Press Alert!
The work of games journalists has changed significantly over the years. So just what is the role and responsibility of the press in a world of YouTube and streaming? Chris Wallace talks to four leading journalists to find their take on their own story.
I Below: Alice Bell, deputy editor at Rock, Paper, Shotgun (RPS)
don’t think anyone needs to be told that the internet has drastically changed the face of journalism. The reach of reporting has dramatically expanded, while its ability to actually make money has uh, not. More specifically though, games journalism has changed dramatically over the last couple of decades. The internet and the rise of social media and the influencer has forever changed not only how consumer games journalism functions, but what it actually looks to do.
Journalists are, at least in the triple-A space, no longer needed to tell players what games are coming out, when they’re coming out, or sometimes even if they’re any good. Influencers on Twitch and YouTube can provide their viewers a more direct experience of a game than any games magazine (remember those?) ever could. And that’s while gaming outlets are being squeezed by the same financial pressures that have affected traditional media too. Which begs the question I ask myself every day on press week: What exactly is the point of games journalism in 2021? WHAT’S THE POINT? “That’s a tough one to answer,” begins Alice Bell, deputy editor at Rock, Paper, Shotgun (RPS). “It’s tempting to copy the BBC’s homework and say ‘inform, educate and entertain’. “But if that’s the case, there’s a lot less emphasis on ‘inform’ these days, because companies have a direct line to consumers via things like social media, so when a game is announced they don’t need to see the info on a website ‘cos there’s already a tweet from EA with the full trailer in it, or whatever. “We can give more context, I think, and dig out the various oddities and fun things people might not have seen. RPS’s unofficial internal slogan is ‘a good time should be shared online’.” That point about context is key – journalists may not be needed to tell people that the new Call of Duty is coming out, but they are in a unique position to provide important information around it. “For me the purpose of games journalism is telling readers something they didn’t already know,” says Keza MacDonald, video games editor at The Guardian. “Whether that’s through a review of a game they might love, the inside story of a game’s development or cultural
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