William BagleyThe Truth About Gaming Journalism
December 4th 2007 09:30
I've been reading a number of articles of late regarding the current state of video game journalism, and it's prompted me to say a few words of my own on the issue. Better strap yourselves in ...
I like to look at the journalism industry under two key demographics. 1) The paid up, always playing, right up close and personal with the industry journos and 2) Gamers trying to be just that.
And here's where the problems occur, especially online. There's an absolute ton of gaming websites out there, let alone printed publications. The amount of time and effort spent on delivering reviews, previews, news features, interviews ... it's enough to drive Mario around the pipes a hundred times over. Where does he begin? Who does he trust? Why, on Gods good name, should he buy the next Splinter Cell just because IGN told him to?
Online has always been considered the easy way out of journalism experience. You can do anything on here, within reason. Of course, this also means that the quality of writing over the years has slipped. Now that's not because people don't care. In reality, most gamers who turn journalists simply just ... write. There's plenty of heart, if a little less substance in places. But the biggest problem of all ... what makes one review different from another? Opinion, perhaps, but unless you review your games by carrots or jelly beans, it's not much different from the last, as is news reports.
Now of course, I'm no different from the last either, although I do mean to try. As much as writing news isn't different, it's all about the way you write it. As an opinion column, Gamemonger aims to provide a different kind of journalism, something that has been tapped before but should be used more often, especially online. Don't just write what everyone else is writing. Go out there and understand the importance of language, and make your opinion on the industry count.
And if that doesn't work, convince Major Nelson to play you in Halo 3. It always feels good beating someone famous ... heh ...
I like to look at the journalism industry under two key demographics. 1) The paid up, always playing, right up close and personal with the industry journos and 2) Gamers trying to be just that.
And here's where the problems occur, especially online. There's an absolute ton of gaming websites out there, let alone printed publications. The amount of time and effort spent on delivering reviews, previews, news features, interviews ... it's enough to drive Mario around the pipes a hundred times over. Where does he begin? Who does he trust? Why, on Gods good name, should he buy the next Splinter Cell just because IGN told him to?
Online has always been considered the easy way out of journalism experience. You can do anything on here, within reason. Of course, this also means that the quality of writing over the years has slipped. Now that's not because people don't care. In reality, most gamers who turn journalists simply just ... write. There's plenty of heart, if a little less substance in places. But the biggest problem of all ... what makes one review different from another? Opinion, perhaps, but unless you review your games by carrots or jelly beans, it's not much different from the last, as is news reports.
Now of course, I'm no different from the last either, although I do mean to try. As much as writing news isn't different, it's all about the way you write it. As an opinion column, Gamemonger aims to provide a different kind of journalism, something that has been tapped before but should be used more often, especially online. Don't just write what everyone else is writing. Go out there and understand the importance of language, and make your opinion on the industry count.
And if that doesn't work, convince Major Nelson to play you in Halo 3. It always feels good beating someone famous ... heh ...
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