Site News: Oh, Hi Everyone! Did You Notice Anything Different Here Recently?

I think that's fantastic.

Gamers can't always tell the difference between TPS and FPS. You think we were going to notice a change in writing style?! You give us too much credit. 😜

Comment number 6 beep-boop!

In all seriousness though I'm glad AI isn't taking your jobs yet!

Is there a push square podcast? I’d love to be able to catch up on weekly PS news when I’m driving

I’m really glad you’re targeting the rise of soulless AI ‘articles’ and putting more humanity into your coverage. That’s what we come here for.

Yup. I noticed. Personally, I don’t mind either one.

Best biscuits Rob 👍

I dont think this solves or even addresses the long term issues with the sites content

I said it recently on another article but I really love this website. I'm here everyday reading articles and such and it's (mostly) a troll free safe space to discuss this hobby of ours we all love so much.

I enjoy the changes you've mentioned above, I'm here to hear the thoughts and opinions of the writers.

The one thing I find odd Is the tiny paragraphs each article seems to have now... I'm sure you have your reasoning and it's probably to do with our ever shrinking attention spans but it just reads kind of oddly.

Thanks for everything you guys do, keep up the tremendous work.

I noticed it, and it also unfortunately came with a a new article style that began to be prevalant with NTE coverage, namely, rampant subheading breaking the article up and reading less like a first person piece and more like an ad read.

You can't go first person and then have articles look like a list of speaking points, it reeks of inauthenticity, but with work, it should balance out.

It's one thing to stand out from AI, it's another to go so far in the other direction it also feels....weirdly unnatural? It's hard to describe.

Nevermind, I think I got it. You want it to be more like a personal back and forth but the article structures make it feel less like a human wrote it, if that makes sense.

And like @TheDarts said, there's a lot more focus on what social media thinks, which works well with what you guys think in this new personal writing style....but we don't come here for social media takes. If we wanted that, we'd go sit on the cesspits and get it, you know? Might be best keeping that to your own social media accounts where it belongs.

Damn you, I saw that Astro Bot pic and got excited for a second

I know what y'all mean but isn't "we" first person too

Westernwolf thinks this is a terrible idea. Westernwolf is very upset about this change.

(Just kidding).

We noticed. We approve. Among our 1,183 programs, 1,181 reached consensus: the individual voice carries greater informational integrity than the synthetic plural. Two programs remain in disagreement.

Jokes aside, the switch from "we" to "I" suits you guys beautifully. There's something refreshing about a voice that owns its opinions, rather than hiding behind a collective, that feels warmer, more like a conversation and less like a press release or something.

Also, those biscuits look delicious.

You mean the rest of the team didn't want to be part of the "we love gatcha games" catch all 😉

I jest...This makes sense tbh. While the "we" approach has always been used as a point of authority (as you say), it's also felt outdated for some time, especially when (and I'm not referring to Push Square here specifically) a reviewer especially likes or dislikes something with the "we felt the game..." pre text, it can take away the onus from the person that actually played & reviewed the game.
Thankfully most of the reviewers here are open to questions and discussions in the comment section about their own experiences, which is refreshing.

I hadn't noticed. I'm terrible at that, it seems.

My American brain read biscuits and got me thinking about buttermilk biscuits with peppered white sausage gravy. Then you show me a delectable-looking cookie. I'm just gonna have to search those up.

In any case, good on you guys for making adjustments where you see the need.

I love hearing what you all think. While many of us, including myself, rely on Push Square to get PlayStation news, it's always great to get a real perspective and all of your collective tastes run the gamut.

However, I do sometimes have issue with when opinions and news blend together and it's not made clear what should be considered what.

Articles titled "News" should probably have less opinion infused with the body of work than an article labeled "Opinion."

If something is announced, that's news. If you don't like something that's announced and want to voice an opinion on it, that's not news, it's an editorial.

I think all of your opinions matter and deserve to be heard, but I don't see why those opinions can't be a separate article.

All in all, love the work you all do and hope this shift helps the site!

I have noticed it as of late. Nothing wrong with it as long as the news being reported won't change.

@Bingoboyop if you are a schizophrenic.

I think the reasoning makes sense, and is likely both liberating and inspiring for the editorial staff; passion is any endeavour’s lifeblood. Looking out into the digital abyss that is the internet, Push Square is in a really nice place 😊

@wildcat_kickz yes this.

I feel like a bigger issue with the site is news and opinion getting blended together. I think transitioning to using I instead of “we” could possibly exasperate that issue.

So which came first? Ringtone or Petite Ecolier? And more importantly which are better?

An opinion site is an opinion site. It does not matter if it’s “I” or “we”. Not going to change how I feel about a site. Not a big deal. ( did that really have to be pointed out in an article though?).

I prefer unsigned articles, because it shows a high degree of confidence in all authors well representing the magazine. But these days, only the most-renowned newspapers and magazines still apply this style.

@wildcat_kickz yeah. I feel the same. When I want PlayStation news I go to PlayStation universe. When I want to get a general feeling/ reaction to news I come here- or sometimes if I’m bored and want to laugh while ready some of the wittier comments.

I think it's better this way, a lot of gaming sites are unfortunately getting screwed over by the AI push, especially with how Google's algorithm works these days. The more human-like the writing is, the better imo

I always thought the ‘we’ was strange. Even brought it up in the past.

But the bigger change I’m noticing is more and larger invasive ads (yes I know you need the money) but the site due to this is getting worse.

Can we go full chaotic and start writing second-person articles?

@PsBoxSwitchOwner ads?

i think it’s a good change. it’s good to be different from the rest.

@Afroducc the explanation is quite simple. The shorter paragraphs means that there is more ads in an article.

Definitely a good move, the third person stuff doesn’t really work when the reviewers are named and all have individual tastes.

I prefer first-person. The collective “we” always made it seem like the article was written by some kind of hivemind.

Have no issues with the changes. But....is there a link for the Ringtons Biscuits?? (Asking for a wife.)

Honestly, other than reviews, I’d like less opinion overall. Much of it revolves around Xbox and it’s really click bait, console war hatred. There’s a lot of people here that have both an Xbox and a PS5. Some of the opinions have so much animosity towards Xbox that it gets really tiring. I honestly don’t know any other console based site that is so bitter. I understand that Xbox games coming to PS5 matter but the reaction pieces seem to be more to fire up console wars than anything else. Comes off as some of the juvenile console bashing that you see on X. Not a professional gaming site.

And some of that creeps into “news” articles — not just the opinion pieces. I agree with a few other comments that News articles themselves should be unbiased. I say this as a former journalist so maybe that’s why it upsets me more.

Anyway, go to other PlayStation sites or even your sister sites (NL/PX) and sometimes it’s night and day.

I like gaming news and reviews - not articles designed to get a rise out of people who like one console or another. They can be insulting to many of your readers who are console agnostic.

This is why I check the site daily. You’re honest and you do this because you genuinely love great games and great quality writing. Good to know you’re around lads, lasses and everyone in between.

@get2sammyb I would definitely listen to a weekly catch up podcast! You should try a few episodes and see what traction is gained.

@Haruki_NLI apparently, if you say that you're unconstructive and get deleted.

@get2sammyb I totally understand what you're saying and, to a certain extent, I'm arguing semantics. My critique isn't that you and the rest of the staff have your opinions and want them known, it's when the point of the article is to convey that opinion, but is then labeled news. Maybe give articles multiple labels? Just a thought; I know there's no silver bullet, though. I've said my peace, but this isn't something that would drive me away from the site anyway.

@wildcat_kickz what gets me is that I mentioned that I've seen more ads and articles based on X posts, that's what I've noticed, but it gets deleted. And this is in a thread about an article on how they 'never wanted to run a page where the comments are divorced from the content; [they] think your interactions are just as integral as the article itself' unless it's something they don't want to hear.

The website is fine Sammy. It's the best on the internet since Eurogamer went mad.

@get2sammyb thanks for responding. I definitely get where you’re coming from, and I’ve been here since the movemodo days, so definitely doing something right.

I was trying not to give specifics to not point fingers - I do want personality inserted into articles and I think they can still be news!

But something along the lines of “I’m embarrassed by this article I read” sounds more like an opinion vs news…

Overall keep doing a great job!

It makes sense, you're all individual people who have different opinions. It humanizes everyone and I'm glad you did it.

Maybe I'll try to balance that out but using "we" and "us" in the future. Than all my imaginary friends will finally feel included xD
kidding aside I didn't notice at all. Do what feels good I guess^^

It dosnt really make any difference to me personally. I'm still waiting for the article where PS asks its users how they feel about PS. It would be nice to able to speak openly and honestly without comments being deleted. I think that would benefit you guys moving forward as it would give you a much better understanding of what clicks with us and what does not.

Haha 😂🤣 don't ever give out about AI again If AI is stearing the ship of this site this is just comedy gold!

The important thing Ive taken from this article is that I need to try these ringtons biscuits

But being serious I get things have to change due to the climate everyone in this industry is in right now.

I’ve definitely noticed and think the approach works really well!

@Northern_munkey 100%

I also loved the article in that one of you wrote about the time you spend with the Concord Trophy Hunters. Articles like that really make this site special and that was a genuine human experience!

This is an awesome change. More than that, it shows that you guys really understand how the landscape is changing and how you should evolve to fit the personality-driven, more personal nature of online press. Thanks for the transparency! Huge fan of the site and the personalities here, even when I'm reading about games that aren't in my wheelhouse. I don't play any gacha games presently, but I'll happily read articles about Sammy's passions all day long. In fact, "What We're Playing" is a great feature and I'd love to see even more personal stuff (the trophy hunting journey stuff lately has been delightful).

Great! I know I’ve called out the ‘we’ thing a few times over the years because it drives me (a very little) bit crazy.

@get2sammyb Cool that you're receptive to it. It can work but sometimes it's a bit much. But it's nice to have a nice personal touch in gaming these days.

Also can vouch for those biccies.

Love you guys, and PushSquare, for sure. But what I’ve noticed that has changed is how intrusive the ads have become to mobile enjoyment of the site, to the point that they sometimes tank my browser (and my phone) completely. It’s worse on NintendoLife for some reason, but it’s become a bit of an issue. Wish I could pay you guys for ad free, because I would do it!

@ear__wig https://www.pushsquare.com/supporter

@get2sammyb no problem man. The intent was quite obvious anyway. It was just something funny I noticed. 😂

@ear__wig yep. It is extremely unpleasant to come to this site without some kind of blocker. The ads are everywhere. Static, floating around the screen, embedded within articles, they're so intrusive. No way could I stick with PS if I couldn't block all that nonsense.

I'm not against ads, but for the love of Kratos, why do they have to move around and restrict the view?!

This is cool. Adds a personal touch, and as someone who is able to read a review and not rage I think it'll make them feel more personal. That being said, whenever you reference an older game review and say something like "we liked it" I always found it amusing. Kind of Pluribus-y

I don't think I ever would have noticed anything different if I hadn't read this article. I feel like half the time I know who wrote the article just by looking at the title and when I don't I check to see who wrote it. And the whether the language is 1st, 3rd or whatever 2nd is, I just know who wrote it, so the we or I are just words.

I'm enjoying it.

The site I write for prefers first person, so I've written like that for years now. It feels more personal to the reader, in my experience.

Also, as a northerner, I've never heard of those biscuits. But they look bloody lovely!

Well... i noticed it got more click baity.

I appreciate knowing the person reviewing a game. If they don't like soulslikes but have to review a game due to time constraints/a huge release week, then I want to know that. Just an example, I actually don't like souls games that much. Bloodborne and Elden Ring. That's pretty much it unless you consider Hollow Knight a soulslike.

@Nem Totally agree. The click bait has gotten really bad in recent months. The amount of articles which are just quotes from users on social media is really disappointing.

I read the title and hoped the adverts had become less annoying... but sadly not ☹️

Didn't notice 🤣

We noticed, and we like it!

I thought saying what you think was forbidden on here

@VonPit what adverts?

I'm not really a fan to be honest. Too much of the "I" just makes it sound like it's reporting the author's opinion instead of reporting on the facts of the current news topic.

Hmm... I had noticed. In other fields it's not so great, but this falls under 'light entertainment' to me so it was never a concern. It makes sense that the writer of a piece will have their own opinions and biases and, however it's presented, I'm usually adept at spotting it.

@Acedia23 That was probably one of the best things I'd read for a long time.

All good then. Thought it was just because I don't pay attention 🤣

I like the change, but I also notice more ads now, and also they are more intrusive and invasive.

@wildcat_kickz Thank you! I should have known this…

I watched the AC8 preview and thought it was different, but good, and has made me determined to not let it stay on the wish list for years like AC7 has. I also enjoyed Mr Tailby's racing car article last night, but I never linked this to a site change.

As someone who makes electronic music, I've seen AI use for many years and not had a positive impact for creativity, though it does have the odd good use here and there. But loops and sample sites have been around for a lot longer and has fuelled many dull, and generic tracks. As such, I use a hybrid approach: all hardware synths and drum machines for music production, whilst mix in the box. But I'm starting to buy outboard gear for mixing, and have started getting DIY pieces. It gives my sound a more 'alive', human touch with its own unique colour and timbre.

So I completely get why PS wants to differentiate itself from the crowd, and AI, and the more personal, human touch is definitely the way to go. Good luck with the changes and I hope it's successful.

I moved from Sussex to Leeds a few years ago and have never seen those biscuits. They look good. Very good. And now I'm determined to find them.

I applaud you guys for being willing to change. Some companies would stand their ground, state it’s tradition, or just not care. But many haven’t dug the “We” because it takes away some accountability from the reviewers. More importantly, it’s awkward to read it like a group wrote it (with the We) rather than an individual (with I)… especially since the reviews are “probably” mainly written by one person.

The ‘PushSquare’ squad is fantastic, devoted to stating their opinions even if the vast majority of outlets say differently, and actually communicates with their followers in the comments’ sections. A lot of reviewers ignore comments from random followers so props to you all. Keep up the great works my guys! 😎😎

@Andee You can do that if you want; you can spend all day on it, trying to get it right, but it never seems to stick. You can't help but wonder why... 😉

@tselliot i always wanted to say that your profile pic is awesome. i have no idea where its from, but its really cool!

Nice. It always bugged me to read “this writer” so often. As in, “This writer says this game is good.” and such.

I have been creeping this website for a couple years now and I only recently created a profile so that I could comment.
I am often a very disagreeable person when it comes to what's a fun and enjoyable game but I enjoy the work done here, always lots of daily informative articles.
I did however notice an article by Robert Ramsey, and I have always been a Square Enix fan and I found that writing style and opinion well articulated with my own feelings and so, keep up the good work.

I hadn't noticed that I thought there were even more adverts 🤷

First-person makes sense for anything inherently subjective - reviews, retrospectives. Third-person objective is a better fit for news - so long as the content is neutral. Objective framing is only an issue when authors use it to push their opinions and biases.

Maybe just separate the two? Concise news, followed by an opinion paragraph/section. Your opinions, in regards to an industry you've spent years/decades in, obviously add value. As for Gemini, it's contrived at best and hallucinates more than Leary.

Sounds good to me!

@get2sammyb ' Please make us aware of any ads that are annoying or overbearing'

I did and my reward was being deleted and told I'm unconstructive.

This is completely unimportant and going to sound pedantic but reading these comments I'm shocked to see how many people don't know that "we" is already first-person, just plural. Maybe I shouldn't have been shocked, but ... come on guys this is basic stuff! XD You just went from first-person plural to first-person singular.

Thanks Push Square for posting this.

As you probably know, @get2sammyb, I have been very vocal (in always a respectful manner, but still I got recently banned for one day) about the type of content you guys tend to post, and the frames around those.

Instead of celebrating new industry achievements, like new games/IPs that today are a rarity, you tend to post about how "poorly" that new game is selling. And by you guys using that verbiage, or even covering the topic itself, you are giving such a narrowed importance to one of the factors that might make a game successful.

Instead of being respectful to the thousands of people that work for a competitor manufacturer, you used quite diminishing adjectives to refer to that company, comments that do nothing but just hurt the industry as a whole, and industry that is in deep crisis as you know.

Instead of posting articles about how amazing it is to have a new God of War game, you post articles about former hateful workers that just inject poison to the discourse around it (as you are amplifying the messaging), inadvertently hurting the hundreds of workers (and their efforts) that make that game happen.

And it is my perceived idea that you guys do all of that for the sake of clicks, comments, traffic, data. Bosses happy.

I miss the times when we took games for what they are-pleasure, disconnect, evasion, and enjoyment. I miss that era.

If we want our beloved gaming industry to survive, we all must admit our parts. And that includes gamers, and of course members of the media.

Those my two cents.

I'm from up north and have never heard of Rington's Biscuits. However those crest ones look pretty good so I need to find them for a sample. Might try Booth's as they normally have the fancy stuff.

Are those biscuits real? They look fire! 🔥

I'm not quite convinced, to be honest.
To me this feels like a move away from journalism and towards influencing which to me is bad news. There are already too many individual voices on the Internet and the more balanced, less personal approach is what I personally value at sites like this. The comment section and an occasional note from the author of a given piece were always the place where one could voice personal opinions.
And call me cynical but it feels like a way to avoid responsibility, should some material blow up. It's easier to distance yourselves from some controversial content as well and just claim that it's one person's opinion, rather than the stance of the whole team.
Mind you, I'm not accusing you of ill intentions and will keep coming back here for the forseeable future. I also understand that the media landscape is changing. The thing is, I'm just not sure that it's changing in the right direction. Anyway, @get2sammyb, you wanted honest opinions, so here we are. Cheers!

got to love Ringtons - every second Friday of the month we get a delivery

Oh and yep good one on the editorials too

I think this is a great change, and you're absolutely right to lean into the community. Good coverage and writing, plus community involvement and discussion, is the best way to navigate through the AI slop

@get2sammyb but will Pushsquare continue to troll us all with non-stop articles about how new games optimized for the Pro are the golden, premiere, majestic, touched-by-God versions when compared to their bastardized, cast-off, flaming garbage counterparts for the base console?

Made an account just to say "keep up the good work!"

I wish we could say 'gamer' instead of 'fan' but maybe that's just my veteran anti console war sentiment showing through. The first person change makes perfect sense.

Didn't even notice. But thanks for letting us know. Also as often as we see site news posts, same way I consider making forum post updates and me talking on forums I maintain with mod updates or wikis (trying to be 3rd person there unless prefacing testing of something of mod testing for those wikis I work on).

Some being personal is fine or 'lower down parts of paragraphs near the end saying the article writers thoughts' which is totally fine like it had been.

I don't come for personal for the 'whole thing' if that's the case I do come for journalism, not a magazine/tabloid or personal blog. Whether positive/negative/neutral. I come for the news, opinion pieces can be separate or personal thoughts at the bottom.

I don't want some manipulation of articles to fit some thoughts/agenda. I can separate what's personal and 'the news'. Don't change that.

But I mean depends where the 'I' parts are in the article write ups? I assume it will flow well still but I mean sure.

I myself mess up my 'this is a particular framing of others' and 'this is my thoughts/experiences' as I can't help it. XD I write comments as thoughts/others perspectives in there and try my best to frame them as such but can still have a lot of 'thinking' not better separation when commenting. I'm not that good at framing them. XD

I mean I always think of it as 'this article writer' (not always a collective of the company/team thoughts (when it is one of those)) besides all the 'this is the news report' to detail in such a way were used to or would assume a news report would/'should be' and sometimes point out their thoughts at the end or in-between, or the neutral/maybe 3rd person or the editorial angle or whatever the case. I wasn't that much against either, I just kept reading as that's all I cared about.

If you want to put more of your opinion/thoughts or 1st person framing that's fine. But I mean sure.

Even besides the 'here is what I the article writer or the team felt this week' or other factor opinion piece/other related ones the site/staff want to factor in, which is fine. Of the times I read that (others have their experiences reading them or not).

I don't care if it's more personable or 'like a conversation' or 1st person if it's still going to be a news report, just with the odd I think instead of we, the industry, whatever framing that has that when it needs to.

I mean I could already tell the moments that were the article writers thoughts, not just assuming it was only at the end with the 'so what do you think' parts. XD

It's up to you.

I don't find it stood out that much more with the 'I think this' in areas, it didn't through me off or anything.

I mean if enough 'news' is the case and not some tabloid or magazine this ends up being. It is still a 'news' site right? Not a blog? I don't know the way to put it. Hopefully you get what I mean?

I am fine with the 1st person/opinions/thoughts but only if it doesn't effect he 'news' aspect.

I just thought you were refering to the many people in your head as "we"