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Fragbite has been prevented from attending GameGune as press. At issue is their publication of information which GameGune did not release. Look inside to read what Jonas "BSL" Alsaker Vikan thinks of it all. ![]() Editor's note: The following article is solely the opinion of the author and in no way reflects the opinion of GotFrag.com or its parent company, Major League Gaming. [20:28:06] (rC-XFi|JukiChan) i am the Gamegune Head Organizer The logs of the Fragbite employee and Gamegune head organizer should have made their way through the wires now. In case you missed it the conversation can be read here. I'm Norwegian. By cultural and historic obligation it means that I have to disagree with a Swedish citizen on all accounts, just as a matter of general principal. However, [20:28:59] (rC-XFi|JukiChan) according to the press regulations in Europe …this is ten percent dumb, twenty percent ignorant, fifteen percent tragic and five percent unbelievable. [20:32:05] (rC-XFi|JukiChan) it could also be considered as violation of a company's privacy or as spying It's fifty percent backwards and a hundred percent reason to forget their name. [20:33:43] (rC-XFi|JukiChan) you will get to know from our lawyer Is this how we do business now? You won't believe the things that come out of this kid's mouth. Edge out the few outlets that put money into covering events with film, photo and print journalism for the benefit of every fan out there that has an internet connection? By way of the politics they have chosen, Gamegune has made itself out as a giant piñata for the community behind the biggest online game in the world. Congratulations and salutations. While on the subject of "press regulations in Europe", let’s explore the subject for a few paragraphs. Europe is a conglomerate of independent, democratic nations (save Belarus), many of which are part of the European Union. The continent also includes Spain. In short, the European Union is working for the free flow of the European workforce between the countries for the good of everyone; herein lays also a policy of the free flow of information. We have freedom of speech and freedom of the press. According to Jon C. Cubas Díaz, rC-XFi|JukiChan, Gamegune reserves the right to chose their media partners and Meetyourmakers.com has obviously been able to retain exclusive rights to cover the event in Bilbao July 21st. While I would never consider doing an event with a partner that's exclusive to the point that other outlets will not get access to the press area, it is really Gamegune’s prerogative. Here comes the big but, you ready Gamegune? You can not in your right mind try to threaten, intimidate or otherwise leverage other outlets out of covering something that there is a public interest in, least of all by citing ridiculous definitions of press regulations that do not exist in the Kingdom of Spain. Or anywhere outside the totalitarian states of our world, for that matter. The sordid attempt at controlling their own press laid out in the logs with Fragbite is probably the most stupid thing I have seen in eSports in eight years and that's saying a lot. But then again: [20:33:18] (rC-XFi|JukiChan) i am afraid you do not realize what you are talking about This author is not sure where this leaves the MYM organization. Did they actively participate in outlining these policies? Why would this be the independent brainchild of a tournament organizer? Especially one that just brokered a deal on the exclusive rights to press coverage? It would instantly seem like a smart move. It isn't though and here is one of the reasons why: The coverage of different events throughout the world is only as good as the competition for good stories, pictures and video. By having different outlooks and different e-media outlets present it creates a competitive environment. Not unlike the matches themselves. The competition drives the quality of the coverage upwards, and by ousting all others MYM gets unpopular within the community as well as the organization put a ton of pressure on themselves and the quality of their efforts. It's ultimately bad for business and a move one would expect from the likes of CPL during their early years. Call me naïve but this should be 2007. Representatives from Meet Your Makers were offered a chance to comment on the issues in this column but refused to do so. Editor-in-Chief at Gotfrag.com, Mark "JESUIT" Cheben, estimates that the site cashes out upwards of $60,000 USD a year to cover events. A minimum of the coverage gets primed. According to a rough estimate by Filip "flpee" Hansen, co-founder of Fragbite.se, the Swedish site has spent some 70 – 100 000 dollars to cover 25 plus events world-wide in its history. Without asking for a dime in return from their users. Editor's note: The following article is solely the opinion of the author and in no way reflects the opinion of GotFrag.com or its parent company, Major League Gaming. |






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