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I just learned recently that the question mark may be the missing key to Bitmob's future success….

A couple of industry contacts of mine were bitching to me about the general state of video game journalism — how more and more, press outlets are creating "news" and "rumors" out of nothing at all, for the simple purpose of eliciting page views.

Then other websites start picking these stories up without checking with any sources, maybe adding a little bit of unclearly labeled speculation themselves, starting a dangerous game of telephone and spreading everything around the Internet like an untamed virus…until the general public can't help but consider these as fact.

How can they get away with this and still be considered viable press outlets?

The question mark saves the day. As one of those contacts I mentioned earlier pointed out, "All they do is add a question mark to a headline, then they can write whatever the fuck they want…because then it doesn't have to be true. Heck, you might as well write 'Does Obama Have a Vagina?' because these days, you can get away with it."

The other contact added that weasel words — vague statements that help a writer get out of committing to anything he just wrote — help a lot. Or at least that's what some say….

We were planning on seeking out some angel investors to help fund Bitmob. But now that we know the secret to some of the larger sites' success, why bother? I'll just throw some of next week's E3 trade show's biggest, most shocking news headlines and announcements* your way now using the above formulas, and we'll use our magic machine to convert all that traffic into pure gold. Then it's off to cash4gold.com to cash in!

Let's start with a reality-bending bomb on the 3DS….

 

  • Report: Is the 3DS Actually 4D?

  • Sources: Some Say the PlayStation 4 Might Be at E3

  • Is Miyamoto-san Leaving Nintendo to Work for Bungie?

  • Is the PSP Go 3 One of Sony's Big Surprises?

  • The Words "Final Fantasy" to Be at E3 in Some Form

  • 3DS is Capable of Doing Some Things That Other Systems Can

  • Confirmed? Project Natal to Be Backward Compatible with Dreamcast

  • Might Nintendo Announce Star Fox For Wii HD and 4DS?

  • Respawn Entertainment to Announce They're Acquiring Activision?

  • Six, Not Five, Analog Sticks on the 3DS?

Via Wired.com's Chris Kohler on NeoGAF.


OK, your turn, readers. Can you put in the comments below some of the great E3 rumors and inside news that you've heard? We appreciate you keeping food on our plates here at Bitmob….

Other recommended reading:

Five Unlikely E3 News Items

We're Sorry, CliffyB

Game Journalists Shouldn't Be Public-Relations Shills

*In case this sarcasm was lost on you, I made all these headlines up. Repeat: not real. But still feel free to spread this story virally.