations written by Jeremy Laird.[16]
- Cardboard Children: News and reviews of tabletop boardgames written by Robert Florence.[17]
Bulletstorm/Fox News controversy
On 8 February 2011, the game Bulletstorm came under scrutiny by Fox News through an article[18] by John Brandon and later on 20 February 2011 through their televised broadcast and another article.[19] The game was targeted because of its profanity, crude behaviour (examples of which including the game's skill-shot system, which has a move that rewards players for shooting at an enemy's genitals), and sexual innuendo. Alongside the panel of Fox News anchors was a psychiatrist by the name of Carole Lieberman, who remarked: "Video games have increasingly, and more brazenly, connected sex and violence in images, actions and words. This has the psychological impact of doubling the excitement, stimulation, and incitement to copycat acts. The increase in rapes can be attributed, in large part, to the playing out of such scenes in video games." Other claims included that the game could reach audiences as young as nine years old, and that the gore and profanity could seriously traumatise a child of that age group.
These claims were largely ridiculed among gaming websites, including Rock, Paper, Shotgun who ran a series of articles discrediting the reports by Fox News.[20] The articles analysed Lieberman's claims and found only one of eight sources she provided had anything to do with the subject at hand.[21] Fox News acknowledged that they had been contacted by Rock, Paper, Shotgun and responded to their claims on 20 February 2011 through its article, stating that the game still remained a threat to children.[19]
References
- ↑ "Rockpapershotgun.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
- 1 2 3 Staff. "About Rock, Paper, Shotgun". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
- ↑ Staff (13 July 2007). "The Website That Saved The World". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
- ↑ Jim Rossignol. "RPS Announces Partnership With Eurogamer". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
- ↑ Meer, Alec (27 March 2002). "Fix your life in a few short hours. And forget about showering". London: independent.co.uk. Retrieved 3 March 2011.
- ↑ "Hivemind Restored: Welcome Adam Smith". Retrieved 21 January 2012.
- ↑ "Goodness, Welcome Philippa Warr to the RPS Hivemind". Retrieved 11 November 2014.
- 1 2 Kieron Gillen (30 September 2010). "Half-Life: On Turning 35 And Leaving RPS". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
As such, we’ve had plenty of time to bring Quinns in as the new regular writer.
- ↑ Quintin Smith (4 July 2011). "Announcing: Quindependence Day". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
(...) I’m announcing that today, the fourth of July, or Quindependance day, will be my last day on the site.
- ↑ Nathan Grayson (23 July 2014). "Love You All". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
(...) I’ve spent the past week and a half fielding questions from people asking about the new RPS job listing. Well, here’s why: I’m leaving
- ↑ "Solium Infernum: The Complete Battle for Hell". Retrieved 21 January 2012.
- ↑ "Diary Of A Nobutoki: Sengoku". Retrieved 21 January 2012.
- ↑ "The Flare Path". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
- ↑ "Kickstarter Katchup". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
- ↑ "Live Free, Play Hard". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
- ↑ "Hard Choices". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
- ↑ "Cardboard Children". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
- ↑ "Is Bulletstorm the Worst Video Game in the World?". Fox News. 8 February 2011.
- 1 2 "Bulletstorm: Censored in Germany, Coming to America". Fox News. 20 February 2011.
- ↑ Walker, John (February 2011). "Posts Tagged ‘Fox News’". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
- ↑ Walker, John (15 February 2011). "Bulletstormgate: Analysing The "Evidence"". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
Of her eight examples, only one had anything to do with the claimed subject, and even then it was hidden in a couple of papers mentioned in the article’s references.