Getting Started in Games Journalism
Stephen Johnston, GameSkinny’s Founder, and Jay Ricciardi, GameSkinny’s Senior Editor, joined us to discuss some of the best ways to find things to write about in games journalism. Whether you’re a seasoned GameSkinny writer, a games journalist hoping to break into the industry, or a blogger writing about a non-gaming topic, our chats about writing and publishing online can help take your platform to the next level.
SJ: However, the textbook would say journalism is separated from communication by a systematic approach and process of verification and a goal to find the truth behind the facts. For GameSkinny, I express this as being “reasoned and rational, but interest and passion as a guide for topics.”
Why is it important? Well, it’s a huge industry, and people need help navigating it. There is a lot of money being directed at acquiring a gamer’s time and attention. As games journalists we provide some filters, and amplifiers but also data and focused research the average consumer doesn’t have time to create.”
What does being a games journalist involve?
SJ: Research skills, empathy and an ability to write, and a curiosity for digging into things. Research skills are critical to find topics, and the topics behind the topics. At times though, if you are gamer then research is that time every night you spend playing games. You need a dose of empathy because you have to understand who your audience is and why your efforts are important to them and what they are looking for from your work. It can be how to complete a game, or whether a game is good, or simply a release data and platform info. Empathy ensures you understand why are doing what you are doing. Writing ability is paramount, but like many things the more you write the better you get (that’s why we built the Journalism Training Program).
JR: Ah yes, time to break out my cop-out answer: If you want to get into journalism, you need to START WRITING! The internet being what it is today, anyone can start on GameSkinny or start their own blog. You just need to write. Of course, GameSkinny makes things easy — we removes all the stress of making and managing a website so you can just write.
What makes a great games journalism article?
SJ: I think that ultimately a great article answers a question. Simple as that.The questions are different, but if you think about why a person is coming to you they are asking a question. Is this game good? How do I get past this part of the game? What are the pros and cons of this aspect of game culture? What is the current status of this game? Is this developer adding x,y,z feature? Is this game on track? Is the hype real? Should this game by more hyped? Did I collect all these items? 90% of what we deal with ultimately answers a question, then we deal with some heavily researched or nuanced topics that might be exploration or summary focused and just more about open ended information.
The internet is literally the greatest, currently available, technology to ever marry niche interest to niche content. Gaming is $100+ billion “niche” and there are vast quantities of varied interests that can be addressed. On a more fundamental level, some articles take time to develop a full story and a compelling narrative.
JR: When you’re starting out, you’re not on Ubisoft’s ‘to contact about big news’ list, so you need to be resourceful. Having an article that is still readable and clickable even after everyone knows what’s up. If you’re not first, be best.
Where might articles ideas come from?
SJ: The vast majority of games journalists play games so the first article topic source is: Yourself. The core idea can come pretty easy, but hunting down the details is where the work comes in. Another good source is to find topics covered other places but that you have unique info or perspective on.Sign up with every PR agency too. Yes, they send their story and angle, but you can explore it your own way.
It’s good to ask: ‘what would I share on my social media?’ — whatever that is, write it. Other people will love it too! If a lot of people are talking about it, you should be writing about it. Don’t waste time in comments, jump to writing!
How can I identify a great topic when I see one?
JR: Ask two questions: “would a non-gamer read this?” and “would a die-hard fan share this?” If yes to either, GET ON IT. Look at what works! What has been successful or ends up on a site’s ‘Top Articles’? (like http://www.gameskinny.com/top/articles).
SJ: Best is hard to answer. Engagement, traffic, shares, reading time and return visits are critical to measuring quality. Guides, tips and tricks often drive lots of raw traffic. Deeper exploration of topics drives reading length. Controversy drives engagement and authority and trust often drives return visits. So a possibly controversial deep exploration that answers a question with verifiable authority is an awesome goal!
There is no set ‘this content will do well’ formula, unfortunately. If there was, my life would be so much easier! Sometimes the best thing to write about is the latest controversy or AAA game, sometimes it’s Flappy Bird or Neko Atsume. Over time, nothing is more successful than evergreen (by definition). You just need to identify what good evergreen will be. Usually, answers to frequently asked questions are great. Try to think about what people are putting into Google!
Do I have to be a gamer to be a games journalist?
SJ: No, you don’t have to be a gamer, but it helps. A love of writing and critical thought can take you far. Being a gamer is a reliable source of leads though, that is a huge advantage. Ultimately, we feel that gamers bring a unique perspective to GameSkinny — but I don’t think it is the top requirement. The ability to be reasoned and rational about topics and to do research is the most critical.
JR: To be a good journalist, you need to be able to write well, research well, and fact check well. You are a writer first. Having game knowledge is ideal, but no one cares how many times you beat Mario if you can’t write well or fact check.
Looking for more information and resources about games journalism? We got you covered. Check out the links below:
Introduction to Writing for GameSkinny
Free Download of the Games Journalism Crash Course
To view all answers from the participating community, click here to read the full recap. Join us for our next Twitter Chat, #gswriterchat, on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016, from 3–4 p.m. EST.
