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Is every journalist in the gaming industry passionate about videogames? With all of the hurdles I've encountered, I couldn't see how a person who didn't love videogames would try make it in the door. Maybe the door was wide open for these writers disguised as gaming journalists. They say it's all about who you know. I always figured the people who claim they play videogames for a living were proud of it. I'm proud to blog about videogames, and I've yet to make a penny from it. Should a passion for videogames be required to be a journalist in the gaming industry?

No

Let's face it some journalists in the gaming industry suck at writing. Reading some of their stuff makes me wonder how some of these people are even allowed to write. Spelling and grammatical errors can ruin the point of any article. These journalists who suck at writing often use their passion for videogames as an excuse to remain in the industry. They can go on and on about why Dead Space 2 is great in a Youtube clip, which makes it easier to overlook the poorly written review by the same person. Passion should not take the place of writing ability.

Just because your passionate doesn't mean you're not biased. Lets say Uncharted is your favorite series in videogames. Nothing wrong with that it's an awesome series. It is wrong if you compare every third party action adventure game to Uncharted. Deducting points from games like Grand Theft Auto & Dead Space because the characters can't climb structures, or move like Drake is unfair.

Yes

Journalists are the bridge between developers and the gamers who play their games. The majority of people who read magazine and check gaming websites are passionate about videogames. It's the responsibility of the journalist to understand that passion. If the next Grand Theft Auto isn't as good as the previous (which I doubt,) I want a journalist to be able to tell me why. If there's no passion a journalist would probably point to technical errors such as glitches and bugs, while a passionate journalists might explain how the story, atmosphere, controls, or overall gameplay isn't as good.

If a journalist has no passion for videogames whose to say their best interest is in the quality of videogames? I'm not sure about the politics inside the gaming industry, but I think it'd be easier to sway a journalists decision if they weren't passionate. I'm sure every journalist who was invited to Duke Nukem's Titty City in Las Vegas will remember that day when they write their review for Duke Nukem Forever. A journalist could easily overlook the bad in the videogame because of the fun they had at an event if they weren't passionate.

Regardless of whether or not you're passionate about videogames, you must realize this is a culture. If you're not invested in making the culture better for the future then why are you here? I figure my contribution to the culture is worth more important than a price, which is why I take pride in my blog. I don't read a lot of other stuff from gaming journalists, but I think you can separate the passionate journalists from the rest. It is unfortunate that so many passionate gamers are trying to make it in the industry while there are some people only in it for a paycheck, but that's reality.