When Jeff Gerstmann was alledgedly fired from GameSpot for writing a damning review of Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, the predictable happened: The Internet gaming community was in uproar for all of a few days and then promptly forgot about it, because online gamers have the attention spans of jack russell puppies. Fortunately, however, one man didn’t forget, and that was GameSpot freelance reviewer Frank Provo, a veteran writer with over 751 reviews under his belt. The man today announced that he’d ended his seven year tenure with the site thanks to CNet’s string-pulling.
“I believe CNet management let Jeff go for all the wrong reasons,” Provo stated in his announcement. “I believe CNet intends to soften the site’s tone and push for higher scores to make advertisers happy.” Provo went on to clear GameSpot’s name and place blame for the whole affair squarely on the shoulders of parent company CNet.
Provo is a member of the NeoGAF forums and elaborated on his departure there. When asked why it took him over a month to quit, he stated that he’d actually left a while back, but was fulfilling the obligations he’d made to the site out of honor. In fact, his words were that rather than waiting, he “jumped without a life vest.” Maybe not the smartest move, but you have to admire a man of conviction.
The righteous writer also gave us a glimpse behind the scenes at GameSpot: “I don’t know what the staff’s plans are. I do know they’re feeling mighty isolated ever since management showed that it’s unwilling to take its employees’ and users’ concerns into account. It’s kind of like the first time a young child sees his dad punch his mom. Reality = shattered. I also know that San Francisco is one of the MOST EXPENSIVE cities to reside in. You don’t just quit willy-nilly unless you have the resources to do so. Or you live in a box (or Sam Bishop’s couch).”
Well, this particular writer salutes your courage and principles, sir. Keep the flame lit, friend.
Published: Jan 5, 2008 05:29 pm