Many would look at me and see nothing more than some acne ridden video game nerd, but i actually have a passion that doesn't seem to come off to many people. My dream is to become a video game journalist. Its not a hobby, its a passion. My only problem is that i'm 15 going on 16, gaming journalism seems like it is really hard to get into, and i don't know if i can deal with an industry that can magically up and fire people like what happened at 1up to my favorite video game journalists who were fired from there. Frankly, i'm scared my dream will never reach its full potential.
So i discovered this site like towards the beginning of it's birth. Highly recommended by The Geekbox, Rebel FM,and several podcasts and sites. And here i am writing an article that feels a little more like a rant than an actual gaming post. I figured that who could try and re assure my hopes better than the wonderful people who post/read on Bitmob. The articles here are simply amazing rivaling all of the gaming sites tat are currently up and running, however they are all being made by community members! OMG how could it have taken so long to realize not everyone on the Internet is stupid?
Anyhow back to the topic at hand, i would really like some help and advice from the wonderful people at Bitmob. Anything will do. Maybe careers i could start out with. Maybe some ideas for the future about colleges i should go to (if it matters). I would really like to have someone describe freelancing in more detail because i don't quite understand what a freelancer does. Maybe even some writing tips. What it takes to be a video game journalist. What high school grades you need. Frankly i need any help anyone can give me.
Please help a 15 year old kid who is stressing beyond his years.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
I am in no way a journalist of any kind, nor have any professional experience what-so-ever, but my best advice to you, little buddy, would be to hone your skills as a writer first of all. Just start out writing reviews of every game you play, post them on here, try to learn from any feedback you receive, and just keep on keeping on. The only way to get good at something is to practice, and you have plenty of time to do so. From there, I would just try to keep an eye out for any jobs in the field. Possibly look out for internships or lesser jobs in any sort of environment like that, newspapers, magazines, etc would be a good way to learn and make some contacts and at the very least put your foot in the door. College would definitely be a plus, but no college I have ever heard of can make you creative.
Stick with it Will! I'm 27, and I finally got there!
Buddy, I wish I had some wonderful advice to give you. I'm 24, with a college degree focused on writing, and working retail. Writing, whether about games or something else, is a ridiculously difficult and competitive world to get into.
That isn't said to turn you away or deter you from following your dream. Hell, I've been working at it since before I was your age and still haven't succeeded. To sit here and tell you "this is what you should do" is insane as there really isn't one surefire way to get into the industry except to keep at it. Keep writing, ask for help on perfecting your writing, and then write some more.
Internships can help, college can help, but practice and perseverance will ultimately decide if writing will eventually pay off or not. Read writers that you like and read them often whether they are novelists or journalists and attempt to develop a "voice". It's, in my opinion, the hardest thing to do. Learning mechanics, scholarly or journalistically, just comes with repetition and practice and actually inquiring from those who know better than you what you're doing wrong.
Also, learn to take criticism. It annoys me to no end when people can't take criticisms well. The internet makes everyone a critic and it's something that you'll have to learn to accept. You take the good critiques and learn from them, you ignore the idiots. Discerning which is which though, will come with time.
That was way longer than it should have been, but know that I wish you the best and hope that you keep at it. Don't let the stress get to you. You have a much longer road ahead. :)
Why does everyone call me buddy? I'm like top in my class frankly I'm probably smarter than most of the teachers at my school :o
Buddy and pal are my two go-to "friendly" terms. Don't take anything by it. I didn't call you bubba :)
@William: I don't think it was meant in a condescending way; people just use different terms when conversing.
I'm in the same boat as Mark. I've been working towards becoming a game journalist, but it's not an easy path. You'll likely face adversity from a variety of sources, but if you're determined, make friends with the right people, can provide something the industry has yet to offer, and continually improve, there's a chance that you'll make it.
Even though it's a difficult path due to the scarcity of jobs and changing nature of game journalism (and writing careers in general), it's important to remember that layoffs can happen anywhere else. Regardless of whether or not we've left a recession, our economy is a mess, and there will eventually be massive debt to pay and perhaps high inflation and unemployment in the years to come. Jobs will continue to be difficult to obtain, so it's important to focus on something creative -- or pick one of the rare fields with a high level of security (although many of those are increasingly at risk as well).
As for some concrete steps you can take -- I recommend going to college if possible. If I were you, I'd take courses that will help develop your writing. Perhaps creative writing, journalism, history, economics -- anything that forces you to express your ideas clearly. On the side, you may want to start by writing reviews, and then expand to more creative pieces and possibly even news stories. While performing any of the above, it's important to continue to explore new subjects and read. Reading magazines, newspapers, textbooks, and novels can improve your vocabulary and give you new topics to write about. I also recommend playing games of various genres and keeping up with game news.
Also, like Mark said, it's important to take criticism, but also focus on being yourself in your writing. When you put yourself out there, people will mock your ideas sometimes, so don't let it get to you. Just take constructive criticism and do away with the rest.
Keep in mind that I'm not a professional in this industry, but hopefully you'll find this advice helpful.
I second all the the fantastic advice the guys above have given, and add this to boot: write write write write write. That's by far the best way to improve your skills.