EPT
Rolf Thronsen – Professional(?) blogger Jen Schiller, or ‘Jen Miller’ to her – erm – fans, recently gave proof on Kotaku about the changing face of video game blogging. Based on her article, however, there is not much to talk about.
While Schiller could compare the world of video game blogging to the economy (‘It grew rapidly over the last decade, then almost imploded on itself.’) she could also mentions that the infrastructure is getting better, new sites are being produced and, and huge corporations (she does not cite anything, but intelligent persons can just google search) are signing on as sponsors.
If there’s no audience base for professional blogging, Schiller fails to blame the bloggers for being ill-equipped to properly capture the essence of good journalism. ‘Every Kotaku blog I’ve seen so far has been way too uninformed and not indicative what reporting is about. Trying to squeeze insight and information into a sensationalist rag doesn’t really work for video game journalism... Only recently, thanks to dedicated people with integrity, intelligence and work ethic, can we see what video game journalism should look like: Great YouTube reviews, well presented and without the need to cheese it up for regular people to have any interest in. Without this ignorance Schiller represents, what would possibly be left? (The answer is: of Kotaku, nothing – of its indie counterparts, a bright future.)
Don’t get me wrong, I love reading people who are way worse than me at video games comment on them for money, especially when they represent no actual value to any informed reader.
Oh wait. No I don’t.
Schiller also represents the difficulties that one must endure in order to really make it as a paid blogger, a thankless profession that only pays actual money on a week to week basis before you take in what you would make otherwise. Her advice to aspiring writers boils down to the following: It’s really not hard. ‘It’s not easy to get published. It takes time and if you don’t make enough shit up you could spend over two years blogging on wordpress spewing bullshit only to be ignored as no one really cares. So be lucky. Oh, and don’t care too much about being right or relevant. You only gain readers from making a fool of yourself.’
Here’s to staying one of the Ignorant People.
