How Not to Get a Job as a Game Journalist

[obex]

I would love to write about games, unfortunately I find it hard to write or review things as i am a massive pessimist and i find it hard to "Look on the bright side" i was recently asked to re do an English literature assignment at my collage because when asked to Analysis the themes of love in Thomas Hardy's "at an Inn" i wrote 2 pages on the poem having deep meanings of a Homosexual relationship destroyed by society at which point i was handed the work back with a note from my teacher saying "Can't you just write something nice for a change"

 

[SaintWaldo]

And then eventually, I got readers who actually just showed up for me.

Guilty as charged.

 

[similar.squirrel]

Interesting. But what about people from other countries? I mean, no matter if I'm a mildly successful game journalist with tons of reviews if you can't read any of them, because they're in Hungarian. With that, there goes my credibility since I can't prove my worth or what I've done. Plus, English is not my mother language, so I'm at a certain disadvantage here. Sure, one can learn other languages, but my raging accent is obvious even from my writing, I guess.

Any tips?

First thing is to be up front about English not being your first language. While it may not give you a pass if you really garble your English, it'll likely get you off the hook for minor errors or inconsistencies. If most of your work is in something I can't read, then write a sample or two in English.

Thank you! Well, if anyone at The Escapist speaks Hungarian, I can supply a truckload of reviews, previews, guides and blog entries all the way back to ten years ago. I even wrote some game guides and walkthroughs in English for gamefaqs and other sites years ago, when my English was still horrible, but most of them are long gone though. I guess I'll write some reviews in English, see how that turns out. Maybe I'm the next big thing, maybe not

I speak Hungarian, and I'd love to take a look at those reviews and whatnot. I'm supposed to be taking an exam in the language next year, and I'm not as up to scratch as I'd like to be.
Reading about an area of interest would make studying much more enjoyable.

 

[Susan Arendt]

And then eventually, I got readers who actually just showed up for me.

Guilty as charged.

And I still love ya for it, Waldo.

 

[Virgil]

In development spelling is not as important in some cases and doesn't need to be as perfect as when writing articles however it does need to be above a certain level. Applications do show text to users, error messages etc need to be spelled correctly.

This one I disagree with you on - a resume or cover letter is as much a representation of someone's work ethic as their work examples.

I don't expect flowing prose, but when I see a clumsily-written resume or cover letter I immediately wonder how much effort they're going to put into their 'real' work. Plus, a mis-typed character in code can have far far worse consequences than a typo in an article (and be far more difficult to detect).

I almost wrote a resume for a gaming journalism job. I had Word up and everything. Then I remembered I'm 15.

You want a writing career? Well, WRITE!

Just as important in my opinion, if not more: Read. As much as you can, preferably books, but anything well-written will do. I have never met a good writer that isn't also an avid reader. (Start with the the best [http://www.randomhouse.com/modernlibrary/100bestnovels.html] if you don't know where.)

 

[QuirkyTambourine]

Wonderful tips, u guyz lookin for some hawt music reviews?

Gah I hate badly written emails, I even type pretty properly in AIM and when texting. Maybe I'm weird like that, I'm not sure.

Perhaps I'll submit something...sometime

We'll see

 

[Amazon warrior]

However, for the "I'm afraid of rejection"-issue that many stated they were having (and I had at one point, too), there's a really simply trick that is made so much easier by e-mail: Expect to be ignored. Don't expect that your mail will be answered, or that you will receive anything but a "you're in our database now, thank you for your interest" automated reply. Instead, send more! Don't just apply to ONE position. Especially in the gaming industry (and gaming journalism), there's hundreds of open positions (not requiring a degree. Thankfully for me ). Just follow the rules of spelling, grammar and prepare some samples. Nothing prevents you from applying for several positions at the same time, and if you then can choose between several positive replies - lucky you!

Anyone who's ever had to do a spate of job-hunting knows that this behaviour isn't just confined to the gaming journalism industry. It's horribly disheartening to churn out four or five applications a day and have none of them even acknowledge your existence. And you end up getting terribly excited about the ones who do bother to reply, even if it's just a C&C auto-response from HR, because they've noticed you!!!! Wooooo! And as you say, all you can really do is gird your loins and throw yet more apps into the black hole that is prospective employers' inboxes. Bleah. Show me someone who says they enjoy job-hunting and I'll show you a delusional liar.

I did enjoy the article though, even though I have no desire to be a games journalist! It's remarkable what some people apparently think appropriate.

I'd like to add that it's worth trying prospective applications, too. So the site/magazine/whatever that you'd like to work for isn't advertising right now? Then carefully read and follow Susan's excellent advice and send them an application email anyway! Even if they don't have a use for you immediately, it gets your toe in the door and your name in their records. Then if they do advertise, you can apply again and refer back to your initial application. It shows that you've got a steady interest in them and might help to give you a leg up. One of my colleagues at work (I'm a copy editor) got his current job because he emailed the Editor asking for advice on working in scientific publishing. A few days later they'd flown him out to Germany for an interview!

Lastly, if at first you don't succeed, don't be afraid to try again! I got rejected when I first applied to the company I work for now, but I re-applied 18 months later and got a job offer. In my second application I tried to show how I'd grown and developed as a person in time since my first application and I had more confidence because I'd been doing other things in the meantime, which helped too. I've been working here for two years now.

 

[Izerous]

In development spelling is not as important in some cases and doesn't need to be as perfect as when writing articles however it does need to be above a certain level. Applications do show text to users, error messages etc need to be spelled correctly.

This one I disagree with you on - a resume or cover letter is as much a representation of someone's work ethic as their work examples.

I don't expect flowing prose, but when I see a clumsily-written resume or cover letter I immediately wonder how much effort they're going to put into their 'real' work. Plus, a mis-typed character in code can have far far worse consequences than a typo in an article (and be far more difficult to detect).

We hire a lot of people where English may not be their first language that's why we are not so picky about their spelling. And about the writing code it goes back and forth depending on the language, some compilers track and display variable typos while others may not. In general I was trying to be a bit specific about the company I work for and the languages/compilers we use compared to what she had outlined above, not just coding in general.

 

[Kazturkey]

will fuxx for job!

Seriously though a nice heads-up to those who are looking for a job in the games journalism industry.

 

[Playbahnosh]

I speak Hungarian, and I'd love to take a look at those reviews and whatnot. I'm supposed to be taking an exam in the language next year, and I'm not as up to scratch as I'd like to be.
Reading about an area of interest would make studying much more enjoyable.

I'll be damned! A foreigner, who wants to learn Hungarian? Dude, you have all my respect! My language is one of the hardest languages on Earth, hell, not even the people living here speak it perfectly. I'm quite happy to help you learn, you can find my reviews at the address on my profile (www.pcdome.hu), my alias is the same as here (and everywhere). Since you can't search for authors on the site, only games, here are some titles I reviewed: Sims 3, Spore, Red Faction Guerrilla, Prototype, Overlord 2, Mirror's Edge and many others. Also, there is my blog on the site with movie reviews and game culture ramblings. If you have any questions, or need tips, PM me.

 

[badgersprite]

Ha! People e-mail the darndest things.

Great article.

 

[Capo Taco]

I bet it'd be interesting to show some of the worst examples.

 

[The Austin]

Huh. I suppose that being a Vidio Game Journalist would, now that I think about it, be like the... Well, perfect job.


To bad I'm still in high school, submiting an article to the Escapist would be fun, even if the editors sent me back a note saying how much it sucks.

I can see it now:

"Ur storyz suckzOOrz n00b!"

He-he. Yea, good times.

 

[SpaceGhost2K]

I'd like to add another one to Susan's list:

- If you are addressing the email to a person, make sure the person still works there.

Imagine writing an email to Mr. Peter Moore at Microsoft, asking for a job. Oops. People in this industry move around a lot, usually with little fanfare. I have been introduced to people at E3 who were no longer with the company a week later when I tried to contact them.

Concerning an earlier comment from a fifteen-year-old, don't give up hope so quickly. I would imagine that there are NOT a lot of published fifteen-year-old game journalists out there. That might actually be a niche that needs to be filled. You might get paid less. You might only get school credit for it. Heck, you might even get COLLEGE credit for it. If it is something you really want to do, don't give up before you actually try. I would suggest that you bring something to the table besides your age, though.

Susan, Susan, Susan... Hey.

I've never been one to send a resume out to every potential employer, which is probably something I need to get over. Right now, I am applying for a position as an Associate Editor at a major gaming site. If I am offered the job, it will require a move from SoCal to SF. If nothing develops, I think I'll send you an email.

I don't watch "America's Next Top Model", but I love "So You Think You Can Dance" and "Glee". I DID used to make custom action figures, but now I make a mean faceplate.

I disagree with the suggestion about sleeping your way to the top, but only because I make an Apple and Caramel Cream Liqueur Cheesecake that is better than sex. The Irish Cream and Chocolate Cheesecake is pretty good, too. Then you don't have to worry about the "husband with a gun" thing. Just the "husband with a fork" thing.

 

[similar.squirrel]

I speak Hungarian, and I'd love to take a look at those reviews and whatnot. I'm supposed to be taking an exam in the language next year, and I'm not as up to scratch as I'd like to be.
Reading about an area of interest would make studying much more enjoyable.

I'll be damned! A foreigner, who wants to learn Hungarian? Dude, you have all my respect! My language is one of the hardest languages on Earth, hell, not even the people living here speak it perfectly. I'm quite happy to help you learn, you can find my reviews at the address on my profile (www.pcdome.hu), my alias is the same as here (and everywhere). Since you can't search for authors on the site, only games, here are some titles I reviewed: Sims 3, Spore, Red Faction Guerrilla, Prototype, Overlord 2, Mirror's Edge and many others. Also, there is my blog on the site with movie reviews and game culture ramblings. If you have any questions, or need tips, PM me.

Nope. I'm actually Hungarian. I just moved to Ireland when I was 8.

 

[Playbahnosh]

I speak Hungarian, and I'd love to take a look at those reviews and whatnot. I'm supposed to be taking an exam in the language next year, and I'm not as up to scratch as I'd like to be.
Reading about an area of interest would make studying much more enjoyable.

I'll be damned! A foreigner, who wants to learn Hungarian? Dude, you have all my respect! My language is one of the hardest languages on Earth, hell, not even the people living here speak it perfectly. I'm quite happy to help you learn, you can find my reviews at the address on my profile (www.pcdome.hu), my alias is the same as here (and everywhere). Since you can't search for authors on the site, only games, here are some titles I reviewed: Sims 3, Spore, Red Faction Guerrilla, Prototype, Overlord 2, Mirror's Edge and many others. Also, there is my blog on the site with movie reviews and game culture ramblings. If you have any questions, or need tips, PM me.

Nope. I'm actually Hungarian. I just moved to Ireland when I was 8.

Aw, that's different. Than you have a much needed head start. Nevertheless, I hope you find my reviews useful. Also, there is "Ausztrál Tom" on youtube, a guy who says he is the only Australian who learns Hungarian, and posted some cool videos on the interwebs to teach some Australian to Hungarians. And, man, he is awesome

Spoiler: Here be video

<youtube=01ZbIaP0Gno&feature=PlayList&p=391E594B4159CFD9&index=0&playnext=1>

 

[Littaly]

I don't think I'll ever get a job as a games journalist. But just in case I feel like applying, I'll keep it all in mind ^^

 

[Earnest Cavalli]

As someone whose only experience in the "games writing" industry is scoring jobs almost entirely via a combination of luck and charm, I fully agree with everything Susan has said here, but would also like to add one final point:

Sleeping your way to the top -- Did you really think it was just a gross metaphor? Oh hell no. All I'll say is you attract more flies with an awesome handjob than you do with vinegar.

You disgust me.

I still hate you for taking my totally guaranteed spot at Wired Game|Life.

Well, OK, maybe it's not hate. Alright, it wasn't totally guaranteed. Or even partially. But you did take it.

I knew I should have vamped my first name basis with Martin Sheen on that cover letter...

I know Waldo. But if it makes you feel any better, aside from Susan's time there my tenure at Wired was fucking horrific. Aside from some reasonably sized paychecks you didn't miss much.

 

[FightThePower]

All except the first one are blindily obvious, and even the first one is blindingly obvious when you think about it. I'm not sure I want to be a Games Journalist though - as much as I love writing reviews ,(I have been told they're pretty good as well) I'm not sure I want to make gaming other than a hobby.

Plus reviewing something every week I could see getting tiring.

 

[CrystalShadow]

Always interesting to see these articles here...

Of course, like I said last time, I have no interest in being a journalist. (I write fiction though, ironically.)

A lot of common sense, but sometimes you just need to spell it out for people, right Suzan?

Then again, I can't write a job application to save my life, so who am I to comment on matters?