Categories: Originals

What I’ve learned about the video game industry

PR and Publishers have double standards. Not all, but some. For example (I won't name any names), we gave a certain game a 6.5/10. According to Metacritic, that was higher than about 80 percent of the other reviews for the game, including some big sites like IGN and Eurogamer that rated the game far worse. Still, when E3 came around and we had an appointment for some hands-on time with games, we got a cold shoulder and was told that we gave a bad review to a game… even though it was higher than most other scores. WTF am I missing here. How bout instead of trying to get better scores by threatening not giving games or hands-on time, you focus on actually making a better game. A better game gets a better review score. Simple as that.

That last one leads into this one: companies ignore what the rating represents and focuses on just the score. This has been mentioned time and time again, but the review system is broken. It's sad that a 7.5/10 is considered a 'bad' game. So the 6.5 we gave the previous game is an 'above average' rating according to our review guidelines. But the entire gaming world operates on the assumption that anything below an 8/10 is a fail. We're not working on a 10-point scale when this is the criteria; we're working more like a grade school system.

There is a disconnect between the journalists and readers. The most apparent case of that is regarding Mass Effect 3, where pretty much the entire gaming world was unhappy, yet journalists were calling them babies. Yea, I get paid to write about video games, but in no way do I think I'm better or know more about every video game than any other gamer. Everything in this industry is opinion anyways, so why do some journalists act like their word is the gospel and gamers that don't agree are cry babies?

A lot of people don't read an entire article. If you've gotten this far then I'm surprised. I've found that, especially on N4G, readers judge an article based on the title or on other comments, and then form assumptions about the article based on that. Take the time to read if you're going to comment. Then again, I should just be thankful someone even opened by article and decided to write something — even if it is “You are a f*ckface and not a scholar.”

The internet is mean. That's not just gaming, but it still applies. If you want to write stuff, you've got to have thick skin and be ready to read the worst things about you that people have to offer.

Last but not least, readers often take something written literally and pass up on sarcasm or humor. I'm not going to point out a joke/sarcasm though, so if people want to attack something I've written, I'll run with it and act dead serious. Never assume that everyone will understand your intent with an article. Or maybe I'm just not funny. But I've had plenty of people tell me that they've liked what I've written and found it funny, so in the end it's worth it.

These are just some of my experiences and things I've learned in one year. I love video games, and writing for a site like this has opened me up to games I would have never played before. Please try to remember that you started playing video games because you found them fun.

You can follow Lance Liebl on Twitter @Lance_GZ. He also like t-shirts… send him t-shirts. KCCO.

I've been working in the video game industry for just over a year now. In that time I've worked for GameZone exclusively. Before that I was just another gamer with an opinion; that's what's so great about the video game community — we all have an opinion. And we let that opinion be heard, especially when it's displeasure. Thankfully, I'm lucky enough to have my opinions published.

I've attended a few events over my time doing this for a living, including a Namco Bandai event in Las Vegas where I refused to try a Cereal Bowl Milkshake (it was vodka, Captain Crunch and ice cream… no thank you), and my first E3. I've learned many things about the industry, including some things that really surprised me — about video game journalists and the industry itself.

I'd just like to share a few of the things I've noticed and learned in my brief time. I believe that being so fresh to the video game industry gives me a fresh view on things, as opposed to journalists that have been doing it so long that they become jaded. So let's get started, shall we?

What I've learned

When PR for a video game tells you they have limited review copies of the game, so nothing is guaranteed, they're lying. It probably just means that they've given so many copies to the biggest outlets for reviews/giveaways/part of a media package. For instance, we were supposed to receive Twisted Metal. Two weeks after launch, still no game. But IGN gave everyone in their audience a copy of the game. I still like to joke that one of them got our copy.

An embargo date for new information or reviews doesn't apply to everyone. Sites get exclusives, especially the big ones. Or the big ones can just break embargo, because it's not like a publisher doesn't want their game on the biggest review sites. Sometimes a really small site will break embargo to break news first and get the page views. I don't know how that ends up for them, because I play by the rules.

Not as many people as I thought play video games and like Dubstep. That's a good thing.

No developer wants to make a sh*tty game. They're all people that love video games too, and they want to make a game people enjoy. Some things, like time and budget are out of their control so they work with what's given to them. However, it's often the case that they don't make money for a quick cash-in. No one wants to have their name on a piece of crap game.

A lot of journalists have forgotten that video games are supposed to be fun, therefore they shouldn't be such narcissistic, elitist d*cks. I've met far too many journalists in this industry that turn their nose up to a game or press briefing. I've seen perfectly fine and enjoyable press briefings where the journalist sitting next to me would just try to tweet things about it in an effort to make him sound witty and the showing a waste of his time. It's these negative attitudes and the act of portraying yourself as better than everyone else that has no place in this industry. Dude, you write about video games. It's fun thing. Yes, it's a business and you have to be serious, but don't go out of your way to make something sound like the worst thing you've ever seen. Exaggeration isn't good, whether you're exaggerating how great something is or how bad it is. These journalists probably tell women they have 15 inch c*cks.

This comes off of the last one, but there is an insane amount of unprofessionalism in this industry among journalists. It is a business, and it is a job. Yes, it's a fun job, but that doesn't mean you can act however you want. I've come across people, especially at E3, that just care about getting free sh*t. There's also people that hold grudges and try to destroy opportunities for others, even if they were in the wrong. Your reputation is everything, and it's not smart to have a reputation that you're a d*ck and that you answer your phone during interviews.