"It’s time for something different from our entertainment journalism. It all deserves so much more."
A bold statement, but it’s one I’ve felt for a very long time. I love this community of entertainment connoisseurs and the network of information it has to offer us through its opinions, analytics, videos, images, and much more. Whether you prefer Microsoft, Nintendo, or Sony, or if your preferences are the action genre of the psychological thrillers, we are all connected through what entertains us. Whether you’re a member of IGN, Gamespot, 1UP, The Escapist, Blip, Youtube, IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Penny Arcade, Meta Critic and the thousands and likely millions of other sites that cover our beloved hobbies, deep down we should all be happy to share such enjoyment. Sadly for all of the happiness the industry brings us, something seems to have been lost along the way.
The Problem
Our world wide web is growing and expanding at an incredible pace, especially the social side. Unfortunately for all we may know about each other because of sites like Twitter and Facebook, we still lack knowledge about those that critique our movies, games, and Tv shows that we love. Sure, you know some of the names like Greg, Colin, and a couple of the other faces on IGN (or the site of your preference); you may even have a personal connection with a writer on another site. Outside of those few names, however, the majority of readers do not know who is writing the pieces that analyze their favorite works. While there are those who have grown to know a number of writers on sites they frequent, they are a slim minority that took time to find their roots with their preferred critics.
A More Transparent Writer, Editor, and Reviewer
I suggest that it should be much simpler to know the individual that is giving scores on our preferred entertainment journalism websites. We have no idea of their average standard of scoring, and their preferences in the kinds of entertainment they consume. With such information, though some readers may not agree with the score or some of the criticisms made, such transparency could make given scores more widely accepted.
Fullicide is another website that will attempt to put its name in with the ranks of other entertainment journalism websites, but, it’s far from anything ordinary. The first significant difference I’d like to present is the FE Profile, which is displayed below in an image, just as it will look on my website.
An FE profile (FE standing for Fullicide based on the site’s logo), is for any who will professionally work for the website. The profile presents some brief background information on the member of the Fullicide team, what kinds of entertainment they prefer and write about, pictures of the individual, and a bell curve graph that represents their scoring tendencies. The profile will also contain links to articles that help to flush out more details about the FE team member and their works; sometimes even an interview between a senior team lead and the newbie. While I am the only person working on the site at the moment, I hope to expand almost immediately and bring a couple more members on to exponentially increase content generation.
The New Scoring Method
The other big difference that I would like to offer the industry and its many consumers is a new scoring system, which I believe is considerably more advanced than the average system. I've done a piece that reviews the majority of current scoring systems, which can be read in my blog that comes before this one. To sum up what the review of scoring systems concludes: review scores are necessary, the base ten method is a problem, and there should not be a single score for a reviewed item.
The Fullicide Exponential Curve Score (FECS) is my answer to the relevant issues I have identified about current rating methods. Here are some examples of how the system is implemented:
FECS implements an exponential curve to eliminate narrow scoring. If you feel like I do then on a ten point scale, anything good only falls within the 7 to 10 point margin. That leaves 0 to 6 for everything that is bad or worse, which seems more than a little backwards. We should spread out the scores of items that are good or better, mitigating the few scores to items that are of poor quality.
Writing a review that covers what a number of users may or may not like and then arriving at a single score never really made sense to me as well. So, instead of a single numeral score, there is a deviation of one to two points for games and one to three points for Tv shows and movies. Again, you can read more about the Fullicide scoring method in my blog, Fullicide Scoring System "A Review of Scoring Systems".
Entertainment with Entertainment Journalism
Fullicide was initially supposed to be a webcomic and a webcomic only. Even though the web comic will remain a central idea of the website, it has obviously leaned in a different direction. The comic will have a cast of unique characters and will follow no central premise, that way it can remain enjoyable for anyone to pick up at anytime. You’ll be able to read more about the comic at launch.
Upgrades That Work
Once the website launches you’ll notice in the right hand column a box that indicates Site 2.0 plans. These are upgrades that have priority in being implemented, yet they will not be rushed into the sites mechanics. Changes, like the “Wrap Up” upgrade to the closing score (featured below), will be added when they fit just right.
That is why there are no comment boxes, videos, or forums on Fullicide as of yet. The site has a simplistic structure for anyone to access without confusion, and it should remain that way. Upgrades will constantly be applied to the website, but if you visit frequently there will be none that are hard to follow and adapt with.
Much More
I know this was a lot of information all at once. If you have any questions, thoughts, or comments I will happily respond, but do bear in mind that these are only the opening details. There is much more to Fullicide, in fact there’s a whole websites worth of material, ha.
When the site launches its backlog of content will contain 18 comics that satire movies, games, Tv shows, the community, and social situations. There will also be 7 articles and 34 reviews all written on content from the last year and a half. I hope you will come to enjoy the site and I will share much more as I lead up to the launch.