Round Table Discussion: The Life of a Game Journalist

The Escapist recently hosted a round table of some noted players in the world of game journalism, including Newsweek's N'Gai Croal, as well as longtime freelancers Julian Dibbell, Kieron Gillen, and N. Evan Van Zelfden, who pretty much has the greatest name ever.

The conversation touches on a number of interesting subjects, including the fact that no two game journos seem to have taken the exact same path to get where they are now, the lure of "selling out" and working for a developer, and the tricky task of convincing the rest of the world that video games actually matter:

Julian Dibbell:That's a song and dance we're all used to by now. You have to convince them that the people who inhabit this place are wacky enough to merit some attention. Or that this is a part of a trend that may not be the world they live in, but it's the world their kids will live in ... crap like that. It all has some merit, but what it comes down to is you know as a journalist that there's something vital and interesting in this space, and you sell it to them however you can.

When folks think about game writers, they often focus on the parties, swag, and other such perks, but this discussion provides a bit of insight into the nuts and bolts of the actual job part of game journalism. You can either read through the transcript, or simply download the audio of the discussion.

The Escapist's Game Writer Round Table [The Escapist]