Tom's Games Announces New Direction - Page 2

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The Canuck----------Right clicks the Toms Hardware button on the toolbar, then hits delete.

This is idiotic.

This site had a unique look at video games - one from a more adult, intelligent viewpoint than anywhere else out there that I've found. As the "gamer" population gets older, this viewpoint should be becoming MORE important.

Flash games? You've decided to move from a unique niche to one that's flooded. "Adult" flash games? I really hope that's a fake site or a joke.

You may as well have just decided this site wasn't making money and take it down completely.. at least you'd still have some semblance of dignity. I realize that would mean more job loss, but anyone involved in the new "flash" site is likely smart enough to know that it's just a matter of time.

Edit: The above "you" in this addresses whoever the higher ups are that made this decision. It would strain believability to think that anyone actually involved in the previous content of this site would choose this.

WOW. Seriously like WTF WTF WTF I'm just absolutely floored.

Ever since best of media (or should I say worst) has taken over I've seen nothing but bad happen to Tom's and their sites.
The new video pieces are just aweful.
The site runs like garbage. (pages take long to load)
The news is often behind the times in comparison to other tech/gaming news sites.
There generally isn't enough news (I see more reporting on other sites)

Now this. Quite frankly the video's from Rob and Ben were about the only thing left that I looked forward to on Toms. At this point I don't really see a whole lot to come here for and I probably won't be back.

Rob and Ben, good luck to the both of you. I've thoroughly enjoyed your reviews. I hope that someone has the sense to snag you boys up and allow you guys to do what you do best.

Cheers

Oh. My. God. I get busy and go away for one month and THIS is what I come back to? What in the world?

Tom's Games was the last feature you had that kept me coming back. The very last one. I am quite simply floored by this decision.

If I want flash games I go to Kongregate. You will NOT take their place. This was the one web site where I really felt I could trust the game reviews. The only one. Now you are taking that from us. I will throw my voice in as well. Rob and Travis, if you guys find a home elsewhere on the internet, let us know. My loyalty lies with you, not what Tom's has become. I cannot express how this saddens me.

This is horrible. You are replacing Ben and Rob for Flash games?...WOW!!

This is just typical. Just about the only thing left that I really liked about toms is going to get replaced by.... flash games?
I'm really going to miss second take, there are nothing like this, that comes out on a regular basis on the net. Loved all the lists, rants about DRM schemes, speculations and everything.

Are the management out of their minds?

This is the result of Tom's Hardware/Tom's Games being usurped by large companies like Best of Media. The focus on quality journalist reviews shifted to "how much $$$ can we make out of this???"

Congratulations Best of Media, you lost your core audience.

**** this; Tom's Hardware is nothing but a steaming pile of **** now.

I'm removing this from my bookmarks as well.

I didn't visit toms Games much either but I would always watch the second take segment.

I think toms should have created video reviews with dueling opinions like Electric Playground used to do. Those were always more enjoyable than any written review.

I guess I'm still kinda reeling from the shock from this change. I will agree that your reviews, features, and the like, were a major highlight of the entire Tom's network, particularly your Second Take videos.

I must say that I am incredibly surprised, and in a most unpleasant way, to see that the suits higher up have deemed it preferable to remove these features, and replace them with something else entirely, especially something that cuts against the previous grain that Tom's had managed to carve out all these years. Apparently, some of them don't quite understand everything they needed to know about marketing; while yes, the youth crowd is very, very easy to milk for money, you really can't have a brand and hit every audience with it.

And Tom's had spent years crafting its own brand, to establish it, as countless have said, the sort of destination for the "mature enthusiasts;" we aren't like the stereotypical gamer, teenaged or young adult still living with their parents, but people of a higher age demographic, who happen to have taken to computer hardware as a hobby much in the same way that others have done throughout the latter half of the 20th century with their cars. We don't play with our toys constantly; we're just like the hard-working adults who just happen to have a 60's muscle car stashed in our garage next to the tame Taurus we use for our commute and toting the family around. We might have finally had to face the real world, but we still have our fancies.

It's a real shame to see that the BOM executives have opted that such a market was not worth pursuing; indeed, such a crowd has historically been the very hardest for marketers to get into; unlike virtually every other crowd, there are no real easy "weaknesses" that marketers can exploit. this demographic is usually by and far the one that feels the most comfortable about themselves and their position in life. However, that's not to say that such a crowd is not worth pursuing; the contrary is true, because this demographic tends to be the wealthiest of all normal groups you can reach with common advertising message formats. What's necessary is for marketers to work hard, and figure out how to not just try to force their way into the customer's mind to promise a quick fix, but to understand and appeal to the deeper-seated passions that such mature adults have learned to normally keep at bay.

However, what we're seeing here at work on what now holds the banner of "Tom's Games..." Is nothing of the sort that there was before. Flash games are a target of disdain for a large portion of the previous target audience, which is an audience that prided itself on being refined and relatively elite. This goes to both the more family-friendly flash games, as well as the "adult" flash games... Which do not appeal to all adults, and in fact, largely miss most of the original audience here, given that sex-related single-player games chiefly target those actually under 18, as well as those not much older.

At any rate, it is a dreadful shame to see you more or less go, Rob, at least as we've all known you here. I'm sure that wherever you do go, that a lot of us will be watching, and following. Thanks for all that you've given us.

I'm guessing that the money they were paying the writers / Second Take guys was cutting into their margins and they've decided that they can make more money by paying pennies to host flash games, hoping that some of the current readers will stay. Maybe they just don't get the traffic here that they need to pay their employees salaries. Either way, this is probably the last time I will visit Toms Games.

I just started watching the second take segments now they are dropping them that is a huge W T F man!

They have managed to strip most everything I liked about the Toms sites. I don't really care for the new format of the hardware page, I miss the spotlight videos (maybe those are still around, but I haven't seen them as of late), which is ok I guess, but the changes to Toms Games here seals the deal for me, If I had to envision the worst direction they could have taken the site, this would be it. Not only are flash games lame, but the games on this site now are lame inside of the the flash games market. I looked forward each week to watching Second Take, and was largely the main reason I visited Toms Games in addition to the reviews. Ben, Rob, and Travis, you all do good work and along with everyone else I will follow all of you to wherever you end up, just let us all know.

Also, I am usually not one to be upset enough at some website changes to e-mail and complain about it, but this change has pushed me over the edge, and I feel that everyone that cares to spend the time should also e-mail the CEO of Best of Media, which I have looked up and provided below to make it even that much easier.

USA
Antoine Boulin
CEO USA
Mail : usa@bestofmedia.com

RIP toms