All about industry analysts on Bonus Round
by Jared Rea 
{ Aug 6th 2007 at 10:55AM }
That said, the question that seems to pop up every time their comments filter their way through the media is, "Why should we listen to them in the first place?"
Michael Pachter says, "Nobody should listen to me on my opinion about anything." That would be a legendary quote right there, but Pachter continues, "... Except whether one of the companies I cover is going to meet or miss an earnings estimate and how they're going to perform going forward." Curses. You win this round, Pachter! Insightful as well as educational, it's another episode of Bonus Round worth checking out.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
hvnlysoldr @ Aug 6th 2007 11:04AM
"We're not analysts for gamers. We're analysts for investors. That's why our predictions seem so predictable to gamers. But investors listen to us and not them so we get a free ride reading message boards and copy pasta-ying them in our reports. So listen to us only for companies that are going to fail since they'll likely won't make anymore games. Smell ya squares later!"
Anam @ Aug 6th 2007 11:18AM
Does anyone else have problems seeing these GDtv videos? They never work for me.
morganfell @ Aug 6th 2007 1:51PM
He really shows his colors:
"I think twice before I say something bad about Microsoft"
Or better yet:
"Even when I'm critical of something their doing I try to frame it in positive terms"
The bad part is his affectation for adjusting comments depending on whether a company pays him the proper respect. He spins the facts depending if someone pays proper suckup? Markey analysis is a scentific deduction. Spinning the truth isn't analysis and makes him just another jerk with an opinion.
Jose @ Aug 6th 2007 6:16PM
That reminds me of just how ballsy everyone was on the bloggers' panel a couple weeks ago.
Not meaning to blow smoke up his ass, but I loved Chris Grant's (congrats, you were definitely the most attractive blogger on the panel) stance on what essentially amounts to bribery. It's more honest than most people. I guess that's why I'm here as opposed to at one of the other sites.
Christopher Grant @ Aug 11th 2007 1:46PM
Thanks, Jose. Awfully nice of you to say. :D
Matt B @ Aug 6th 2007 11:53AM
Read: "I only say what I'm paid to say."
loungemonkey @ Aug 6th 2007 12:08PM
So basically when he said GTA was delayed because of PS3 he was just pulling shit out of his ass?
Well, duh. He just gave the investors a stupid reason that has no backing (same as the argument that DVD9 is too small).
He should have just said the game was delayed because it isnt ready yet. But I guess then who could the investors blame other than the company they are looking at.
ck @ Aug 6th 2007 12:15PM
Wow lots of hate. Did you guys even watch the video? Pachter seems to be very professional and he's only interested in investors' stock. And how the hell could he get his stock information from message boards besides getting general consensus on the consoles & games? Pachter owns up when he's wrong. And for the most part, he's pretty spot on when it comes to stock, that's why he's still making money and people still listen to him. Like he said, he doesn't care what people think about his predictions on games are going to be - that's not his job.
On another note, I'm loving Gametrailers.com. When the hell are they going to buy G4 and actually make a decent and professional game channel? I'm impressed with the quality production and insight into - what seems to be - boring subjects within the game industry. Their Bonus Round stuff is great and right now, I'm enjoying their Retrospectives. I think also t that Geoff Keighley, if you put him in a suit and tie and put him on TV, it might just change a lot of people's minds about the 'maturity' of videogames. I mean, it worked with ESPN, right? Why can't this happen to videogames?
phattie @ Aug 6th 2007 12:22PM
Gametrailers is great.. the production quality is top notch and they are always adding content daily. Some of their series are hilarious like the Angry Gamer Nerd and Screw Attack. Their retrospectives, like the current FF series, are incredibly well done.
And, Keighly actually knows how to interview people and is presentable on video (unlike that ridiculous McWerther from Kotaku who couldnt be bothered to comb his hair for an interview).
GRANTED @ Aug 6th 2007 12:29PM
Ha. I kind of like Pachter, he reminds me of my boss.
He is a smart guy for inserting himself into a niche where he could instantly be successful--I bet he's making some good cash as a result of the explosion that has resulted in the current gaming industry. I wouldn't mind having his job (finance/investment consultant for the gaming industry? sign me up), but I don't, so I don't really care about his opinions. I just hope something of what he says encourages better games instead of crap. Though, unfortunately, crap makes money too.
Jose @ Aug 6th 2007 6:12PM
I'm a pretty newcomer when it comes to Bonus Round, but I haven't seen a single episode (I wait until they drop in HD) that wasn't worth watching. They're always interesting and give you a complete idea of what goes into the industry we love. It consists of much more than
Write game
sell game
It's as though, even as just consumers, we are still betting on the horses in a race. Not just with consoles, which we have to scrutinize to the last detail before purchase (if you're not minted and you have to pick between consoles at least for the time being), but also with games we buy. So many farking people guy iteration after iteration of crap game, and if those crap games don't do as well as they expect, all other games within that publisher's library are affected. That doesn't mean that if you want to play Army of Two, you'd better go out and buy the latest Madden so that EA can have enough money, but if all your friends who used to buy Madden no longer do, then that might warrant a little worry.
So Bonus Round is just your weekly thirty minute course on the industry. It's Games 101, and it makes things about the industry a little clearer even for the lay man, like ourselves.
GameTrailers fills that gap that all cable television game programming leaves behind.