Writing about video games is hard work

by Steven Sukkau, COMMUNITY WRITER

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

EDITOR'S NOTEfrom Eduardo Moutinho

Steven is right. Games journalism is a tough business, yet it's incredibly rewarding. Writing about the electronic-entertainment industry has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my career.

Bitmob at E3 2012

Let me guess. You like video games, and you hate your day job?

You’re not alone. I think everyone would rather get paid to play big-time titles all day than do anything else.

A dangerous misconception exists regarding these dream jobs, however. They're not an excuse to play all day. They're work.

And life is about doing something meaningful.

Does that make sense?

Work makes life worthwhile. To throw your body, mind, and soul at a meaningful task is a human being's source of satisfaction.

To be utterly spent, exhausted, and bloodied while knowing that you’ve accomplished something great is the sweetest feeling.

Now let’s examine the dream of being a games journalist.

Like me, you want to make a living enjoying your favorite digital experiences. OK, let’s find a way. But first, I need to know that you’re willing to sweat, bleed, and persevere when things seem impossible.

Still with me?

Good. Because games journalism takes dedication. It’s not always “fun." It’s better than that. It’s satisfying.

And sometimes you'll have to:

Stay up late to finish that last article.
Wake up early to answer that email full of tweaks from your editor.
Stare at a blank screen for two hours while waiting for inspiration to strike, eventually just pushing through and doing the work.

That’s more like it.

Here's the bottom line. Writing about electronic entertainment is hard work.

But that’s what makes it worthwhile.

The biggest rookie game writer mistake is not coming prepared to grind.

If you approach this field to avoid work and maximize fun, you’re going to burn out. If you show up ready to play all day, you’re going to become disillusioned and frustrated.

The old adage is right. Nothing worth doing is ever easy. And games journalism is definitely worth doing.

So, are you ready to play or work?

This post originally appeared in A Game Writer's Guide, my ongoing personal mission to help aspiring game journalists find their voice.

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MARYKATE CLARK

October 30, 2012

I spend as much or more time researching and reading as I do playing. I care about writing well, and about knowing the subject matter, just as I care about how well I play. It is sometimes a grind, sometimes a marathon, and a lot of detective work. But I tend to do my best work when it involves something I love, and writing about video games, I get that opportunity a lot. =-)

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Steven Sukkau

October 30, 2012

Yeah no kidding! Sometimes it feels like it's 90 percent research 10 percent writing. But as you say it's the detective work that matters, that's when great writing happens. When did you started writing about games?

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Alex Sanabria

October 30, 2012

"So, are you ready to play or work?"

Why not both? Working in a soul sucking cubicle while you wait for the clock to strike the hour when you no longer have to sit at your desk and question your importance in the grand scheme of things. That is all I want. Maybe it is a problem of never figuring out what I truly wanted to be when I "grew up". I think sometimes all somebody wants it to know their career matters. After working in technology for 10 plus years you start to realize that you are not as important as you think you are. When you are laid off because someone across the planet can do the job cheaper, you wonder why you keep bashing your head against the same wall, punching the same clock, or bowing to the requests of the all mighty C-level executive, no matter how silly those requests are.

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Steven Sukkau

October 30, 2012

Woah, sounds like a scene from Office Space. Were you able to find another job after the layoff? And I think you're right, it's not very easy to just figure out what you want to be when you grow up. Or worse, you thought you knew and planned your life out in high school, and then you realize you hate it. Did you have an idea of what you wanted to be when you grew up? Or are you starting to figure it out now?

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Jason Rose

October 30, 2012

You could say anything is hard work really. I'm not saying it isn't, but people in the business do it because they love it. People don't work in factories because they love it, they do it because they have to. That's hard work and they most likely hate it. Compared to many jobs and the work level required, gaming journalism is all fluff. I'm not taking away from the profession whatsoever, but on the scale of working hard, this would be nowhere near the top of the list.

In all honesty, I couldn't disagree with this more.

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Steven Sukkau

October 30, 2012

I think i see what you're saying Jason, and you're right, just because something is hard work doesn't mean it's very satisfying. And being on your feet all day or welding in a hot welding shop for hours is a lot more intense than answering emails and nailing down a 1000 word article on gender equality in video games.

But the point I was trying to address was the attitude that writing about games is the same as playing a few rounds of COD. One is the search for meaning, the other is entertainment. One is about serving your readers, the other is having fun and relaxing. There's a place for both obviously, but you won't last very long as a game writer if you think it's going to be easy and fun all the time. Does that make sense?

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Jason Rose

November 01, 2012

Yes it does and I know your point is basically "this isn't as easy as you think it is" But in the scale of working hard, I wouldn't put gaming industry person on that list.

Creative positions require that you can take criticism from your peers and other specifics. For this one, homework is required and lots of it. Deadlines are to be adhered to that cause stress, but stress is relative in all jobs. At least this job is fun, you know nothing of the stress a foundry worker on a 10 hour shift goes through day in and out. That is alcoholism waiting to happen.

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Steven Sukkau

November 01, 2012

Yes, certainly there are dirty jobs out there and someone has gotta do them. i certainly have enormous respect for those people, because I wouldn't last a day in some jobs. As a teen I had a job as a farm hand hoeing for 8 hours a day in the blazing sun, that certainly wasn't the easiest job, but there was some satisfaction there as well. Have you or someone you know been in a foundry job? Can you tell me more about what that is like?

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Joe Pring

October 31, 2012

I think any writer who is serious about making it as a games journalist (or any other form of journalism for that matter) has no dellusions about the amount of work that goes into such a career. Jason, I think your comments may be slightly unfair. Physical and mental labour are arguably as exhausting as each other.

First and foremost, I love writing, Gaming is a passionate hobby of mine and once I bagan combining the two together I knew that Games journalism was a career that I wanted to pursue. I can think of nothing worse than being stuck in a job/career that I don't enjoy and I suppose I'm lucky that I know what I want to do in life.

Even so, from my experience so far, getting into the industry is tough but if I wasn't serious I wouldn't pursue it.

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Jason Rose

November 01, 2012

There is little mental stress when doing something you love, not really. Sure there are the normal things that come with the job, but those are manageable. You have a stake in what you are creating and it's rewarding. So many jobs are thankless tropes of unending suffering. Mentioning these in the breath of games journalism is blasphemous.

Mental stress and physical stress can be relative, but that doesn't take place in this profession as it would in others. Make no bones about it, people are here because they love it and that means they've already won.

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Jason Lomberg

November 01, 2012

There's a certain amount of stress (mental and physical) inherent to every job, even if it's something you love -- be it deadlines, long hours, and the like. Granted, the work is more emotionally and spiritually fulfilling (versus something you couldn't deem anything more than a "job"), but it's still stressful. Then again, there's satisfaction to be had in any line of work for a job well done. This feeling of fulfillment is far more potent than shallow "fun."

But I don't think that's the thesis behind Steven's article, anyway. He wasn't trying to elicit a pity party. Whoa is me, etc.

He was attempting to draw a distinction between what outsiders think games journalists do (play video games all day and get paid for it) vs. what they really do (grind out long articles, put in impossibly long hours and stay up late, hit tight deadlines, etc.)

I've done shitty retail jobs (and tasted the military lifestyle) and I'd rather be in journalism -- not because of the cushier physical demands, but because writing is creatively fulfilling.