Clickbait Rockstar & E3 Journalism Survival Guide
We would like to share a snippet of something rather curious that we have come across on the great plains of the internet.
Take-Two teases that Rockstar games is re-mastering "Red Dead Redemption" which also includes "GTA 6." Conversely, most fans already know the plans of Rockstar to launch the "Red Dead Redemption 2" which will be revealed at E3 this June [...]. While GTA 6 could also be revealed during RDR 2's launch.
That was actually published. As in there is a website out there that voluntarily has associated itself with an article that includes that paragraph. The rest doesn't get any better either.
Now, after we've seen articles that have referenced things like "GTA 7" and "Xbox Two & PS5", clearly slavering after that adsense cash, this shouldn't be such a big surprise. With the various pretty significant announcements Take-Two has dropped in the past few months, it was to be expected that E3 drawing close will bring the worst out of fringe gaming journalism.
However articles like these, whose mere titles give off that stench of clickbait aren't the cunning ones — there are those which manage to hide their true nature of not having any actual content of substance within, trapping aware but unsuspecting Google-ers.
Certain topics on the internet have turned into minefields of scams, falsehoods and regurgitation of bullshit. Unfortunately, the popularity of GTA 5 has turned it — and anything related to it, i.e. Rockstar, Take-Two and even Red Dead Redemption — into one of these topics.
But how does one avoid giving these leeches and clicks? Well, you can always stick to the official Rockstar Newswire for any game info. Sure, you might learn of upcoming updates or various tidbits of news from other sites, but if you're only looking for the most crucial of info, look there.
As for other GTA 5 related news, feel free to stick to this very website (shameless plug). Our daily content covers anything related to Grand Theft Auto and Rockstar that's worth covering, including news and mods.
If you want a wider range of sources, we'd suggest sticking to news outlets with a good reputation — like PCGamer, Gamespot and Polygon, to name a few — instead of meandering about the umpteen illegitimate news sites on the web.
Another good bet would be the largest GTA 5 related subreddits. The smaller ones with little moderator oversight might be messy, but the most popular ones have solid content, both in terms of news and player anecdotes. Joining the community discussions might be something worth doing when you're not playing the game, as useful tips are often shared. Plus, finding a regular Heist team or even a crew is easily done through Reddit.
For those of you brave souls who venture out into the open and stormy seas of the internet, here are a few tips: avoid articles posted by sites which are obviously not gaming related. Believe it or not, we often cover across GTA 5 "news coverage" posted by sites which are mainly business — or even religion — oriented.
Articles on these sites are characterized by citing YouTube videos as credible sources, the same handful of sites cross-referencing one another and practically making up things as they go since the author has probably never held a controller in their hands, or played any kind of video game.
You'll also notice them from practically loading a shotgun with top key-words and just blasting in the vague direction of their article. They'll invariably write about whatever is the hottest topic in order to rake in the clicks. You'll bump into the exact same speculative, rumor-ridden and made-up article re-written every three days.
What kinds of "hidden gems" of journalism have you guys come across?
