Video game journalism

In high school I used to dream of what it would be like to work for a video game magazine. It was the spark that led me to pursue journalism at UH manoa. But once I got into school and people started asking me what I wanted to do, I kind of forgot about it

I don't really tell people I want to write for a video game magazine. There are many reasons why, but the biggest is because I don't think enough people take it seriously. Unfortunately, there is a public perception that all they do is get paid to play video games all day. Kids write in asking how they can get jobs at gaming magazines.

People don't take into consideration that these publications are reporting on an industry the same way Rolling Stone reports on music. They follow court cases that have to deal with games and freedom of speech and expression (www.gamepolitics.com). They keep us up to date on company mergers and press releases, and keep a demographic informed on what they care about. Video game magazines and their websites have news, features, and editorials like any other journalistic publication.

Then there are game reviews and previews. While they spend several hours playing games, they play the good ones and the bad ones (and believe me, there are more bad than good). They do it because video games are expensive, and consumers need to how to spend their money. Those journalists are the eyes, ears, and hands of people that can't play those games. No one has the time or money to go through all of them. In a way, video game journalists protect gamers' wallets.

So years later, at the end of my journalism studies, I'm even more excited about it. Even though I only want to try it for a few years, I like how it's fitting into the whole "convergence" thing.

In the past few years video game journalism online has grown substantially. Sites have podcasts, video-podcasts, their own TV shows, and other things that will not only use the reporting and writing skills I've developed at UH, but also my web, photography, and editing talents.

It's something I look forward to doing.