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About video game journalism

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Journalism!

Recently a local journalist wrote an article about video game journalism and how it’s done; and because this is for obvious reasons a subject very close to me, I haven’t been able to get it out of my head. The very disappointing perception of this profession, from some one supposedly in it made me realize that few people really know what it’s all about.

I never presume to think that I can tell any one how to do this job, even though I feel confident enough to view some of my work as well written or well received, I don’t feel like I’m even half way there. Apart from grammar and spelling, knowledge is first and foremost very important. Something I feel that people don’t just discard when reading a journalist’s work. More often than not people will pick up on a journalist sucking something out of their thumb and contrary to that, basing an opinion on experience and knowledge. So what does it say about our local media when journalists write poor articles making unfounded statements and thinking that they can sell it with gamer “slang”? Not much more than: “I’m trying to fill a schedule regardless of quality”. If you’re looking at our local media to formulate a well rounded perspective of what video game journalism is, then you aren’t doing it right.

That being said, I’m not saying at all that our local media has no good journalists. There is a handful that I have enormous respect for; not only for their knowledge and opinion, but the absolute talent they have when it comes to the use of language and capturing their readership without “click-bait” headlines or outrageous statements. I guess the only way to explain why I feel so insulted and shocked at the mentioned perception is to quote something from the article.

[quote]“We’re kind of like clowns but without the funny wigs (this hair is all real) and also just a smidgen less creepy (some of us). So if you can say many stupid things and have a reasonable knowledge of syntax and punctuation, you should probably consider e-journalism as a possible career-path.”[/quote]

Is this really what people think we do? Make jokes and say stupid things as long as we have good punctuation? I’d like to think that we’ve published some in-depth articles, articles with substance, which are thought provoking, not only from the Lazygamer team itself, but from our contributors. As for video game journalism as a whole, it’s more my sentiment that we have top quality journalists around the globe working for major sites, even if they are less than the amount of journalists who are still trying to get  to that level.

For me, video game journalism is not about getting free games or traveling to events or having the freedom to express myself without compromising my views or opinions, and not about having the freedom to be humorous and blunt. Video game journalism is about sharing yourself, because every review I write, every editorial I write is giving a part of who I am as a person. I’m shocked that some one who’s supposed to have the same career as I have would degrade it to such an extent that it comes across as something that doesn’t require any skill of any kind, something that makes us all look like a joke.

So here’s a plea to our local media: Please start taking your job seriously. If you think it’s just all about jerking around all day and trolling, then you aren’t in the right profession. Copy pasting press releases make us look stupid and the inability to generate unique content without getting the idea from another local site makes us look even more so.

Yes every website or media outlet has their own vibe, and even though we are fond of the more casual and honest vibe here on Lazygamer, that doesn’t mean that you can use it as an excuse to write incoherent, random crap that makes our local media look bad.

And finally, a big thank you to those who show pride in being good writers and publish articles worth reading.

Last Updated: March 22, 2013

56 Comments

  1. AndriyP

    March 22, 2013 at 13:03

    ” video game journalism is not about getting free games or traveling to events”

    What sorcery is this????

    What other possible reasons is there to be a gaming journo?

    Trololo

    Reply

  2. TriangularRoom

    March 22, 2013 at 13:11

    Lovely article, Yolanda! Well written and coherent… the article you’re referring to is a rather alarming read, really…

    Reply

    • TechniKyle

      March 22, 2013 at 13:27

      I was shocked to see it came from Gamezone.

      Reply

    • Darth_Clericus_The_Ultimate

      March 22, 2013 at 13:51

      Yes Great article:

      Reply

      • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

        March 22, 2013 at 13:55

        Ron Burgundy… Weatherman savant!

        Reply

      • mornelithe

        March 22, 2013 at 19:39

        And it smells of Mahogany.

        Reply

  3. OVG

    March 22, 2013 at 13:12

    WHAT??? A GIRL PLAYS TV GAMES??? WTF? :p

    Next you will be telling me that writers in the WALL STREET JOURNAL do credible game reviews.

    YOLANDA!, YOLANDA!, YOLANDA!, or our local gaming ambassador.

    LG RULES 🙂

    Reply

  4. Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

    March 22, 2013 at 13:31

    Thank you Yolanda.

    I couldn’t agree more. if you’re in the game media, please.. for the love all that’s good, don’t just be a marketing PR firm for hire. Be a journalist. Be an editor. Behave responsibly! It’s something a lot of South African game publications need to learn. And, maybe what needs to happen is that those nefarious few need to be named and shamed. Those nefarious few that are essentially the lapdogs of our local suppliers need to get a kick up the arse.

    And here’s the thing, if their life ambition is to just be PR/Marketing or advertisement firms, then be just that. Don’t hide under the guise of the gaming media.

    Reply

  5. LordCaptainAwesomeness

    March 22, 2013 at 13:36

    Shame on you Yolanda… Luring us in with the Crazy Laina Walker, only to find clowns laughing at us…sniff sniff..

    On a serious note though, Cudos for the Article, as always, Honest, Well written, and unlike other “Journalists” there is genuine emotion….

    You deserve the Whiskey of the Day…

    Reply

  6. Anon A Mouse

    March 22, 2013 at 13:46

    Yolanda have you read any of Geoff’s articles lately? Spelling mistakes and a bunch of jokes are par for the course. That being said I know when to take articles on LG serious and when to take them with a pinch of salt, and that for me is what journalism (not just gaming) is all about. Not everyone enjoys to read the Wall Street Journal every single time and not everyone enjoys reading The S*n every single day but most will be happy to read the in between and that is where I feel LG is lying.

    Reply

    • Yolanda Green

      March 22, 2013 at 14:13

      I agree with you @disqus_6DmpfUOb5Q:disqus. Not every article needs to be a work of brilliance and I love humorous posts as much as the next. It’s why I love my job at Lazygamer. because it’s an open environment and people are allowed to be human and have views and opinions and even just have fun. I wouldn’t hammer on spelling and grammar, because I make many of those mistakes myself. I think it’s awesome that most sites have a good balance between humour and more serious work.

      Reply

  7. Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew

    March 22, 2013 at 13:56

    Bravo Yolanda! Well said!

    Glad you are sticking up for e-journalism like this. T

    Reply

  8. Slade Boender

    March 22, 2013 at 13:56

    Great article!

    Reply

  9. M4nimal

    March 22, 2013 at 13:58

    So what you’re saying, is Journalists who write about games, can only do so if they have online gaming experience? Or are massively involved in the gaming community? IE: only a “hardcore” gamer can write about “non-hardcore” games? So a game reviewer cannot write about games meant for casual mainstream non-online gamers because they dont have the necessary experience online? Anyone who is articulate and has a basic understanding of gaming can do a good enough job at reviewing a game.

    Your article sounds like a cat fight aimed at stephanie. A personality clash really has no place on a news website like. Thats what facebook is for

    Reply

    • Yolanda Green

      March 22, 2013 at 14:06

      I’ve never said anything of the sort M4nimal. And there’s no cat-fight between Stephanie and I. I’ve not hinged any definition specifically to the word knowledge, and said it in a way that insinuates that you are required to be hardcore gamer.

      Where have I specified that any journalist is required to have online gaming experience? Many journalists focus on single player, off-line games and write well, and many write about casual gaming and mobile gaming. I’ve never said that any one genre is more credible than the next.

      Reply

    • TechniKyle

      March 22, 2013 at 14:06

      The only thing I got out of your rant is that you used the abbreviation for Internet Explorer.

      Reply

      • Matthew Figueira

        March 22, 2013 at 14:42

        xD Same here 😛

        Reply

      • M4nimal

        March 22, 2013 at 14:49

        All I got from Yolanda’s rant was meeow

        Reply

        • Admiral Chief Combat Engineer

          May 17, 2013 at 08:39

          I know Yolanda, and dude, let me tell you, you are wrong

          Reply

  10. Eric Viljoen

    March 22, 2013 at 14:02

    You guys are affiliated with News24. You’re not allowed to have things like “grammar”, “spelling” and “facts”

    Reply

    • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

      March 22, 2013 at 15:29

      Lol, I’m sorry, this made me laugh! Oh man, my sides are aching.

      Reply

  11. Troll St Troll

    March 22, 2013 at 14:26

    “Copy pasting press releases make us look stupid and the inability to generate unique content without getting the idea from another local site makes us look even more so.”

    “…the inability to generate unique content without getting the idea from another local site makes us look even more so.”

    Where did your idea for this article come from again?

    Reply

  12. Troll St Troll

    March 22, 2013 at 14:34

    “Copy pasting press releases make us look stupid and the inability to generate unique content without getting the idea from another local site makes us look even more so.”

    “…the inability to generate unique content without getting the idea from another local site makes us look even more so.”

    Where did your idea for this article come from again?

    Reply

    • Yolanda Green

      March 22, 2013 at 14:44

      The “idea” for this article came from what I was feeling, thinking. The “idea” spawns from the true passion I have for my career, the respect I have for some of my peers. Having taken the idea from some one else would have been something more like “The real way to be a video game journalist”, which is not something I’d presume to think I’m in any position to write.

      Reply

      • Troll St Troll

        March 22, 2013 at 14:54

        But what was your article up there about if not that?

        Reply

        • Eric Viljoen

          March 22, 2013 at 16:10

          The article isn’t posted as news. It’s pretty easy to see it’s an opinion piece. If it was posted as news, on the other hand, your statement would of been valid. Every opinion is a personal reaction to something else. It’s not a “Journalistic” piece.

          Reply

          • Troll St Troll

            March 22, 2013 at 16:39

            Both of the pieces we are discussing here were opinion pieces. I am not faulting Yolanda’s writing style, I am just trying to make sense of what she is saying.

  13. umar bastra

    March 22, 2013 at 14:44

    lovely article, LG is amongst the better gaming sites that I usually visit, it’s slowly becoming my favourite. Journalism should not only hook the reader in but incite debates, conversations and should help us to just find a bit of relief in the busy day, help us laugh a lil bit, know what I mean? I find that this site has articles backed up by solid research and is generally very witty. You can spot grammatical errors, especially on a Monday lol But generally this Is a wonderful site, THAT being said, society views gaming as a ‘waste of time’ and they can’t understand that we actually have a passion for this medium. That is why I say bravo to LG and to many other sites and to it’s community for building a better image for gaming in general and hopefully if you keep at it long enough…we can all change this perception..EXCELSIOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply

  14. BeatzByChrisBrown

    March 22, 2013 at 15:06

    Good post Yolanda but I think the linked post you are referring to are more a bit tongue-in-cheek than serious. I think you may be overreacting a bit.

    Reply

    • Yolanda Green

      March 22, 2013 at 16:09

      It was probably intended as a satire, but poorly executed unfortunately 🙁 and even when something is meant like that, it was published and it does send a certain message, intended to or not :S

      Reply

      • Superfly

        March 22, 2013 at 23:07

        The only thing poorly executed is your blatant dissing of a fellow journalist, frankly it is disgusting and childish.

        What more are you doing than “trying to fill a schedule” with this article? Not much to be honest.

        Reply

      • Troll St Troll

        March 23, 2013 at 16:46

        Your usage of the ‘overly-attached girlfriend’ meme as a cover image for this article is incorrect and unforgivable.

        Reply

    • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

      March 23, 2013 at 12:19

      In jest, there is truth!

      Reply

  15. Matt

    March 22, 2013 at 15:21

    Yolanda, are you sure the those quotes are meant to be taken seriously? Even from the lack of context they seem ironic, facetious. I personally don’t have a problem with vid-journos pasting press releases if it’s relevant. I mean that’s really what journalism’s about (since you brought it up): The relaying of facts as far as possible with little to no paraphrasing. Also, I’d rather have independant voices, however ignorant the things they could say, filling a much needed void, over and above the numerous formally structured pieces which have also been used as ‘click-bait’ on international gaming sites to purely move product (and please sponsors). You do raise interesting points, however in a specific subset as this they all depend on a person’s definition of journalism.

    Reply

  16. Garth Stephenson

    March 22, 2013 at 15:21

  17. Superfly

    March 22, 2013 at 15:22

    That you fail to see that the Mweb article was tongue-in-cheek is is worrying, but then again Lazygamer loves sensational articles like the one you wrote.

    Reply

    • Han

      March 22, 2013 at 16:52

      And there it is. LMAO really for this article, ty for giving me one hell of a good laugh

      Reply

  18. Mark

    March 22, 2013 at 17:06

    Want a tissue for your issue ?

    Reply

  19. mornelithe

    March 22, 2013 at 19:25

    Hey, sometimes you DO say stupid things. Might not necessarily be related to a games review, could be a situation where you read a headline and write an article that’s completely misleading according to the original article…and then blame it on the fact that some other piece got it the same way. As if living up to a flawed news organization is worthy of resting on your laurels. Or, it could be, weeks later, making dumbass comments regarding the same issue that created a huge shit storm with one of your readers. It’s the price people who strive to be journalists pay, in an industry where anyone can read anything and comment on it. Though, one would wonder why you’d continuously try to piss people off, or insult your own readers. Then hide behind the ‘tongue in cheek’ shield. For the record, this issue was put to bed, for me, until it was recently remarked upon in yet another LG article.

    /rant

    As far as punctuation goes, I could care less about that. I see mistakes in massive novels also, doesn’t make the writers clowns. Each reviewer/journalist/author has their own special way of conveying their thoughts and opinions, and that’s really what’s more interesting than whether what they wrote passes the Grammar Police’s security checks.

    However, I do feel that news agencies and games reviewers (which I pretty much lump into the same category because they’re providing me with up to date information on things I care about), shoot themselves in the foot when they make blatant errors. There was a time when Kotaku and it’s merry band of loser’s, posted a GT5 sneak preview video, claiming the track loading was hideously slow, however, after watching the video it was _clearly_ running at half speed, while the audio was running at normal speed.

    It’s failure of due diligence, such as my rant above, and the GT5 video on Kotaku, that comes back to haunt reviewers and news agencies, and it’s probably one of the worst facets of the entire news industry. They want the story they originally heard, they don’t want to dig into it and ensure it’s validity, because either way, they’re going to get hits, whether they be in support of the article, or pointing out the flaws/errors. And you know, saying it’s all about hits may be unfair, but that’s the impression I’m given, every time I see things like this.

    Notice how the ‘burn games’ article, hasn’t even been updated to reflect the errors that I clearly pointed out…by reading the linked article it was based upon. If any journalist wants to be treated seriously, then I suggest you do everything in your power to ensure what you’re writing is accurate, yeah, that may even mean going to the _dreaded_ second link of a story, and even the monumental task of reading ~1500 words. But it’s proves to the reader that you’re really invested in delivering fact.

    Reply

  20. Chris Smithard

    March 23, 2013 at 06:23

    The MWEB article is satirical. It’s not a serious commentary on gaming journalists or the general industry at all.

    Reply

  21. Grant Cloete

    March 24, 2013 at 10:59

    I would love to be a video game journalist. I love your articles Yolanda. Well written, greater content with that lovely gamer touch! Keep up the great work please!

    Reply

    • Xavier M

      March 24, 2013 at 14:15

      I agree, her skill with the pen is over 9000. Keep up the great work, Yolanda!

      Reply

  22. Brady miaau

    March 24, 2013 at 17:43

    keep going. As in all forms of journalism a high quality of English is the way to go. I cringe sometimes when I read articles on some sites.

    to be a video game journalist takes skill and training: I do not think any person (yes, insert other words here if you like) could it.

    Well done!

    Reply

  23. Alastarluck

    May 13, 2013 at 13:05

    This whole argument is redundant. How many articles does LG post that come from other sources? Original, I think not! You guys also post Press Release so don’t be all high and mighty and say that you content is original because it is not. Another thing, your fellow gaming journalists are part of a video game community which is currently growing is SA. Don’t for one second think that your site is all high and mighty when there are others that are just as popular and have better content.

    Grow up! And start joining in with the community instead of trashing it every chance you get.

    Reply

    • Gavin Mannion

      May 13, 2013 at 13:22

      Where have we posted a press release? In our old site design we had a specific format for press releases and we posted them then. However we found that no one really cares about them so we haven’t posted those for years.

      As for the awesome attack on us, please do share which sites have better content and that are more popular? We are officially the largest gaming site in South Africa by a fair margin.

      There are other journalists in the country who do a great job on gaming coverage.. and then you have people who don’t have a clue what they are doing and just puke words onto the screen.

      I’d love to see where we are constantly trashing the community. We give some people a hard time but that is simply our job. My favourite quote at the moment is

      “Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed; everything else is public relations.” – George Orwell

      we’re not in public relations, we’re in journalism

      Oh something original is arriving at 2pm… following the earlier original article that came out about 2 Days to Vegas

      Reply

      • Alastarluck

        May 16, 2013 at 20:19

        I would, but you won’t approve my comment. Thanks for censoring those with an opinion.

        Reply

        • Exalted Overlord Geoffrey Tim

          May 17, 2013 at 07:11

          We do not delete comments, at all. i’l check if it’s maybe held up in the spam filter – though Disqus has been acting odd of late.

          Reply

        • Exalted Overlord Geoffrey Tim

          May 17, 2013 at 07:13

          found it three times! register a proper disqus account, and it won;t happen again.

          Reply

        • Admiral Chief Combat Engineer

          May 17, 2013 at 08:32

          Lagz has NEVER censored a comment.

          Reply

        • Rince an repeat

          May 17, 2013 at 10:14

          Really? Disqus is not controlled by LG, nor has LG EVER censored an ‘opinion’, I should know as I’ve put plenty out there. Do you really think Gavin, or any of the team would state they are the biggest gaming site in SA without evidence to back it up? Take your anger, which comes across as very personal too, somewhere else. LG’s team love their community but WILL state the truth. You come across as someone involved with that bitch-assed failed attempt at a Comiccon in Cape Town.

          Reply

          • Admiral Chief Combat Engineer

            May 17, 2013 at 10:23

            Now now Rince, no need to be rude, its not the Jedi way

          • Rince an repeat

            May 17, 2013 at 12:22

            Sorry, sometimes people just need to be spanked, like a naughty child putting their fingers in a plug socket…

    • Admiral Chief Combat Engineer

      May 17, 2013 at 08:31

      Good grief man, if you knew the site, the staff or the regulars even remotely, you’d realize that your accusation and or attack is completely without merit.

      Reply

      • Rince an repeat

        May 17, 2013 at 10:18

        Agreed. I call personal relationship, and or slight that he/she/it is not willing to come clean on…

        Reply

  24. Exalted Overlord Geoffrey Tim

    May 17, 2013 at 07:51

    Right. i’ll reply to this, being as honest as I can, with positives and negatives. the reason Gavin can go about saying we’re the biggest is because we get verified stats from the DMMA (previously the Online Publishers Association) that says so. It’s not posturing, it’s fact. In fact, the only other local site that comes close is Mygaming.co.za – who we’re often neck-and-neck with some months they take it, but mostly we do.

    With regards to other sites, for the most part, we love and get along pretty well with the site owners. Now, specifically regarding the ones you’ve mentioned:

    eGamer is one of my favourite local sites. staffed by a bunch of young guys, regularly writing their own fresh, original opinion pieces and editorials. It’s one of the things that differentiates eGamer from most other local sites.

    El33t’s the only other local site that’s been around as long as we have (in fact, they’re a few months older). Though they’re getting better all the time, too often they pander to their advertisers and the local distributors, so instead of calling it as it is, news and reviews will be softened to keep people happy. they’re moving away from that ethos more and more though, which is a god thing.

    ITF’s bossman, Darryl, is a cool dude who’s a wizard with a camera – but he has a weird insistence on reviewing ALL the good games instead of spreading the love to his more capable writers. I can understand why this happens, but I wish that it wouldn’t. the best thing ITF’s done in ages is get Tracy Benson on board, because she’s awesome.

    ZombieGamer, I love Victor and Clint, and what they’ve done with that site since taking it over from Jacques a few years ago is amazing. However, because they’re both working men, they’re only too happy to post up press releases as they come in; One again, I can understand why.Where ZG does excel though, is in their coverage and info on community events – with things like an event calendar, chats with clans and a real push for community coverage.

    There are also sites like G3AR and NAG staffed by a bunch of real, passionate gamers, who aren’t afraid to call a spade a spade.

    With regards to us, yes – we can and often do come across as opinionated and inciting. That’s for a reason; sterile news without inflammatory or enthusiastic opinion and you may as well just read press releases and marketing blurbs – and we don’t want that. however, implying that we don’t care about the local gaming community as you did in your first post is fallacious – as just about any member of our established community would tell you.

    Anyway, to finish off; we don’t think we’re better than everyone else – but we’re constantly striving to be. Thanks for your input though; it’s noted – and have a nice weekend.

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief Combat Engineer

      May 17, 2013 at 08:33

      Well said dude.

      Also, thanks for the inside info 😉

      Reply

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