Anyone else notice that this site is increasingly posting "news articles" that are simply disguised advertisements? Wondering when/hoping the FCC starts cracking down on these sites. Would like the sites I read to maintain some sort of integrity.
You know that affiliate links help to keep this site operating, and that such links are fully disclosed in the relevant articles?
I bet Nintendo Life would love if Nintendo operated their own form of affiliate links for eShop purchases, since they readily link to the relevant parts of Nintendo.com where you can buy eShop games.
@Eel@RupeeClock you've missed the point. I'm not talking about advertising in general. I'm talking about hiding advertisements under the guise of a news article. If their advertisements were properly labeled as such, there'd be no complaint from me.
It's exactly why infomercials pretending to be a news talk show need to have the "advertisement" disclaimer posted. It's not some new thing lol. It's sad the younger generation doesn't understand the importance of this. The only thing is that the internet for some reason doesn't have to live up to the same standards all other forms of entertainment do. It's gross and needs to be called out.
I think it simply is not as deep as you think it is.
It's kind of... Obvious. Yes they will usually try to write articles about upcoming games and products in a mostly positive way. Yes that might contribute sales to products that may not live up to the expectative. But... That's about it.
You and I can do the same right here in the forums, hype up a game and "selling" it to other people. After all, when it comes to upcoming products, we kind of have access to the same pool information as they do, which is usually limited to what the developers want us to know.
And I thought this was going to be about the targeted ads that appear throughout the site.
I don't know why I keep getting McDonald's ads seeing as I don't eat there (nor have any intention of doing so). But if it means that their money is being wasted on a non-customer like me, then I guess I can find satisfaction in that.
"Gee, that's really persuasive. Do you have any actual points to make other than to essentially say 'me Tarzan, physical bad, digital good'?"
@Eel Let me cite a specific example - those Mario pajamas.
Not in a single place does the article mention it is an advertisement. However, all it is is an affiliate link to buy the pajamas. Even websites and Youtubers (Engadget, Kotaku, Linus Tech Tips, etc) that have articles/videos for the primary purpose of getting you to click an affiliate link have a disclaimer somewhere saying that they will receive commission and that it is in fact an advertisement.
Pretending to be a news article to inform people of something, when in reality it's simply an advertisement, is not only immoral but likely in violation of FCC standards. Taking advantage of a legally grey area is hardly an ethical defense. I just don't see how you can defend the practice, especially considering countries across the globe unanimously agree it's shady.
@BadWaluigi Any articles in particular? I mean they'll obviously have news article on new stuff that's coming out and the "where to buy" articles usually only point to sites that have affiliate links which is understandable too.
Edit: must've posted before the site refreshed with your example. Don't really see a problem with it - especially as that example is Japan only anyway so hardly advertising if most of the folk reading can't easily buy the stuff.
Now that would've been a nice way to start your thread, since all I had to go on was your recent comment history, where you complain about positive previews for mediocre games.
Then again, that article in particular is talking about Japan-exclusive products that most of the people here would not even be able to buy, and none of the links are affiliate.
Do people seriously believe this is a "random" article not at all fueled by the desire to maximize affiliate link clicks? It's ridiculous for them to pretend this is just some random interest post, especially since they've made similar posts about this very same company.
@Eel sites have become very effective at hiding their affiliations - affiliate links are so easy to catch that websites are using other means to promote partnering company products under the guise of "news".
@BadWaluigi Already responded with an edit to my previous post, but just to add that quite a lot of @KateGray articles are a little off-beat so I don't doubt for a second she's looking around Japanese sites looking at random game-related merch to highlight.
@Snatcher you've missed the point. Never railed against advertising itself, but the way in which it's implemented. An easy skim through the thread would have clarified that for you 10 times over.
Well they're both citing different websites as their source. Chances are it's likely a communication thing between the writers.
Still. Again, none of these links seem to be affiliated, and hiding that would be pretty much illegal as far as I know. So yes, it doesn't need to be a nefarious plot.
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Topic: Immoral Advertising
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