It hasn't been long that I have considered myself a video game journalist (or even a journalist, for that matter), but as I make contacts and speak with folks in the PR realm of the industry, I find myself being welcomed in an unexpectedly amicable manner. It took a while to get anyone to listen to me, but persistence was the key.
It all started with an idea — I wanted to bring gaming to a higher plane of acceptance and attention within the community in which I reside. What better way than to review video games? But the conundrum was to find a viable outlet that provided sufficient exposure to my intended audience. The idea that followed seemed out of place, but at the same time, fitting — the newspaper. "That's it!" I thought. So I began my research.
I looked up factors like what percentage of Americans play video games, the average age of those gamers, and the unreal revenues yielded from this entertainment medium. Then, I was off with my pitch. I looked up the publisher of my local newspaper. Once I had a name, I found an email address. I sent off my email and waited.
After a few days with no response, I got the point. I figured he had deleted the email and passed it off as just some kid trying to play games for the paper. I was not satisfied, so I did more research. I put the publisher's name into Google, looked up an image tagged with that name, and BINGO! The first thing I noticed was that he and I attended the same gym, so I knew what I had to do.
The next time I was there, I saw him. I asked him if he saw my email and he had not. I said "That's OK. I'll explain it to you again." When I was done, his intrigue was apparent. He told me to send the email to him again, and I did. The next time we spoke, it was of details regarding how, when, and of what nature we would embark on this endeavor.
My next mission was to write a review. I decided to write it on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. This was a good starting point because I dropped so many hours into it that I had a great understanding of the source material. It was also the last game I had been able to purchase. I have a full-time job, but I also have three wonderful daughters and a beautiful wife, and I just couldn't bring myself to fully fund a video game journalism effort.
So I decided to cold-call the publisher of every game that I was interested in for the year and get acquainted. At first, all I got was answering machines. So I left messages every time I called, which was about once a day per publisher. After a week, I got my first response, and since then, I have met some amazing people who are all top-notch PR professionals.
I am still totally blown away by the level of excitement and genuine kindness these professionals exuberantly display. All said and done, I now have a strong connection with most of the big-name publishers and developers in the industry. The first company to really give me the time of day was Telltale Games (Back to the Future: The Game). The PR contact there verified that I was indeed involved in media and let me review The Walking Dead.
Since then, I have also been set up with review copies of Max Payne 3, Diablo III, and Spec Ops: The Line. Now the only question is how to play these games in a timely manner for review. Between my three girls (2, 7, and 8 ) and a full-time job, I won't be able to get my reviews out as early as big-media sites like IGN or Gamespot, but I am only one person. That's OK, though. That just means that I get to choose what I review.
It's all been like a dream come true. I am writing (which I love to do) about video games (which I love to play). It's also something that I'm proud to show my children. I can even involve them, which is great. When I get games that I feel like they would enjoy, I'll let them play with me and get their input. This also allows me to spend more time with my girls.
This just goes to show that it's not impossible to break into games journalism and have fun doing it.
Just in case you missed it, here is my first review ever published: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Also, check out my Max Payne 3 and The Walking Dead: The Game – Episode 1 reviews.