New Games Journalism seems to be similar to blogging. It is extremely subjective. I think this is because the people writing the NGJ's are not doing it for the profit, they are doing it because of the passion they feel towards gaming. i would have thought some of games journalists who write for magazines are free lance, but they could also be employed by magazines to write for them regularly. In this case they would be paid for the articles they write by the magazine companies. When Games writing becomes a job like this, i would think that some of the passion is taken away. In NGJ the writer really has something to say about a game. When writers get asked to review games, they are being forced to decide there opinion, and they will also be faced with restrictions. Reviewers for magazines would have to be more objective, it is harder to write about games in this way, because there are no definite factors to determine wether a game is good or bad. I do think there are some consistent elements that exist in popular games. These elements tend to be reproduced because they are safe options, and produce maximum revenue for games companies. To a degree there is an 'objective ranking system' which will produce sales. But i think one factor in this ranking system would have to be originality, an original game would get better reviews, than a copy of an already successful game. NGJ's are not necissarily just games reviews, they are also to do with issues involved with gaming. Some people choose to write about morality issues and other specific elements that stood out to them. I like the format of the NGJ's i have read online, it gives people the oppourtunity to respond to the review they have read This means they are thinking about what the writer has said, then forming there own opinion, which others can then read and respond to. It reminds us that everyone is different, it encourages people to keep fresh opinions and be open to what other people think. Its less like criticism and more like a discussion point.
"keep your own opinion, don't be biased with consoles or games, keep up to scratch with all forms of gaming" - Shane Egglesden
4 comments:
ah, you;re the first and only person who has mentioned passion as a defining quality of NGJ.
And that's it in a nutshell, basically. If you're not passionate about this thing, then wtf are you doing?
And the blogging os going well, keep it up.
BOOO!!! i was gonna write that it was done out of a passion for gaming but that word makes me think of sex... and thats lewd!
tom, you need to get over your inhibitions - I recommend a course of latin dancing....
36 CRAZYFISTS FAN!!! WOOP WOOP!!!
Post a Comment