Every time a game journalist is asked about how someone can get into the industry, they will inevitably mention writing talent in their answer. It's perfectly understandable. They are asked this question countless times, and probably more then half of the people asking are not amazing writers. Still, something about this seems a little arrogant to me.
Most of the time, game journalists will mention in their response that not everyone has writing talent, and that if you don't, you probably never will. I disagree with statements like this to the extent that in my opinion, it comes down to effort. Sure, a lot of writers are completely average and have no style of their own, but everyone can write.
You may not know proper grammar, spelling, or structure, but if you are really serious about writing, all of these skills can be learned. If everyone puts in the effort to grow as a writer, there's a plateau that they can reach. You might not have a unique style and talent at writing to excel above that point, but I think everyone can get there.
This is why I love Bitmob so much. It is giving young writers an outlet and an audience that is much greater then any they could create on their own blog. It's then up to each person what they will do with that, but it offers a place for them to be encouraged to read, learn and grow as writers. It is hard to keep writing consistently on a blog that nobody reads. At Bitmob you are given an audience no matter how little you write.
So why do game journalists discourage people from trying to reach that plateau from the very outset? Because previously, there was a very limited amount of seats available in the industry. Now however, sites like Bitmob offer a place for anyone that wants to put in the work.
So this is my open call to game journalist and former game journalists. There is no need to discourage anyone from trying to become a video game writer anymore. Let every single person you meet have that glimmer of hope, because it can only help them to get better.
When Ryan Scott openly mocks a persons writing on a live PAX panel, or when Shawn Elliott sends out tweets like this one, I groan. I understand why they do it. It's reactionary. They are trying to spare peoples feelings. In their minds 99% of the countless people they meet won't be able to get into the industry, but they are behind the times.
So please, change your ways. Encourage people to get better. Give them helpful pointers if need be. In this new era of gaming journalism, everyone has a place if they work hard enough, and no one who wants it that badly deserves to be left out because you made them feel like they would never be able to.
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Comments (15)
@Alex - I seem to have this problem a lot lately, but I seem to find myself agreeing with the sentiment of your article, but disagreeing with the logic behind the discussion.
The problem here is that those plateaus all reach different heights for different people. Some folks are going to top off far below the requisite level for being a successful journalist.
From a purely logical perspective, this statement is true. The number of people who make a living writing about games is a much smaller subset of the number of people who write about games, or the number of people who want to get in to the games industry in general.
My problem with this statement is that, even in an environment as friendly as Bitmob, unsolicited advice on the internet is often seen as a personal attack. My experience has been that the largest portion of people who actually need help with their writing skills don't ask for assistance and often don't even acknowledge that they need it in the first place.
My unapologetically selfish and personal issue with this topic is that I expect people to exert a modicum of effort to improve their own skills before they attempt to pass themselves off as journalists. If your starting point is "OMG I luv this game, dont u? It is teh roxxorz!" I'm personally not likely to extend myself to help you. I don't consider this level of writing demonstrative of hard work and dedication to the craft. Once someone has established that they can use complete words, at least make a passable attempt at a complete sentence, and they still demonstrate a drive to improve and openness to constructive criticism, then we can talk.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not claiming to be a master of the English language, I'm not presenting myself as someone who should be giving writing advice, nor have I ever been paid for any of my writing (well, except one time with an advertising slogan, but I digress). However, I do think I am capable of writing a mostly coherent article that contains complete sentences with proper punctuation and correct spelling most of the time. Even so, I still think that my writing skills have room for improvement, and I don't claim to be a writer or a journalist. Yet, for every person I see like myself, I see literally hundreds more people who post online and are incapable of NOT shortening words gratuitously, yet still fancy themselves as writers.
I'm not saying that ridiculing people is the right thing to do. However, the honest truth is that the vast majority of these people have about as much chance to make money off of games journalism as I do at making money as a professional golfer. No matter how hard I try, it just isn't going to happen. Even if you pool every single games journalist and editor together in one place and they were all willing to help, their combined time is not going to be enough to teach all of these people to be better writers. I'm all for helping, but I think it's more realistic for the people who are doing the helping to be a little selective.
If everyone puts in the effort to grow as a writer, there's a plateau that they can reach.
The problem here is that those plateaus all reach different heights for different people. Some folks are going to top off far below the requisite level for being a successful journalist.
In their minds 99% of the countless people they meet won't be able to get into the industry
From a purely logical perspective, this statement is true. The number of people who make a living writing about games is a much smaller subset of the number of people who write about games, or the number of people who want to get in to the games industry in general.
Encourage people to get better. Give them helpful pointers if need be.
My problem with this statement is that, even in an environment as friendly as Bitmob, unsolicited advice on the internet is often seen as a personal attack. My experience has been that the largest portion of people who actually need help with their writing skills don't ask for assistance and often don't even acknowledge that they need it in the first place.
My unapologetically selfish and personal issue with this topic is that I expect people to exert a modicum of effort to improve their own skills before they attempt to pass themselves off as journalists. If your starting point is "OMG I luv this game, dont u? It is teh roxxorz!" I'm personally not likely to extend myself to help you. I don't consider this level of writing demonstrative of hard work and dedication to the craft. Once someone has established that they can use complete words, at least make a passable attempt at a complete sentence, and they still demonstrate a drive to improve and openness to constructive criticism, then we can talk.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not claiming to be a master of the English language, I'm not presenting myself as someone who should be giving writing advice, nor have I ever been paid for any of my writing (well, except one time with an advertising slogan, but I digress). However, I do think I am capable of writing a mostly coherent article that contains complete sentences with proper punctuation and correct spelling most of the time. Even so, I still think that my writing skills have room for improvement, and I don't claim to be a writer or a journalist. Yet, for every person I see like myself, I see literally hundreds more people who post online and are incapable of NOT shortening words gratuitously, yet still fancy themselves as writers.
I'm not saying that ridiculing people is the right thing to do. However, the honest truth is that the vast majority of these people have about as much chance to make money off of games journalism as I do at making money as a professional golfer. No matter how hard I try, it just isn't going to happen. Even if you pool every single games journalist and editor together in one place and they were all willing to help, their combined time is not going to be enough to teach all of these people to be better writers. I'm all for helping, but I think it's more realistic for the people who are doing the helping to be a little selective.
Like Jay says, I think the biggest hurdle is people's reluctance to take criticism. This is something all writers struggle with. Anyone who has taken a creative writing class knows how gut-wrenching it is the first time the class critiques your work. But the fact is, that's the best way to become a better writer.
I remember the first time I wrote something for my job and a professional editor looked over it -- I was stunned. Sure, she altered what I thought were some of my best lines, but she significantly improved the final product. Man, if only she had edited my college essays!
So it critics are to become more encouraging, writers are going to have to lower their defenses. If we don't front-page or spotlight your post here on Bitmob, it's not because we hate you. If we do front-page it but make some edits, it's not because we think you're a crappy writer. We're here to help out, to make sure your points get made clearly, and to give exposure to the fresh and innovative ideas you all keep coming up with.
I remember the first time I wrote something for my job and a professional editor looked over it -- I was stunned. Sure, she altered what I thought were some of my best lines, but she significantly improved the final product. Man, if only she had edited my college essays!
So it critics are to become more encouraging, writers are going to have to lower their defenses. If we don't front-page or spotlight your post here on Bitmob, it's not because we hate you. If we do front-page it but make some edits, it's not because we think you're a crappy writer. We're here to help out, to make sure your points get made clearly, and to give exposure to the fresh and innovative ideas you all keep coming up with.
@ Brett - I love having my stuff on the front-page, but if you guys didn't clean it up, I would probably cringe when I read it. It's hard to notice your own mistakes sometimes and you guys do a great job of cleaning up but still leaving the same feel.
@ Alex - I completely agree with your sentiment and I second what Lance said; people are greatly improving their writing here on Bitmob.
@ Alex - I completely agree with your sentiment and I second what Lance said; people are greatly improving their writing here on Bitmob.
By the way, if anyone wants comments on articles I've edited for them, drop me a line on Twitter at twitter.com/bbretterson.
Wow, after Jay's behemoth of a comment, what can I say? I will say that as someone who does read everything on Bitmob, I have seen some huge improvements in the writing of some of the members. Practice does make perfect!
Yes! I was waiting for a post like this (and was actually thinking about doing it myself). Really, it gets annoying seeing comments from people that think their writing is the end all. Anyone can learn any skill. And there is always room for improvement.
I used to be terrible at both math and writing, but I was eventually able to overcome two things I hated through learning in new ways and practice.
Not everyone has had the same education and upbringing, so in order to get better at something, we have to train ourselves, and accept criticism like some other posters said.
I used to be terrible at both math and writing, but I was eventually able to overcome two things I hated through learning in new ways and practice.
Not everyone has had the same education and upbringing, so in order to get better at something, we have to train ourselves, and accept criticism like some other posters said.
The problem with the game journalism industry is the commonly mistake of informal writing. I may, at times, use informal terms in my posts on bitmob, but when a writer writes as how he would speak to his best friend, the material becomes hard to follow. I may have not been spotlighted on bitmob, but if I ever do I'd embrace the edits to my bosom.
Anyone can learn any skill.
This is absolutely not true. Aside from the obvious examples of Autism other learning disabilities, different people have different aptitudes and capacities for learning. Certain people will be completely unable to learn certain skills unless they are given targeted and systematic training which includes instruction in specific learning strategies that are tailored towards the abilities of that individual. Even then, modern Cognitive theory and research only suggests that improvement is possible; it is far from guaranteed.
@Brian - Incidentally, I just read an article in PCWorld about a Danish software design company who employs people with Autism. The only link I could find was on their Australian website for some reason: http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/...ple_autism
However, I am still going to disagree with you. I'm not arguing degrees of skill. Certain people will be completely unable to learn certain things, much less get better at them, regardless of time invested.
There are also people who will reach a 'cap' in certain skills, where further training will yield diminishing or no results. Sometimes training simply cannot overcome certain biological conditions.
However, I am still going to disagree with you. I'm not arguing degrees of skill. Certain people will be completely unable to learn certain things, much less get better at them, regardless of time invested.
There are also people who will reach a 'cap' in certain skills, where further training will yield diminishing or no results. Sometimes training simply cannot overcome certain biological conditions.
@Jay- I never said that every individual would be as good at something as someone else, but everyone can improve at whatever they are doing, including people with autism. I actually had some neighbors with autism and they were excellent programmers who'd actually developed and sold software, when people told them they'd never be able to do it.
I agree that sometimes it takes a special approach, but it usually can be done. And anyway, my main point was to say that certain egotistical journalists should get off their high horse and remember where they once were.
I agree that sometimes it takes a special approach, but it usually can be done. And anyway, my main point was to say that certain egotistical journalists should get off their high horse and remember where they once were.
I agree with your sentiment Alex,Game journalists can sometimes be a bit discouraging to people who want to break into writing and thats why I love Bitmob,its a great place to put out your writing and get honest and constructive criticism.
I'm surprised Alex didn't mention that if you don't 'make it' as a games writer that's no reason to give up on writing entirely, simply choose another outlet. If you have a great imagination, understanding of story structure and nack for describing things in great detail you could write a good book. Journalism is a particular kind of writing that not everyone who writes can be good at.
As for the perceived arrogance of people like Ryan Scott and Shawn Elliot I think they have every write to be, you only have to compare their own body of work with that of the vast majority of us amateurs to see the difference. The simple fact is their are alot of people who think they can write but for one reason or another just cant. Its the same as people on deviant art who draw five minute sketches and wonder why no one favorites their work.
I for one interpret the arrogance more as simply experienced people trying to tell inexperienced people to think more and work harder. Bad writers exist because they don't take the time to read alot and practice alot. My own writing is hardly 'professional' but I always put in the work to try to do better with everything I do, reading other peoples work and paying close attention to the analytical talks I've heard on places like Mobcast, GFW etc really helps.
Bad writing is damn funny, especially when its say diaper porn fan fiction.
As for the perceived arrogance of people like Ryan Scott and Shawn Elliot I think they have every write to be, you only have to compare their own body of work with that of the vast majority of us amateurs to see the difference. The simple fact is their are alot of people who think they can write but for one reason or another just cant. Its the same as people on deviant art who draw five minute sketches and wonder why no one favorites their work.
I for one interpret the arrogance more as simply experienced people trying to tell inexperienced people to think more and work harder. Bad writers exist because they don't take the time to read alot and practice alot. My own writing is hardly 'professional' but I always put in the work to try to do better with everything I do, reading other peoples work and paying close attention to the analytical talks I've heard on places like Mobcast, GFW etc really helps.
Bad writing is damn funny, especially when its say diaper porn fan fiction.
@Aaron - Anyone that works like you say you do at becoming a better writer, has places where they will find a voice these days. Be it their own blog or a site like Bitmob here. I just find it annoying that when asked about getting into the industry all journalists automatically say that you have to have writing talent and not everyone does.
Sure, they might not have a unique style but if they work hard enough they can be a proficient writer. To discourage them right away is just game journalists way of thinning out the crowd of applicants, a practice I don't feel is necessary anymore.
And you could argue that anyone slightly better at something then anyone else has a right to be arrogant about it. I have a right to go around telling everyone that my poo should be bronzed and put on display, but that doesn't mean I'm not a giant douchebag if I do that.
Thats about all I was going for with this article. I'm sorry I didn't reply to everyone's points specifically but I didn't have a computer with which to do so. I read all the comments though and I thank everyone for leaving them.
Sure, they might not have a unique style but if they work hard enough they can be a proficient writer. To discourage them right away is just game journalists way of thinning out the crowd of applicants, a practice I don't feel is necessary anymore.
And you could argue that anyone slightly better at something then anyone else has a right to be arrogant about it. I have a right to go around telling everyone that my poo should be bronzed and put on display, but that doesn't mean I'm not a giant douchebag if I do that.
Thats about all I was going for with this article. I'm sorry I didn't reply to everyone's points specifically but I didn't have a computer with which to do so. I read all the comments though and I thank everyone for leaving them.
@Brian - Oh yeah, and it doesn't matter how many people disagree with me on this point, Brian Shirk agrees with me and that is all that matters. Now I know that I will be safe when the robots take over the Earth, because you sir are a machine.
Not everyone can be a good writer, that's for sure. You can get better technically, sure, but some people are more left-brained and can't get over the creative hump. Just like a painter or an illustrator...art school can train you technically to draw a cartoon turtle's head, and you may technically get it down. But it doesn't mean you have the intrinsic means to take that a step further and make it something more artful than a carbon-paper clone.
I'm not a great writer, but I'm saying this from an editor's perspective, trying many times to turn crap into gold. Sometimes, it just ain't happening.
I'm not a great writer, but I'm saying this from an editor's perspective, trying many times to turn crap into gold. Sometimes, it just ain't happening.
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