Who knew that the best way to get me into video games was a magazine? Before 2007, video games were not a large part of my life, mostly because the only outlet I had to enjoy them was actually playing them, and my schedule didn’t allow for much of that.
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Then, I discovered PC Gamer. Being as young as I was, I had just gotten into magazines, and PC Gamer seemed a no-brainer. Every month, I would eagerly await the next issue, and I soon became well-versed in the ins and outs of the gaming industry.
Eventually, I soon became interested in the personalities of these journalists I followed, and found an outlet for this interest online with the PC Gamer Podcast, produced by Jeremy Williams and featuring the PC Gamer staff of Dan Stapleton, Chuck Norris, Greg Vederman, Kristen Salvatore, and the often hilarious Logan Decker.
As often happens, there were many new faces that appeared on the podcast over its astounding 326 episodes, and the podcast is still going strong today, with the only original member left being Logan Decker, the current Editor-in-Chief. While this podcast was the first I had ever listened to, it certainly wouldn’t be the last, as while looking for other PC gaming podcasts, I came across a little podcast called GFW Radio.
As I dove headfirst in the world of gaming journalism, I discovered more and more places to get my gaming news fix, mostly through my growing obsession with podcasts.
After the PC Gamer Podcast, I found several podcasts produced by 1up.com, such as 1up Yours and GFW Radio, which in turn led me to their flagship publication, Electronic Gaming Monthly. While my time with EGM was short, it was certainly sweet. Just as I had with PC Gamer, I would eagerly await each new issue of EGM, filled with the writing of my favorite personalities like Dan “Shoe” Hsu, Crispin Boyer, Shane Bettenhausen, and Sean “Seanbaby” Reiley. I also subscribed to the relatively short lived Games for Windows Magazine. Perhaps my favorite writer that I’ve ever encountered in gaming journalism, Jeff Green, wrote an awesome column, Greenspeak, that was always a joy to read.
One of the best parts of 1up.com was The 1up Show, a highly-produced video show about the latest games and industry trends that, at the time, was often the best half-hour of my week. To this day, I follow the creators of the 1up show in their latest venture, Area 5.
Unfortunately, 1up and parent company Ziff Davis began to have financial problems soon after I began to discover them. This led to the end of Games for Windows Magazine, and eventually the end of EGM. Soon after, 1up.com was bought by UGO, and in a shocking move, UGO laid off most of the 1up staff, including what seemed like all of the biggest personalities on the website. Luckily, most of them hit the ground running and soon found jobs elsewhere or started their own business in the case of the producers of The 1up Show, but it was still a tough time for the website and its fans, including myself.
As my favorite gaming journalism outlets crumbled around me, I began to branch out into new ways to get my gaming journalism fix. I began to look at new websites like IGN and get into the coverage of the industry on Youtube. More importantly, I began to take the writing into my own hands, trying my hand at gaming journalism, and that has led me here.
Originally posted on leviathyn.com