I suppose I've developed a reputation for being something of a curmudgeon. Most of my posts here are accusatory and caustic, and I spend more time writing about things I don't like than things I do. That's why I consider Patrick Alexander over at Eegra to be a kindred spirit.
Like Patrick, I play precious few video games. I guess that would seem odd to readers, considering that game journalists are supposed to be experts. There might be one or two games released each year that capture my heart. Desktop Tower Defense was the last game that really brought me to my knees, and that was released years ago.
Furthermore, I can't relate to those who really get off on game industry stuff. News! Previews! Screenshots and Trailers! All the marketing and wooing and it's all so much fluff and grandstanding. If I were to quit writing about games, I would only follow a few websites that focus more on game theory and serious criticism. I don't care if Capcom employees are bisexual. I don't care if the Xbox is being released in a special color. I don't care about cosplay or Olivia Munn or Jonathan Coultan or Jack Thompson. And if I see one more gaming-related cake...
Patrick explains:
You see, I love videogames, but I hate... I hate the videogame industry, I guess. That includes the ‘enthusiast press’ – I hate this contrived idea of ‘gamers’ and ‘gaming culture’; I prefer the idea that videogames are a thing, and all sorts of people have individual experiences with this thing, among many other things, and a person’s experience might overlap with many other people’s experiences, and another person’s might not. And thus, videogames are culture; they are a part of culture. I prefer this idea because it is the correct one. When people say ‘gaming culture’, they should be saying ‘gaming cult’. They could also easily say, ‘religious nuts’.
There are denominations and everything!
Ugh, I know, right? Shut it down. All of it.
One of the things that I always thought was so tragic and true and hilarious about the Simpsons Comic Book Guy is that you never see him smile. He never derives joy from his massive collection of nerdy paraphenalia, as if he doesn't do it for the love of the thing, but rather for the ability it gives him to lord his superior taste and awareness over those pathetic philistines who enter his shop. This is how I see most readers and writers of the enthusiast press.
I'm bored of all the chatter. I want to recapture those feelings of adventure and freedom that video games brought me as an eight-year old, when video games were nothing but fun.
Related Links:
Patron Saint of Games Journalism Departs
Ron Workman Calls Out Destructoid for Sloppy Journalism
The Future of Games Journalism