Gamespot Pads Popularity List with Arbitrary News Links

Has anyone noticed how news stories on Gamespot link to a specific iteration of a game, therby padding the popularity for said version. The latest example would be the hacking story concerning Bethesda, Epic, and Nintendo. The news story links to the Xbox 360 version of Skyrim and all of a sudden this version is at the top of the popularity list. How can we take the popularity list seriously if it suffers from such a fatal flaw? I propose that news links go to a news page that does not count towards page views for a particular version of a game. This only bothers me because I tend to be a PC fanboy, but it is frustrating to say the least.

What is the point of the list though if news links that do not apply to a particular game are arbitrarily linked to a particular version?

F*** that it is the popularity list, this is not the point; the point is that statistics are padded by irrelevant listings. Why have them at all if they don't maintain a certain level of veracity?

I never take popularity lists/threads seriously.....LJS9502_basic

F*** that it is the popularity list, this is not the point; the point is that statistics are padded by irrelevant listings. Why have them at all if they don't maintain a certain level of veracity?

Rigyabliss

Except that if you go to a particular news list directly from a version of the game it does not go to the page their news links forward to. Gamespot is picking which version the news link goes to and thereby stating that people are viewing this version of the game when they are in fact just reading the story... So while the counter is not incorrect, they are basically herding people to a specific page.

[QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"]I never take popularity lists/threads seriously.....Jandurin

[QUOTE="Jandurin"][QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"]I never take popularity lists/threads seriously.....LJS9502_basic

[QUOTE="Jandurin"][QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"] Oh I do....a thread about popular games lists.....see the word lists above in the post.;)LJS9502_basic

yes, but which is your favorite

[QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"][QUOTE="Jandurin"] ;) is it 'cause your favorite system is losing?Colin1192

yes, but which is your favorite

[QUOTE="Rigyabliss"][QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"]My favorite system? I have all three...so I don't think it could lose.LJS9502_basic

F*** that it is the popularity list, this is not the point; the point is that statistics are padded by irrelevant listings. Why have them at all if they don't maintain a certain level of veracity?

Rigyabliss

So that you will buy the game. Seriously, when has marketing ever been honest?

[QUOTE="Rigyabliss"]

F*** that it is the popularity list, this is not the point; the point is that statistics are padded by irrelevant listings. Why have them at all if they don't maintain a certain level of veracity?

Frattracide

So that you will buy the game. Seriously, when has marketing ever been honest?

Look at all the ****s I don't give.

I doubt GS really cares themselves. They just link to any random version of the game.

789shadow

who the f*** caresColin1192

[QUOTE="Frattracide"]

[QUOTE="Rigyabliss"]

F*** that it is the popularity list, this is not the point; the point is that statistics are padded by irrelevant listings. Why have them at all if they don't maintain a certain level of veracity?

Rigyabliss

So that you will buy the game. Seriously, when has marketing ever been honest?

Well, yeah, It draws attention to what is popular which, in turn, encourages people to purchase an item or to use a service or to have an opinion or whatever.

who the f*** caresColin1192

Off -Topic is just about everything but games, thanks.