The Education of Filip Miucin | Sacred Symbols+ Episode 117

Three summers ago, an IGN Editor named Filip Miucin was caught in games media's biggest plagiarism scandal, likely ever. It was a mess from virtually every angle, but for industry observers, there was never a truly satisfying conclusion. That's because we never heard from Filip himself outside of some half-baked apology videos... at least until right now. Here, you'll hear very little of me (Colin) and a whole lot of my guest as he walks you through his short-lived gaming career, the catastrophic errors in judgment he made along the way, and how it all unraveled for him just when he was on the cusp of 'making it.' As always, what you take away from what Filip has to say for himself is entirely up to you.
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[@alansbaker94]

One of the best interviews you’ve done Colin.

[@Ingenito97]

thank you Colin for organising things like this - its really important

[@ltfringr]

He still doesn't strike me as entirely honest. His version of how conscious he was of his plagiarism and when it started just don't really line up with how things tend to work in the real world. I do think that it is very good that he has been able to turn things around and live a life that he is proud of. Avoiding falling back into alcoholism also deserves some major commending.

[@TheSpicnspan]

Man one thing I did get out of this is that Colin has the potential to be the Larry King of gaming journalism. Maybe journalism period. Dude hit it on the nail he went to the only place that would treat the story fairly. We need more journalism like this nowadays.

[@bmwofboganville456]

Yeh there's no 'Joe Rogan' of video game entertainment. Such a figure can't come from the politically on-message Gamespot/Kotaku crowd, and can't be a 'Gotchya' journalist like Schrier, waiting for people to make a misstep. It's a bigger industry than Hollywood but the media surrounding games is juvenile or predictable.

[@isturbo1984]

No, Larry King, in the end, took political sides and undid what he was known for. His legacy died at his own hands before he did.

[@mxracer0327]

I have listened Colin since the Beyond days and this past weekend I had the amazing opportunity to meet him. I had to tell him that ever since he left kinda funny their content lost it's intellectual value. And yes I was as nervous as I think I would be sitting across from Larry King.

[@callum7081]

Yup

[@theheardtheorem]

Sitting there and letting someone babble isn’t journalism

[@davidrobinson8106]

A very humanised and insightful interview. This seems like Filip is trying to draw a line in the sand to move on properly from what must have been an horrendous time for him and his family to endure. Great work Colin, you have once again shown how to be a journalist and others who are in the business here should take note. This is the BEST in business at his prime!

[@acidflare8345]

It's easy to be sorry when you have been caught, I feel sorry for his family same as any criminals but that's on him! Nobody made him plagerise again and again, nor plagerise an apology HE Did it to himself! Nobody made him! If he wants to move on, great get another job and earn trust there, but his word means nothing.

[@xwers1234]

It’s so funny watching journalist are mad at Colin for reaching out to different people with different backgrounds and opinions. Which is literally supposed to be their job, instead it’s a man who’s real passion is disinfecting G.I Joe’s picks up the mantle of gaming journalism.

[@infasis]

Who's mad at him? (Gaming journalism is a joke anyway. Besides people who deal with technical aspects and share what even the "journalists" generally don't understand it really is better off being people creating things independently out of a love for the hobby.)

[@YourGFsFavoriteBF]

Journalists are mad at Colin's FREEDOM to have these kind of conversations, because they are all tied to a big gaming company (Think Kinda Funny with Microsoft and Sony), so their revenue is dependent on what the company thinks and wants out of the content they put out.

[@ObjoGaming]

Filip is an interesting character. I believe most of what he had to say here, although I'm not sure I buy that he was completely oblivious to what plagiary is. I do believe that he had impostor syndrome and cracked under the pressure of performing at his dream job, which led him to plagarize. I'm glad that at least he was able to bounce back and find a job outside of the industry. I have to agree with Colin though, he doesn't belong in the games industry, and that's okay.

[@wizardsandwarriorz]

I mean, considering how personal he went with all details in each part of Colin’s questions throughout and forementioned he wanted to be 100% transparent with the interview…seems like a hard thing to believe, but when someone is in over their head at any given moment, sometimes people, although they know plagerism is bad, people’s “perception” can be pretty dismissive of the consequences at hand. Maybe he really didn’t understand the weight of plagerism at the time, in the moment. Not an excuse. But can be a real factor based on other stressful things going on.

[@exteamrocketgrunt6070]

I was watching quite a lot of IGN content at the time, and I remember being baffled seeing this new guy rise through the ranks at IGN so quick. He shows up one day and is immediately hosting an official podcast sitting right next to Peer Schneider. So I completely buy that he was way out of his league and having imposter syndrome.

[@dbro2792]

Yeh he is just so hard to believe. He would’ve known what he was doing was dodgy and for some reason he has decided to die on this hill that he was oblivious.

[@extermin8or3]

@@dbro2792 nah whilst I missed this fiasco as I was very busy that summer from what hebsaysbhe was rewriting most of it in his own words which muddies the waters. Generally you can convey the same point as long as you rewrite it totally in your own words however when it comes to subjective opinionsbits leas clear cut and much harder to distinguish between the two. By the end I suspect he did know but initially he probably genuinely didn't.

[@DarthMercanto]

The only problem is the presence of plagiarism before he was hired at IGN.

[@0InRainbows0]

He said he didn’t know what plagiarism was for the first hour but then deleted comments stating he plagiarized and then lied to the EIC and Ryan. He KNEW what he did was bullshit and plagiarism from the get go. I don’t get the first hour where he goes on and on about not knowing what plagiarism is… but then reacted so quickly to comments in the replies. This is insane. I was such a huge fan of him. Wish him the best outside of the games industry or journalism as a whole as a person to a person.

[@Station9.75]

It’s difficult to keep track of all the lies when you do it so much.

[@theyanglight]

i dont trust a word he said. Nothing makes sense.

[@pt8292]

i dont think he didn't understand what plagiarism was, I think he didn't understand the consequences of it and he wasn't expressing that correctly.

[@Jako101]

Was looking for this exact comment. Spot on

[@seangalvin3196]

Like you know, what you said, and stuff. This guy doesn't sound well spoken whatever. It doesn't sound like he even cared for video games or had a passion for anything other than being a "successful contact creator".

[@DanXcel]

I don't judge Filip. We all make mistakes and do things we regret. That doesn't absolve us of consequences of course but we are all human. Filip could've chosen to never face the public about this situation but he decided to be open about all his mistakes which isn't easy to do. I'm glad to see he's learned and matured from this. Thank you for a great interview Colin! And Filip I appreciate your willingness to share your experience with the world! There's a lesson here for somebody. Best of luck to you!

[@jak-A127]

100% agree.

[@slacmd]

Couldn't have said it any better!

[@Yaeven]

What he did was not a mistake. That word gets thrown around too liberally. A mistake implies he didn't know what he was doing. It obviously was no accident. He made bad decisions. Call it what it is.

[@DanXcel]

@@YaevenI think you’re missing the point. I really don’t care what his original intentions were. What matters is that now in the year 2021 he seems to regret his past decisions and has learned from them.

[@thedeadpunisher5987]

The only reason he is being "regretful" is because he wants to work in the industry again.

[@geojimz]

The guy was not a writer. IGN hiring him to be a writer was a huge mistake.

[@Rabolisk]

They assumed he wrote the script of the videos he made on his chanell. They harad no idea he was simply copying articles and just putting them in video format.

[@DarkZerol]

If anyone watched any of Filip quote-on-quote "reviews" or "opinion" piece you can easily tell this guy is barely knowledgeable about video games and the video game industry in general. Filip seem more like a guy who is merely using video game to chase clout and build up a following while appearing as the guy who is very passionate and knowledgeable of them.

[@JevousGaming]

This becomes very clear through the course of this interview.

[@ninferno]

yeah i didnt watch the whole thing but when he mentioned he got his life together at 23 (2012) and he didnt get a wii u (2012) because he was having alcohol issues, the math doesnt add up. maybe this is explained more in the video but already i feel like hes all over the place. maybe he meant wii or that era of games, but even so it shows he doesnt really have it all together. he even mistakenly said he was born and raised in san diego. isnt saying something like that muscle memory?

[@NintyPrime]

The problem for Filip in the aftermath and why their tone changed so quickly after that video - and why he started getting blocked and they sold bad about him - is something I am not sure if he realizes to this day: he said something that just… I don’t think he understood what he was doing. But in his non-apology video he said something to affect that how he does reviews is how “everyone does them” at IGN. It wasn’t that exact wording or language, but that was the feeling I got at the end of that video is not only is not apologizing. Not only is he doubling down. He’s saying everyone at ign does the same thing. It’s no surprise then, after that video, that all his old colleagues threw him under the bus because without realizing it, he tried to do that to them first. Thus burning all his bridges - which professionally sucks too because if you could keep your connections and stay cordial who knows what door might open somewhere else. But doing that made him even more unhirable than he already was.

[@samweller96]

Do you think it's possible that "everyone at ign does something like this"? Or was he just lying about that in his "apology" video.

[@tylerblair318]

​@@samweller96he was lying to save his skin and now he's older and realized that was fucking stupid.

[@chrisr6828]

Great interview but I still don’t buy someone who’s 20+ years old and went to college doesn’t know what plagiarism is. Sounds more like he just took what he thought was the easy way out. Still glad he has found work and seems to be doing okay.

[@Highwind452]

Regardless of what degree you do, the university or college will have clear standards on plagiarism. It's not exclusive to writing or media courses. You could study nursing or engineering and still be expected to understand plagiarism.

[@SPQR101010]

exactly, the only way would have respected this guy is if he just said, yeah i ripped the other people off, you guys got me. Instead he continues to LIE saying he doesnt know what plagirism is.

[@HiIThinkImReal]

Is anyone else slightly anxious to listen to this? I don't know, man, I get pretty bad second-hand embarrassment and I'm hesitating to even hit play. EDIT: I’ve finished the episode. God, what a mess-Filip is not evil, although he did something malicious. He’s a son, a brother, a father, and a flawed human like the rest of us. God forbid any of us reveal our lowest qualities to the world.

[@blackened247]

Dude I'm in the same boat with stuff like this, so I feel you.

[@MrBrownie2310]

Totally feel that as well, but its a very interesting story, give it a shot!

[@TheSpicnspan]

Do it! Totally worth it! Specially if you are a fan of Colin’s work.

[@joshdaniel4633]

I understand. I made it 5 minutes. Can't do it, even though I'm sure it's interesting.

[@BLitzRunner77]

Amen

[@FringedHorizon]

Damn, while I find plagiarism horrible, it's the lying afterwards that really turns my stomach. I genuinely appreciate him taking the time to sit down and take his lumps. Such an insightful interview, and I'm glad to see that he at least landed on his feet for his family's sake at least.

[@ZafVirex]

The type of plagiarism Filip did is what is called patchwriting. You lift phrases and/or switch out words from the original source while maintaining the same syntax, whether of the whole sentence or the phrase itself. A lot of the college students I teach do this without realizing it is plagiarism. This happens because people don't know how to paraphrase or think like Filip did that they can't say something another way or better than the author. You'd usually quote in those instances. This is why taking writing and journalism courses is important for would be journalists, but nowadays you don't have to have such a background to become one, which is problematic for multiple reasons.

[@guillaumegiroux9425]

I find it so weird. My father is a journalist and he told me he graduated out of a cohort of 80 at university and only 2 managed to get a career in journalism.

[@ZafVirex]

@@guillaumegiroux9425 That's how it used to be because it was a hard industry to be successful at. Nowadays anyone can become a "journalist" if you have a blog, a YT channel, or Twitter following. Gaming journos get hired off the strength of that more so than accreditation. You don't even need an English degree. Such a shift from your dad's time I'm sure.

[@guillaumegiroux9425]

@@ZafVirex Yeah, and not to defend him, but moving to San Francisco and getting those insane deadlines was also not ideal from an administrative purpose. Fear of loss is the mother of all frauds. IGN should have created « intermediate » steps (such as freelance) before becoming editor. The step was too high for him, it doesn’t excuse, but it needs to be avoided better in the future.

[@Damovie140]

I’m just seeing this for the first time and all I can say is 🤦🏽‍♂️ the fact he said he did not know what plagiarism is and then we went to college for writing is crazy, I only went to high school and know what plagiarism is

[@jaushabakkas8127]

Brah, I know copy someone answer and changed it little bit can considered as plagiarism in elementary, this dude is menace about taking accountability

[@mc_squared]

I think my take-away from this is people are human and make mistakes. A massive company can weather the storm and come out just fine. This guys life was run over by a truck, and he tried to sort it. Not to say what he done was right, or to make excuses for him. But, as humans, we should see the humanity in people and forgive and forget. Lets be honest here as well, IGN as a company are no saints. Great interview, Colin!

[@kassadinop068]

I'll be honest, it's kinda hardcore that he still puts out videos despite consistently getting downvoted. most people would give up after awhile with it being a passion project

[@saintallison]

I popped over to his channel to take a look for myself and I agree. People are following him just to grief at this point and it's pretty obnoxious.

[@Valomek]

You find it kinda hardcore, while I find it pretty sad.

[@saintallison]

@@Valomek Did you watch any of his content? I reccomend his "genuine & honest" Dead Cells review. He still loves the game despite all the shit surrounding it and his excitement is infectious.

[@collinsmcrae]

Yeah, but have you seen his sub count? He's still got plenty of fans, and the hate mob is just helping him with views. Of course he went back to doing content on his channel. It's still modestly successful. That's not brave, it was a no-brainer.

[@isturbo1984]

@@saintallison What is obnoxious are people like you, honestly. People are allowed to follow creators they aren't particularly fans of so they can get opinions that don't necessarily match their echo chamber's preconceived outcome. In those cases, you will have disagreements. In any case, does it really matter why someone is following or a fan? One is allowed to criticize and use the past to point to logical reason to disagree. To broadly generalize everyone as a "griefer" that do this is... stupid with a Capitol R.

[@bigjoker6905]

This was an amazing interview, Colin. I commend Filip for doing this as well. I could feel his anxiety while talking through this. Colin you said it best that he doesn’t deserve a place in video games media but Filip along with his family definitely deserves to live a happy life. I wish him the best.

[@ryohazuki7339]

27:25 - He says he didn't understand plagiarism or what it was. But he knew he was taking someone else's content, using it and not giving them credit right? The way he says he didn't understand the literal definition of plagiarism is irrelevant, he is aware of right and wrong. It doesn't matter if he knew the definition or not, he was aware he was taking something that was someone else's and not his or he would have given them credit. So he's STILL not fully owning it wow after all this time. P.S Great work Colin.

[@MaxIronsThird]

he even talks about transformation.

[@perrub]

Colin, it would be great if you interviewed Boomstick Gaming next! It's the KZbin channel that Filip copied the Dead Cells review. It would be great to hear he's side of the story. Also this incident might have helped his channel grow, ironically. Probably helped the sales of the game too. PS: What an amazing interview. Wow! This is the kind of stuff only you can do. Thank you!

[@crunchie101]

Would be really interested to hear Colin's thoughts on this after he's digested it. I am conflicted. I despise the bullies who keep attacking Filip and I feel like he's suffered enough, but on the other hand I still honestly feel like he's not completely honest, possibly with himself. The narrative of not knowing what plagiarism was doesn't make sense - he was a grown man the whole time. Another thing that strikes me is that he talked about wanting to grow his channel, his subscribers, even using giveaways as an incentive. He also talked about wanting to please his heroes, like Colin and Peer. Very rarely did he talk passionately about games in this whole interview. It seems like he was destined to fail when he was chasing fame and clout. Colin is successful and beloved because he cares about games and cares about bringing insighful and entertaining content to people - it's not about wanting to impress anyone or have a massive audience. That's the difference. Having said that, Filip is clearly in a more enlightened place than before and I wish him all the best with his journey. His friends and family are right - he is stilll young and can make something of himself. But I feel like he is still stuck somewhat because there is a slight amount of self-deceit running through his thoughts. I am rooting for him to carry on his journey and come out stronger.

[@dainebag]

Wise words brother. I feel this way about it too

[@DanXcel]

Well said!

[@Choc_rush]

I think part of his "misunderstanding" with plagiarism might come with an overexposure to youtube? Not trying to defend him here, but you do get a lot of youtube videos going "copyright disclaimer this is fair use blah blah blah" w/e, and a lot of "this is transformative content" where is generally just... people speaking over stuff. Which he could've interpreted as "Oh, speaking over something counts as transformative. so if I speak over this written review, it's transformative content, not plagiarism" could be the thought process? It is definitely hard to believe that he had no exposure to the actual definition of plagiarism, but who knows. Some people misunderstand things, and never get that misunderstanding corrected and live with it for a long time.

[@rpg_haven]

He came off completely un-genuine if you ask me. His heroes were Colin and Peer? Give me a break, dude. (It seems like that was Colin's reaction, too.) You got lucky and a big corporation offered you a much better paycheck then you'd ever seen before, so you took it. I never got the impression Filip knew much about games at all.

[@TheAlibabatree]

@@rpg_haven Yeah, he’s very very strange. I thought he continued to make videos because he was delusional enough to think he’d get big. But, its been 3 years, and he admits he works a 9-5 job… so, maybe he does like it? All i know is the dude is full of self deception. I hope he wasnt lying about seeing a therapist, because he clearly needs it.

[@michaelbagby7853]

Great interview. This story really needed to be told. I don't believe Filip when he says he didn't realise what he was doing was plagiarism. However I can totally see how he was put in a position that he wasn't ready for and took steps he felt were necessary to get the job done. At the end of the day he was punished for what he did, no need for personal attacks or grudges. He's out of the industry and I think that's best for everyone.

[@ethan-scott]

I don't buy it either. He studied Mass Media in university. Not a chance did he NOT understand plagiarism.

[@power2daaplayer304]

Who tf doesn’t know about plagiarism. Everyone learns about it in middle school. This guy is just bullshitting

[@rotoninja]

Fantastic interview. In order to progress in this society, there has to be SOME forgiveness.

[@Gecko822]

Yep, forgive, but don't forget.

[@wiskysin]

I'm a third of the way through. I can see is that he seems like a decent person that made a terrible professional decision. I respect that he faced the music, and Colin was tough, but fair. He conducted himself as expected, which is professionally.

[@xCanuckfan16x]

You learn what plagrism is very early in school. He knew what he did. He is just not comfortable admitting it. The dead cells review was almost entirely copied and there wasn't a mixture of 10 other reviews where he may of took snippets from.. Being pressured to complete something on a deadline is part of the job. You know right from wrong even in your early 20s

[@loki_l_1380]

It kinda of blows my mind because all he had to do was just sit down with himself and walk through how he felt about the game. It's not like IGN reviews are in anyway in depth; just touch on mechanics and overall impression and call it a day. Sad.

[@TheSpicnspan]

How refreshing is to watch such top notch journalism. Colin I love your gaming content. I’m a gamer through and through but bro please do other interviews with different guests….

[@dr.jeffreyw.yeager930]

I have a doctorate in English and teach it at the college level for a living. Listening to this interview confirms what I always tell my students. Plagiarism happens out of desperation when someone is approaching a deadline, procrastinates, or has an inferiority complex. And what are the consequences of dealing with this in college? Failure of a course, and it’s a private affair and kept private between professor and student or Deans. In my opinion, Filip deserved to be fired, but the situation could have been dealt with more privately and quietly. Take the article down, write a brief apology, and take disciplinary action. Letting this issue fester is just as much on IGN as anyone. I also don’t buy that he hurt their “journalistic integrity” in the long run. Give me a break. I feel compassion for how unprofessionally this was handled. This guy didn’t deserve to have his whole life ruined for this. He didn’t deserve to be a journalist anymore, but leave it at that.

[@wkadalie]

I don't also like all these personal attacks. When someone does something wrong. Sure comment here is fine. And say you don't like it. Don't send them hate mail or harass their families. Those kind of people are just as bad as the people they're attacking.

[@stichhavoc88]

To be fair dude he brought all the extra attacks on himself as he made several videos on his own channel not accepting responsibility and still thinking he could’ve gotten away with what he did. Also what’s not mentioned in this interview is in summer of 2020 he put up another dead cells review which showed a very clear lacking of self awareness and then gets into Twitter spats with his former ign coworkers who have every right to be pissed at him for even going back to that subject as they had to deal with the damage and mess he made for the company. If filip hadn’t made the mistakes he had after he was fired likely it wouldn’t have been as bad but he has only himself to blame for it being as bad as it is and for him forever being blacklisted

[@wkadalie]

@@stichhavoc88 Him being removed from the industry is fine. However they go too far. Hate mail and going after family is unnecessary. It was just a review, he's not a murderer. And even if he was, I'd say going after family is always off-limits.

[@stichhavoc88]

@@wkadalie I don’t disagree 100% but the comments towards him excluding the ones that crossed that line or similar the guy brought it on himself with making the non apology videos and then as I mentioned the very very I’ll advised second review of dead cells and then him getting into Twitter spats with those from ign who had to clean up the damage he did

[@wkadalie]

@@stichhavoc88 Honestly Twitter is toxic no matter who uses it. It's a terrible place to have any sort of honest discourse.

[@sitrusjo]

This interview is the Pandora box for games media. They would love a reason to talk about filip, but they would hate to give Colin any credit.

[@AConstanTole]

You know...that is so fucking true I can't stop laughing. The ultimate stalemate.

[@RedPanda555]

Colin is smart, has an encyclopedic knowledge of games, is articulate and shows respect. What ridiculous reason would people dislike him just for the sake of it??

[@kevinmatte5443]

@@RedPanda555 Because he has his own opinions.. It's not "ok" to go against the liberal hive mind in an industry filled with simps and narcissists

[@forresthunter1483]

It kills me that this guy is legitimately well-spoken and obviously has his own ideas. He has the tools he needs, but made a grave error. But, honestly, in the grand scheme of things on this planet, plagiarism, though shitty, is barely a damn sin. He seems like a perfectly decent person who has some issues with himself and who made a mistake. Shit, I bet that can be said about a lot of us.

[@saintallison]

Well said! I'm the same age as Filip, and I can relate to a lot of his life experiences. I can't imagine what it'd be like to have the mistakes I made in my 20's broadcast to the world and stamped on a permanent record. It seems like he's genuinely become a better person through therapy (as have I) and I wish him all the best.

[@JoRo729]

I couldn't help but think this, too. Sure, IGN's reputation suffered and he broke the trust of his co-workers. But he seems to have and learned and matured, and nobody seems to be harmed beyond repair. I would hate for my past mistakes and sins to be brought up time and again on full display and I feel for the guy, though I would still say he did something serious and wrong. But as the saying goes, "let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

[@cg6684]

I agree but to a journalist, this is a sin. In the whole scheme of things it's not a big deal but in that profession, honesty and credibility is everything. IGN could've handled this less publicly and that would've been better for him for sure. He's not a villain, just a guy who is a little bit shady. Hopefully he'll grow up a bit

[@markyonline1]

What he did seems much more than a mistake, but I still think he should be given one more opportunity. That being said, I can't judge people who won't work with him or trust him in general.

[@mdog86]

Yea in the world of journalism, no matter what industry, plagiarism is The cardinal sin. And Filip broke that #1 rule multiple times. I do find it hard to believe that he didn't know what he was doing is wrong, but idk maybe he was just dumb and ignorant at the time. No ill wishes towards Filip ofc, I hope he can move on from this. But the anger from across the gaming industry, to this very day even, is completely understandable.

[@xbuiltxforxsinx]

Such a great interview that I'm immediately listening to it again

[@apananabeel]

Interesting. Could barely listen to it once.

[@mattj2692]

good interview but I don't know any 26(?) year old adult who doesn't know plagiarism is wrong. however old he said he was at the time.

[@ApeIsland]

I’ve been waiting for this interview ever since it all went down and Colin was/is the perfect person to do these interviews.

[@Mikey_mau5]

Pretty impressive interview and I love that you’ll have these conversations. But i definitely have an issue with people who just refuse to acknowledge that what they did was wrong and instead try to justify it. I don’t think he owns it enough and tries to pass the blame, but I’ll give him props for coming on to do this.

[@zenrix8422]

Filip is interesting to me because i actually knew of him way before he started working at IGN from a gaming podcast he did with the Spawnwave channel. In some sense he deserved what he got for all the plagiarism (getting fired/damage to his reputation) but I don’t think he’s a bad person, what he did was just really dumb. That event caused him enough damage, theres no need for people to pile on at this point.

[@TheAlibabatree]

Same. I used to watch him on the old Spawncast. I remember when he got the job at IGN and i was totally baffled. I thought he was a nice guy, but bland, and without much knowledge of video games.

[@HCTarik]

Thanks for this interview. I feel bad for Philip. He made a huge error and he suffered the consequences. Everybody deserves to redeem them selves, im genuinely happy for Philip that he landed back on his feet and stayed healthy. All the best!

[@michalko.b]

seems like a nice enough guy who was inexperienced and just not cut out for the task at hand

[@Samfoote]

Yeah, no idea why everyone takes this so seriously tbh

[@TheMaan2008]

Agreed!

[@ddub1253]

@@Samfoote it's because they're told plageurjsm is a serious thing. But if he beat his wife, Colin would potentially still be talking to him like a bro(if they ever had that type of situation) I feel like if he drunk drove, or robbed someone or beat up a mayor, or got caught with drugs or an illegal firearm, ppl wouldn't treat him half as much as like he has aids as they did and continue to do, as alot of those things would be celebrated. It's just gaming. It's not like it's not am industry full of scumbags. Journalistic integrity is hardly a thing anymore be it the times,ign, Wall St journal, nintendo life etc. Yea he should've been fired. But I feel like everyone just dog piled, got on the super high horse,, cuz the 50k ppl who did vids on him are allllll just such better human beings according to themselves. The whole situation was just kinda disgusting and he really got canceled for it in a way never seen before. There are child molesters who have been caught,jailed n charged, who are treated more equally n fair in society than a guy who plagerised? It was just crazy. It's crazy that he s still alive cuz I thought for sure his demise would cine

[@Aeonofdoom360]

This was a really great interview. I appreciate the candor and respectfulness shown by both Colin & Filip. I'm glad things are going well for Filip. Thank you both for this, and I hope you both stay well.

[@vinhill1456]

"Didn't know what plagiarism was" is a bit of a tough pill to swallow.

[@alexanderchilton911]

Multiple people are writing this. That is not what he is saying tho. He didn't at first think what he was doing was plagarism.

[@PlainShan3]

Yeah that whole bit of his has to be bogus. I don't buy that he wasn't aware that what he was doing was wrong. He admitted that he knew it was wrong on some level at the time.

[@vinhill1456]

​@@alexanderchilton911 Personally speaking upon reflection, it's really no different to me. The fact that the guy is working in video production now and almost got back into the games industry is sort of nuts to me. The front-ended pity-party for himself that was capped off that he was just ignorant is something I just can't buy. Especially when he talks about impostor-syndrome. (Frankly put, this is the first time ive seen someone talk about Impostor syndrome when then they are actually an impostor). I don't wish the guy ill at all, he should indeed be able to live his life but does he really deserve to work in video or games in any capacity even on youtube? People work much harder and deserve that spot more than he does, imho.

[@BlackBearThirtyFive]

Yea, and also going to college and having a major in "media"? I have a degree as well and every single class that I have ever taken they have talked about plagiarism. Some professors go far enough to put definitions into their syllabus. I am sure in the pursuit of learning about the "history of media" it would come up in the curriculum once or twice let alone when it comes to writing and turning in papers. It just seems like another dishonest take. Something still seems fishy. People should stop bullying him tho. He has had enough. Takes a lot of balls to do this interview. Thanks Col.

[@gjones86]

This is the problem with Filip's story. Just copying someone else's homework at school is wrong. The fact he studied media makes this excuse that he didn't know what plagiarism was, all the harder to take seriously. He took a job he wasn't qualified for, and cut corners to meet deadlines. If he just said that and admitted it was wrong, and he knew it was wrong, it would remove any sense of doubt over his character. Instead he issued non apologies tiptoeing around what he did and hoping for sympathy. Now it's hard to take anything he says in earnest.

[@emiliofahr504]

Thanks for this bit of journalism, Colin.

[@Cortanarama]

Happy to see he bounced back and is doing work on the editing side. I think he was a great host and video editor so fact he’s doing doing 1 is great. Can totally understand the pressure and not wanting to disappoint IGN. I think a decent amount of us would have similar feelings just never end up doing what was done. Only part I don’t fully believe is that he didn’t understand plagiarism during college and while at IGN. Deleting the KZbin comments is a pretty decent sign of guilt. I’ll echo it as well: The Jaffe, McCaffrey, and no Muicin interviews have been pretty stellar. Hoping for more to come. Not to rattle the cage, but the Miller one would be another big one. Dan Stapleton would also be cool as from what I heard IGN editors used to treat it like the Wild West so it’s refreshing to see someone is actually reading reviews and trying to make them better.

[@MiggyMash1218]

Great interview Colin, thanks for making this free for everyone. It’s nice to see that Filip has moved on from the whole situation

[@goodhound6334]

Great interview! Been excited about this one since you first announced it.

[@CRIMS0NF0X]

Thumbnail looks like a overseas murder investigation.

[@CRIMS0NF0X]

I'm a bit over an hour in and damn. I don't wanna be a dick but golly.

[@adamgh_8098]

This is the kind of way we should talk to each other, Even when someone is in the wrong. Great interview Colin!

[@maxzavalaiii2866]

Great work Colin. Also, great appreciation of Filip in coming forth with his story.

[@MegaGamer1006]

49:17 That darn smile, I love it!

[@Dowgle]

Great interview Colin. Fair play to Filip for being man enough to reach out and lay everything out there. Was worried when he started off about his tough upbringing that is was going to go along the lines of 'woe is me' and it did a bit a times, but too be fair he has been through a rubbish situation, even if it was self inflicted.

[@CasualViewer-t4f]

Lots of respect to you Colin. You didn’t pull any punches but allowed some semblance of humanity in a tough controversial conversation.

[@tomahawk3221able]

You actually asked hard questions, bravo on one of the best interviews I’ve seen in awhile

[@johntaiwo3867]

Great interview Colin! I never comment on any social media or KZbin videos, but felt compelled to because this was such an insightful listen. The Irony is that Filip seems largely misunderstood, much like Colin is generally. Everyone deserves a second chance and we can all be freed from the ball and chain shame in our past (we all have one), if we fully admit, confess and apologise for our wrongs. Let’s forgive one another, malice isn’t good for the heart. God bless!

[@vvvios]

Absolutely beautiful comment brother. I always think about empathy and malice. We have the choice to act with either empathy, or its polar opposite, malice. Everyone is so obsessed with Left and Right that they don't stop to think about Libertarian and Authoritarian, which directly translates to Empathy and Malice.

[@GamersTherapy]

Solid interview. I never really watched Filip's stuff, only knew about the controversy and then the apology video really put me off but yeah, I can empathize with a lot of what he's saying, imposter syndrome, etc. I'll give him a shot for now. I do feel that people deserve a second chance at things. I wish him the best.

[@m.s.t3616]

Enjoyed this. Hat's off to all involved. Filip seems like a nice guy, he was just not cut out for professional journalism. Couldn't handle a newsroom, demanding editors, deadlines ... No shame in that. But it's hard to come back from a plagiarism scandal, and even less so if you double down on denials without merit. That's just the way it goes. Hopefully he'll find a new dream to pursue. He has talent, but just needs to direct it correctly.

[@andyandhisfriends101]

It's awesome we got this interview especially for free so thank you for that :) glad to hear more about his story. Although it hasn't really changed my option on him since I don't buy some of what he said but glad he's find a happy place. Don't get the hate this is getting for just existing, do they really think so little of people of giving someone controversial a voice means everyone will fall for it and erase what they did.

[@TabletopBlitz]

Very insightful. I will say, I had always found it interesting that IGN, one of the biggest online video game media outlets, hired a random KZbinr to be their Nintendo editor without much vetting. I mean, what had the guy really done in games? Made a a few Nintendo videos? He was 100% in the wrong, but IGN kinda got what they bargained for in my opinion.

[@MrOSUrocker]

Totally agree man. I wasn't aware that that was what happened to listening to this but it really seems like their recruitment guy kind of screwed the pooch on that one

[@yel408]

Yeah super weird. I am sure they learned their lesson though 😂

[@brianthewitcher4295]

This is a great interview, thank you, Colin. A couple things I wanted to say: Colin: great line of questioning. Tough, but fair. I also appreciate how you just got out of the way and let him talk. Filip: It's easy for all of us to throw stones, but we've all made mistakes. Honestly, this interview shows growth and maturity, and I really respect you for it. Consider me a new subscriber! Thanks to you both!

[@bradthivierge827]

I’m glad Filip has a job in a different field and can support his family. But.. a lot of his explanation felt like it was built around a “feel sorry for me” narrative. At the end of the day, Filip was in way over his head. He wasn’t qualified to for the job at IGN, or even doing reviews before IGN for that matter. He tried to survive by cheating and he got caught. I’m glad Colin talked to him and got this interview. It was an interesting listen.

[@MakerInMotion]

His hair and beard now make him look like Ethan Couch (the "Affluenza" teen) looked when they caught him hiding out in Mexico. Making it difficult for me to empathize.

[@JonnyHyperbole2090]

The developers should have hired this man, the man literally changed their lives. They should change his. I'd never have bought Dead cells if he hadn't plagiarised.

[@bellsprout7748]

I applaud him to some degree for talking about it (and also respect him still making content in spite of all the hate he gets) but some of these talking points are just bafflingly stupid. He didn't know stealing someone's wording from a written piece of content and narrating it in a vid without the credit would be considered plagarism? What? Who among us really believes that...

[@StaticFox64]

What a fascinating interview. This was clearly a Larry King style interview and I was 100% here for it. Would love more hard-hitting podcasts like this, taking a deeper dive into more than just the games, but the reason people make the mistakes they made. Great job to both of you. Thank you for your courage Filip. Truly.

[@brandondalessandro2133]

That was a very good interview. It's refreshing considering how many outlets are immediately vindictive without fully listening to someone's side of the story first.

[@benschroeder7106]

I know it's been said already, but you are a FANTASTIC interviewer, Colin. You ask tough questions while still recognizing you're dealing with a human being. That kind of balance is a gift and I hope you continue using it.

[@aboltron6194]

This is a very humanizing and insightful conversation. We all make mistakes, and Filip seems to be very aware that what he did and his actions immediately after were detrimental to his career, and is sincerely sorry about them. This was an excellent conversation, thank you Colin and Filip for having it.

[@jamiewyman7213]

Fantastic interview Colin well structured and asked tough pertinent questions. Really enjoyed some hard hitting gaming media.

[@sillymikey]

He just seems to me like someone struggling with self esteem. I know it’s simplistic but it’s usually that in the end. When you don’t have the experience required and you’re thrown into the wolves, you’ll end up looking at other examples to hopefully get some inspiration. He obviously took it too far and never made it his own.

[@pt8292]

They were just as guilty of hiring the guy but pushed all the blame onto him. Those "OG" guys should have had the experience and professionalism to not make it worse on social media. Otherwise they just incited more hate towards him and pushed all the blame there. I would guess if they have taken steps to make sure something like this doesn't happen again, then this situation only made IGN better yet he still gets hate... every... single.. day. I'm just impressed by his ability to get through all this and make it out a working man with a family. Bravo Filip, bravo.

[@thelastdragon5551]

It’s just wasn’t IGN. Tubers like ReviewTechUSA and YongYea made click bait videos about him when they didn’t have to. Now that’s sending their bee swarm to the lonely sunflower.

[@browland1]

He fucked up, multiple times, but people have the capacity to improve and do better. Plagiarism is shitty but it shouldn't be a death sentence, hopefully he has learned from this and is walking a more honest path these days.

[@justanothertechandgameshow7562]

Last Stand Media, thank you for getting this interview out and in the wild. I don't think there is another outlet that would have any interest in putting this up or anything like it. It's important to hear people's stories and honestly we have to admit that Filip only got hit so hard and so badly from public backlash because of the platform this occurred on. Image if he worked at a smaller outlet and was doing this, if he was even caught its very likely the circulation would have been so much less that most of us wouldn't even know who he was.

[@JebberGamingJaws]

This was good. I remember at the time being blown away by the plagiarism, but also considering what kind of pressure someone would be under to have done it, and even more so what coping with the (mostly) deserved backlash would be. When so many people do not recover from this sort of public shame, through something quick like suicide, or potebtially longer but nearly as devastating like substance abuse etc, I am personally glad that Filip is okay, and wish him the best.

[@Kratos1829]

Thanks Colin for being the only person in the industry that can be an adult and interview Filip. The majority of the industry are a bunch ignorant and childish people that aren't capable of speaking to this man because they're too worried about what others will think.

[@evanjones6657]

Finally got round to watching this. I remember at the time having fever little respect but listening to this was a great experience. I do feel for Filip, I'm glad he can recognise and move on. He messed up sure, no doubt, but he doesn't deserve to live a life of misery and I'm glad he is doing better for himself and I hope he continues that path. Also great interview, more of these interesting interviews from a variety of people please

[@BDreGaming]

I also have found the whole debacle with him extremely interesting, for whatever reason. So having this extremely long and detailed interview was quite fascinating to me

[@scoopskitheband]

Super interesting interview so far. Similar to Filip, I also grew up with a severely autistic, non-verbal sibling. A lot of people don't realize what that can do to your psyche, so I feel like I can already relate to him on some level. The man made a colossal mistake, and hopefully he learned his lesson and lives an honest, fulfilling life now.

[@wetalkinb0utpractice]

Severe autists must be removed

[@scoopskitheband]

@@wetalkinb0utpractice excuse me?

[@cintron1]

Great to hear his side. Hope this brings him some peace. He's aged like a president these last three years

[@MBhatesYT]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for making this available for everyone, I was so curious to listen to this!

[@davidepassman]

When Colin said "I do" @45:55 (in regard to working at IGN for no pay), I felt that. Because he had that same dream. But unlike Mr. Miucin, Colin worked hard, earned his role, position and title to be there. I am not trying to be negative, but of course Mr. Miucin would have agreed to whatever salary IGN offered him because he knew he wasn't really doing the work if he had already started down the slippery slope within his KZbin channel. Outstanding interview, Colin. I love seeing more and more of this side of your journalist credentials.

[@Pwnsweet]

I mean, yeah he copied some words other people wrote and passed it off as his own. Judging by some of the comments and even by his own words, it sounds like he killed someone. Let's put things into perspective here: he copied some other people's work. What he did was bad, yes, but we've all got mud on our faces so let's stop pretending like this is some unforgiveable crime against humanity.

[@thelastdragon5551]

Tons of weak gaming nerds find it easy to pray on a low hanging fruit in the comfort of their home.

[@DrHiplop1]

so basically they hired a woefully underqualified candidate. I think IGN deserves a lot of flack for letting this slip through - he clearly (still!) has no idea what he's talking about and those warning signs should have been evident. Not an excuse for him at all - he absolutely should have known better (this is like intro to communications class stuff...?) also he keeps referring to himself as being a kid, he would've been 29 years old?

[@XeromusPrime]

To me, this seems like someone who made it into a position that they weren't qualified to do, so in a panic took other people's work to keep playing the part. Essentially faking his way into the success of his youtube channel and IGN position (not saying he didn't still do work, however), but didn't have the skills or qualifications to keep up the ruse so he leaned even harder into plagiarizing other's work. Definitely don't buy the whole "didn't understand plagiarism" angle though, I think he simply got in over his head and it all came crashing down. It's unfortunate but completely relatable on a human level. We sometimes shoot ourselves in the foot and take the difficult path instead of accepting things and changing or just moving on. Respect to him for owning up to it and hopefully learning some hard lessons.

[@jacobvega2133]

I always wondered about him. Glad you gave him a platform to talk.

[@geoffknightly6316]

I really wish Colin asked him about his 2020 upload “A Very Honest & Original Dead Cells Review”. IGN staff were pissed, rightfully so, for him fanning these old flames again. He reacted to them like a child, posting screenshots of private DMs and trying to call into question the character of some IGN staff. That said a lot about Filip as a person and it is still something he has never apologized for. I wish he was more transparent about his mistakes of acting like a child like this.

[@richardcarson3596]

There are a lot of worthless people at IGN. The ones that attacked Colin deserve to have their character shit on, ridiculed, laughed at, and berated.

[@nexuszen769]

Since when were we shedding tears for IGN staff?

[@guybrushthreepwood8174]

Colin deserves a podcast pulitzer for this interview. fascinating episode.

[@MikeyV77]

One of the best most honest interviews I’ve heard in a long time.

[@stichhavoc88]

Dude filip was being anything but honest here. He was playing the victim sympathy card several times which even his own superior at ign called him out on. Filip still can’t take responsibility for what he did saying he didn’t know what plagiarism was? Bullshit he didn’t and he showed in 2020 he has not learned anything with that tone deaf new dead cells review and then getting mad those who had to clean up his mess at ign called him out for doing that. The guy isn’t sorry, he’s only saying he is because he wants to try and get back in the industry again and knows he’s blacklisted

[@TerribleMighty1]

I really appreciate this content. It’s very brave and courageous. Getting out of the echo chamber can be quite refreshing.

[@martinnevarez242]

It is so disheartening that people villify Filip for something that he feels remorse and guilt and burnt his bridges because of plagiarism, while vile people like Roman Polanski and Victor Salva, 2 sexual predators, still have thriving careers. What a world.

[@remyd8767]

Yup. Murderers are on TV. Sport stars who cheat oh get punished for a few games

[@nicofuglsang-larsen6439]

Great interview Colin! Full of respect for Philip! Stay strong!

[@lamario]

Colin continues to show us what professionalism, in a industry that seems to get farther from it, looks like. Keep it up, brother.

[@nikel1984]

Nail on the head, brother.

[@MyManJFKTV]

I don’t respect what Muicin did, but I respect him for this interview, and I’m glad he’s well after the whole controversy.

[@Acordim]

Fantastic interview, very well done

[@YouDontWantItWithMe]

Shout out to Colin for listening so well and not interjecting too much. Very well done. And when he did talk, it was all insightful and well said.

[@Sackboy612]

So refreshing - he let Filip talk for so long I subconsciously kept expecting some annoying interruption

[@Spurbs716]

Great interview. Everyone makes mistakes, it’s how you learn and grow from them that defines your character

[@Daniel_D-bo]

well said

[@ottolehto]

By those standards, Filip has fared horribly. He kept on lying and making the situation worse for a long time He may still be lying about his motivations and the facts of the matter to polish his image. There are small flickers of improvement but the redemption arc has barely begun.

[@Lukeyy360]

This guy just has or had zero confidence in his own ability and had placed the people who worked at IGN on such a high pedestal that he could never possibly live up to his own expectations. He made those decisions out of fight or flight, in his own mind it was either do the bad thing or lose the dream. Nothing he did was right but he isn't the demon that everyone has wanted to paint him as. Just a guy, way out if his depth that made a lot of bad decisions.

[@dillonduke1662]

I agree. Like I'm not saying there's no value in covering video games. Or it's not a worthy career. I'm just shocked at his view on it.

[@WaniZame]

From hearing Filips background its pretty clear that as guilty as he is, IGN really messed up the recruitment. He had nowhere near the experience or qualifications to jump into an Editor role at such a big website. It does not absolve Filip in any way but its not all on him. No wonder he had to start grifting, his whole ascent was built on a combination of luck and marketing, not the quality of his portfolio. He needed at least a couple more years until he was scouted. I am not sure if American standards are lower but I studied Mass Media at uni and plagiarism was incredibly important! it goes so far beyond just academic papers. also, the "we bonded over being European" is a weird comment for an American to say. Even if Filip is the son of immigrants, Europe is incredibly diverse and not one homogenous lump...even white Christian countries like the UK and Italy are very different. Its such a silly perspective.

[@thelastdragon5551]

The stars were aligned for this shitshow to go down.

[@rpg_haven]

American standards aren't lower than anywhere else. IGN isn't a serious publication; it's an entertainment website. There is not and shouldn't be any expectation of credibility, and even IGN knows this. They just went a little too far with Filip.

[@matthewwalsh1468]

Love ya' CM, great interview, super professional & well handled.

[@HalidYusein]

I used to watch this channel a long time ago and stopped because it's centered around Playstation, which I don't use, but interviews like these and Jaffe are absolutely worth watching. Would love to see more of this type - talk to people nobody wants to talk to. Would watch an interview with Six Days In Fallujah devs or anything like that.

[@HammerHawkPRO]

Honestly, this was actually very educational in a way. Keep the good work Colin. This was Great.

[@ReavrGaming]

I’m not a big fan of his, but I’m even LESS a fan of the whole “oh he’s setting up a sob story” thing from listeners. Traumas often influence actions and/or behaviors - good or bad. So, it’s quite relevant to cite those things if they genuinely influenced his poor decisions, especially if he’s being asked why.

[@30yearsoldiam1]

Yeah but you are still Naive if you don’t think that sometimes these incidents are just a person knowing they are doing wrong and course correcting after they get caught. We’ve all had trauma, it can’t explain away everything.

[@rpg_haven]

Whenever someone is asked why they did [insert bad thing here], and they start with something to the effect of "well, when I was growing up..." I roll my eyes. It's so manipulative. Just answer the question.

[@OwsGT]

Really enjoyed this interview. I admire the fact that Colin gave Filip a voice, gave him a fair hearing and asked the real questions. Very few others in and around the gaming industry would even attempt this, for fear of backlash. Excellent job Colin and LSM.

[@anthonysanchez7538]

This interview really brought a human element to Filip. He really F'd up, but in the end he got help and hopefully will be able to help his fiance and child live a good life.

[@SuperSeeck]

Appreciate how you've humanized someone. The internet and particularly social media needs more of this. No one should spend their life being persecuted for one mistake.

[@superbadisfunny]

It was like 5 mistakes but I get what your saying.

[@Vladiator01]

I'm glad he found his way back and has a job, but I still find it hard to believe that he didn't know that was plagiarism. We are taught in any communications class what plagiarism is on day one. I just think that Ign was not for him and the stress of writing and playing the games in such a short amount of time got to him so he got lazy and just copied other people's work.

[@tonylavagnaart3865]

Well done Colin, but also, well done to Filip. This couldn't have been easy so I take my hat off to him. What amazing interview work from you Colin, You're a real natural.