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Gamespot Reviewer Frank Provo Resigns

By Alex Petraglia on Saturday, January 5, 2008 at 6:00 PM EST  

Frank Provo, long-time Gamespot reviewer, announced today that he has resigned from his position at the company, in protest of the recent controversial firing of colleague Jeff Gerstmann.

In case Gamespot pulls the entry, here it is in all it’s one-finger salute glory:

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.

Provo worked at Gamespot from March 2000 through December 2007 and published reviews of over 750 games, mostly for handheld systems.

Provo, who posts online under the nickname ‘mosaic,’ shared more details in a thread on NeoGAF, where he directs his frustration not at Gamespot and its staff, whom he believes are not at fault, but instead at CNET’s management. He also revealed that he formally resigned back in mid-December, but chose not to share the information until now.

Why didn’t I do it a month ago? I did, I just didn’t post about it. My last review was turned in December 17th… fulfilling promises I made. I’m an asshole, but I do what I say I’m gonna do. I only bothered to post in my GameSpot blog now because Alex finally let the staff know. Perhaps I shoulda kept my mouth shut. Eh, I admit, I wanted to get a parting jab in at CNet for ruining a choice gig for me.

My reviews are dull and lifeless? Hmmm, do I tell you to eat paint or explain that GameSpot has a structure they prefer writers to follow? We’re allowed fleeting glimpses of personality, but by and large the commandment is “keep it concise, keep it straight.” In the past, I’ve written for other magazines and sites that allowed more personality to shine through. I’m only about 70% as dull as my GameSpot reviews suggest. *grin* Also, eat paint.

And hey, here’s some skinny for ya… I’ve been sitting on my ass the last 3 weeks playing games and sleeping a lot… I’ve had a couple inquiries thrown my way that I need to follow-up on, but basically don’t have anything new lined up yet. Yes, I jumped ship without a life vest. This isn’t the first time. Thankfully, I live in the midwest where the cost of living is ridiculously cheap, and my last CNet check will carry me a good 2 to 3 months. Maybe longer if I’m a tightwad. I’m going to start “knocking on doors” Monday. Who knows where I’ll end up. Might just get a job with bennies locally.

I don’t know what the staff’s plans are. I do know they’re feeling mighty isolated ever since management showed that it’s unwilling to take its employees’ and users’ concerns into account. It’s kind of like the first time a young child sees his dad punch his mom. Reality=shattered. I also know that San Francisco is one of the MOST EXPENSIVE cities to reside in. You don’t just quit willy-nilly unless you have the resources to do so. Or you live in a box (or Sam Bishop’s couch).

Primotech salutes Provo for his integrity and bravery in this matter and extends its best wishes for his future job prospects.

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