Leaks and how they effect the gaming community.

[AzureAce 544]

This is more so a thread open for debate rather than me expressing my opinion in detail. An open forum if you will, for discussion.

 

I personally believe leaks have a hugely negative impact on the community. They lessen the hype and enjoyment of events. For one, the Pokemon Sun/Moon leaks. I luckily didn't catch the proof that the leak was real until after the direct. And FFXV. Damn FFXV. What heartless f*ckers for GameSpot to release that information WHILE BEING UNDER EMBARGO what disrespectful twats. I hope GameSpot gets sued for millions. I'm not the biggest fan of FF, but I feel so so sorry for all the fans who have been waiting since 2006 for this game's release date to finally be revealed at an event, only for some f*cking idiots like GameSpot to go and ruin it and metaphorically slap them in the face. 

 

That's my stance, now let's begin the discussion.

[MythrilMagician 6,963]

Especially those NX "leaks". People were really mad about that one, until it was confirmed to be fake. Who knows, maybe people are still mad.

[sEUpernova 87]

I agree leaks take away from the surprise factor. Even fake leaks take some hype away if they look convincing enough (all the supposed smash 4 leaks for example) It's disrespectful to not only the fans, but also the people who put so much time into making the game and an even bigger slap in the face when they put together special events to discuss the game (nintendo directs, E3 conferences, FFXV Uncovered etc...) It's one thing if some crafty hacker leaks it or even a disloyal employee, but when a professional reviewer or gaming site does it then they deserve to get sued.

[Awesome Sauce 634]

I agree. All leaks do is ruin surprises and spoil game enthusiasts rotten, I hate them. Then there's the fake ones, you know, the ones that are so bad they have no credibility? Those are simply a waste of time and made only because some people have the need to recieve attention and create a commotion. Leaks are scum, and the practice should be erased from the internet, now if only there was a way to tell people to stop feeding into them...

[KairiKeybasH 851]

I don't really care for Leaks. I seriously just want to know if they are REAL or FAKE Leaks. Leaks can be very believable...

Edited March 30, 2016 by MarieltheKeybasHGirl

[ladydualwieldin 212]

Personally speaking, it depends on the nature of the leak for me. If it's something big like a character or plot reveal, then yeah, I want to see it in the actual trailer, not get word of it via leaks.

 

For things like release dates or box art, I don't really mind? I mean, if Square Enix were to hold a big event to announce KH3's release date, I wouldn't mind finding out about it a bit sooner than expected. I'm here for the game itself, not the hype.

 

(Pertaining to the FFXV thing, though, I can understand if you were actually attending the event and were spoiled beforehand. That would stink.)

[EricBwn 86]

The only leaks I don't like are plot detail leaks, anything else doesn't matter to me. 

[Green Sparrow 795]

It kind of depends on what and when the leak is. A random Nintendo NX leak in the middle of April is harmless, since any NX news probably won't come until E3. Leaking something within the week of an event however, that's when it isn't fun for anyone.

[Svard 164]

Leaks can be a nice surprise to the fans every now and then, given they are real. However, I do agree that leaks can be damaging to the community, and also, to a company's reputation and sometimes, even finances. Shame on GameSpot, and also on IGN, for putting the news up for FFXV, and potentially ruining something that could otherwise have been better.

[KingdomHearts3 2,591]

You can't take these leaks seriously. I agave too many times have seen a website claim a company like SQEX had a release date leaked as they have heard from "a source close to Square Enix" (that's the excuse they use all the time for gaining publicity and waste people's time because they need attention) and then they don't say what it is or make something up that makes no sense. Take them with a grain of salt. Or better yet IGNORE IT! Remember you can't spell ignore without IGN.

[Headphone Jack 1,147]

depends on what is being leaked. release dates and gameplay elements are fine but critical story points not so much.

 

can't blame gaming journalism sites either because of course they'd want to stay on top of the news to out do the competition. that's their business. 

 

honestly if you really want to avoid 100% of the spoilers then stay off the internet. someone, somewhere out there on the internet will spoil the thing you're trying not to spoil.

 

 

and while we're on the subject i can't believe that one guy who leaked the rock textures from 2.8 i mean what the hell man talk about ruining a game

[The Transcendent Key 12,109]

Yeah, leaks can suck out the enjoyment of something you've been waiting for, and it sucks for those people who've been saving up their excitement for an official reveal, ya know?  But, since I have the very fortunate ability to avoid leaks and spoilers and whatnot, I don't get impacted by said leaks because I don't go searching for them, and luckily, they don't go searching for me!  But yeah, the people providing the leaks risk dire consequences if they're caught, ya know?  

 

Let Gamespot be an example to everyone out there who wants to leak stuff!  You'll all get the sued syndrome!

[Kingdomhe 1,362]

they suck but there is nothing you can do about them.

[Dave 5,715]

It's an unfortunate occurrence that's as old as newspapers: who can get out the news the fastest and rack up the most views before the next guy. In this case, it's a matter of people trying to beat out the producers of the product themselves so they can get those succulent clicks onto their webpages. And with information and accessibility becoming increasingly easy to get a hold of, it's unlikely that it's going to slow down any time soon.

[Kyouma-Blade 90]

I don't really understand how leaking a release date is a slap to the face, but I don't really care much about leaks in the first place anyways.

 

When leaks happened with Sm4sh (ESRB and Roy/Ryu datamines), I was pretty excited that they were coming in the first place. Where and when the news broke, that doesn't really matter to me. I'm more looking forward to the actual content itself, rather than relying on hype to carry the product.

 

However, I understand why people would be upset, since leaks often come at unexpected times, and you have a high chance of coming across one accidentally. Joining together in an experience with other people who are just as excited as you is fun, and leaks may lessen that for you. Personally, it doesn't, but I can see how.

 

Whether or not leaks are good to the developers are another thing entirely. If anyone should feel like they got a slap in the face, it should be the developers, not the fans. They chose to trust a news source, and were betrayed by them, accidentally or not. I sure as hell wouldn't trust a company that couldn't keep that sensitive information under lock and key.

 

To sum up my thoughts on leaks: We take those, but I'll pour one out for the developers.