Theory

[icycalm]

I was rereading some of the news threads, and came across this:

Come on now – we know you want details. Sign our NDA and we’ll talk about it!

http://forum.insomnia.ac/viewtopic.php?p=6008#6008

(P.S. NDA=Non-disclosure agreement)

And it suddenly hits me. What THE FUCK is the point of an NDA? I mean it's not like regular gamers can sign up for them: they are only supposed to be for "journalists". But if a journalist is not allowed to report what he saw, what's the point of going to all the trouble to sign a goddamn fucking agreement? Why wouldn't he rather spend his time looking at games on which he IS allowed to report, and which therefore will be much more urgent that he should report on?

Am I missing something huge here? I can solve the mysteries of the universe, yet little crap like this never fails to baffle me. Monkey logic.

[watatatow]

NDAs don't necessarily mean that everything has to be kept confidential. If it was for journalists just as you say, then I'm sure they were still allowed to report certain things.

[icycalm]

I don't understand your second sentence.

So if they are only allowed to report on some stuff, why not just give them that stuff and no more? No need for contracts or anything stupid like that either. Just dictate to them what they are allowed to write and be done with it.

[burnsro]

NDAs give journalists enough time to write an article about the game. This is so that when the game is revealed all of the gaming media can shoot their wads of redundant, vague and useless info at the same time.

[Worm]

My understanding is that it's to cover comments that accidentally slip out in interviews, spoilers from advance copies, whatever's written on a whiteboard when you're touring the office--those sorts of things.

[BlackerOmegalon]

It's just used to control the "journalists". For example, they can give a review copy of a game to every outlet, but only one can post their review early as part of an exclusive. Another way they're used is to have a clause that won't allow a publication or website to post a review if it's going to give it less than a certain score, or if it mentions certain things, as was done with the Metal Gear Solid 4 reviews, and if you refuse to sign the NDA they just won't provide you with a review copy.

In other forms of consumer journalism, such as consumer technology, there are journalists who won't sign NDAs under any circumstances, but you'll never find a games journalist who will do the same. What does that say about them? I guess it's difficult not to play by the rules of game company PR when you don't have any sort of real journalism to fall back on.