Hey Fediverse -
I’ve been seeing a lot of discussion around the lack of game outlets that people like to follow nowadays. I used to follow a decent amount, but with how many of them have changed - Giant Bomb, PC Gamer, RockPaperShotgun, Game Informer - I also have been looking for a new outlet/community.
I’ve been working towards starting an outlet myself, and I’m wondering what folks would like to see out of one. My list:
- Independent, or more so. Referral links make it hard to trust an outlet being unbiased if they have a financial incentive to promote things.
- Discourse focused: Modern coverage, especially from influencers, is a lot of a singular person speaking. Giant Bomb especially had great dynamics between the various perspectives when covering a game.
- Diverse Coverage: By this I mean, not just focused on AAA titles and the yearly release calendar. Covering mods, older titles, different communities (speedrunners, small multiplayer communities, etc.)
Other questions:
- Would you be interested in supporting an outlet financially? Would you even if all content was available freely, eg. public media as opposed to “premium access.”
- Do you have any preferred platforms? Would you be interested in an outlet that prioritizes the Fediverse over Twitch, Youtube, etc.?
- Do you have a preference between written content, video, audio?
Would you be interested in supporting an outlet financially? Would you even if all content was available freely, eg. public media as opposed to “premium access.”
if you think you’ll be doing this for a long time, i think “should this be paid or free” is more a question for yourself to determine and not the hypothetical audience you think you’re writing for. at least for now, there is room in the medium for both paid gaming journalism and unpaid gaming journalism.
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Would you be interested in perspectives on it from developers themselves?
Very interested in the topics you point out, I think for myself I’d cover them mostly in writing. There’s a larger amount of that style of content popping up these days, but largely in longer video essays that end up being released more sparsely. I used to turn to podcasts for this sort of coverage, but I’m not as aware of gaming podcasts right now.
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The crux of this issue comes down to trust.
Do I believe the “journalism” whatever outlet you make produces, that it’s what it pretends to be: an unbiased, honest, authentic, and objective opinion piece on a game? Or is it going to be (now or in the future when you sell out) marketing garbage whose purpose is to try and get me to spend money, no matter what lies it needs to tell to do so?
So classic User Value versus Profit motive conundrum.
It’s not a conflict that’s easily resolvable, and I’m far more stingy these days of allowing myself to be profited off of without concrete (to me) value in return, and tbh I don’t see how any type of game review service could avoid the temptations of profit enough for me to trust a damned thing they say.
Good luck, tho
Like the other commenter discussed, I think objective when it comes to reviews is a very tricky idea. My ideal solution to it is having multiple perspectives on a game from an outlet, not necessarily in a review score, but in other formats. That’s part of what I loved about Giant Bomb, I’d typically like what Jeff did, but might not be as into a Brad or Dan game all the time.
I don’t think the idea of objectivity makes a ton of sense at this point, but an authentic perspective can serve that role.
I think a large part of why so many outlets sell out is due to the idea of infinite growth and/or revenue dropping from Youtube/Twitch/etc. taking more of a cut. Ideally this would be solved by remaining small, focused, and less dependent on revenue sources that can change on a whim.
it really is as simple as being able to distinguish opinions from facts, and clarifying each in the revew.
Facts: This game has X combat, Y selectable characters, the crafting looks like Z, etc.
Opinons: This game is amazing! 10/10! Best story of all time! GOTY!, etc
You absolutely can have an objective game review, it’s just that no writer wants to do that. They’d rather make it more about their opinions of the game than of the game.
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Totally agree with you. The hype cycle has killed a lot of interest in recently released titles for me as well, the first 2 weeks it’s the best thing ever, then the tide begins to turn.
Also agree on the Steam point. I’ve been trying to check out more indie games on Steam since it’s maybe the only platform that has decent discovery for them now, outside of Itch. It’s also so hard for indies to get any traction with how journalism and marketing functions outside of paying for it in one way or another.
Your list of ideas meshes pretty well with what I’d like to see: something that’s independent and not just shilling whatever their sponsors are selling; something that presents various perspectives to give an overall view of a game, rather than one influencer’s opinion; and coverage of a wide variety of games beyond the AAA titles. Loving the idea of covering mods and older titles, and don’t forget the indie games.
I’d definitely be more inclined to follow such an outlet if it was in a written format on the fediverse. Maybe I’m just really old, but following influencers and streamers on Twitch and YouTube has never clicked with me. Too much self-aggrandisement, not enough on-topic discussion. For that matter, the other thing I really miss is written guides to games. That’s probably beyond the scope of what you have in mind, but it’s another area of games coverage where too much is on YouTube and Twitch.
Just… more games, less capitalism please?
(Personal finances permitting, I’ll happily support an outlet with good quality content, especially if it’s freely available and not put behind a paywall. I’m so much more amenable to “donate if you like my content” over “you can’t see this until you cough up some cash”.)
I think that 404 Media is a great example of a recent independent media organization that has a great user experience and a monetization strategy that doesn’t make me feel gross. A lot of their pull is the excellent journalism and writing, and the fact that the journalists that started it are respected and have a decent following. I don’t know how feasible this type of setup would be without that head start.
Generally, what you have on the list is what I want to see from a gaming news outlet. I especially like the idea of focusing on older games, mods, niche communities, and that sort of thing. I guess if there was more of something I wanted to see in games journalism it’s more in-depth coverage of gaming topics and less rushing to cover the latest AAA release. I’d much rather be reading a long-form article about microtransactions or watching a video essay on the possibility of a video game actor strike than reading about where to find the best ship or weapon in Starfield. Of course, I’m just some random person on the internet, so take that all with a grain of salt.
Drama. Just drama. Reviews about other video gamers drama.
I’d be interested in an outlet that has reviewers actually finish the game before writing their review. I get the perceived need to release a review as early as possible, but personally I’m willing to wait if it means a more accurate, thorough review (I’m more of a “patient gamer” these days anyway).
Inviting guest reviewers could also be a good idea I think. Always good to get different perspectives and voices.
As for mediums, I prefer video for reviews as it allows for demonstrations of different aspects of the game. This is especially helpful when talking about a game’s performance and artistic direction.
People Make Games is a channel that I would call game journalism. Look at their coverage about Disco Elysium, its really great.
