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JournoGAF |OT| Road to the Pulitzers

J

jschreier

Member
Moobabe said:
Do you guys ever approach people who's articles you've see online? Or does Kotaku go for the unpublished articles that are pitched directly to you?
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Sometimes we republish articles (with permission) but we don't pay for that. For paid work, that's a question for Stephen, but my advice in general would be to approach rather than wait to be approached.
 
T

toddhunter

Member
jschreier said:
If you want a paid gig at Kotaku, pitch articles to Kotaku! I can't promise that any of them will be accepted, but Stephen reads every pitch that comes his way, and if he likes something, he might buy it.
Click to expand...

Damn, I've pitched a couple over the years and I was kind of hoping they just vanished straight into a digital shredder. My ego hoped kotaku just had that function there to be polite ;)

I still think there is a lot to be written about how Valve are approaching their marketplace in terms of gambling and different international regulations. What gets me is when I wrote about that, I got like 17 readers in total. On the other hand an explanation of how PPSSPP supports custom textures (ie nude mods, lets not pretend I'm 100% highbrow ;)) rakes in the attention.
 
M

Moobabe

Member
toddhunter said:
Damn, I've pitched a couple over the years and I was kind of hoping they just vanished straight into a digital shredder. My ego hoped kotaku just had that function there to be polite ;)

I still think there is a lot to be written about how Valve are approaching their marketplace in terms of gambling and different international regulations. What gets me is when I wrote about that, I got like 17 readers in total. On the other hand an explanation of how PPSSPP supports custom textures (ie nude mods, lets not pretend I'm 100% highbrow ;)) rakes in the attention.
Click to expand...

Your second point is the one that frustrates me most. I could throw up a bunch of screenshots from a press release and get really good views (screenshots you can see ANYWHERE online) but unless I get some hefty retweets the articles I spend weeks writing get very little.
 
CowOnTheFarm

CowOnTheFarm

Neo Member
I like this idea!

I'm a full-time reporter for a daily Lee Enterprise newspaper, but I've been writing video game related material on the side for Skewed 'n Reviewed for a few years. I've freelanced for various other publications and websites too about video games as well.
 
Z

Zane

Member
Hi there -- I've been writing for Wired Game|Life for almost four years now under the tutelage of GAF favorite Chris Kohler! ok bye
 
S

SloaneRisette

Member
I am one of the co-founders and the video game coverage guy at my own blog, Zero Second Cooldown. I have a friend that started it up with me that is the mobile tech guy, but since he's been busy with school, he hasn't been able to make any posts yet.

I do some reviews, a lot of videos, and random thought pieces, basically a really small scale type of video game coverage site. Less on news, more on videos and my opinions and stuff. I post semi-infrequently due to school obligations but I tend to ramp things up when I can manage.
 
T

toddhunter

Member
Moobabe said:
Your second point is the one that frustrates me most. I could throw up a bunch of screenshots from a press release and get really good views (screenshots you can see ANYWHERE online) but unless I get some hefty retweets the articles I spend weeks writing get very little.
Click to expand...

Pretty much it. Spending a lot of time and doing research and interviews and whatever else is rewarding personally, but that isn't going to help somebody who needs to buy dinner. Even for an amatuer you kind of wonder why you would bother.

Gaming journalism certainly has issues, but the gamers themselves need to play their part too.
 
B

Broken Joystick

At least you can talk. Who are you?
toddhunter said:
What gets me is when I wrote about that, I got like 17 readers in total. On the other hand an explanation of how PPSSPP supports custom textures (ie nude mods, lets not pretend I'm 100% highbrow ;)) rakes in the attention.
Click to expand...

Moobabe said:
Your second point is the one that frustrates me most. I could throw up a bunch of screenshots from a press release and get really good views (screenshots you can see ANYWHERE online) but unless I get some hefty retweets the articles I spend weeks writing get very little.
Click to expand...

Agreed, it's very disheartening to spend weeks and/or months on writing a passionate, informative piece on something and then it attract very little attention, but throw up a trailer for Game X and it'll get all the comments. That's why I tend to throw my informative pieces to larger sites, so hopefully more people will see it and I'll receive better constructive criticism.
 
D

Dawg

Member
Most of my in-depth articles receive decent hits, but of course posting something like the CoD trailer with Megan Fox in it makes those hits look weak in comparison.

People will always prefer commenting on an article where you can have stuff like CoD vs BF, PS4 vs Xbox One etc. I don't think that'll ever change.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
I don't do press release articles or put up an article for the sake of a new trailer. My blog is previews (preferably games that have demos or a reasonable amount of info available), impressions, recommendations, the rare Quick Fix (some stores opened up, or cool indie sites), and even rarer opinion pieces. And a lot of the time, I do previews of games that don't even have press releases; I've found them tucked away on TIGForums or IndieDB, or saw them on IndieStatik/RPS.

In my four months, I've gotten about six comments and half of those were spam.

Well, then again, I only focus on indies, so I wouldn't be posting about the new COD this or Uncharted that, anyway
---

And I've asked this in the Indie Thread, but what are considered a good amount of hits for a small blog like mine? As of today, I've had 14,229 total views since late August and get from 150 to 300+ views a day.
 
D

Dawg

Member
I'm currently still awaiting my CoD: Ghosts review copy.

Activision does this every year. Other sites in my country went to the review event and the majority of them gave the game like 90-95%. Ugh.

We refuse to do this so I feel like they are punishing us by delaying the game. Sony, Nintendo, Ubisoft etc make sure we have our game like one or two weeks before release.
 
M

Moobabe

Member
Dawg said:
I'm currently still awaiting my CoD: Ghosts review copy.

Activision does this every year. Other sites in my country went to the review event and the majority of them gave the game like 90-95%. Ugh.

We refuse to do this so I feel like they are punishing us by delaying the game. Sony, Nintendo, Ubisoft etc make sure we have our game like one or two weeks before release.
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This is the other thing - all these early reviews for stuff like AC4, BF, COD, Killzone - I prided myself on never rushing a review out just to be "first" - I'd maybe wait for a patch, or re-review something again down the line. I understand the pressures of getting reviews out early though, riding the buzz and all, but it feels like an endless loop.
 
J

Jintor

Member
toddhunter said:
I still think there is a lot to be written about how Valve are approaching their marketplace in terms of gambling and different international regulations. What gets me is when I wrote about that, I got like 17 readers in total. On the other hand an explanation of how PPSSPP supports custom textures (ie nude mods, lets not pretend I'm 100% highbrow ;)) rakes in the attention.
Click to expand...

Moobabe said:
Your second point is the one that frustrates me most. I could throw up a bunch of screenshots from a press release and get really good views (screenshots you can see ANYWHERE online) but unless I get some hefty retweets the articles I spend weeks writing get very little.
Click to expand...

toddhunter said:
Pretty much it. Spending a lot of time and doing research and interviews and whatever else is rewarding personally, but that isn't going to help somebody who needs to buy dinner. Even for an amatuer you kind of wonder why you would bother.

Gaming journalism certainly has issues, but the gamers themselves need to play their part too.
Click to expand...

Broken Joystick said:
Agreed, it's very disheartening to spend weeks and/or months on writing a passionate, informative piece on something and then it attract very little attention, but throw up a trailer for Game X and it'll get all the comments. That's why I tend to throw my informative pieces to larger sites, so hopefully more people will see it and I'll receive better constructive criticism.
Click to expand...

Dawg said:
Most of my in-depth articles receive decent hits, but of course posting something like the CoD trailer with Megan Fox in it makes those hits look weak in comparison.

People will always prefer commenting on an article where you can have stuff like CoD vs BF, PS4 vs Xbox One etc. I don't think that'll ever change.
Click to expand...

It's true, but I don't think you can really blame the audience for liking what they like (or more to the point reading what they want to read). The best you can do is put it out there and hopefully someone will give you cash dollars to compensate for it.

Almost all of the professional journalists I know personally have primary jobs elsewhere, with the only exceptions being editors.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
Moobabe said:
This is the other thing - all these early reviews for stuff like AC4, BF, COD, Killzone - I prided myself on never rushing a review out just to be "first" - I'd maybe wait for a patch, or re-review something again down the line. I understand the pressures of getting reviews out early though, riding the buzz and all, but it feels like an endless loop.
Click to expand...
As a gamer, I appreciate early reviews but as a reviewer/blogger, I like that I'm mostly reviewing games that have been out for a while. Don't have to worry about rushing and I can be very flexible with my schedule
 
M

Moobabe

Member
Jintor said:
It's true, but I don't think you can really blame the audience for liking what they like (or more to the point reading what they want to read). The best you can do is put it out there and hopefully someone will give you cash dollars to compensate for it.

Almost all of the professional journalists I know personally have primary jobs elsewhere, with the only exceptions being editors.
Click to expand...

Oh I know - I'm as grateful to people who view my stuff even if it's screenshots, videos or thought out pieces. It's just slightly... demoralising?
 
D

Dawg

Member
I kinda wish I wrote for an English site. Just to reach a wider audience. I can use google translate or translate stuff myself if I'd like to link something interesting on gaf, but that's not the same.

I love writing in my native language though, but I'll always be limited to a certain audience because of it.
 
T

toddhunter

Member
Jintor said:
It's true, but I don't think you can really blame the audience for liking what they like (or more to the point reading what they want to read). The best you can do is put it out there and hopefully someone will give you cash dollars to compensate for it.
Click to expand...

For sure. It is only really an issue in the context of "why don't people write more 'real' articles?".
 
M

matthewwhatever

Member
Dawg said:
I kinda wish I wrote for an English site. Just to reach a wider audience. I can use google translate or translate stuff myself if I'd like to link something interesting on gaf, but that's not the same.

I love writing in my native language though, but I'll always be limited to a certain audience because of it.
Click to expand...

Think of it this way: if you wrote in English, you'd be one in a sea of thousands. By sticking to your native language, your audience may be limited, but for that limited audience you'll be a lot more authoritative.
 
M

Moobabe

Member
matthewwhatever said:
Think of it this way: if you wrote in English, you'd be one in a sea of thousands. By sticking to your native language, your audience may be limited, but for that limited audience you'll be a lot more authoritative.
Click to expand...

Exactly! I wish I could write in a different language! Something like French to make me seem sophisticated and sexy
 
M

More_Badass

Member
matthewwhatever said:
Think of it this way: if you wrote in English, you'd be one in a sea of thousands. By sticking to your native language, your audience may be limited, but for that limited audience you'll be a lot more authoritative.
Click to expand...
I never thought of this before. Great point.

Off to learn Latin, that probably has a very limited audience
 
I

Imbarkus

As Sartre noted in his contemplation on Hell in No Exit, the true horror is other members.
jschreier said:
If you want a paid gig at Kotaku, pitch articles to Kotaku! I can't promise that any of them will be accepted, but Stephen reads every pitch that comes his way, and if he likes something, he might buy it.
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Luke at Kotaku Australia was the guy that pretty much noticed my article before. Should I just... pitch him over LinkedIn? Seems yucky.

And what if I can only ever be a super-occasional contributor? I need to hold on to this day job, and it's sort of demanding.

Zane said:
Hi there -- I've been writing for Wired Game|Life for almost four years now under the tutelage of GAF favorite Chris Kohler! ok bye
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That seems like a sweet gig. Kohler knows his shit.

Hey I wonder if they'll be looking for any stuff for Retro? I backed, and I'm old. There's two qualifications... plus I'll work for them for free just to get in the mag...

As far as doing this for pay, is doing this viable as like a side-gig? Or will people sense that I'm not putting full-time hopes, dreams, and efforts into it.
 
A

Aucool

Member
I write for The Games Machine, the most important italian magazine about (PC) gaming, the oldest one in the entire world that is still in activity. I write also for theshelternetwork.com, an italian website about videogame criticism, movies and stuff.
 
I

Imbarkus

As Sartre noted in his contemplation on Hell in No Exit, the true horror is other members.
Eh what the hell I sent the author a hello and thanks with sort of a half-pitch for future work. Thanks for the advice folks.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
So if I wanted to maybe do some freelance articles or cross-post stuff from my blog with IndieStatik, how would I approach that? I mean, it seems like it would be kind of...unprofessional, maybe?... be all, "Hey, I run a blog. I'd like to write for you."

Unless that is the best way to approach a site?
 
T

TheSpoiler

Member
I own two websites. The first, a community run place that's going through some major changes called The Scrub Daily.

Second website is also getting a revamp, but it's focused on parody articles called The Awkward Glitch. That one will return on December 1st for sure, with a big announcement at the end of the month.

Think Polygon, but without the money, status, or fancy webpage widgets!
 
M

Moobabe

Member
More_Badass said:
So if I wanted to maybe do some freelance articles or cross-post stuff from my blog with IndieStatik, how would I approach that? I mean, it seems like it would be kind of...unprofessional, maybe?... be all, "Hey, I run a blog. I'd like to write for you."

Unless that is the best way to approach a site?
Click to expand...

Maybe pitch an article to them? I'd like to see you stick with your site though man - you've got something really good going (also I PMd you)
 
H

Hydrogen Bluebird

Member
I wish I could do freelance game writing full time. It's actually what I'm aiming to do in the near future (I've only had a couple of paid pieces so far with GamesRadar being the most prominent site I've written for).
 
M

Moobabe

Member
Hydrogen Bluebird said:
I wish I could do freelance game writing full time. It's actually what I'm aiming to do in the near future (I've only had a couple of paid pieces so far with GamesRadar being the most prominent site I've written for).
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Go for it - come up with some articles and fire them off to the sites! Jason said the guys at Kotaku read all the pitches they get
 
M

Moobabe

Member
Double post, because yolo.

I've finally wrapped up my Demigod interview - taken about two weeks but it's been really eye opening and the chap has been absolutely amazing (and patient.) Gotta decide whether to transcribe it as an article interspersed with his quotes or a straight Q&A.

Any ideas what's better?
 
M

More_Badass

Member
So I'm working on my next opinion piece, Die, Succeed, Die Again, Repeat: On the allure of roguelikes and difficult games

Here's what I have so far. What do you think?
Imagine for a moment, trying to explain the concept of the roguelike to a casual gamer or non-gamer...

"So this is called a roguelike. Basically you try to survive as long as you can, with limited supplies and health."
"Oh, that sounds cool."
"Death can come at any moment. And you only have one life."
"So what happens when you die?"
"You start from the beginning."
"The game doesn't save? What about checkpoints?"
"Nope. You just lose all your hard-earned progress. And all your powerful weapons. And your gear. Back to square one. Sounds fun, right?"

Yes, yes it does. It's very fun. The roguelike may have once been niche, but today it seems like you can't go another day without a new title flaunting its roguelike elements. From the platformers like Spelunky and Towerclimb and the shooters such as Tower of Guns and Fancy Skulls to the action roguelikes and more traditional turn-based one, if anything it seems like the roguelike is in vogue today. And it's not just rogues or games with roguelike elements; across IOS, PC, console, high difficulty games are thriving. Super Meat Boy and Demons' Souls are probably the poster children for white-knuckle, ass-kicking, break-your-controller/keyboard/tablet experiences, and dozens of games have followed in their footsteps, such as Super Hexagon, Hotline Miami, and dozens and dozens of twitchy reflex-testing IOS games. But why? Why do gamers enjoy so many forms of digital torture?
Click to expand...
 
G

GDJustin

stuck my tongue deep inside Atlus' cookies
Moobabe said:
Double post, because yolo.

I've finally wrapped up my Demigod interview - taken about two weeks but it's been really eye opening and the chap has been absolutely amazing (and patient.) Gotta decide whether to transcribe it as an article interspersed with his quotes or a straight Q&A.

Any ideas what's better?
Click to expand...

No one reads straight Q&As. And they're lazy.

Your headline needs to make a case for why this is something anyone that stumbles in NEEDS to click on and read. And then your intro needs to achieve that same goal. And then the article... needs to be that thing you've been selling.

Find the most interesting/important things said and make a piece about that. Drop the rest.
 
G

GDJustin

stuck my tongue deep inside Atlus' cookies
More_Badass said:
So I'm working on my next opinion piece, Die, Succeed, Die Again, Repeat: On the allure of roguelikes and difficult games

Here's what I have so far. What do you think?
Click to expand...

Who is this article for? Your intro implies that it's for a hardcore gamer (since it's not for a casual or non-gamer). But do core gamers need to have the allure of roguelikes explained to them?
 
M

More_Badass

Member
GDJustin said:
Who is this article for? Your intro implies that it's for a hardcore gamer (since it's not for a casual or non-gamer). But do core gamers need to have the allure of roguelikes explained to them?
Click to expand...
Uh...I never really thought about that before. It's an opinion piece on why I find these kinds of games alluring, the elements that make them unique and worthwhile experiences. I guess it's focused to any gamer or anyone really. The core gamer, the new gamer who just got into indies, someone who's just looking for something to read, etc.

Idk, I never tailored my articles to appeal to a specific type of gamer, other than the fact that I only focus on indies
 
M

Moobabe

Member
Cheers Justin - unfortunately I saw your answer after I posted it as a straight Q&A..

Unfortunately as well some of my answers had to be cut short, reworded or changed for legal reasons (such is life) but anyway - I'm pretty proud of this:

Demigod Interview

Brad Wardell (of Stardock CEO fame) retweeted it and sent me a message saying it's the best Demigod interview he'd seen, which was nice of him!

But I think you're right Justin - my 'interview/article' with someone struggling to get on Greenlight is probably a stronger piece because it has an angle, whereas my Demigod one is just questions. That said - I didn't really have an angle I wanted to explore there, I just love me some Demigod.
 
M

Moobabe

Member
Website update!

My Demigod article got some attention on the Stardock forums, and some decent retweets - frustrating not to get too many comments on it though.

Our very own Pylon_Trooper (on a voluntary GAF ban) wrote me a piece on Pandora (which puts all my stuff to shame...)

I also found some of my old articles and have been rolling those out as well.

Long term I'd love to have articles on everything on there - interviews about concept art, WIP stuff, post-mortems, guest articles, dev blogs etc Should be good fun!
 
K

Keits

Developer
I was EIC over at Shoryuken for about 3 years, and their sole writer for about 2 of that. I've moved on to the developer side now, though.
 
M

McDougles

Member
Time to "un-dormant" this thread! :)

Hey, my name is Daniel and I am a founding editor of GameSided.com. We've been a gaming news, opinions, features and reviews blog site for about 5 months now for the FanSided network. Before online writing, I was a Project Manager for a small MMORPG here in Toronto, ON, Canada. Yes, I've heard 20 variants of your Rob Ford crack joke.

My claim to "any sort of relevancy" was when I reported that somebody was using Twitter bots to give Xbox One the edge in the GameSpot Twitter contest.

I'm glad to be a part of an unprecedented venture for a blogging network that hosts more than 230-odd sports blogs. Jumping head first into uncharted waters can be tricky, and I'm learning a lot on the fly, but it has been a fun experience so far.
 
3

345triangle

Member
my name is sam and i write, take photos, and so on in tokyo for the verge, including a bunch of gaming and japan-related stuff. nice to meet everyone! here are a few examples:

PS Vita TV review
'Super Mario 3D World' is the best reason to own a Wii U
Akihabara's iconic Radio Store closes down after 64 years (photo essay)
PS Vita-2000 review
'D4' on Xbox One is a surreal adventure that finally makes the case for Kinect gaming
Tokyo Game Show photo essay
A link to the past: why Nintendo won't make games for smartphones
PlayStation 4: Sony outmaneuvers Microsoft on price, design, and common sense
Life support: can Sony save the PlayStation Vita?

i joined the verge just before we launched a couple of years ago. for gaming coverage we tend to focus on hardware, indies, and the major titles that we care about or that have something interesting to say.
 
M

Moobabe

Member
I'm glad to see you guys un-dormant the thread! I felt bad for constantly bumping it with my own work!

I've put together a 'to do' list for my site (which is a bit tough since I started my new job)

I've had a guest writer (which I want more of) I want to promote people's concept art and the like, I have some cool articles planned.

My Demigod interview, which I was bummed didn't get a lot of views, has slowly been creeping up the list, which is a nice feeling.

McDougles said:
Time to "un-dormant" this thread! :)

Hey, my name is Daniel and I am a founding editor of GameSided.com.

....

I'm glad to be a part of an unprecedented venture for a blogging network that hosts more than 230-odd sports blogs. Jumping head first into uncharted waters can be tricky, and I'm learning a lot on the fly, but it has been a fun experience so far.
Click to expand...

I hear you man, I knew nothing about any of this when I started. I attended Gamescom with NO interviews booked because I had no idea what I was doing in the first year. I was just blown away that EA gave me free Chinese food in their booth!

345triangle said:
my name is sam and i write, take photos, and so on in tokyo for the verge, including a bunch of gaming and japan-related stuff. nice to meet everyone! here are a few examples:

Articles way better than mine

i joined the verge just before we launched a couple of years ago. for gaming coverage we tend to focus on hardware, indies, and the major titles that we care about or that have something interesting to say.
Click to expand...

Welcome friend! I love the Verge's in depth articles, so damn good!

How did you guys find VGX?
 
M

More_Badass

Member
After a short hiatus from my blog to finish my semester, I'm back to sharing indie news.

Kerbal Space Program
http://indiegameenthusiast.blogspot.com/2013/12/pc-spotlight-58-kerbal-space-program.html

A-Men 2
http://indiegameenthusiast.blogspot.com/2013/12/console-spotlight-men-2.html

Samurai Gunn
http://indiegameenthusiast.blogspot.com/2013/12/pc-spotlight-59-samurai-gunn.html

Not The Robots
http://indiegameenthusiast.blogspot.com/2013/12/pc-spotlight-60-not-robots.html

And the first part of my 2013 countdown
http://indiegameenthusiast.blogspot.com/2013/12/2013-in-review-20-15.html
 
J

Jintor

Member
How important do you think 'face to face' interviews are for articles? I'm specifically talking longer, feature-length articles (I'd say 2500 - 3000 words in print, don't know what the online numbers would be like but it'd be around there).

The comparison is email Q&As and Skype Convos. I've done both, and they have their advantages and disadvantages; but somehow it's more difficult to feel like a journalist if you're not travelling somewhere to interview someone about something. Unfortunately this is kind of difficult since I'm in Australia and most people that I would like to talk to tend to be elsewhere.
 
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