This article originally ran under a different banner/website in April of 2019 and is now being here re-uploaded for purposes of convenience and consolidation. Please enjoy.
MY LOYAL FOLLOWERS!!! It has been a quiet few weeks in terms of gaming news. Sure, Steam and Epic continue to snatch up exclusive titles in the attempt to fracture the PC market space, but this is nothing new. Battle lines have already been drawn, and I don’t think I could persuade anyone to change sides. I do think there is one topic I could persuade you on. I, THE VIDEO GAME DOOMSAYER, WANT YOU TO WRITE ABOUT VIDEO GAMES.
I can already feel the waves of doubt washing upon your face as the thought has come into your mind. Some might find it intimidating to expose their thoughts in a public space, but I can assure you the rewards outweigh the risks. If I can stand in front of all of you, in rags, ranting about the games industry’s end atop my soapbox, you could write a small piece on a game you enjoyed. PLEASE!!! Take a moment and listen to why you should write about games.
Let’s start with the obvious: every gamer talks about games. Whether you just finished the story to the latest game or were on a rampage in a multiplayer game or encountered a hilarious bug; we are always discussing games. I certainly can’t deny that I pass up an opportunity to discuss games I played or drama in the games industry, but you don’t need to be a lunatic atop a soapbox shouting into the air, to talk about games. If you take a moment to recall all the times you were chatting with a friend or having a conversation with a full Discord server, you realize you probably spend a lot of time discussing games. You clearly have something to say about games; so why not write it down in an article?
Speaking of having something to say, I must point out the simple fact that everyone is different and their opinions will often reflect that. Despite some people demanding reviews being objective, you can’t deny opinions impact reviews. I have seen a lot of people give deserved praise to The Division 2. There is a very strong chance that I will not review that game. I am an old hermit, I have zero desire to review a multiplayer live service. Those days are behind me. I WANT A GAME THAT TAKES ME ON A NARRATIVE JOURNEY, NOT AN ENDLESS GRIND!!! Maybe you feel differently though. Maybe you think The Division 2 is worthy of your time. THEN I SAY COME FORWARD AND WRITE ABOUT IT. I am not so egotistic as to think that my opinion is the one worth value. So I challenge you all to come forth and change my mind.
Changing my mind, shouldn’t be the only reason to write about games though. Writing provides an optimal opportunity to flex those creative muscles. Anytime I am preparing to stand atop my soapbox, I challenge myself to depict the scene with as many details and descriptives as possible. Take for example my Marvel’s Spider-Man review, I could just simply say the web-slinging feels good, but instead, I depict the momentum I felt swinging around New York City while staying stationary in my seat. You’ll find that constructing a clever and descriptive phrase to be awe-inspiring. Take notes, EA, this is what true pride and accomplishment looks like.
I can see the some of you still have a face full of doubt as if I was suggesting you could move mountains. I assure you, I am not asking the impossible. You don’t need to write as frequently as I do. I can see someone not used to writing getting burned out trying to stick to a weekly schedule and as I did state earlier, I am truly mad for trying. I recommend something small, simple, and something every gamer can do: talk in great lengths about their favorite game.
Everyone has that favorite game that they could talk about for hours and hours. For me, I could talk endlessly about Bioshock. Though I try to avoid spoiling anything about Bioshock, you could often find traces of my love for that game littered in my work. So often I’ll mention that I am leaving the surface life to venture to that deep-sea utopia known as Rapture. I know, left unchecked, I could overwhelm you with my affection for Bioshock. I have no doubt some of you could do the same with your favorite game. So start there. Tell me, what your favorite game is. Maybe it’s not a game that has impacted your life, but a movie, TV show, or book. I challenge you to write about your favorite piece of media. I challenge you to convince me to give your favorite game, book, movie, or show a try. I challenge you to convince me to try something new. I challenge you to change my mind.
