This post has not been edited by the GamesBeat staff. Opinions by GamesBeat community writers do not necessarily reflect those of the staff.

The furore surrounding the GMAs and Robert Florence’s Eurogamer article Lost Humanity 18: A Table Of Doritos has got me to thinking about the status quo in games journalism and the relationship between those that make and promote games and us, the critics.

I wrote about the over-arching issues in a previous article but I’m now considering my own integrity and to what extent it has or has not been compromised.

I write on the fringes of the mainstream games press and usually most of what I write goes under the radar, generally because I’m a news editor and all my job entails is to report the facts without much commentary.

I do write a number of reviews though and I almost always receive a promotional copy of the game from the relevant PR department. I love games so this does benefit me but these are the tools of my trade as well as the object of my affection.

I have also been on a handful of press junkets and I have enjoyed myself. Thankfully they were for games that I was enthusiastic for before my exposure to these PR events and I can say that the freebies received at these events have never made me more pliable towards the games in question.

Also it’s worth noting that I hold an MA in Philosophy in which I studied morality and ethics in great detail. It also helped me to learn the skill of methodical detachment where I can explore an argument abstracted from any influential factors – a very useful skill in consumer journalism.

I want to make sure now that anyone who reads my work can be confident that I have not been, nor will I ever be duly influenced by PR pressure of generosity in my criticism of the games industry.

To that ends I want to make an ethical statement of my own and save it somewhere public in order to affirm my commitment to honest and trustworthy games journalism.

  • I will never allow a publisher or developer unduly influence my opinions on their products.
  • I will never accept any kind of gratuities that are given solely for the purpose of currying favour for any products. Any free hardware offered will be given away in competitions or donated to appropriate charities.
  • I will be clear and transparent in my reporting of circumstances surrounding a particular article. For instance: if a publisher were to offer a day of extra-curricular entertainment around preview and interview access, everything will be disclosed either in the article or in a personal aside wherever is appropriate.
  • I will always give my honest and true opinions in games reviews and previews. To do otherwise would not only do a disservice to the readers but it would also do a disservice to those making the game by giving them a false sense that their game is progressing well.

Only in doing these things can I ensure that I can retain my journalistic integrity and consequently doing the best by anyone who reads my work.

I hope that you all take these words in the spirit that they are meant and that you will trust anything that I have to say in the future.

I will do my utmost to avoid being in the uncomfortable situation of producing a video report surrounded by Doritos and Mountain Dew.