Critics and journalists have come a long way from merely providing a critique of the newly opened restaurant in the block. Before, the main avenue where people can read and see the views of experts and testers is through popular periodicals and newsletters. For better or for worse, critics and journalists have switched lanes to internet journalism. Aside from the traditional topics that most writers binge upon, modern writers have explored new topics of the modern world. Popular culture has dictated that video games are where it’s at.
Video game journalism became widely popular as an afterthought of blogging. People have blogged about almost everything around the globe. They say that blogging was where social media started. It is only in the late 2000s where video game journalism became acceptable to be included in the heels of other news.Basically, video game journalism or blogging is a kind of writing activity where the topic mainly revolves around a specific game.
As popular as video game magazines were in the late 90s to the early 2000s, not all video game blogs have survived the 2010s. Only specific blogs have weathered the so-called downfall and death of video game journalism.As more and more writers occupied the industry, the quality of these video game blogs has spiraled downwards out of control.
Luckily for aspiring video game journalists, there is still a niche and captured market for video game blogging. A considerable amount of people are coming back to reading valid reviews of games. As the video game industry keeps on pumping out thousands of video games every year, there is a sitting gold mine of material you can write on. There are billions of people playing games every day around the world. That fact is even more highlighted in light of the pandemic.
Being a Games Enthusiast
It goes without saying that before you make it as a video game journalist, you must at least love to play games. Writing about games can get old pretty quick, especially if that is what you do for a living. You will certainly encounter bad games along the way. Burnout is easy to get especially if you play a few horrible games in a row. It is important to keep the passion and love while playing any game. It will be easier to write if you are already a video game enthusiast.
Write About Anything
There are a million things you can write about when writing about the game. From the game’s production lines of 2D game art outsourcingto the game’s graphics, any topic is not devoid of attention. Bring the audience the meat of the game that you are playing while sprinkling the article with bits and pieces about its external elements. A historical background regarding the game’s production and the studio will stretch interest to the article more. It’s all about the content of what you are writing.
Being First to Access
The hardest part of becoming a popular and preferred games journalist is having primary access to all the new games. You must have the patience and the endurance to constantly coordinate with your local games shop to ask regarding the release of pending games. To become popular, you must be able to constantly pump out content regarding new releases. As you gain popularity, the video gaming companies themselves will come to you directly. Being one of the first few ones to play and finish the game will give interested gamers a reason to click on your blog.
Having the Complete Array
At the very least, having the complete army of gaming tools is a minimum to writing video gaming articles. Most do not have the proper tools to review some exclusives. Spiderman and the Last of Us are some games that are exclusive to the PlayStation. Having at least a mobile phone, the newest gen PlayStation, the newest gen Xbox, and an ample personal computer (where you can also write articles) is vital to your career as a video game journalist. Lacking one can hurt your chances of diversifying the articles and games that you write on.
Get Experience
Lastly, getting experience from well-known and reputable video game journalism websites will not hurt your run into the industry. Writing and playing games are entirely different beasts. While anyone can play a video game, not all can write legible articles and reviews regarding them. Having a guide on how to write articles and blogs will certainly help you for the better. Getting experience from websites such as Polygon and Gizmodo will only be beneficial for your video game journalism career.
Video game journalism is making a comeback. As everyone is stuck inside their homes because of the pandemic, playing video games is now more popular than ever. Career-wise, you can combine two of your greatest passions – video games and writing.
