As I've said on multiple occasions, blogging is an elevated form of citizen journalism. A platform between individuals to exchange positive and productive ideas about a mutually shared passion. No other time in human history has a form of communication presented so many people with the opportunity to have their unique thoughts heard and be part of a truly worldwide audience. The magic of blogging has spurred the new generation into communicating with each other and not segregating us through technological means.

The process of reading, researching, dot-jotting and idea gathering not only encourages others to blog also, but can strive many readers to become interested in the topic, thus furthering the discussed medium. This happens especially when a blog post goes viral - a dream of many prospective bloggers - bringing in instant viewership and perhaps even revenue.

Gaming is still rarely discussed in the mass media. While several sites (and blogs) dedicated to gaming are successful, the group pales in comparison to other forms of consumed media. But this is slowly changing and the industry has finally started noticing. Including my lovely blog, the popularity of  gaming-centric blogs has exploded in the last number of years, and could possibly be attributed to the rising interest in casual and social gaming. Only those deemed the "hardcore" perused such blogs five years ago, but the rapid growth of sites like Joystiq (started in 2004) and Destructoid (started in 2006) proves the trend.

Banking on this, many aspiring gaming journalists and bloggers have created websites hoping to either get noticed or attain a solid audience. Sadly, these beginner websites don't have the extraordinary access to the industry like the bigger sites (including me) so oftentimes the news is reiterated and the mess of websites becomes redundant. Any blogger knows the imperative blogging creed: "content is king". Reiterating content is viewed as criminal unless attributed to the original source, so that's why many bloggers pose ridiculous questions hoping to attract eyes. I'm guilty of doing this but it's ultimately necessary.

As an easy-to-use mass form of communication, anyone can operate a blog with ease. Kotaku noticed a trend not innovative by any means nor exclusive to the gaming industry: the cheerleading pablum produced by corporate blogs. Each console manufacturer has a company blog, obviously serving the purpose of championing the company's own cause. But some can provide very useful information like Major Nelson's blog posting the top ten games played by user count per week. Another excellent example is the Playstation blog where, since most PS3-exclusive developers are owned by Sony, the companies often post daily. They even reply directly to comments too, allowing fans to voice their concerns. (And both are great sources of information for blogging ideas.)

With the wealth of gaming blogs starting up, many don't do enough research. Running a successful website is difficult enough in a niche, but an overcrowded one complicates the process. For every great blog out there, five exist that are terrible, and filtering out quality reads has become daunting. While the "content is king" rule applies evermore here, it's also vital for the site's perspective to be intriguing and different. Different being the operative word. Sites galore feature "Game" or "Gamer" in the title and that's boring. Responsible research beforehand (or just common knowledge of the industry) shows the most successful sites don't have the word in the name. Being creative, establishing an identity, and primarily focusing on a section of the industry is the best way to recognition.

Blogging is all about building a community; amassing a respectable amount of readers and engaging in conversation with them about a shared passion. Multiple factors of the gaming industry exist which allow for this including game design, the business side, individual countries and the industry perspective. One can even break into specific genres if desired. Gaming is a vast medium and its full capabilities have yet to be explored. And blogging is fun.

Personally, I implore anyone daring enough to read through this entire post to start a blog. If you do, or if you have one already, please post in the comments or shoot an email to me and I'll do you the honour of highlighting your site in a future post. It's the least I can do for my readers. Jeff out.