Trends In Game Journalism, 2006
Okay, 2006 is over and everyone is looking towards how they’ll cover games in 2007, but let’s not be so quick to forget 2006! Below are just a few of the trends I spotted in 2006 and wanted to highlight. (And these are by no means the only trends of 2006 — please share your observations in the comments.)
More Blogs, More Notoriety, More Problems
If blogs weren’t big in 2004 or 2005, they certainly reached critical mass in 2006. Joystiq and Kotaku, arguably the two biggest game blogs, had a great year. They were heavily linked and managed to provide a fair amount of original content that separated themselves from other enthusiast blogs.
We also saw the rise of many smaller blogs — Go Nintendo, GameSetWatch — and more corporate backed blogs from non-ethusiast publications — Game|Life (Wired), N’Gai Croal’s Level Up (Newsweek). Hell, you can also be casual or truly hardcore in the way you received your news — Destructoid proved that. We’ve more ways to acquire info than ever, which has caused many people to question the validity of sites such as IGN, Gamespot, and 1UP — however, those are the sites I see most of these blogs linking to on a daily basis.
Why more blogs is a good thing is because it allows for the specialization of coverage. If you’re a 360 fanatic, there are 360 blogs that have just that type of news. There are sites for the Wii, DS, PSP, PS3, and so forth. These platform-specific blogs makes it much easier for readers to find sites that cater to their own particular tastes.
However, why I see this as a bad thing is because with a cute Wordpress theme and some screenshots from the Nintendo press site, any blog can seem like a legitimate publication. While seasoned newshounds can see through such shams, some less-informed readers run the risk of becoming misinformed by some hack. While it’s cool to have nicknames and handles, let’s drop them even if you’re a fansite. Anyone one can post “AMAZING RUMORS” as “GameGuy72,” but if you want some respect you’ve got to treat the reader with some first.
Have You Checked Out Our Podcast?
Well, have you? 1UP, Gamespot, and IGN all have one, and even the smallest console-specific site has its own podcast in the iTunes Music Store.
While this is more of a general trend in 2006, don’t be fooled — podcasts and videocasts are playing a big part in how websites are reaching out to their readers.
What I like about this trend is that we’re getting more real thoughts from game writers about the games they’re playing. It’s off the cuff, and while this is ripe for immaturity (some people love fart jokes regardless of how old they are), it general leads to some pretty insightful ideas being thrown around.
However, there’s a problem facing podcasts that’s extremely similar to blogs — everyone can make one. And sure, that sounds great, but it clutters aggregate sites with a mixture of actual attempts to inform and promote intelligent discourse and those who just want to talk about how badass Master Chief’s guns are. Now, this isn’t saying a credible podcast can’t rise up from beneath our radar. I’m just highlighting that proper presentation and planning help make for a much more enjoyable, respectable program.
Wii Puns
Sure, it was funny at the beginning, mainly because we had no idea if Nintendo was being serious with the naming of their console, but then it got old… yet we still see news news stories talking about “Wiiviews” and “A Wii Little Problem.” This might be the worst trend of them all because why these jokes were original in 2006, they’re going to be extremely stale in 2007. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of them, though.
Lester Bangs… Of Gaming!
Thanks to Esquire,
we had months of debates over why or why not there was no Lester Bangs of video game journalism. More articles than you can shake a stick at. Kyle even voiced his opinions here.
However, for as much talking as writers talked about finding our “Lester Bangs,” did anyone really emerge as at that person in 2006? I’m thinking that’s a big N-O.
What about you? What were the good and bad trends you saw unfold in 2006? What can we learn from these and take forward with us into 2007?
on January 3rd, 2007 at 10:29 pm
> Hell, you can also be shite or truly worthless in the way you delivered your news — Destructoid proved that.
FIXED.
on January 4th, 2007 at 1:02 am
Speaking of podcasts, I’d like to mention that alt.NPR’s Press Start is the one gaming podcast that I’m still listening to after trying three others. Yay for side projects - I hope this one has some staying power. :)
on January 4th, 2007 at 12:44 pm
While I agree the Wii puns will get lame after a while, I think the shortening of Wii Remote to Wiimote is genius. I know Nintendo is trying to fight it, but Wiimote just seems to sum up the essence of the Wii… it’s very different, but there’s something familiar about it.
Or in other words, you can take my Wiimote when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.
on January 4th, 2007 at 2:26 pm
Blogs and podcasts definately have received a great rise in power.
on January 7th, 2007 at 10:07 pm
Hey, Dan you really need to put your e-mail somewhere here. But I just wanted to clue you in on this interesting bit of news I saw on Digg, if true:
http://www.destructoid.com/ziff-davis-is-selling-1-up-egm-other-crap-29098.phtml&?no_cache=1&comment_saved=1#comment-25514
on January 8th, 2007 at 11:53 am
I think the “misinformation” fear of having more blogs is slightly overblown. It’s a concern with all blogs, and hopefully readers will become more savvy.
The positives that Dan cited may be more alarming — and this relates slightly to the Lester Bangs problem. The more gamers talk amongst themselves and make their hobbies more niche, the further gaming culture becomes alienated from the mainsteam. That’s okay if you want games to become more cult-like, as in comic books, but not if you want them to be regarded as first-class culture, like film or music.
on April 11th, 2007 at 2:01 am
I love the fact that blogs are being used more. The fact that readers can respond to what people write really causes the writer of the blog to really think about what they are writing if they take their readers seriously. Also, this gives game developers a perfect way to check out what their customers really think. It’s the internet’s brute honesty that is going to really shape things up in the game industry. Obviously no company wants people ragging on what they did wrong with their game. Without question this is going to weed out bad production over time, where nobody can survive without good reviews. Even though that has and will always be the case, internet blogs are the gateway to a variety of opinions, biased or not.
on June 18th, 2007 at 11:01 pm
Hey Dan,
I liked the part about the blogs. I have been working with a close friend to create our own gaming blog and you have made me rethink the way we post. We always post under our XBL handles. We do this not to be anonymous, but because our gamertags and our part in the community are so important to us. But I do like the idea of having people know I am not just some chump. Especially when I am trying to get a paid gig. My integrity as a budding journalist is extremely important to me. So thanks for spurring my brain into at least rethinking how we do things.
Anthony
p.s. if you ever had the time it would mean a lot to us if you could check us out at tell us what you think. we’re all big fans of the writing you do and the player one podcast. http://www.eat-sleep-game.com/news
if you feel so inclined you can respond to chufmoney@gmail.com
thanks.
on September 15th, 2007 at 6:33 pm
I have found very interest article
Author Sebastian Faulks has revealed he wrote the new James Bond novel,
Devil May Care, in just six weeks.The British writer, whose books include
Birdsong and Charlotte Gray, was asked to write a new Bond book last year
by original author Ian Fleming’s estate.
Faulks says he adopted Fleming’s work ethic, producing 2,000 words a day
in a style he calls “about 80% Ian Fleming”.The book will be published on 28
May next year to mark the centenary of Fleming’s birth.Earlier this year, Faulks,
54, said he had initially been reluctant to take on the job, only overcoming his
fears when he re-read Fleming’s originals.’Light-hearted’In the end, the author
admitted: “I found writing this light-hearted book more thrilling than I had expected.
”I’d spent nearly five years in psychiatric hospitals and medical libraries writing an
immensely long and difficult book,” he told the Associated Press news
agency - referring to Human Traces, published in 2005.”It’s possible there are no two
books in publishing history more dissimilar than Human Traces and Devil May Care.
A paperback edition comes out next month.
about
on May 26th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
I mean Age of Conan, of course )