As a wannabe games critic/editorial writer, I have a bit of a jaded view of what content should or could go up on a games blog. When we initially started SideQuesting, it was to focus on original content, editorials, reviews and previews, and news that interested us. We wanted to make sure to stay away from duplicating what more mainstream blogs — like Kotaku, Siliconera, or Destructoid — were already covering, and did not want to become “just another small-time gaming news blog”.
The problem: there were already a billion other blogs doing the same thing.
“So, what’s your angle?”
That was the question posed to me at E3 2009 by Joystiq’s Justin McElroy, in reaction to my admission that part of the reason SideQuesting was created was so that I could fulfill my nerd dream of finally going to E3. Trying to come up with a unique spin on games reporting was a tough thing to do, and it was something that we’d struggled with since we launched. I couldn’t truthfully answer his question without stumbling over my own thoughts about just what our fresh spin was.
Information about video games has been written and available online since the web first took hold in the early 90s. Traditionally it kept up with the pace of the focus of online content delivery. It wasn’t until I started to see what was happening in games print that I began to realize that there was a tremendous opportunity for blogs to cover gaming related subjects beyond the scope of news and editorials.
I’ve come across well-written and dedicated blogs for niche gaming segments — chip tune music, charity fundraisers, retro gaming, human interest — though they aren’t necessarily prevalent. And, because the subject matter isn’t followed closely by non-fans it is never fully exposed beyond that niche group.
Gaming Needs its People Magazine
Or a Sports Illustrated magazine, Asimov monthly, or even Perez Hilton blog. Regardless of what format that it takes, the type of reporting and content sharing can grow. Games reporting rarely touches us personally, and when it does it is more a blog post about redemption, charity, or hardship, quickly buried by the next video of Halo’s firefights.
I think that’s where the opportunity might be: delivery of this type of content more regularly, and in a more intentional way. That may mean a traditional blog format, a magazine format, or it may mean a different format all together. Or, it may lead to the opportunity to bring together some of the content from the already-existing websites.
They’re Already Doing It
There are already some examples of this type of reporting taking place. Podcasts like Robert Ashley’s A Life Well Wasted bring the human side of gaming to stories. The beautiful print publications Kill Screen, exp., and France’s Amusement focus on aspects like art and gaming culture, editorials, and community opinion. There are dedicated websites that are focused on gaming music remixes like OCRemix. The iPad app Flipboard allows for live Twitter commentary and interaction on it’s customizable articles (which include inputting links to gaming sites).
They engage their audiences in ways that traditional games reporting simply cannot.
When the comic book industry faced a similar “we’ve done everything” moment the Silver Age was born, bringing more realism, symbolism and story-telling to the genre. The artists and writers of the 60s needed to be creative to capture audiences. Perhaps the games industry is about to have the same sort of renaissance. We haven’t done everything yet. And, with the big turnover in technology and social networking tools, the ability for games journalism to be creative in both its selection and delivery of information is exponentially growing.
It’s this realization that contradicts the notion of games journalism being “dead.” In reality it might be confined by the traditional blog format:
“Who gets the news out first, wins.”
In this case, maybe we should be asking:
“Who gets the most engaging content to me?”
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