Home
Game writing is still relatively new, but several different styles already exist. Sites like IGN focus on pumping out as much content as possible maintaining an everyday language. Its writers pay little attention to grammar and structure -- although that's been changing since its most recent update. Sites like 1UP focus on in-depth creative pieces, short humor write-ups, lists, and reviews. They are more likely to focus on grammar than IGN and tend to use an elevated vocabulary.
Other writing styles certainly exist, but game sites tend to emphasize either proper grammar and refined content or fast news coverage and constant updates. It seems Bitmob and 1UP focus more on the former, which helps them communicate information to their audience, but they shouldn't overlook meaningful content in service of this aim.
I've learned to appreciate stylish prose in recent years, but I've noticed that articles with a distinct style, brevity, and proper grammar frequently receive more attention than meaningful, original ideas. Such qualities are useful in conveying the ideas of a piece, but they shouldn't be used to spread generic ideas ad nauseam.
Instead of creating thought-provoking content, many game writers slightly modify preexisting arguments and spice them up with sound grammar and witty writing. These arguments aren't necessarily bad, but they rarely teach us anything new.
Formulaic pieces occur most frequently with lists, "games as art" debates, and compositions criticizing genre clichés, cut scenes, and quick time events. Articles of this ilk typically use fanciful language and gut-busting humor, but when these stylistic elements are stripped away, a banal piece remains.
It's common knowledge that sensationalistic language and controversial topics attract readers, but that doesn't mean game journalists need to take this mainstream news approach. Video game websites churn out stereotypical content that provokes arguments because they know it'll earn them more hits. I'd like to see more meaningful content despite the smaller crowd who might appreciate it.
Instead of overwhelming servers with No Russian critques and discussions about the linearity of Final Fantasy 13, I'd like to see more articles that include original thought. Notable examples on Bitmob include Rachel Jagielski's Bitterly Confronting Why I game, Alex Cronk-Young's The Demise of Split-Screen Multiplayer, and Jeffrey Sandlin's No More Russian, Please. Fortunately, Bitmob's editors moved two of these pieces to the front page, but I imagine they soon lost ground under an avalanche of articles that concern themselves with less imaginative topics.
Relatively shallow articles may have excellent writing -- much in the same way certain blockbuster games do -- but that doesn't mean they're worthy of promotion. Brevity and wit is clearly important to the masses, but do specialized sites such as Bitmob really want to go after a mainstream audience? Surely, it'd be easier to tap into new circles that have outgrown traditional games coverage instead of attempting to drill into IGN or Kotaku's massive fan base.
I'm also not saying that witty, humor pieces need to disappear, but the fact that they're the most popular articles on sites with talented writers is disturbing. I realize traditional gamers often look for quick reads online, but wouldn't it be better to transform sites with such talent into places that people from the ever-expanding and increasingly diverse video game audience admire?
Blogging sites such as Bitmob provide great opportunities for original content to reach sizeable audiences, so I hope that astute readers and editors will continue to identify pieces that may not be perfectly written but have something interesting to say. If this fails to occur, I fear that the last bastion of meaningful content will become as insightful as Maxim. Wouldn't you rather see game sites find their home in the annals of history rather than filling cyber-landfills?
