If you followed Stephen Totilo’s week-long look at game reviews, you now probably have more questions than hard answers. Reviews in any industry are a tricky thing but the situations are even more strange for videogames.

So to help answer some of those questions, I’m offering my 15 years of professional writing experience to answer just about anything you might want to know about covering and criticizing videogames, writing in general, the site, attending E3, whatever…

Further fanning the flames of the firing of Gamespot’s Editorial Director Jeff Gerstmann, freelance writer Frank Provo is calling it quits from the site

Here’s his open post about it, grabbed right from the site before it’s noticed and likely removed:

Farewell, GameSpot

It’s true, I’m no longer contributing to GameSpot.

I believe CNet management let Jeff go for all the wrong reasons. I believe CNet intends to soften the site’s tone and push for higher scores to make advertisers happy.

I won’t lie to people and tell them a game is good when it isn’t. I won’t downplay negatives that readers have a right to know about.

And so, the “Frank Provo era” at GameSpot ends after nearly 8 years of contributions. March 2000 through December 2007. It was a nice run.

I feel sorry for the GameSpot staff that have to continue to work there because they have no choice if they want to be able to pay bills and feed their families. For such upstanding people, the CNet overloads have created the ultimate soul-crushing work environment.

Category: EditorialPosted by mosaic, Jan 4, 2008 1:20 am PT

One of his followup posts in response to a comment on the site reads…