Word Play: The Evolution of Game Journalism

6/23/2008 5:56 PM | 2 Comments | Page 9 of 10

Since that time, Sony Computer Entertainment has taken reporters to tour its game studios in Dubrovnik, Codemasters has flown reporters to Athens to watch a Rally race, and the junket wheel keeps on rolling along.

Printed Demise

The only constant in game journalism is change. There was a time when you could accurately compare game systems by discussing bits, bytes and polygon counts. Those days are gone. There was a time when the average gamer was a boy between 10 and 14 years old. Now most gamers are in their 20s. Game magazines have had to adjust to accommodate older and more sophisticated readers. There was a time when the only words you needed to describe games were "sucks" or "awesome." Today's game reviewers have to know a few more words.

Then there is the money. Fifteen years ago, the American game industry raked in a reported $4 billion; last year it brought in over $18 billion. In the '90s, the Japanese game market was the most lucrative game market. That is no longer the case, nor do Japanese game companies dominate the best-sellers list the way they once did.

And then there is the slow death of the arcade business. As Eddie Adlum points out, the golden age of arcade games ended after four short years back in 1982. The business has been eroding ever since.

"Arcades are not the major force they were in the past," says Andy McNamara. "Look at Mortal Kombat and NBA Jam. Having [the home versions of] those two games made Acclaim Entertainment the biggest publisher in the world."

Today, the arcade business is dwindling. Midway, the company that created the arcade versions of Mortal Kombat and NBA Jam, then licensed them to Acclaim Entertainment for home use, now publishes the home versions of the Mortal Kombat games. But the fighting game market is not what it once was and Midway stock has suffered significant downturns. Acclaim Entertainment has gone out of business entirely. The NBA Jam franchise is inactive, but Electronic Arts borrowed heavily from its formula when it created NBA Street. Ironically, Midway implemented a few tricks from the Electronic Arts playbook when it released NBA Ballers, a game created by Mark Turmell who was also the lead man on NBA Jam.

But the one force that has impacted game journalism the most is the Internet. Through the mid-'90s, game magazines only had each other for competition. That is no longer the case.

"The Internet has become a powerful new competitor for game magazines," says Arnie Katz. "We saw the same thing with strategy books. They were all the rage in the mid-'90s, but today most people realize they can go online and get the same information and more for free."

Be they rumors, leaks or legitimate information, stories published on the Internet are not hamstrung by the lead times that control the printed word. There was a time when game companies dismissed online sites as unimportant. Today, online sites like Kotaku, Gamespot and IGN are among the first publications game companies invite when they hold events and press conferences.