Playing Catch Up
Just because I haven’t been writing for the past two weeks doesn’t mean I haven’t been reading. Here’s a big pile of stuff that caught my eye.
- You can all stop telling me about Something Awful’s Five Worst Video Game Articles of 2005 (part 2). I have seen it and I have read it. While I agree with his #4 and #5 picks (I’ve discussed the dangers of fanboyism and preview bias on this very site) I can’t say I fully agree with the top three.
I’ll be the first to admit that Kieron Gillen and Tim Rogers can be pretty annoying. Their indirect style of reviewing isn’t for everyone. Most readers probably can’t read it for three paragraphs before screaming for the writer to “just get over yourself and write the fucking review of the fucking videogame,” as the Something Awful author puts it. That’s understandable.
But the kind of straightforward, by-the-nubmers reviews that the author seems to be clamoring for have been around for decades. And thanks to the Internet, there are hundreds and hundreds of places to go for a basic ‘is-it-any-good’ review. If you just want to know how well made the game is, how pretty the graphics are, how responsive the controls are, you don’t have to look very hard to find it. In fact you’d have to look pretty hard to not find it on a lot of sites.
People who bellyache about “New Games Journalism” should realize that not everyone enjoys reading the same things you do. What seems self-indulgent to you might make someone else look at a game or an experience in a different way. What seems incomrehensible and pretentious to you might be interesting and thought-provoking to someone else. The weird, freeform stuff isn’t going to replace your precious reviews that discuss the difference in polygon counts between sequels — it will only supplement it.
I, for one, am just glad that the game writing space has expanded to include both 150 word reviews in Maxim and rambling eight-page epics about Animal Crossing. The audiences for the former probably won’t much like the latter but, until the past few years, the audience for the latter had precious little to read.
- Aaron McKenna over at TG Daily (motto: “We’re the EXTREME NEWS SECTION of Tom’s Hardware Guide) has an article on the pointlessness of video game journalism. He trots out a selection from the by now well-worn list of problems — previews are too fawning, reviews are formulaic, writers don’t want to piss of PR contacts, magazines need to grow up — and declares summary judgement against most of the industry without too much in the way of specific evidence (not that it’s hard to find).
While I agree with most of what he says, I can’t help but feel this is too myopic a view of the game journalism industry — all the negatives with none of the positives. While I’ve seen these problems and others get worse since I started this site, I’ve also seen game magazines attempting to grow with their audiences, thoughtful game critiquing finding a growing audience on the Internet, and at least a few journalists who are tired of playing ball with the PR companies.
Am I getting soft in my old age? Just more realistic? Too mired in the world lucrative world of freelancing that I can’t see the crushing problems hampering our industry? Too damn introspective?
Probably that last one.
- My hometown paper, The Washington Post (which some say has supplanted the New York Times as the “Paper of Record” in this country) (for what it’s worth) has been cranking up the game coverage lately. First a highly opinionated news story from Jose Antonio Vargas takes restriction-happy legislators to task. Then an Op-Ed columnist highlights the beneficial side of playing games with his 11-year-old son. Then, just last Friday, they move the freelance game reviews from the backwater of the Sunday Biz/Tech section to the slightly more appropriate backwater of the Weekend section, along with the movie reviews. Another sign of games’ growing acceptance in the mainstream, or just another ultra-liberal far-left paper that’s out-of-step with the desires of true, freedom loving Americans? We report… you decide (Actually, we decide. It’s the first one).
- G4 continues its slide away from a video game focus, quietly cancelng two game focused shows to make room for teh Trek! The concensus seems to be that these shows were bad, so it’s no great loss, but they were video game shows on a video game network, so their loss is important. At this point I’m willing to say that most of what G4 does isn’t very important. New episodes of Icons would be nice, though.
- Clive Thompson’s stuff is almost always good, but this piece on the last days of Asheron’s Call 2 is really good. Thompson really establishes a sense of place through the writing but, what’s more, he makes the reader understand why flipping a switch on a server bank really matters to so many people. Articles like this should be studied in museums.
- MSNBC had a respectfully confrontational interview with the authors of Smartbomb. The interviewer makes it pretty apparent that a lot of the book’s arguments didn’t make sense to him, and that you young whippersnappers don’t know how much better things were back in my day. Heather and Aaron do a good job of defending their points, and of implying that the interviewer is an out-of-touch old fuddy-duddy who should eat his strained peas before changing his adult diaper. An excellent read.
- Game blogging is getting so big that the Weblogs Inc. network is starting a sub-network solely devoted to gaming. Blogs devoted to the PSP, DS and Xbox 360 as well as World of Warcraft have been going like gangbusters, according to Weblogs Inc.’s Jason Calacanis, and he’s considering acquiring exisiting gaming blogs for his new media empire. Any up and coming blogs want to cash in? 4 Color Rebellion… I’m looking in your general direction.
- You think you have a lot of video game magazines? You’re wrong.
- And finally, a few catch up quotes-of-the-moment:
“In the April 28 issue, Stranger managing editor Bradley Steinbacher declared that Sony’s new handheld system, the PSP, would end rival Nintendo’s reign as handheld gaming king. Time, however, has not proved Mr. Steinbacher right—as it never does when he makes predictions. We regret the error that is Bradley Steinbacher.”
-If only all game pundits could be so honest in retrospect.
“There are so many games in development that it’s pretty tough cutting down the list, so I try to emphasize ones with unique twists. Also, in honor of ColecoVision (1982) and Nintendo Entertainment System (1985), I will only mention new games for current next-generation consoles.”
-No it doesn’t make more sense in context (Thanks to Nathan Smart for this out-of-the-way find).
There’s lots more to discuss, but I have to save something for the rest of the week, and none of you even read this far anyway. Remember, there’s a lot of writing about games out there, and I can’t possibly read it all, so send in your tips for articles that deserve to be read or ridiculed.
on January 10th, 2006 at 1:29 am
Wow… quite an update!! tons of good stuff (and I did read to the end). Keep up the good work.
on January 10th, 2006 at 1:59 am
People need to stop taking SomethingAwful’s articles so seriously. It’s a comedy website, THEY WRITE TEH FUNNY. It’s not MEANT to be a serious critique. FFS.
on January 10th, 2006 at 10:07 am
Can we please stop calling it journalism? They’re reviewers, not journalists. There is a difference.
on January 10th, 2006 at 10:32 am
While SomethingAwful is intended to be humorous, almost all humour originates from a grain of truth.
Part of the problem is probably in nomenclature. If these people would refer to their works as essays, or stories, rather than reviews, I feel a lot of the anger would be diminished.
In the case of Tim Rogers, I feel the problem isn’t so much that his reviews are rambling, nonsensical stories of fantasy and heroism, so much that his reviews are _poorly written_ rambling nonsensical stories of fantasy and heroism. He has been known to reference things apparently for the sake of obscurity, and spend inordinate amounts of time discussing things he did that have no bearing whatsoever on the game experience ( I am well aware, for example, that he works in an office where the girls like tea-cakes. He has written to this effect many times).
Some people do in fact dismiss New Games Journalism prematurely. However, you can’t defend every NGJ writer indiscriminantly. There are good and bad writers in NGJ, just as there are good and bad writers of traditional reviews.
on January 10th, 2006 at 10:55 am
Good points Charles. I should note that I wasn’t trying to defend all new games journalism… merely trying to respond to people who attack the form indiscriminately because it’s just not what they’re looking for. There are good and bad examples of the “form,” and Tim Rogers has written both.
on January 10th, 2006 at 11:16 am
I read the end, as well. I also agree with Thomas: what people have been discussing (and dismissing) as game journalism is really nothing more than game reviewing. They may be siblings, but they are NOT the same thing.
What we need, in my opinion, is a new class of CRITICS. Reviews have their place, reporting what’s new with the industry has its place, but there is currently no room for investigative journalism within the games industry, and no place for CRITIQUE. I’ve already been proselytizing the notion of adopting W.H. Auden’s rules for critics elsewhere, and I think it’s a good place to start from (I have the rules up on my website if anyone wants to check them). I believe there CAN BE room for legitimate game critique, if we allow that room to be made. Ultimately, I believe it is NECESSARY that it be made, if we ever want to gain acceptance as a valid form of expression (with all the rights and protections that accompany that, and are currently being challenged and attacked what feels like every day now).
Good post, Kyle, as ever. I do enjoy your posts. In fact, I cited your post “It’s Our Fault Games Aren’t Considered Art” in a recent essay I wrote for my senior thesis. (http://www.criticalgames.com/?p=5 if you care to read)
on January 10th, 2006 at 3:00 pm
I personally tend to not read reviews or articles about games until after I’ve played them myself because by then I’ve already formed my own opinions about the game and I’m interested in seeing how others feel about it. Between straight screenshots, friends, and accumulated knowledge and experience, I have plenty of resources I can use to make decisions on which games to play.
As such, the reviews I tend to read are more of the Tim Rogers variety because I don’t really *need* a straight up rating of graphics, sound, etc.. I find such meanderings interesting because they address issues about the game and sometimes gaming in general without necessarily telling me what I already know. Whether or not you feel his writing is good is entirely your decision, and at times I get frustrated with his pedantry and self aware chicanery. But you need to realize that to a point, Tim Rogers writes his reviews for people like me, who don’t depend on him to decide for me whether or not I should buy the game in question.
on January 10th, 2006 at 3:39 pm
In retrospect, I would perhaps like to re-state my previous comment to not be so inflammatory. I would hate for this to become a debate about the relative merits of any one individual’s body of work. For the record, I harbor no ill will to any of the writers mentioned.
More importantly, its important not to confuse the message with the messengers. There certainly is a place for less formulaic and purely practically focused writing when discussing games. However, we must also realize that there are very few pieces of work currently in the genre that show the potential of the format. I mentioned essays earlier because I think that is what these pieces are. We should compare some of these essays with some of the great essayists in other fields (as my familiarity is mostly with nature writing, I’ll offer Edward Abbey as an example).
If more unequivocally great pieces of writing existed in the format, people would have a harder time dismissing it.
on January 10th, 2006 at 3:54 pm
I like Gillen almost all of the time. Even when being a little pretentious (in a mostly self-mocking tone) he can say more in a paragraph than most can say in a page. But his recent Rise of Legends preview for Eurogamer was too precious by half. Writing is hard work, but the hard part should be the editing and refining and choosing the exactly correct word - not trying to think of a gimmick that may obliquely reflect on the game.
Re the McKenna piece - totally gutless to complain that previews and reviews are written to not alienate PR and then refuse to cite examples (even good ones!) because he doesn’t want to cut himself off from publishing avenues.
I noted on my blog that we always hear about the bad examples of game writing, which is shooting fish in a barrel, especially with the low bar to access that the internet (and IGN) provide. But there must be good game writing out there - I know there is because I read it. Why does no one want to single out a few good writers each year? It’s more fun to mock, easier to deride. But where are the notices for a review that enscapulates a game in 300 words or less? The applause for an essay that summarizes the pain of playing with other people? The interview that gets a developer to spill his/her guts? Are we too collegial a hobby to recognize excellence?
on January 10th, 2006 at 4:00 pm
Oh, and before someone asks me to do it, my life is far too busy and interests far too narrow to make me a fair judge.
on January 10th, 2006 at 4:46 pm
From “The pointlessness of video game journalism”:
“For one publications do not want to tick off their PR contacts who probably won’t be sending them further preview or review copies if the publication trashes a game at preview time.”
“Having been eating my young for the past 979 words you’ll note that I haven’t named the names of magazines, websites or otherwise for obvious reasons. Apart from libel there is the issue of burning my bridges, and I do want the option of being able to work in the videogame town again at some stage myself, and I daresay this piece being dragged out in a few years will not do me many favours with all but a few.”
Awesome. To the max.
In reading some of the responses to this piece elsewhere, one thing is obvious: gamers tend to equate disagreement with corruption. As in, if you give a game a higher rating than I do, clearly it’s not because we have different opinions. And I don’t even read the text to see why you think that way.
It’s because you’re corrupt. CORRUPT!
As for “new games journalism,” can people please stop using that term? Seriously, what does it mean? These are essays, or blog entries, or journals, or editorials. While they may be different from a normal review, they’re not really “journalism” either.
While they can be good, I think the fundamental problem with most is that they’re more about the writer than the subject. Which is fine, I suppose, if you’re superduper interesting, or a superduper writer. Most people are neither.
All some of these guys need are better editors.
on January 11th, 2006 at 3:26 am
First, I have to say, I’m honored to be listed.
But, I’m no Nintendo fanboy.
I write for PGC because they put in a request for a Sports Editor, I love sports, I have a GameCube, and I wanted to write. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m totally inexperienced and obviously new to the field, so honest criticism is certainly appreciated.
Unfortunately, Zack assumed that I am a fanboy. The reason I rated MT PT so highly was because I really liked it that much. The only reason I reviewed it was because I had to. (I had no desire to play a Mario sports game, never have and certainly not on the GBA).
I am a multi-console owner. I swear no allegiance to any brand or manufacturer, my favorite games this gen were KOTOR, Kingdom Hearts, and Resident Evil 4. Only one of which was released on the Cube.
That said, I found the article hilarious and am delighted to be in such company. I don’t even get paid for the crap I write, so if I’m bad enough to be listed among writers who do get paid, then that’s saying something. Just what it’s saying, I may not want to know.
Anyway, I hope this is the last time I have to defend myself (not my review, it’s certainly not one of my favorites).
on January 11th, 2006 at 11:29 am
I was wondering if you guys could tell me how I’m doing. I’m new to game journalism and am just starting to review games for our site. It’s 360city.org and, yeah, we started in October, and that’s about all I can say.
on January 11th, 2006 at 12:14 pm
Ryan:
Your bio on that site says you are 15, so any writing style you have is temporary. Instead of pointing out what you do poorly or what you do well (especially in a public space), I’ll give some general advice.
Read. A lot. And read widely. Newspapers, websites, fiction, non-fiction…get a feel for how certain approaches to writing succeed or fail. Appreciate how formula is the enemy of interesting writing, but is the friend of structured writing. You want to be somewhere in the middle.
Find a reviewer or two you like and analyze why you like them. Note - do not attempt to imitate their writing style, because you won’t be able to pull it off. I wish I could be as creative as Kieron Gillen, or could coin a phrase like Tom Chick or be as plain peculiar/interesting as Kelly Wand. I can’t, or at least not in the ways that they do. But analyzing their writing helps me know what I do bring to the table.
Find a reviewer (or website) you don’t like and try to understand why in the same manner.
Practice, edit and rewrite. Never be afraid to scrap entire reviews and start over. I usually have two or three false starts every time out.
Appreciate constructive criticism, but ignore people who are just complaining without solutions.
on January 11th, 2006 at 12:42 pm
Troy:
Thanks for the advice. I’ll try to work on structure and I definitely need to go over my writing before posting on the site. I usually have to rush them, too, because I have to write them during my free time in school.
on January 11th, 2006 at 2:33 pm
I’d like to second Troy’s recommendation to simply read as much as possible. Its impossible to be a good writer without knowing language, and any familiarity you have with words improves that. One key part of writing that is to make sure everything flows smoothly: to look at a sentence and think “that seems awkward” or “that seems good”, and the more you read the better those instincts will be.
Of course, its better to read material from excellent writers, but anything you read will be instructive. And, in keeping with the general theme of this thread, don’t be afraid to read things that might not appeal to you initially, because those things you are unfamiliar with are where your greatest opportunities for learning lie.
on January 15th, 2006 at 12:09 pm
Troy: You didn’t think it was funny? Sorry, boss, that was the real aim.
(There was an incy-wincy bit of a meta-level, where I’m trying to talk about the failings of over-objective and over-subjective writing too, but it was kind of secondary. Mainly, I just thought it was a giggle). Problem with doing some big playful concept piece is, by the time you’ve comitted to it, it’s usually too late to change your mind. And by the end of that at 4:30, God knows I’d wished I chose to write 1000 more standard words and been able to get to bed at a vaguely reasonable hour.
Oh - Just echoing Troy’s advice to Ryan. It’s completely right. Read a lot, think a lot and analyse all the stuff you dig. I learnt to write by taking apart British games writers like Stuart Campbell and Jonathan Nash, and music writers like Simon Reynolds, Neil Kulkarni and Taylor Parkes.
No matter how much you try - and as Troy notes, you really *should* try - you’ll start as a cheap plagarist and eventually it’ll synthesise into something approaching your own voice. If you’re 15, you have a lot of time for that to happen.
KG
on January 15th, 2006 at 9:55 pm
I think it is very cool for a 15 year old to be getting into the writing game. I went back to college when my son enrolled and graduated with him. Both with BBA’s I was very surprised how terified people were of writing. The only thing that scared them more was giving speeches!
Go fo it young man!
Mark
on January 15th, 2006 at 10:53 pm
Kieron: You were trying to be funny? Usually I get it when you do, but this time it seemed the joke went on too long. But I get that once you were committed to the form, you might as well go all in. Mind you, I *hated* choose your own adventure books.
I appreciate that you wanted to try something different - it worked better with the threefold Boiling Point review - but not every one is a gem. ;)
on January 21st, 2006 at 8:44 am
While its is interesting to see the authors of SMARTBOMB defend their book, I find its rather hard to see why they are so confontational to that interviewer. The fact is SMARTBOMB was really not the best book about the industry that came out this year anyway…or sadly maybe it was since Power-Up : How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life came out last year.
Don’t get me wrong any book about the industry that isn’t about how ‘horrbile games are’ is worthwhile. Moreover, the fact so few are written does not help, but after reading SMARTBOMB I was rather disappointed that its was so broad and yet so shallow.
on January 21st, 2006 at 10:07 am
I think the authors were confrontational because the questions were confrontational. This wasn’t a puff piece… the interviewer had some (perhaps legitimate) problems with the book, and the authors tried to defend their work (if they don’t, who will?)
I did say “respectfully confrontational” though, meaning that it never turned into a shouting match. While there were disagreements, they stayed civil and the one was always considerate. That’s what makes it a good read and not depressing.
on January 24th, 2006 at 4:36 am
Dear Ryan,
Tips for being a good videogame journalist:
Give up.
Go buy an electric guitar and a cheap amplifier, and a pair of headphones. It’s better for you, even if it doesn’t sound like as much fun at first.
Videogame journalists become videogame journalists usually because of accidents. Saying you want to be a videogame journalist is like saying you want to be Batman because Batman’s parents got killed by The Joker. Think about it.
The human race will not evolve until people stop writing. Just — stop altogether. Knock it off! I mean it! (What the hell am I still doing at this keyboard!!)
We’re not helping anything. We’re not hurting anything, either (as long as Anything isn’t listening). Though for the most part, we’re not completing ourselves as human beings, either.
Strengthen your wrist. Find a good position that suits you. Sit in the corner with headphones on. Play guitar. Jerk off. Alternate. Do this as long as you can. Eat when you get hungry (wash your hands first). Sleep when you get tired. Months pass, and then years. Someday someone will say something to you about getting a job doing something you’d rather not do, like digging ditches without purpose beneath a hot sun; on this day, play guitar before your commander, and measure his response; if, at this point, the music you hear when you play guitar doesn’t sound like what your soul sounds like when you close your eyes in the silent dead of night, then hell — you probably didn’t have the precise fingers to be a good typist anyway.
(There’s both a joke that isn’t funny and some serious advice that no one ever follows in there. They’re kind of gelled. I’m going home.)
on January 24th, 2006 at 11:24 am
I have a guitar! Isn’t that sweet? I’m bad at finding hidden meanings but…I get most of it.
on January 24th, 2006 at 11:50 am
Tim, I think your comment is the most depressingly true thing that’s ever been posted on this site. Possibly on any site.
on January 24th, 2006 at 11:23 pm
That’s what I try for. Depressing truth. Whenever I accidentally say something funny, though, it kind of dulls the effect.
What I meant, kid, for the most part, is . . . do what your heart tells you. There’s this hard, scary feeling you get the first time you do something you know you want to do forever. The problem is, most people mistake something else for it. It’s a matter of being a competent judge of love. We can capitalize that: Competent Judge of Love. When you feel that “I could do this forever” feeling, that’s what the world calls love. You might just feel “this is fun.” No, that’s not it.
Do you take baths? Chinese and Korean people are experts at taking baths. This is because being submerged in warm water is probably the most peaceful feeling anyone can feel. It will give you that “I could do this forever” feeling. It’s like the litmus test of love: experiment with baths. Find the exact temperature that suits you.
Spend a whole day in there. (It helps if you have a Korean-style bath house somewhere near your home; which you . . . probably don’t. Neither do I! For shame.)
Now, go forth and face the world. Try everything. Close your eyes for at least one moment once you’ve begun trying. Recall the bath. Does what you’re doing remind you of it? If not, move on.
Also, if you have a guitar, begin playing it now. Fifteen is probably the best possible age to begin playing guitar. The thing is, trying to be a writer just because you want to write isn’t the ebst way in. You become a writer because you have something to say.
Everything I’ve written that I’ve shown the internet has been, for the most part, positioned just to get people reading. To help me understand why people read this stuff. To feel out an audience and, at the same time, feel out the exact opposite of that audience. Then — well, someday, I’ll write just a few words, maybe just a sentence, that resonates with both sides. And then I’ll turn into sand just as the wind comes by.
The wind will hit me and I’ll explode with the sound of a really bitching power chord.