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Posted By AngryJoe about 1 year, 2 months ago
Geoff Keighley acts completely disinterested and disrespectful as Angry Joe tries to field internet submitted questions and concerns about Spike TV’s Video Game Awards Show.
*Note this is a longer video – queue it up, let it load, grab something to drink and get ready for the main event.
Ugh… Why even bother Joe? we all know the VGAs are glorified advertisements, and lets be honest, spike is a joke. i think you should steer clear of them and their sponsor overlords.
I’m not much for words, and I just made my account to comment here.
The way I see it is that both sides can be put to fault here. Angry Joe came in with the attitude that he was going to get enough time for a good interview, and all of Geoff’s attention, when clearly wasn’t the case. He should have been prepared for anything that was going to happen in that interview, but he didn’t prepare, didn’t properly research, didn’t think ahead. And Geoff was acting like an ass the whole way through, treating Joe like he wasn’t worth his time, and like he wasn’t going to be important, like he was an incompetent. Geoff was too prepared to take down Joe, assuming he wasn’t worth his time, and that Joe wouldn’t show this to the internet when he realized how he looked.
Joe, I love your show, but you always need to be ready for anything when doing an interview, you never know what they’re gonna do. As it’s been said, you probably ruined this interview before it was even started since he seemed to at least know a bit about what you did. He either had someone check out who you were, or looked for himself, and saw your video about your invitation. That probably screwed you over in the end. But still, I commend you for keeping your cool and being polite to him the whole time, no matter how unprepared you were.
Geoff came out and acted like a prick with the “Tow minutes, Joe!” act, and just kept on with it. He talked down to you whenever he was actually keeping his focus on you and the interview itself. The rest of the time, he was focused on the scenery, watching the celebrities, instead of how the interview was going and your questions from the gamers. He even confused you with incorrect information, getting you to even say that Final Fantasy IV wasn’t out. He also jumped around your questions and made you answer his questions, just to make you feel like a fool. And he probably believed that you wouldn’t show this online because of how bad you looked.
Anyway, that’s what I had to say. It’s probably riddled with holes and inconsistencies, but either way, I said what I needed, and finished. It’s also probably stated better by others, on both sides of the argument. Either way, I just want you to know I support you and still believe that guy’s a prick. Either way, I thank you for trying your best. keep doing what you do best.
Yo Joe, I assume you probably had a list of questions and you were hoping for Question and Answer and when he said you have 2 minutes you thought about your list and said “Crap”.
People like this like to answer questions with questions, you say “What about an MMO catagory?” he says “Can you name 4 MMO’s that came out this year?” – Id list my questions with facts next to them to back them up so you can just say “Oh well Star Trek came out in 2010, Global Agenda, Allods Online, Final Fantasy XVI.” and even if all of those are terrible games- he can’t say that. If he said “FFXVI? Seriously you think FFXVI should be on a list for best MMO?” – Well he’s trained not to say stuff like that in case a sponsor happens to be Square/Enix or Sony…
Id practice with a friend- I have a few friends that are really good at getting around with words, you should ask them and get them to deflect the questions, try to spin things how they want. That will give you options to bring them back around and get them to either face a question or look like an idiot who can’t answer a question.
I’m guessing you probably had some ideas for getting into the interview- asking about his background so people know who this guy is, ask some light questions to make sure he knows your a good guy, and get a few tougher questions in at the end once he’s more comfortable talking. So when he rushed you your options were – go with what ya got- be nice- and then end it with a tough question, but you probably didn’t have them in any kind of importance or urgency so you just picked a couple.
I would have highlighted some things based on what was most important and what you had the most on. I think he’ s really happy about getting questions via E-mail because he’ll have plenty of time to skew and check his answers or he can just ignore it completely and it wont matter to him.
Really any interview should have taken place after the show so you could say “Why do you have 2 best music games?” Because best sound track and best music game? Only music games were able to win best sound track? Didn’t even throw in a non-music game to mask it?
On that topic, there were 4 “Music” categories, but only one visual art category. What about best 2D visuals or best concept or most original design? What about the other side- not the music, not the visual art, but the story? Sure they have best character but honestly how many game’s rely on just the main character? Most games put you in as a character that barely speaks or has any real personality, just a husk you control, so where is best Cast? Mass Effect 2, Read Dead, BFBC2, Fallout New Vegas etc etc?
Keep up the good work Joe, don’t let this get ya down. A lot of people are picking at the fact that you ranted so much about the interview- before, during, and after, but that’s what you and the rest do, you rant. It wasn’t totally necessary, anyone who watches the interview will see it but they will also see you stopping it and adding you comments and think your trying to convince them to your way of thinking.
Good luck man ^_^
Dear Joe,
Long time watcher, second time commenter.
I believe that your treatment was a little unfair and very cruel but to be honest you should have expected it. You knew you were entering a world that was cut throat, selfish, and cold. A world that does NOT care about anything but formalities and revenue. They deal with thousands of other rich and powerful businessmen every day. They are master manipulators and have perfected the defensive tactics that keep questionable ethics alive.
The fact that your name even caught their attention astounded me when I saw your video about the invitation. What made me cringe however was the video itself. It was an open statement saying you knew more about the industry than the people who are in the main stream (i.e. Spike) and you almost made it seem like you were saying that you were the only one that could see the light.
You work for yourself, on your own time and own schedule. These people have to manage a constant stream of media attention, mostly those in the easily offended and manipulated main stream, and constantly juggle other schedules. Weather or not they looked good in YOUR interview was of little to no concern to them, Blistered Thumbs doesn’t make enough money to make them look bad and to them you have nothing to offer to make them look good.
I’m sad to say Joe even though I probably would have reacted the same way as you in a “Ok, 2 minutes. Go. Go.” at least I would have been expected to be screwed over. I know he was poking you unfairly but it really does make me wonder how much research you actually did before going over there. You were thrown off way to hard at the fact that you were invited.
I love you as an entertainer and I know most of your audience loves you, but honestly you looked very weak. You seemed to think you would be respected as much there are you are on the internet. Here you have earned your place but over in the main stream media you are an angry blogger that has no money and nothing to offer them.
Joe, I love you and your rants. I would like nothing better as a gamer to be represented by you. You are the Angry Joe but also the average Joe.
Kohath Star of TheLoadingCrew
You kept it together well Joe, I would’ve probably punched him
Well at least Felicia Day agrees with you that means a whole lot more to people like us, Go Joe!
Of course Angry Joe could have been better prepared… but blaming him for not being prepared enough isn’t right either. Basically Angry Joe brought a knife to a gunfight, without knowing that it would be a gunfight. And how could he have known better?
Obviously Mister Keighley had the agenda to make him look like a fool. I mean, which decent guy does such a thing? I expect an entirely different behaviour from someone who is the VGAs Executive Producer. You DON’T invite someone to your party just to make him look like a idiot – but exactly that happened.
…and by the way, putting up that interview entirely, without any cuts was the best possible response to the way he was treated.
Geof Keighly is not only part of the VGAs, but he’s been a part of the video game industry for years, and he’s been in front of a camera for many of those years as well. So he basically knew how to withstand Joe’s questions with as little damage as possible.
So in short: A-game. Bring it.
After reading through all these comments, i thought i would leave my opinion of all of this…
Isn’t it rather possible that Joe was invited to the VGA’s since he represents blistered thumbs, and maybe Spike thought “hey this is an up and coming website, lets invite them and give them a chance”… And Joe’s response to this was to put up a somewhat aggressive video saying hes been invited, disrespects Geoff by purposely mispronouncing his name, and basicly asks for questions so he can slam them.
And isn’t it rather possible that spike had some researchers looking at his site, seen that video and thought “we give them a chance and this is how they respond” So they brief Geoff that Joes coming with an attitude and could be troublesome, (and possibly inform him that Joe took the piss out his name)
So come interview time, Geoff sees Joe dressed in his usual attire and is prepared for tough questions, and watches Joe fall to pieces and decides that Joes a joke… Though saying that Geoff was nice enough to give joe advice of he needs to do more research, which is valid
Joe could have possibly turned the whole thing around by just apologising to Geoff and explaining he thought he was going to get longer and was totally unprepared for a short 2 min interview, hell maybe Geoff would have been easier on him and gave him some help.
As for joes rant, that screams unprofessionalism, Joe fucked up the interview completely, never had a backup plan just in-case he never got the full time he expected to get, his questions were not researched and full of holes and is not man enough to accept his mistakes and blames everything completely on Geoff… Newsflash Joe he was prepared for you, like i said he probably had researchers looking at this site, they seen your earlier video and and prepared to destroy you.
Joe if you want blistered thumbs to succeed and be taken seriously, you better change your attitude and try to make bridges in the gaming community and not burn them. Because at the moment Blistered Thumbs pretty much comes across as youtube bloggers pretending their, joystiq or kotaku and if you continue to pull stuff like this no other gaming site or community is really going to take you guys seriously !
No. Fact is that Geoff was doing that thing of looking over at the red carpet and was pretending he had better things to pay attention to.No matter what agenda Joe had, Joe wasn’t screaming or going crazy. I know Geoff didn’t want to have negativity focused on during his show, but I think his retorts were satisfactory. He didn’t have to act like he didn’t care on top of that.
I think the best thing is for Geoff or some VGA representative to have an interview with Joe next year sometime before the VGAs.
Wow, just wow. I actually registered just so I could leave a comment on this and that’s saying a lot coming from me.
I can not believe how you were treated, that is completely unacceptable. You try to be professional and act polite and you always get a slap in the face. Although, I really shouldn’t have excepted much more.
He made himself look like a joke and obviously had no idea what he was talking about with the Final Fantasy comment. I’m a very heavy player in MMO’s and just hearing that….wow. Then he tried to turn it around on you to make you look stupid! Which made him look even worse. Also, I definitely would have lost it when he said Final Fantasy didn’t come out this year. I would have called him out on that in a second! You’re a way better person then me.
How the gaming press was acting shouldn’t surprise me either, I must have really been out of touch with things lately. I’ve always felt like the people who are in charge have been immature and made the gaming community look bad but recently I really started to think things were getting a lot better. Obviously I was wrong and my respect is completely gone now.
So don’t be upset with yourself Joe, I probably would have come at him the same way you did. Since I also like to, you know, be professional and act like we’re both adults here but this never seems to apply to these people. You did what you could and really, the joke is on him. This just shows us what kind of respect this guy has and how he cares little about what we think.
Anyway, you did what you could and thank you for trying. I hope things go better with the email interview and he actually sticks to his word.
Joe, you need to be more prepared.
Thats the bottom line.
You where unable to ask hard questions, you are angry about the past while he stands for the future.
You lost this interview even thou it is clearly visible that he was a jackass, but that is normal and should be expected.
You need to up your game if you want to represent “us”, because most of “us” would have probably be able to do some research and ask some hard hitting questions directed at the events he managed.
ps.: “Somebody needs to answer what happend in the past!!”
Really Joe? Somebody “needs” to? I guess people that work now don’t bother with the past and people that worked on it don’t want to.
You should not bother about the past but the present Joe.
Wow…. that guy was really being an ass…. Oh and about the song categories. I think they should trash that entire idea because if I wanna watch a music award show thats what i’ll do.
Why don’t they have a category for orchestra pieces and not shitty 5 minute songs by My Chemical Romance or another band? I even like them, but I think the orchestrated music in Video Games are much better. Oh and for a final verdict I HATE THE VGA’S!!!!!
Wow, just wow. Even if you were some youtuber he shouldn’t have treated you that way. He didn’t even respect you as a normal person, he acted like you were his most hated enemy. It just boggles my mind at how little respect this man has for you, especially if he did watch your videos and found that you only wanted to help.
I don’t think you did bad Joe, I mean, lets look at the situation- You were told you had only 2 minutes to interview this man, in a noisy area filled with distractions and he wouldn’t even pay attention to you half the time. I’m taking a guess that, that got you flustered, it think it would do that to anyone who expected a proper interview environment and a person who actually gave a shit. You may have stumbled over questions, but who wouldn’t? This guy didn’t even give you a chance to think especially with his two minute time limit.
I really had high hopes for the VGAs, thinking they would give you a good interview and give us all a chance to see the inner workings of the VGAs and try to make it better, but instead the treated you like shit, and that just really got to me. You seem like a genuinely nice guy, and anyone can see that from your videos, but Geoff was ready to shoot down everything you said.
But all in all, I think you’ve shown the people something just as good- how the VGAs treat its own people, like dirt, I think that’s a step closer in it’s own way.
I’m sorry, Joe. Even though Geoff was in no mood to deal with you, you FAILED.
You brought up MMOs and yet couldn’t name many. C’mon, Joe! I think that Geoff, like he said is putting things in the right direction.
I don’t watch the VGAs, because I don’t care, but I don’t think Geoff is THE villain. He’s definitely a doucebag, though! He’s wearing a bowtie!
He wanted no bad press from you, and he wanted to minimize the damage you would bring. Hey, you’re “Angry Joe:” how many people would want to stand up against someone with that title? He knew about your opinion of the VGAs to boot!
Also, Joe, the “press room” includes a guy who sounded like he had never completely put together a sentence since he was in high school. He was the guy who spoke just before you end the clip.
Finally, WHY do you keep bringing up FF XIV? It’s not going to be a contender for any awards, besides “worst MMO” or “biggest disappointment”
id love to see how you acted in such a situation Smiling Ugly Man
At the very least, I’d be wittier than you.
I’m not here to impress another MAN with my looks.
if you don’t care for the vga’s then why are you so bothered about the way joe took the situation, geoff was a jackass, he made apperent that he wants to give us no respect. If i was in joe’s situation i would have been harsher and made sure he damned listen. I’m not joe though so good luck next time.
joe you did what you could with the terrible situation that was given to you, you made this video to show us how geoff really is and you also put in an apology, we lost this one battle but theres still plenty youve always got your email questions.
joe all I can say is don’t be diplimatic this geoff is a douche and he doesnt deserve diplomatic anymore, be angry be what you normally are “ANGRY JOE” give that douche what he needs to know and dont let him back you into a corner.
The only complaint joe i can find for you is that you wouldnt let up on the mmo, i admire your perserverince but don’t concentrate soley on mmo’s.
I think Joe could have cut him down, but being an actual “Angry” Joe and fly off at the handle would be the worst move for Joe. To be on video and lashing out at Geoff might make gamers cheer, but then we might not see Joe on a red carpet anymore.
I’m sorry, Joe. Even though Geoff was in no mood to deal with you, you FAILED.
You brought up MMOs and yet couldn’t name many. C’mon, Joe! I think that Geoff, like he said is putting things in the right direction.
I don’t watch the VGAs, because I don’t care, but I don’t think Geoff is THE villain. He’s definitely a Mid-boss.
He wanted no bad press from you, and he wanted to minimize the damage you would bring. Hey, you’re “Angry Joe:” how many people would want to stand up against someone with that title? He knew about your opinion of the VGAs to boot!
OF COURSE he’s a doucebag! He’s wearing a bowtie!
Sorry, But this is wrong. Your whole point is like telling a guy who just got sucker punched that he failed for getting punched in the face.
From the beginning of the interview to the end, Geoff showed absolutely no intention of trying to get Joe’s fans to watch a better VGA, which is something he should have been doing. Instead we get a passive aggressive teenage girl who is pretending Joe just bashed on Twilight.
The only thing I have against Joe in this video is something he already holds against himself, he was too nice. It’s not his job to tell Geoff about games and categories Geoff should already know about. It’s his job to point out the hacks who try use shitty games for shitty marketing ploys.
Joe is a gamer, and he took it upon himself to speak on behalf of people like him who have been disappointed with the VGAs. When you debate someone or you want to take someone down and say “You fucked up. You should do this” I don’t expect you to be perfect, but it sounded like Joe knew just as much about MMos as the staff at the VGAs does, for instance.
Joe actually ended up making me like what the VGAs is currently more than I thought I would. I still will not watch them, and I don’t care, but it sounds like they aren’t the total ad whores they first were.
It only appeared like Joe didn’t know anything because (in case you forgot) Geoff gave him an impromptu two minutes to do an interview (which in no way is an interview to begin with) and then proceeded to ask Joe questions followed by not even giving Joe any kind of attention. As a representative and the face of this ceremony, Geoff should be explaining why he picks certain categories and what makes this and future VGA’S something people should watch. Instead of focusing on how to disrespect someone who validly criticized the first VGA.
You stated that Joe made you like the VGA’s more yet you still don’t really care to watch them. Should I even bother pointing out how redundant that point is?
OK, OK, fair. He was put under the gun and that tripped him up. That’s a good point.
As for my point about the VGAs, I know my point reads odd but from what I’ve heard of the VGAs past (some comments, of course, from Joe) this seems better, but it still does not seem like a show I would want to spend time with.
The thing is, we support you Joe because you are our voice. I’m actually quite impressed that you managed to keep your cool, because if someone showed me that amount of disrespect on camera…I’d want to punch them out.
However, you know that we’ve go your back, and now you know that the internet knows what a douchebag he is.
I’d like to thank you for trying your hardest to get it done amigo.
At least felicia knows what she’s talking about gaming
i also noticed that this douch bag never looked u straight in the eye and most of the times he was rolling his eyes.
i seriously hope this guy looses his job for this shit or atleast loose ALOT of respect from alot of people.
Don’t feel bad Joe. I used to work for an Anime news site. Sometimes you feel like people are treating you like crap sometimes. Other times you meet people that really know their stuff like Felicia. But regardless, I say just keep ripping the VGA’s apart. I mean seriously. My only question is…King Kong as game of the year? KING KONG!
VGA’s are a joke and they obviously only care about playing down to lowest common denomenator. It’s what spike has become. With Shows like MANSWERS you expect integrity. Shit…these are the same people that got a name for themselves playing Star Trek, then started making fun of nerds that FUCKING like Star Trek.
Joe, I seriously think Blistered thumbs could run a better VGA then Spike. Seriously you should get on that, do your own VGA’s…I at least wouldn’t feel like Im ashamed to be a gamer.
Joe, i am outright proud of you for how you composed yourself when you were faced with Geoff who was, frankly, acting like a complete d***head. I would have acted similarly in that kind of disrespectful environment. Keep on fighting the good fight!
guys, ive been wondering about this for some time now, do you guys think that geoff knows that the gaming public outright treats the VGA’s as an insult to our hobby? i mean i dont think it’s a secret that gamers hate this award show. most people/posters(GT,youtube,BT, etc) that do watch it only do so for the game premieres and 1 poster(GT) watch the show because of hot chicks(i dont know why, since the internet has LOADS of hot chicks pics and vids).
i understand that its not easy to hear someone criticizing your work, but if geoff knows that something is worng with the VGA’s then why be rude to AJ? its not like AJ is the only guy that thinks the show is a joke. it just so happens he’s only guy that has the guts to say it to his face. maybe geoff is naive enough to think that gamers love the VGA.
Geoff Keighley, gamers hate the VGA. so when gamers(you know gamers, the people that plays video games that this show gives awards to?) actually want to improve the show by asking questions and giving suggestions, YOU LISTEN AND PAY ATTENTION. its means there are gamers out there that havent lost hope for the VGA, they still care enough to actually go to the show spending theri own money to make the show better. Criticism is good geoff. it forces us to be better at what we do. also, if you have a show to run, then talk to AJ and tell him to wait, and enjoy the show because you are busy. and you’ll talk to him when you have time to do the interview.
When pretty much every discussion about this show on every major site (including Spike affiliated ones, it seems) ends up a slagging match against it it’d be impossible not to know what gamers think.
And the show goes on regardless. It should be pretty clear by now that gamers are not who this show is marketed to.
That was… painful to watch. He got you pretty hard there, however it was because of the reasons you mentioned. I feel you’re pain entirely. When you have so much to say to someone and they manage to maneuver around ever question and put you off your guard, then they walk off defiantly and you’re left there feeling like a fool thinking about the numerous things you could have and should have said. I could tell right when he said “two minutes”, that you immediately got flustered in your rush to decide what to ask and how. All downhill from there.
Going into this, I knew what to expect. I knew you had your piece/view, but I wasn’t convinced that Geoff was being a douche. I figured you might have taken something the wrong way or something to that effect. I happened to like Geoff going into this interview, so I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. While watching however, it was blatantly obvious (even without your commentary) that he really didn’t give a shit/was being an arrogant dick and knew how to deal with you. Everything you mentioned seemed entirely true.
The only reasons I can think of for treating you like that are either he fears you in some (large or small) way and set the scenario up to make you look bad/make an example of you or just plain doesn’t take you seriously as a journalist. As much as I’d like to say it’s the first reason, it’s probably largely the second. Although there’s some evidence of the first. He obviously knows how to deal with “haters” (for lack of a better term) and had some previous knowledge of you.
In the end the only advice (though I’ve never been a journalist of any kind) I can give you is:
- Expect this tactic next time (there better be a next time) and come fully prepared for it. Know exactly what to say if/when he tries it. In fact, at the risk of sounding like a marriage counselor, tell him exactly what you just told us. It’d be interesting to see what his response would be (unlikely that he ever did or ever will watch this video) and would certainly show what kind of person he really is.
- No diplomacy. Be relentless, but not to the point of coming off as a rabid fanboy. Wipe that cocky smirk off his face.
- Let it go and learn from it. What’s done is done. Dude was a dick, you know his moves, time to get back in the ring.
After all this, GT has been permanently taken off my bookmarks (though I haven’t been there in months anyway) and BT has become my number one place to get gaming news. I have massive respect for you and what you’re trying to do and wish you well.
You would do the same thing if you were approached with the same aggressive behavior you approached Geoff with, Joe.
Pissed Jose would have done a better job than you!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M_dFaNUmJc
You must really love the guy to have his name and then proceed to post a video.
Which comes into question you do not like this place yet you had the time to make an account to post it here.
So in conclusion this was for only a spiteful attempt.
The guy said he would not want to be part of this community so im assuming your not him
Dude, Joe, I’m sorry that Keighley did that to you. You are one of the most passionate people I see when it comes to truly representing the core gamer. The thing with Keighley though, is the fact that he IS a tool. He puts on the facade that he’s into gaming when in truth since back in 2006 when he was first doing interviews with GameStop and Spike, you could tell he never gave a damn about the games he was discussing with the programmers or PRs of them. He has ridden the bandwagon of the climb of video games as an underground culture to its now mainstream status and lined his pockets along the way. Joe, you are dealing with someone who doesn’t give a damn about gamers or games. He was a tool then and he’s a tool now. I do hope you get a sit down with him though. It’d be nice to see how much more of an ass he can make himself. You conducted your self well for being blitzed like that. It’s sad to see someone like Geoff Keighley be successful as a “voice” for gamers, I can’t believe I said that but that is how Spike portrays him, when there are so many others who truly care for gaming and have a passion for them to be recognized by fans who actually care. It’s sad to see the way that gaming has gone. Don’t get me wrong, there is a great many a game out there, but it seems now it’s been taken too “Hollywood” and now the experience seems hollow to how it used to be not too long ago. Sir, you are respected for all that you have done in the name of gaming and while you are still probably upset, go with the knowledge that EVERYONE here who cares about gaming is proud of the way you handled yourself and the drive you have to wanna go again. so I guess all I can really say is Thanx bro. Keep doin’ what you do and DAMN!!! Felicia Day FTW!
That asshole. That fucking asshole. Oh, I am not in the mood for his disrespect tonight.
First and foremost, you did not disappoint me. Geoff disappointed me, oh yeah, but you did not. You were trying your best to get back on your feet and this slick slimy bastard just wanted to beat you- and us- down. I am so glad you got mad at him. He just repeated the same things over and over, dancing his way around your questions, and you pursued him and let the ENTIRE INTERNET see this guy has no respect for us, and that is going to kick him in the ass so hard. You say the VGAs are getting better. I wouldn’t know; I don’t watch trash, but I’ll take your word for it. However, just as I wouldn’t read a blog if I disliked the person who wrote it, I’m not going to watch his fucking show. And I’ll be damned if there’s not thousands of gamers who boycott that piece of shit.
Yes, you need to harden up as a reporter. But he KNEW that too. He KNOWS you aren’t used to that, he employed every sick trick in his little bag of goodies to get a petty revenge on you for bagging his show. He probably thinks we are the mindless masses and listen to you without thinking for ourselves, so we also hate his show when you say it is bad. If that’s what he thinks, he is even more ignorant than he is an asshole.
I say show no mercy. Hit him hard, tear him down. You mean business, and you know that being nice isn’t cut out for journalism.
Totally agree with RidgeAldain’s post above.
This just made me EXTRAORDINARILY mad. First of all, the obvious.
Its absoloutely ridiculous. I simply cant see somebody, a large member of ANY company, literally turning away from the camera and not listening whatsoever to the speaker whom he was supposed to spend a whole 15 minutes with. I dont care if the speaker is from the largest corporation in the world or an individual who has never been heard of by a single soul, it was wrong. The whole “two minutes” thing was insane- for gods sake, why do it on the red carpet? Why do it when the show is about to start?
Anyway, as far as driving your point home to him, I’d say youve lost the battle but are quickly progressing to winning the war with the enourmous quantity of angry commenters here. Give him hell.
Hey Joe,
You do come off as a little flustered but as a journalist (I applied to BT, check it out) I understand. I understand because YOU”RE RIGHT.
Where’s puzzle games?
Where’s the memorial to the gaming titans who died this year?
Where’s the awards for innovation?
Where’s the award for Strategy and Tower Defense?
How about some clips about the year as it happened? Honoring the resurgence in the fighting game scene? Or how Meatboy brought the indie game scene to consoles with its unlockable characters and unflinching in-jokes? How Starcraft 2 shut Korea down for a day? How the iPhone has dominated and changed the gaming scene forever? How PC’s have become the casual players home for free MMO’s?
You are right. (Call me) mrdrofficer@gmail.com
I admire Geoff’s ability to be the world’s biggest asshat. Seriously, you should have been legally within your rights to knock the shit out of him for the way he treated you.
Wow, Joe. Just… wow. That level of disrespect is simply unacceptable – whether he’s talking to a celebrity, big name magazine, or a YouTube reviewer shouldn’t matter. The fact is that you were a journalist, and he was a producer, and he should have been giving weight to your questions instead of dismissing them. I can understand if something went wrong and he all of a sudden couldn’t give you the time you initially requested, but not looking at you while you were asking questions is so unprofessional it boggles my mind – a PR director would get fired for pulling that kind of shit at a press conference!
Definitely go into the next interview full steam – you’re ANGRY Joe, after all. Ask them tough questions and don’t relent – if someone tells you that “Final Fantasy MMO” didn’t come out this year and you know that Final Fantasy XIV came out some time ago, KILL!
“The fact is that you were a journalist,”
This at least partially stems from the fact that most of the industry do not view internet reviewers that way. Some random blogger of YouTube vlogger with no journalism degree isn’t going to get a free pass into this very elitist industry.
What they are most afraid of is the level of respect Joe has from the average gamer. And as he (and the rest of BT) continues to grow in skill and popularity he will slowly force his way into this industry, whether they like it or not.
for fucks sake joe get over yourself, it’s a video game awards ceremony, people have better things to do than do your poxy little interview, cry moar
They probably shouldn’t have invited him then.
Like commenting on a form telling others I have better things to do
Geoff taught me something.
Passive aggressive attitudes are not just something teenage girls do.
Well Joe, ya did good in there man. You took a bit of a tumble, but use it to fuel your next run,
We’re all behind ya man, , you did the best ya could with what you were given to work with. He poorly portrayed himself and his little show by playing you the way he did. While you’re not mainstream, There is a significant following for you and Blistered thumbs in general.
Do your research, be ready and stand firm on getting a sit down interview next year. I know you can put this jerk on his back. If nothing else, even if the VGA’s are a lost cause, take heart in the fact that you are one of the shepherds of a whole new wave of gaming information and Journalism.
It’s people like you that will be blazing a trail and respected in due time.
Stay solid Joe, and Stay Angry.
Wow the 17 pages of comments sure show Geoff made a teensy miscalculation huh?
I had the misfortune of visiting a hate site, whose defence was that they get more comments, somehow implying they were more popular than Channel Awesome.
Yeh, I know, comedy gold in so many ways.
Joe I support you and all, but there are some problems:
1You keep pushing the MMO category like your last defense against a cannon of douchebaggery, I know what youre triying to do man, but your always talking about the MMO category, even in the second interview.
2Asking categories that dont exist Best Fight, Best MMO, more PC,” can you put everything I want Geoff?”
3I think you try to give an explanation a reason to explain the shitty interview. Triying desperately to make everyone understand why HE WAS WRONG.
HE WAS A DOUCHEBAG JOE I GIVE YOU POINTS FOR THAT, all your mistakes will not change the fact that he is a douchebag, and the VGAs are a joke, just fueled by popularity and guys that dont now shit about games. You needed more time, thats the point, the interview would have been awesome with a lot more time. Doing an interview in the middle of the show is not the way to make an interview. Points for you Joe, because even with little time he acted like a douchebag the whole time he had an encounter with you. SALUTES JOE from a Big Fan from Mexico
Right, I’m not sure everybody was watching properly so…
Joe had all the right to be angry about this (Especially after the whole “lets have an interview” on Geoff’s part) Its clear, from expressions Geoff makes that he fully intended to throw Joe off or at least piss him off.
Also Joe didn’t enter in character as he said, “I approached the interview diplomatically” If it truly was the Angry (that being the keyword) Joe then he would have hit him harder similar to his other interviews or in fact what he says he should have been like within the.. ‘interview’ with Geoff.
Lastly to anybody who said, “What did you expect Joe? to get an interview right in the middle of the red carpet!?”
Well, pretty much! This guy REQUESTED Joe tell them what was wrong hell, What we all thought was wrong and why? just to attempt to shoot down what we/he was saying (possibly in anticipation of a harder interview but it still applies)
Simply put everyone he said, “Fuck off real gamers, Were running the show and you want to know how much you’re opinion matters? Diddly”
Joe, If you read this – Hit the fucker hard next time.
Just to clarify for those new to AJ, from what I’ve been following, Spike invited Angry Joe, but Joe requested the interview. Spike agreed on set conditions for the interview, which as you can see were not met.
I also created an account just to leave a comment on this video.
Really, Joe, I’ve tried to collect my thoughts about this, to find what it was that really bugged me about this video. I tried siding with you, but that didn’t work. I then tried to side with Geoff, but that left me dissatisfied, also. Basically, I ended up with this one conclusion:
Neither of you were in the right.
I’ll probably get down-voted or flamed for saying that, but I feel as though it’s the truth. It does appear as though Geoff was trying his hardest to disrespect you, that he didn’t take you seriously because you are an “amateur.” I don’t call you an amateur as a slight against your reviewing abilities, though; I want to be perfectly clear about that. I just mean that as the person before me said, you don’t work for an industry and therefore they don’t consider you a professional. I don’t know if Geoff was being a douche to you because of your name or because of your background in being critical of his award show, though. Overall, I just think that he didn’t take you seriously. If I were going to give you any advice, though I feel it’s not my place to, I would just say that the next time you get an interview with these people you should make them take you seriously. As you said yourself, don’t be so nice to them.
They haven’t done anything to deserve your generosity and they should have thick enough skin to tolerate one person being critical of them, so don’t worry about it. If you have to be that guy, the guy who will piss people off and will hammer people, then that’s fine. We’ll all still love you for it and you hopefully won’t end up in this situation again. My favorite part of the video was when you went into survival mode and lost your cool, anyway. You might have started the interview off on the wrong foot by admitting that you had a bone to pick with Geoff, but the guy is a veteran who was himself overly prepared for a tough situation. I don’t believe what everybody says in his defense that he was too busy to answer your questions because major productions like that have multiple producers, directors, etc. that can and will take over if something goes wrong; Geoff shouldn’t have been that busy. Sure, he might have been really stressed out, but he shouldn’t have been too busy to field more than two minutes worth of interview time. He had done nothing to deserve your respect because his show is indeed a joke, right down to the very network that airs it, and he’s never really proven that he’s some valiant warrior, fighting in our honor. Even in the Fox News interview he came off as a douche who didn’t completely understand the plight of gamers, so I wouldn’t have given him any props for that.
However, I really need to sum this up.
So, I do have to make a few obvious points about this. If you do become some hard hitting reporter, then you need to also yourself be overly prepared and to have some tough skin. It’s obvious that this event has really bothered you, but it shouldn’t because journalism is a growing process and your still trying to develop into a better reporter every day. All I have to say is that if you do ever get a repeat interview with him, even if it’s over Skype or through email, then for your sake and all of ours, hit him back harder and harder and don’t lay off. Otherwise, people like him are going to take advantage of you and try to make an example out of you.
I’m so sorry for the inordinately long message that I’ve left, but I myself have been stewing on this since you posted the video and I just wanted to voice my opinion over what everyone has been saying. Thank you.
Joe I know how you feel and that really gets me upset.
However, you’re still the best, I really love your work as a passionate gamer (and I think I’m not the only one), so keep going on like that!
I just registered to leave this comment, but to put it bluntly:
Watching your interview with this guy and the follow-up you did really just cements everything I’ve been learning about the game industry and business for the past year.
Angry Joe has every reason to be pissed off at what happened. He was told to come out there *on his own dime* to get a chance to talk with the decision makers of the VGAs. Irregardless of what Joe has said in regards of his criticisms of the VGAs, that does not excuse a public figurehead for the VGAs to show such outright disrespect and contempt for someone he told to come out to speak with.
The reason Keighley clearly tried to put Joe in a disadvantageous spot can be traced back to what happened in your follow-up after the show. You pointed out how some of the gaming press goaded on Keighley’s underhanded jabs at you. That is because these people are “industry” journalists. They are not paid to give accurate reviews, but to deliver customers to a a product. The greatest example of this was with Jeff Gertsman in regards to Kane & Lynch. He tried to deliver a fair review but the goal of the industry was not to deliver a fair review but to deliver customers to the game, regardless of the quality.
What frightens and pisses off people like Keighley is that you, Mr. Vargas, are not in the industry. You are not an industry journalist. You yourself are a gamer, representing other gamers, and not trying to be the industry’s friend. That means you will ask tough questions, and will not kiss the industry’s ass. This scares most people like Keighley because they’re used to being treated with kids gloves by the press (which hardly does any real journalism these days anyways, hence why the traditional media outlets are in massive decline).
The mocking contempt shown to you by those amongst the gaming “press” during the follow-up only serves to reinforce this. The reality is that many gaming magazine outlets have every reason to be afraid of sites like this.
Your (Mr. Vargas) greatest asset is that while people may or may not agree with your reviews, they *TRUST* you. They know that your goal is to play games of the highest quality, and to not be ripped off by the game industry. You don’t just expect quality, you DEMAND it. This upsets the industry because you can’t be bribed, manipulated, or controlled. Keighley knows this. The people that mocked you in the follow-up conference sure as shit know this. It’s penis envy. You can do what they can’t, or don’t care to do. And for this the industry does everything it can to shout you down into silence and treat you like a fool. When an industry goes into decline, it blames everyone else but itself for its destruction.
The VGAs are a lost cause because traditional media outlets are rapidly becoming obsolete. What people like you, TGWTG, AGVN, Spoony, and countless others are doing is very likely the first tentative steps towards establishing a new media frontier that will eventually yank the carpet out from underneath the old. The future of TV will be the internet, and the future of entertainment will be new business models established on the internet. What many of you are doing is paving the way towards that day becoming a reality.
People like Keighley are irrelevant because they’re just representative of everything that is wrong with the TV industry, and with the game industry at large today. But their time is about up, and a new age is dawning, one that will be much more exciting and refreshing than we could possibly imagine, and they aren’t going to have a place in it because they have no interest entertaining others, only entertaining themselves.
Mr. Vargas, as a representative of those that view your site, and gamers everywhere, you did right by them, and have consistently showed greater journalistic integrity than any so-called “game journalist” has in a long, long, long, long time. I salute you, good sir!
God, the level of sycophancy on display here is incredible. Joe’s fundamental mistake was going as “Angry Joe” and not just “Joe,” and the fact that people can’t see that this kind of “internet persona” crap doesn’t play out in real life is incredible.
I’d say Knight treated him with all the respect he deserved.
Youre a special kind of idiot if you think the VGA award are anything close to a reflection of real life. Angry Joe is well known throughout the gaming community as a whole and has never tried to push what you call his “Internet Persona” on anyone. From everything I have ever seen, even up to this point, ANGRY Joe has shown nothing but respect to the people he has interviewed and his questioning has always been direct and fair. If the guys reasoning behind the bullshit he pulled there was his name, then hes even worse than I thought. Its no different then someone saying you cant do a job aswell because you have a tattoo. Joe is Angry Joe. Sure maybe he doesnt freak out in realife as much as he does in videos, but his blunt questioning and honest opinions are a true reflection of his true self.
I never said that I gave them any value at all. But that does not change the fact that going in there in the way he did is not the way any actual journalist should carry themselves.
Being “ANGRY” Joe does not actually work if you’re trying to conduct actual interviews in a serious manner, or produce the kind of reporting that actually informs people actual events and information. And this is not a defense of “gaming journalism,” merely a statement of my belief that Angry Joe is a typical example of it, simply in a different format.
Spike specifically invited Angry Joe, not Joe Vargas.
Dude angry joe i assume by now you have moved on to looking at your next videos comments but seriously dude. i watched the first 6 minutes of the video. give the guy a freaking break. hes trying to run a show. you come to him at the beginning hes trying to start running a show and he obviously is trying to make it run good. hes shown hes willing to give you time but dude you should have picked a less busy time for him to. How would you feel if doug walker said hey joe you need to make a video by 8 tonight and at 730 you were still making the video and i walked into your house and started interviewing you. i assume you would say dude go the (blank) away let me finish my stuff. thats what he is doing your also asking him stuff about previous shows that they have apparently changed he even says it. dude honestly for first 6 minutes i think you are the one being the jerk.
If Joe had specifically invited you to his place and told you you could ask him questions and when you got there he told you to f off, THAT would lend your poor analogy some credence.
Every time I watch this guy, I can’t help but think, “Punch him Joe. Just bitch slap that douche-bag.” But you did the best you could with what he gave you. You’re not going to get honest answers when the individual is a complete douche who isn’t the least bit interested in you. But, here’s an Idea. Why not have a Blistered Thumbs Gaming Award show, with the audience casting their votes and nominees. Show them what a real game show should be like. I don’t watch the VGAs, because it’s nothing more than one big advertisment. But, grats to you for keeping your cool, cause to be honest… I would have ripped him a new one.
I have to say that both parties are to blame in this situation.
But Joe created the catalyst that put Geoff on the defensive. Amongst Joe’s first words to someone who works hard putting a show together (regardless of how good or bad it is) are:
“..I have a bone to pick with this particular man..”
ANYONE is going to be defensive or maybe decide to avoid answering questions after that.
And calling the show he works on a “..big joke..”, right to his face, is the worst start to an interview I have ever seen. You were not diplomatic in how you started off Joe. The damage was done, which is why it went downhill from there.
I completely agree that it was disrespectful to look away while Joe was talking, but to be honest I don’t blame the guy. He’s obviously pissed off at Joe and seems to have decided to co-operate as little as possible.
If you want to address concerns with the show, don’t fire off insults at the guy. You need to be professional and ask the questions in a constructive manner. Put them across as suggestions on how to improve the show, and explain why you think certain parts of the show are weak or whatever, and how they might be improved.
As if your chances weren’t already bad enough of ever getting a repeat interview, you then decide to upload a long rant repeatedly attacking him. He has no obligation to answer any questions you have. After displaying the whole sorry episode in drama queen fashion in the video, I wouldn’t blame him if he never accepts an interview with you again. Plus it creates divison amongst your fans as they argue the toss about the rights and wrongs of what happened.
I feel like you’re trying to make as many enemies as possible Joe, as you even take a pop at the other gaming press in attendance during the later press interview.
If you manage to make it up with him, you might get some good pointers from him on interviewing techniques. Wouldn’t that be ironic!
Let’s not forget that Geoff Keighley has been a champion of truth for gaming in the past. FOX news revelled in their sheer ignorance while Geoff tried to set the record straight. And oh my god, what a pointless in-studio “debate” they had at the end. It was a completely one-sided discussion, everyone practically agreeing that Mass Effect was “Luke Skywalker meets Debbie does Dallas”. Sheesh. Go to Youtube and search for: Geoff Keighley Fox News, if you wanna watch it.
Regarding that video, maybe you should actually listen to what they say and their conclusion. That is without a doubt the most level headed and responsible ill informed panel I have ever witnessed on the subject of video games. Even those claiming that they simply can’t pay their kids the attention they need all agree at the end of that panel that that’s their responsibility despite the difficulties that it presents.
Meanwhile, Geoff interrupts his opposition and throws aggressive questions at the ‘impartial’ host knowing full well what the answer would be, even despite her showing a concerted effort to do some research on the subject matter when she had the chance.
For a FOX show, this panel was -amazing-. As far as I can tell, Geoff on the other hand has always been an arsehole.
I agree that both parties communicated ineffectively but I don’t believe that Joe was the “catalyst” so to speak. Technically, based on the given information, Geoff was the one late to the interview. When he did arrive we cannot tell if he is apologetic but we assume not by his statement of “You got two minutes”. Whether Geoff’s tardiness and statement was a conscious strategy to control the interview or simply self-centered behavior is unclear to me, but in either case disrespectful.
Based on Geoff’s behavior, I was impressed with how controlled Joe was throughout a majority of the interview (though some of it was due to shock, I assume). He rolled with the punches and tried to make the best of a bad situation. This was a difficult task as Geoff would look in other directions, poke fun at his “lack of knowledge” (with added support of a female by-standard at one point), interrupt, etc. This behavior I do feel was a conscious strategy by Geoff to control the interview and make himself look good.
Like Geoff, Joe wasn’t without his poor choices which is mainly seen in the use of attacking statements like, “I have a bone to pick with this particular man” and “You have a lot of questions to answer for”. Normally I would say that it is this type of behavior that causes others to become defensive and attack back, but this situation is different. It is key to point out that Geoff is the executive producer, the face of VGA, and is deliberately involving himself in an interview where hardball questions are expected. This atmosphere combined with his behavior before the interview, suggests that he would act defensively regardless if Joe used attacking statements or not.
With that said, I feel this situation illustrates the importance of being an effective interviewer than anything else. Interviewees can say and do anything, so it’s up of the interviewer to be in control and prepared which comes with knowledge and practice.
Based on what I saw in the interview, Joe is mainly interested with promoting change. If so, one tip that I would suggest is not to complain to the interviewee (ex- Everyone is outraged that there are no MMO’s). This can cause defensiveness and doesn’t foster an environment for consideration or change. Instead of complaining the interviewer can ask questions such as, “Are there any changes in the future that the VGA are considering?”, followed by “Has there been any consideration as to the addition of MMO’s?”, “Are there any pros or cons to this addition?”.
Similarly, I would suggest focusing on the future and if needed, refer to the past to get the point across, since no one can change the past. For example, “Are there any changes in the future that the VGA are considering?”, followed by “75% of viewers taken from a Blistered Thumbs poll were disappoint that MMO’s weren’t included last year. Has there been any consideration as to the addition of MMO’s?”.
Furthermore, I would suggest staying as neutral as possible as this shows respect for others’ opinions which encourages them show respect to you and to consider your ideas. I imagine that this could be accomplished by asking several neutral open-ending questions like, “Are there any changes in the future that the VGA are considering?” with leading questions sprinkled in like, “Has there been any consideration as to the addition of MMO’s?”.
All in all both Joe and Geoff made mistakes, they’re human. Again, I am impress for the most part by the way Joe handled himself. I also applaud his courage and humility in posting this video giving us insight into his thoughts and feelings (admitting his own flaws at the end) and asking for our honest opinion regarding the situation. I truly feel that Joe wants to do right by us and I have the utmost confidence that he can grow into a great interviewer.
Ok,so, i just made an account to voice out my opinion on this matter. i apologize in advance for my English, since it’s not my 1st language so bare with me.
I cant say i know that much about the VGA since it’s not broadcasted in my country(at least i think its not) but as a fellow gamer, i understand where AJ and most gamers is coming from, VGA sucks. its almost unanimously criticized by gamers in forums, blogs, vlogs etc. so if your target audience doesnt treat you seriously, then there is a huge problem. the show is treating gamers as stupid horny violent outcasts. sex jokes? killing spree in the opening act? really? REALLY?
also, it seems that most people that defend Geoff in forums(GT) and other sites(youtube) think that AJ is just another butthurt reviewer nobody so he is lucky to be given 2 minutes of interview time. Is this the kind of people that the VGA attracts? so because they have never heard of AJ, it means he deserved this kind of treatment? its true that its all just a popularity contest isnt it?and they think AJ is claiming to be the representative of ALL gamers. dont they realise that AJ meant he is the representative of his fans at the award show? AJ’s questions are from his fans after all. another defense is that Geoff is busy running a show! so why not just postpone the interview until after the show then?they didnt even know AJ even spent his own money to get to the show. no wonder the VGA is still around. *sigh*
so, to AJ, just keep doing what youre doing buddy, youre good at it. you are one of the few reaviwers that i listen to nowadays. ive seen your other interviews and no one acted like a D-bag in those video. good luck AJ and keep playing.
Joe, today’s video ruined my day, i became so effing pissed when i saw how he treated you!i was angry all day and i thought why any decent person would try to fuck with anyone who was just trying to interview them?? i think the answer is simple now.
You’re too nice
no seriously you’re to nice. As you said in your video this was your 3rd or 4th interview and it was obvious that you weren’t as skilled as other interviewers on the web. Your problem is that you weren’t as strong to them as you usually are on your show. You weren’t too sure to what you were saying that you fell right into the douche bag’s trap. Example??? The final fantasy mmo. You knew that it came out this year and yet you agreed to him when he said that it wasn’t out thin year. Now i don’t know if he did that intentionally or if he really was that stupid. But i think that from the moment you started agreeing to him and started to mess up your arguements was the time when he started messing with you. How do i know??? It’s because i like to mess with people too. Anyway, what you need to do is start being rude and loud, you need to be sure of what you are saying, that way you can make him seem like idiot. Example again: Final Fantasy, is you said that final fantasy mmo came out this year you would have made him look stupid and you would have kept you’re cool. But since you didn’t, it seems to us like you yourself wasn’t sure if it came out or not. You need to be prepared to be interupted or intruded. When he says stupid things like that or when he doesn’t pay attention to you, you need to cut through his arguements and interupt him, and remember that these guys are professionally trained douchebags, never underestimate them
Joe i hope you read this and i hope you don’t start beating yourself up over this because everyone already knows that VGA’s are unreliable. Next year i hope you bash these dicks brains in!!!
The guy beated you, you just go to get over it.
This video was kinda pathetic a 30 minute long rambling about a 2 minutes interview? who does that? the worst part is you were pretty much rigth in your questions(VGA caters to the worst of the gaming industry,) but your own ineptitude made you totally lost the argument, maybe you are not good in interviewing people.
And of course you have to be diplomatic in a interview, the questions have to be harsh not the guy questioning, well unless you wanna act like a 12 year old boy.
The guy really care about you at all, and took you like a joke and i can’t really blame him.
My final comment is: stop deluding yourself, if you really want to get better in this don’t say things like “i’m the hero of the people” “i represent the hardcore gaming” “i got it right were i wanted”, just learn about your mistakes and next you won’t suck this hard.
Very damn rude to be looking off to the side while you’re being interviewed. That’s a very good way to try and aggravate the interviewer. But it didn’t work. Shame on you Keighley.
I didn’t want to jump in again, but I feel I can’t let this stand; this and all the other comments that blindly condemn Geoff here.
Remember, this guy is the Exec. Producer here. It’s possible, likely probable, that he was pretty busy getting ready. The fact he was distracted, often casting glances towards the show (while it was starting, I might add), probably meant he was making sure everything was in place. Let’s be honest; for someone in charge of putting together a multi-million dollar advertis-I mean “Award Show,” the choice between making sure that things are running smoothly and leaving a good impression with someone he believes already dislikes him, the decision isn’t that hard.
The point? Don’t attribute to malice what can be explained by expedience. Was it annoying? Yes. Unprofessional? Possibly. Unexcuseable? No.
Actually, I think he would have acted differently, if if was just making sure everything was in place, as I saw it the guy just tried to apear busy to throw joe off and make him loose his focus. If he did truly want to make a serious interview he would have said something more like : «I’m sorry, but I really don’t have much time could we do the intervew really fast» and most importantly he would have taken the time to answer properly instead of just shoving the questions aside.
that’s just my opinion though, think of it as you will.
I understand your stance, but I’m going to offer a respectful counter-arguement: when someone agrees to do an interview, it is my belief that one needs to fulfill that obligation. I understand Geoff was probably busy, that said he clearly had no intention of giving the interview he promised. Had he said “Look, I need to make a show, so we need to do this quick, but I’m going to give you a very focused two minutes”, or something along those lines, I’d be more lenient and forgiving, but that wasn’t the case. He waited until the last possible minute, and sprinted towards Joe when there was quite literally no time left, and proceeded to ignore Joe. Long story short: Geoff’s actions might have an explanation, but that explanation does NOT qualify as an excuse.
Perhaps. But consider this.
They left Joe last in line. Barring this being some very complex snub to Joe, it was probably becasue they believed representatives from other companies/sites were more important to hit first. If this was nearing the start of the show, they were probably clipping everyone’s interviews short, not just his, in order to make it in time. The fact Joe had to send someone for him probably meant he was doing something at the time.
You can’t plan for that. This wasn’t a deliberate effort on his part to mess up Joe. If he was terse with Joe, it was probaby because he had somewhere he needed to be, and the interview with Joe probably held him up.
…okay, I’ll be honest, I am speculating here; there’s a lot of “probably’s”. But I’m completely serious when I say I think people are villainizing Geoff here.Few are bothering to give him the benefit of the doubt, including Joe.
It’s possible that this was a corporate trap designed to throw Joe off his game, but there are more reasonable explanations than that. That’s all I’m saying.
Your reasoning is not without merit, but his actions and language just doesn’t validate your theory.
If in the beginning he genuinely intended to hold the interview they agreed upon he simply wouldn’t have greeted Joe by running up to him and going ‘Joe! You’ve got two minutes! Go go go!’. He would have said ‘Look I’ve been tied up and can only afford 2 minutes right now’. He would have offered to schedule it for after the show. He would have still been courteous.
Instead, he was as rude as he could have possibly tried to be. He attacked Joe whenever he could. This also carried through to the conference (a courtesy he offered no other). He gave fobbish answers like ‘it’s on the website’ (information which was buried within a blog post) and ‘have you seen the show this year’ (well freakin duh) and ‘talk to me after the show’. Did AJ get a chance to talk after the show?
Not that any of us are aware. Unless AJ is holding on to some footage, but if AJ was holding onto footage of a better post-show interview this video wouldn’t have the tone it does.
Inexcusable behaviour from Geoff? Too bloody right it is, any way they spin it.
You offer valid points, but I just can’t bring myself to agree with you. Not because I don’t want to, it’s because every time I watch this video, I don’t see a frantic host trying to make sure everything has been put together, I see a grade-a a**hole who is doing his very best to ignore the questions he’s being given. Look, I’ll openly admit it’s possible you’re right and Geoff was just busy, but I just don’t see that being the case here, not with the attitude Geoff had during the interview. That said, I do appreciate your argument (it’s always nice to have a debate now and again, so long as it doesn’t turn into a trolling statement-thank you for being level-headed in your comments). For what it’s worth to you, I think if Geoff keeps his promise and answers the email questions he agreed to, and takes it seriously, my view of Geoff may change. However, if Geoff blows Joe off again and continues the condescending vibe I was getting from him in this video, then my negative view of Geoff will remain.
If that’s true, then here’s what he should have done: “Hey Angry Joe, I’m sorry, I’m really busy right now, but I promise that right after the show when I’m not distracted with things we’ll have the interview.” I watched the video! I am not “blindly condemning” Keighley as you say. I think he was distracted and therefore probably determined just to put off Joe.
That’s possible. Still, that is something an average person would do. I claim no more experience with video game reporting than the next guy, but I imagine the dynamics aren’t the same. For all we know, it is common in the industry for someone to say upfront “You’ve got two minutes, now go.” What I’m saying is that what most people might consider rude could just be par for the course.
You need to take into consideration Geoff’s behavior throughout the interview though. He said the FF mmorpg didn’t come out this year, he consistently insults Joe’s intelligence… there’s a line between polite and rude and Geoff crossed that line and got really close to the complete douchebag line.
ok first off dont beat yourself up over it joe. it completely wasnt your fault. the guy knew exactly what he was doing and he played it out well. like seriously him putting you dead last? ya he knew EXACTLY how he was going to handle you. he probably thought you were just some guy off the internet that didnt matter.
bottom both him and the VGAs are all about the $$$$$. thats all it is, $$$. they do not care about the money they only care about how much more money they will be able to stuff in there pocket. but even still that doesnt excuse how much of a major douch bag he was to you in that interview. the guy basically treated you like you were a nobody or as if you were a child.
and honestly as i watched the interview i MYSELF got pissed off. because like you said joe you represent all of us gamers. and the way he handled himself pissed me off just as much as it pissed you and thousands of other gamers that were watching off. this is just inexcusable bull shit. but what can you expect from the excutive producer of the worst videogame awards on television?
also joe you say the VGAs are getting better but that doesnt mean jack. you can polish up a turd all you want but it will still be turd. ghe VGAs is still crap and any good gamer can come up with something better his/her garage. I like many others appreciate what you have done joe but honestly you should give up on trying to make the VGAs better. you seen what kind of a person this guy is and how he doesnt give a shit. but hopefully this interview will shed new light on the executive producer and give him as bad a name as he deserves.
anyway im done for now, sorry for the horrific grammar/spelling/etc. i was rushing to type this shit as soon as i finished watching the vid and i was typing in rage aswell. anyway thx joe your awesome.
“Moving along, what’s next?” WHAT A FUCKING DOUCHE!
Joe he had no right to do that to you he agreed to the interview just because you might not be as famous When or if you get another interview with him you should just smash him just unload on him with both barrels and don’t let him get away without answering your questions.
Joe, I love your work, and that guy was being a total douche to you. He managed to get you off your game, and that just made everything a thousand times more difficult.
That said, when you get out on the floor like that, it’s game time. You have to be ready for the people you’re hitting hard to hit back harder. He came across as a jackass, yes, but he was doing his damnedest to make you look like an idiot. I think you recovered nicely during the second Q&A session, and I liked seeing you ruffle his feathers onstage, but that first interview really hurt to watch.
I deal on a regular basis with people who try to put me off my game. I have had people drive me into the ground with verbal abuse and shame, often when I’m nothing more than the messenger. Those experiences continue to nag at my self-doubts, and I continue to scold myself for what I should have said, what I should have done, even though what’s done cannot be undone. But the next time it comes, I am older, I am wiser, and I can deal with it. It’s trial by fire.
You’re clearly angry about the whole situation. That’s good. He disrespected you and made you feel like you had dishonored us. In that video, I saw rage, guilt, shame, a gigantic furious knot over how he treated you. That feeling, that intense, complicated passion, is your greatest teacher. Learn from it. Let it forge you.
We are not ashamed of you, and I apologize if I have been at all harsh in comparison to many of the other posts. But you have never struck me as the type who wants to be coddled. You got knocked to the mat. Get up, shake it off, and be angry, Joe.
Next time why don’t you just not talk to the guy who has a big show to run? Of course he’s acting like a douche; some other douche walks up to him, starts talking to him, and calls his show a joke.
So I guess we’re ignoring the fact that “the guy who has a big show to run” was also part of the group responsible for initiating Joe’s invite as well as the fact that he agreed to an interview?
did you even WATCH the interview? Geoff came to joe acting like a complete douch bag after trying to dodge him the entire time he was there. and even after that joe came off polite and the guy STILL acted like a douch.
“Polite” perhaps, but certainly not mature.
Wow, Joe. I give you major props for going out there on behalf of all of us and swallowing your anger long enough to try giving a proper interview. The fact that this guy has supporters makes me pissed! I never liked the VGAs. One year (2003 or 2004), I watched the show to review it for a forum I go to and it was awful! And some things haven’t changed despite what that douchebag says! It panders to a narrow selection of games, but I should have expected that since it’s SPIKE TV that we’re talking about. Why the hell did they select those particular four games for Best Handheld? God of War and that other PSP game (forgot it) vs. Super Scribblenauts and the latest Professor Layton? What’s with their distaste for the DS? Why were the same games in almost every category?
The problem with the awards is that we don’t have enough people like Angry Joe ganging up on Geoff. Joe, if you and Felicia Day doubleteamed that bastard, you would’ve gotten answers. We need to pile on the pressure!
my sugestion joe is be angry!!! this guy is just a jackass he won’t be political go whit a strong actitude and show him that gamer will no tolerated this kind of insult and is nesesary use the “renegade intervention” if you know what i mean
good luck joe you are our champion don’t let us down
Personally I was surprised Geoff Keighley was even integral to getting the VGAs together. But I digress.
I can’t exactly say either way about Geoff’s conduct. Granted, I do think he was less-than-respectful given the occasion and given your position, Joe. And certainly seeing as how GT gave such an overly negative review of “Final Fantasy XIV Online” I would’ve certainly thought he’d know that game was out this year. Though, given what you’ve described of the guy’s actions during the event, I am shaking my head over what happened.
I have been in charge of running the events and activities of a campus organization which received annually $40k in funding from the university to show blockbuster movies at no cost to students. And in being a member for all of five-and-a-half years and running it for a year-and-a-half I’ve endured an amount of experiences and stress related to making sure things transpire properly. There have always been problems or issues that pop up and disrupt the flow of things. And there have even been times where I’ve been invited to chat with people but was partly focused making sure the projectionist was on time, or a doorman was keeping track of how many people were coming in, or how much time was remaining before a screening. As result, a few people thought I really was an asshole even though I was just having to split between them and the job.
I can’t really say heads or tails about what Geoff was doing. Maybe there was another interview that went too long. Maybe there was an issue with the events staff or a potential issue popping up. Possibly something got in there and crammed him for time. I don’t know. And certainly you have a legitimate right to be upset with him. He promised an interview, and he acted less-than-satisfactory. I’d like to think he wasn’t fully convicted of trying to give you the short end of the hockey stick. This is the guy who adamantly defended Mass Effect against the “review” “panel” of Fox News way back (I must admit, one of my favorite games). And certainly in fully-prepped interviews he comes off as someone you could really have a nice conversation with regarding the video game industry. But maybe just…something came up. Does it excuse him? No. Could it explain what he did? Maybe.
Geoff Keighley is the Ryan Seacrest of Video Games, and the Video Game Award Show is just as shallow, fake and meaningless as American Idol.
What a douche! I think one of the main things that really bugged me was when he went on about you not doing research and then, after he’d gone, the guy with the woman beside you (or wherever off-camera at 9:01) snarking ‘Should do his research. He’s right.’ If you had gone into an interview situation where everything was properly composed and you’d been completely clueless I would have understood that kind of remark, but you were caught completely off-guard and expected to be thinking on the spot within a short space of time – I’m sorry, but even a ‘professional’ gaming reporter would have been a little thrown. Considering Joe knew more than probably a good portion of the people there (certainly more than Keighley) that just really seemed out of line.
You haven’t disappointed us, Joe – at the end of the day they would have found some way to screw you around, no matter what you did. Just be sure to focus on the current instead of past instances (that only sets you up immediately for ‘that was the past – we’ve changed’ responses) and stick to your guns
Just like one of the guys above me i just registered to leave this comment. We are not dissapointed in you at all. It was clear that Jeff wasnt gunna give you the time of day when he first started talking to you and that he was just trying to make you look stupid for his stupid pride. Everything you said was true and does have to be adressed if there is ANY hope for the VGA’s. And Jeff, i thought you were a cool enough guy from what I’ve seen of you before, but my god your a douche. Thank you Joe being the hero of the people
I am sick and tired of how Hardcore gamers have been treated in recent years!
Those who represent us in the media are being ignored and treated like they mean nothing! I cannot stand it, my blood is starting to turn to dust do to it having reached the boiling point so long ago! When will we stand up and say enough is enough and do something about this bullshit treatment we are receiving!?!?! We are the reason the gaming industry is where it is! If it was not for us the true gamers the industry would not have survived the 90s and early 2000s!
Something drastic needs to happen, we need to switch things, hardcore gamers have become a thing of the past, we are no longer recognized, our opinions have become mute, and ignored. This needs to change, We need to do something, I just can’t think of anything myself. We are powerless, yet, we have the greatest tool around, the internet, their must be something we can do. I just hope someone figures something out soon.
Also, thank you so much Joe for standing up for us and showing us the true faces of these scum bags.
Regards,
The Last DudeGuy
Don’t blame yourself, Joe. You were trying to give us an enlightening and engaging interview. Its that asshole’s fault. He knew you were expecting a sit down interview probably in a little side room and he gives you a quick, rushed one on the main floor. I’m guessing all he wanted was to embarrass you. Especially with how he knows he caught you off guard, then proceeds to attack you every single time you aren’t as prepared for the fast interview as he was.
Thank you for posting it though, Joe. I will continue my streak of avoiding these shows and if they do get decent, I will still watch them through youtube just so they don’t get the viewer count.
jeff’s an asshole
I watched the vga’s for the first time because i thought you would be on
The music performance was their worst song ever and wtf is up with the red hair
Joe make the next show the best vga ever!
I’m not at all dissapointed in the way you conducted the interview. It’s not like you were going to get an interview, but decided it was too much work and slept in your hotel room. You went out there and got as much of an interview as possible, the person that let us down was Keighley. The fact of the matter is, is that if you act polite, and the other person is a douche, they are labeled as a huge douche, but if you come in and be a douche, and he is a douche, it just looks like hes being a douche because you’re being a douche. So fact of the matter is, don’t be a douche, your attempt was handled perfectly. You got the best you could, they only person who let us down is Geoff
WHO GIVES A SHIT ABOUT DANE COOK!!?!?!?! Best line you could ever say Joe. Does Dane Cook play games? Bet he plays games better then he does stand up.
What a shit eating ass. I never saw any VGA show, but if they put smug ass corporate shits like this Geoff guy in controll, I could care less about giving it any time of day. Sounds like an MTV award show, just a popularity contest.
Joe, there’s no doubt that you were there representing us, hardcore gamers or every gamer that cares about his passion of gaming. You were good and I think with the restraints they put on you, there’s no way you could have done much better. The most important part is that now we know that they don’t care that much about us, in hopes that the show gets good enough that I want to watch it again one day.
I felt bad that you thought you were disappointing us, once again I want to tell you that you managed to do what you had to do. You seem true, the guy doesn’t care and he’s prepared to put you down. I even registered just to leave this comment (and maybe more in the future), so don’t feel bad at all.
Hey Joe. This is my first day on the site. I come over from Gamespot and Game Trailers. I joined up so I can comment on this video and to check this site out some more.
I say it’s real f*cked up how you got treated by Geoff Joe and the staff. He had the high and mighty condescending attitude that got under my skin as I watched it. I honestly believe the gamers you represent are not disappointed in what you were trying to do.
Like Azazello before me said, this should be a good lesson for the future. Now you know, and knowing is half the battle. lol
Thanks for supporting the gamers Joe and yeah I will check out that Felicia Day interview.
It’s amazing the number of people who have signed up on this site to offer their support. And you from GameTrailers, associated with Spike, no less! Welcome :p
Whether you carry the corny ‘AJ Army’ tag or not, every new member in support of BT is a small win… and BT has been winning a LOT in the last two days!
I wonder how it stacks up compared to the hate out there. I know there’s a lot… especially for a site that’s been around for two months or so. I have only actively come across a couple of sites… none of the major sites are commenting on the matter so I’m assuming at this point the haters are essentially insignificant. Does make me wonder though…
Here’s a suggestion, make a motion games category. I’ve actually noticed that the only one motion game (other than the Wii games) was nominated, that game being Dance Central, and that nomination for best music game. Now with Kinect and Move out on the market, give it another year and you’ll have plenty of motion games to nominate for this award.
Also, why do you keep saying that best soundtrack, best music game, best original score, and best song in a game are all the same thing? They’re not god dammit, the soundtrack and best song categories could be eliminated, but they’re still different. Best music game speaks for itself, the best soundtrack is the best song list for a music game, the best original score is the best music in a game, and the best song in a game is the best song overall. However, best soundtrack and best song in a game could be eliminated to make room for Best MMO and Best Fighting Game (but I still want Best Motion Game).
Joe, first thank you for putting up for that sort of bullshit for our benefit. Second with this video I’ve never been prouder to be a member of your army good sir.
You should have known better, Joe. Geoff Keighley is the kinda of asshole that perceives diplomacy as a weakness. Hell, a good practice for this would have been to interview Doug, in character, as General Zod.
There’s a lot of comments already, so I’ll be as brief as possible.
Geoff was exceptionally rude and forced you to play defense – agreed. You are a game reviewer rather than a seasoned interviewer – you will get better with practice.
I (humbly and respectfully) think you should slow your pace during future interviews. You will appear to be a better researcher/interviewer if you can avoid miss-phrasing your questions. (Yes he should have engaged you more personally and asked for clarifications, but slowing your pace could make that a non-issue.) Some of his answers were good/real, it’s just that they were overshadowed by the rest. For example, his response about My Chemical Romance was very good; I wish he would have answered more like that.
Your questions were good at their core, but they should steer the conversation, making it easier to predict and, therefore, easier to handle. “Why is there a lack of PC gaming being represented in the VGAs?” can be answered any of a number of ways, as Geoff showed. But, “Are you aware that the lack of PC gaming being represented in the VGAs alienates many potential viewers?” keeps the conversation relatively predictable. He will either disagree with you that it alienated viewers (to which you respond that your viewers overwhelmingly agree with you – that’s where you got the question), or he will agree and tell you what they are planning to do (or not do) about it. In this way it is possible to ask hard questions while remaining polite.
Why try to improve an overly corrupted, corporate mess, when you are more than capable of PUTTING ON YOUR OWN AWARDS SHOW? It would take time, but you put a lot into this already. Much of your research into what the people want is already done – we told you what we wanted in the build-up to the VGAs interview. Imagine Blistered Thumbs and its contributing personalities creating a competing awards show, rivaling the VGAs. Of course it wouldn’t have the same budget, but its integrity would make it a contender.
Above all: thank you, sir. I appreciate your ‘everyman’ role; the fact that you’re just a regular guy is why I watch your show. You do this with passion, integrity, and humility – especially when you’re being more of yourself, and less of your ‘character’ – and I appreciate the work you do. I’d like to be more involved; is there a way to do so? What can I/we do to help? Is there a way to post a ‘video response’ which you could view?
BigTopBrain-”Above all: thank you, sir. I appreciate your ‘everyman’ role; the fact that you’re just a regular guy is why I watch your show. You do this with passion, integrity, and humility – especially when you’re being more of yourself, and less of your ‘character’ – and I appreciate the work you do. I’d like to be more involved; is there a way to do so? What can I/we do to help?”
I didn’t exactly know how to respond to this so I just want to say, nicely put BigTop and I wholeheartedly agree.
Joe, as I was watching this interview, I myself began to get enraged! Its unacceptable the way were treated, not only by Geoff Keighley, but by multiple members of the video game press. To me personally Joe, the very fact that your one of the few people at the event that wants the VGAs to more than a big middle finger to real gamers, and you want it to be something that shows gamers in a more positive light to main stream culture, proves that you really care for this medium. DO NOT THINK YOU LET US DOWN! You had the balls to step up and ask the hard facts, the kinda questions that most people really care about. You represented us as best you could, given the horrible conditions you were provided. I”m proud to be a member of the Angry Joe Army.
I’ve given up on the vga’s, nobody involved with them has any passion for gaming, they’re just trying to milk the cash cow that is console gaming. Joe, I have a lot of respect for you and what your trying to do, but it might be best to give up.
PS: I would definitely watch the blistered thumbs awards.
I support the creation of the Blistered Thumb Awards, also.
Well at least they didn’t screw EVERYTHING up, although I got all my info on yahoo news at school where im pretending to do work. The main thing I had a problem with were the nominees for the PC gaming catagory, 2 of them being multi platform. I never played Masseffect 2 or whatever the other one was, but I beleve they shouldn’t have been on the list, its like haveing a best Wii game catagory and puting up Call of Duty it just isnt right.
For the game of the year, at least I can say it wasnt Totally dominated by microsoft, and atleast Black ops (the over hyped game right now) didn’t win, but i would have liked to see a bit of variety on it, like what happened to Nintendo? They could have put SMG2 or DKR on there and let us atleast hope………….
For the many music catagories he would have had a point that they were different IF it wasn’t dominated the music games, heck both best music game and best sound track had Almost the same nominees i think one of them were different, they are different but they could have given us more variety.
Dont get me wrong I LOVE starcraft 2 btu i don’t think it sould have been in the best multiplayer catagory, Shure you can play other people but you can’t play in the same room altogether unless you have a computer for each person everyone haveing theyer own account, and so on and so forth. A peter nominee would have been just dance 2 for the Wii, but does nintendo ever come outside of its on catagory? i dont beleve so.
And finally i get down to the Post your own comment section where all it was, was ME2 shouSHOULD HAVE WON PC RTS SUCKS!!!. and BLACK OPS IS THE GAME OF THE YEAR BY A LONG SHOT, yah all trolls. Is this what they are appealing to? If so, THANK GOD for sucky limented cable for ONCE to spare me from ever seeing this when I was younger.
Poor you.
Do me a favour Joe, and take them down next time somone does that you again.
That guy licks old nut sacks. Why invite somebody to the VGA to have a interview with you, just to act like a bitch.
First time poster and TGWTG/Cinemassacre fan.
I’m going to admit that when I saw this video I had difficulty sleeping. I know it wasn’t my fight, but I felt SO much sympathy towards Joe that all I could think about was how there can be so much injustice in this world. I could imagine Geoff thinking to himself “You want to play with the big boys, little Joe? Time to teach you a lesson in humility.”
I’ll admit putting “douchebag” in the description isn’t a good idea. It may not be here on this page, but it’s still on the front page and the AJS site.
Looking at Joe’s other interviews, I’ve noticed that it’s been mainly game developers and the like. This is the first time he had to go up against “television” and went in expecting the same respect and attention that he’d gotten in the past (PAX, E3, etc). All his questions were from the fans that he was representing. If anything, the ones who should’ve done the research were the ones asking the questions in the first place before sending Joe out there on his own to defend himself. Especially that PC question.
But yeah, it was painfully obvious that they paid for the research on Joe and Joe wasn’t able to fully defend himself because the questions he received from the fans weren’t researched first. I don’t know if he just waited as long as he could to receive as many questions as possible, but he went in blindly with his AK-47s out of ammo.
That interview could’ve gone better but at least Corporate’s finally showing its true face to not just the Angry Joe Army, but to Blistered Thumbs, TGWTG and Channel Awesome.
All in all, I’m hoping Joe at least thanked them for inviting him. Or else he might not get a second chance…
But since I never watch/hear of the VGAs and they don’t seem to like taking feedback, I’m hoping this doesn’t turn into another “Tommy Wiseau” incident.
I alway’s thought Geoff was a Douchekabob back when I would watch him on G4. Turns out, he is!
I think he’s made a huge mistake by showing his contempt to honest questions from true gamers. This will come back to bite him.
Joe, watching that interview footage, I was angry FOR you, man!
But you knew the guy called you just so he could dis you, and tell you that you’re nothing; when they called you down, but weren’t paying for your flight or your room, I’m sure you had your share of doubts.
They’re not interested in making a credible awards show; they’re just interested in bringing in money, and as far as they’re concerned, you’re not really there to help them do that.
Gaming, these days, has become such a corporate marketing scheme, that I don’t play a whole lot of new games. I don’t own an XBox 360, or a PS3. I don’t need to pay $60 USD per game, when it’s just the same old stuff that developers are perfectly happy with churning out, and not innovating.
We have the companies and developers to blame for this as well, with only wanting to appeal to the lowest common denominator.
All that said, I was actually going to tune into the VGAs, but completely forgot about it; I actually ended up watching anime that night instead! I think I definitely got the better end of the deal!
First of all Joe, No. You disappointed nobody.
I’ve never watched the VGA’s or had even heard of them until last year when your video displaying your distaste for that oparticular years show went up, must not be something that is aired over here, but from what I can tell, the thing is not run by gamers or from this guys interview with you, it isnt run by people who are interested in games OR their audience, as displayed by his unbelieveable amount of disrespect for you!
He told you that you should do your research? Well maybe he should have done his and looked more into how many people pashionatly follow you.
I’m not meaning to troll here, but the way that guy conducted himself during that interview made me mad for you! That is by no means any way of addressing your audience.
I mentioned this last year and i’ll bring it up again, Blistered Thumbs should host their own awards show. It would be awesome.
For what it’s worth i’m sorry you had to make that trip for a guy who barely paid any heed to who he was talking too.
The theory on you having him right where you want him, hit the nail on the head there, he wasn’t doing that because he thought you were a nobody, he was doing it because he’s afraid of the amount of power behind you, trying to neutralise you in person, which is also why I assume you were invited there.
The last paragraph, a million times that.
There’s only 2 reasons to rip on a group like Channel Awesome; general douchebaggery/jealousy (haters gunna hate) and fear. Those who hate for the sake of it can safely be ignored. They are not CA/BTs audience and their opinion is meaningless.
The others, those in established positions will only attack a group of people like this because they feel threatened. Let’s face it, if CA was insignificant to them, they simply wouldn’t be brought up for discussion.
They may make valid points throughout their attacks, but if they were offering such criticisms constructively, they would be posting here or sending emails/tweets etc with advice, not publicly slamming CA with waves of hate articles.
This is a GREAT thing. This means the people at CA and the values BT represents have enough impact to warrant a response. And those displaying fear and loathing are doing so because they are scared that those values could make an impact – a potentially negative impact on their comfortable position of exploiting the consumer.
And so ‘the good fight’ is thus. That has GOT to be giving you guys some really warm and fuzzy feelings. Of course, it also points the spotlight at CA, who will have to play their cards right if they don’t want to be utterly squashed. So far, the hands dealt have been in your favour…
…
As for the second to last paragraph, AJ said meeting Felicia Day alone made his trip worthwhile, so yay. :p
Let me say first, that Geoff was a huge douche to you and was not acting professional in any way, shape or form about your questions or even your presence. I’m extremely sorry that he made you look the way you did in your interviews, but he made himself look worse at the carpet.
But I think that most of the issue here is how you conducted yourself here. You seemed extremely unprepared and very much off your game. You rambled a bit and didn’t properly articulate your thoughts. (most of that is Geoff’s doing, I’m sure, but a professional can get past that and recover)
I’m not saying I could have done better in your situation, but what I am saying is that you really blew your shot for the most part.
Again, great job getting Geoff in the act, and sorry about what happened.
Wow how disrespectful and unprofessional this guy was to you… Heck I’m angry now. Joe I have to give you credit for keeping your cool in the face of such douchiness. I don’t know if you have done this or not but I would suggest role playing out interviews with some of your team members before hand, make sure you pick someone who gets under your skin. This will help to prepare you for attacks like the one this guy did. You would not put a defense witness on the stand without having them grilled so that they are prepared for the worst. the prosecution has to offer.
hey Joe! I know that Geoff treated you like shit but i noticed you could handle this better. I see you were trying to be respectful, but shit always happens in this kind of interview and people in Geoff’s position and on this kind of situation are always prone to act like this. You need to be direct and incisive, which dont mean you need to be disrespectful. This way you will keep the control of the situation. Anyways, i hope this one prepares you for other unexpected situations like this, because it happens ALL the time with executive douchebags like Geoff.
Much love
I get your frustration Joe.
Gametrailers and the VGAs were set up as an advertising gimmick by Spike TV. GT is actually good since it has become a clearinghouse for gaming company’s announcements. But the VGAs sucked from year 1. I watched that year, when it tried to be the MTV music awards, and more time was spent with bands than giving out awards. I’ve never had any desire to watch it again since.
I never started believing in the VGAs.
Did they say they’d have a sitdown interview?
6:40 Jeff’s an asshole but you’ve to prep better Joe. If you’re gonna hammer him, have a factsheet nearby. Also, don’t let him control the pace and dictate the tempo. If you want respect demand it. If he won’t have a sit down interview it’s better not to interview him. To keep the standard that you won’t have a sloppy interview.
6:58 Joe even now, thinking about it later, you’re still spun by Jeff.
1) You said there should be an MMO category.
2) He said there was a PC category, what MMO deserved to win?
Instead of sticking to your original point that MMOs deserved their own category you tried to answer his loaded question. Everyone gets mixed up and I can understand being twisted at the time but by now you should’ve figured it out.
It’s a depressing case of reality vs. expectations. Joe takes the VGAs seriously as an awards show representing gamers. I suspected (and confirmed by viewing) from the first it was just an ad campaign. If you hope and expect more it must be a downer to realize the “we represent gamers” message is marketing.
To put the situation in a wider context: Joe saying he wants to improve the show, in effect to participate, means he doesn’t just want to critique it. He wants involved. He’d jump at the chance to sit on that advisory board or become an executive producer like Jeff. But would that make a difference? No. Much of the show is dictated to Jeff by higher ups. No matter how high you ascend socially, you always have to compromise when socializing.
Sorry it went down like that Joe, but I could have told you that the whole thing was a trap from the get go. Geoff is a biased douche whose face is so well planted between Microsoft’s ass cheeks that if he sneezed he’d give them a colonoscophy. Remeber that this guy runs with Spike TV…..remember what they put Spoony through because he didn’t like the Deadliest Warrior game?
They know that you run with Spoony and ThatGuyWiththeGlasses. That’s why they had you dead last in line. This whole thing was set up strictly to humiliate you.
I think Keighley did answer all questions that you had, Joe. Wether he realized it or not, but I can see pretty clearly that he doesn’t give a flying crap about actual gamers and just wants to make money by selling publicity to the highest bidder.
He doesn’t need to say “Screw gamers and integrity!” if he already does it right there on camera.
Joe, you might not have had the chance to bring him to answer every question you had, but you still got the answers to a lot of them.
Joe, no offense, man, but you didn’t get treated badly here.
Keighley is a TV man and he’s a pretty big name on game journalism for a good reason. He’s both an insider and a showbiz pro. And in showbiz, pros work with what they have on demand. If a big guy gives you an interview on a busy day and he shows up, points at you and says “you got two minutes, go”, that’s not a terrible thing. You need to be prepared for that, it happens a lot.
And you need to see this from Geoff’s perspective, too. You called his show a “joke” to his face *as he was making it*. I don’t care if you like it or not, doing something like this is hard and it takes a lot of work and commitment. Whatever you think about the VGAs, and many people agree with your objections to them, it is not particularly polite to insult his efforts live on the red carpet.
Imagine that on the Oscars. You approach Sandra Bullock and ask “Sandra, some people wonder how on earth you managed to get a best actress award. Do you think you’ve devaluated the Oscars?”
You may think it, you may be right, you may even drop that bombshell in an interview, but may be you want to hold back on pissing over the last year of her working life as it finally comes to fruition, don’t you think?
So, watching the video, you were snarky, he was snarky and the whole thing didn’t go very well. Even with the context you provide, I’m not willing to get angry at anyone or pass judgement on who disrespected the other one the most.
Basically, at that point you want to get as much in the can as possible and, if you had an agreement for a sit-in, you go back to his people and clarify that you didn’t get what was agreed and would like another shot at it (knowing full well that they’ll likely say no and you’ll have to work with what you got).
For the record, a sit-in on the day of the VGAs on the site of the VGAs is a bad idea to begin with. You probably should have tried to get him the day before or a few days after, but I get that you were on a schedule. But yeah, on the spot he’s probably going to be running late, interview or not, and he’s going to prioritize (and, of course, if he has you pegged as hostile to his show and his organization, you’re not going to be a priority).
Dude, he did not become hostile until Geoff started acting like a dick, they knew that Joe had problems with the VGAs and they asked him to come to the interview, its not like Geoff would be caught off guard by hard-hitting questions. As for your Sandra Bullock analogy. Imagine if someone told her, hey this guy thinks you’re a terrible actor and wants to interview you in private at a sit-down interview, and she accepted. At they point, she knows what kind of questions the person will ask, and can’t be upset about honest hard-hitting questions. If she chooses to do the interview on the red carpet, that’s her problem. Bottom line, you don’t invite someone to do an interview with you and then ignore and laugh at them and try to make them look stupid.
First of all, I don’t think you understood his position properly; his job is to make the VGA look good and as a legitimate representation of gamers. He knew you were coming there to bash him and he said it. He was also prepared for you and received classes on how to get interviewed in a way that he may use the questions against the person asking them instead of answering them himself. (Believe me we are used to this in Québec with politicians).
You, on the other hand, have little background (you said 4 interviews) and most likely doesn’t know how to handle this type of pretentious person in this kind of environment. While he was prepared and knew the categories and nominees and looked at the most regarded questions in general, like games nominated before they’re out and the celebrities relations with games, you got there thinking (At least I believe so) that you could just ask your questions to this guy and that he would answer them properly and that he would never use your own questions against you. Also, the other point you are wrong about: is him ignoring who you are. He clearly said you were there to bash him, (he said something about your VGA video) and even if he never watched you personally, people are paid (researchers) to do this job for him. However, no one can really blame you on this because of your small background in interviews and that this was your first time going against someone like him. But at least know that making mistakes is essential for improving yourself since now, you know how these types of person’s acts when interviewed, giving you the amount of time needed and the type of preparation you should do so you won’t end up like this again.
Now, many things he said didn’t make sense. First of all, he talked about who nominates the games, IGN, Gamespot, etc. Websites for the most part hated by gamers because of their biased opinion, (ex: we know the next CoD going to get a stellar note while a great JRPG going to get a crappy one compared to it) and also you should have tried to touch their credibility like IGN comment section, spammed by bots there to sell you clothes (On a frigging gaming website). And the worst part is ANYONE is voting for these games, even if Donkey Kong IS the best game of the year on Wii, how could the people who votes (multiple times that is, like the question I asked) even know if it IS the best game?, we aren’t all reviewers that receive game ahead of the release date. Also you should have noted how great games weren’t there on certain categories, like Valkyria Chronicles II on PSP, on the back of the box it say’s ‘’Best of E3’’, how can’t it NOT be there? Or even Persona 3 on PSP, I saw on Atlus website something that goes like this: ‘’Best noted game ever on PSP’’. You should also have had a quick look on mmo websites like mmohut or onrpg to know a couple of them so you can call them one after another or simply look in theses websites most popular like War of Angels in mmohut.
Another thing you didn’t address him on the spot is his lack of attention and respect he gave you. He simply lacked professionalism and you didn’t look angry at him for this at all, you didn’t ask for the interview you should’ have got or didn’t say anything when he just looked away. You didn’t have to insult him or get angry to get his attention back, just a little ‘’Hey this is an interview, pay attention’’ or ‘’I don’t care who this is, you’re with me right now’’ should have done the trick to show him you’re pissed (after you can get angry). Furthermore, he knew that was destabilising you and kept doing it to make you uncomfortable.
To finish this, I think you should rewatch your interview again and again to notice what you should’ have done (ex: he look away, stop smiling try to put him back on is place and don’t agree with him if he said that look was worthwhile, even if you do). Also do more research, know what games should be there and in which category (ex: Valkyria Chronicles II or Persona 3 on PSP, not handheld, or whatever free MMOs like War of Angels are out there) and just take in consideration that an interview won’t always go like you planned it if you do, I honestly think you can greatly improve yourself and avoid getting in this kind of situation again, and remember: An interview is all about preparation being ready to face anything like answering questions, even if you’re the one asking them.
I very much dislike the nonchalant way Geoff treated you.
On the carpet I’d probably opt for shorter and to the point questions. Even though he seemed to be more interested in the celebrities I think it would be harder for him to ‘save face’ if you hit him with questions, delivered in a stern(but not angry
) and loud tone. Pretty much to show him you’re not going to be dicked around. That said, you were on his turf and it seems he already had a plan for you.
When it is all said and done the VGAs are irrelevant to me. As a PC gamer I get one category(yay!). It isn’t like I dislike consoles but I perfer my PC as it tend to handle games I like better(like RTS, strategy, FPS and RPG/MMOs). Again, not to say those games don’t work on consoles but it is my preference when it comes to gaming.
From where I sit you did not let us down. You were delt a terrible hand in a rigged game but even then you were the one who came out out that interview with your dignity and integrity intact. As said above, I am a PC gamer and your certainly make that point abundantly clear to him(especially in the press-conference where Geoff could do nothing but to tell you off with a snarky remark followed by an akward laugh).
We’re still behind you, Joe. Locked and loaded.
I know I’ve already made a comment for this video, but I felt that I should say this. Joe. I think that it’s about time you rallied the troops. I think it’s about time you helped to put a stop to people being treated like this. I mean, people like you…like us, have constantly been treated like this by these types of people, who think we don’t matter. Who think we’re nothing. Well I say it’s about time that we showed them that we’re something. I think it’s about time that we showed them that we matter. And that we will not stand being treated like sh*t. But, I also think, that it’s your decision Joe. I think that, since you’re the one that was treated like this, you call the shots. If you want us to go on a complete attack on the VGA’s, then we’ll do it! But, if you want us to stay put and not do anything, we’ll do that as well. So, Joe, tell me…tell US. What do you want us to do? Attack Geoff? Or let you handle it? We await your orders.