Introduction V 2.0

Any sufficiently developed artistic medium requires an equally developed set of critical and journalistic standards to help give it meaning.

-Me



The question of whether videogames are an artistic medium is far from settled, but granted that premise, I hope the conclusion above makes sense to you. If so, welcome to The Video Game Ombudsman.



Until very recently, most writing about videogames was, to be blunt, thinly veiled public relations junk. Overtly corporate magazines like Nintendo Power and other more independent publications gave young gamers who could string a few sentences together a job that let them play games for a living. What they wrote usually wasn't considered that important -- just some press release filler to condense the whitespace between the pictures and ads that fueled childhood dreams and filled publisher pockets. Not that it couldn't be good, even great, but it wasn't well-developed as a whole.



Times are changing. A generation that grew up on games does not consider them mere child's play anymore. Fiction authors, cultural critics, academics and journalists are taking a serious look at videogames as more than just a consumer product. They're writing web sites, blogs, articles and books that expand the way people think about games.



This blog is dedicated to any such writing.



In the original introduction to this blog, I said I would "put a check on the often sloppy, lazy, biased, and unethical world of video game reporting." That is still a focus of this site; journalistic standards and ethical considerations will be discussed.



But in the coming year the blog will also try to answer broader questions about videogame writing. What important topics aren't being covered by the videogame press? What topics are we harping on too much? Does videogame writing influence or only reflect videogame making? Who are we writing for? What can videogame criticism learn from other critical forms? What should it reject? Is there still a place for the print videogame magazine? What makes videogame writing good?



I'll attempt to answer these and other questions through regular, well-researched columns, editorials and interviews, as well as occasional links to other sites that address the same topics. The writing, as usual, will mix my unapologetic opinions with fact-based reporting and the views and opinions of my readers.



There's a lot of videogame writing out there, and I can't read it all. If you see a piece of videogame writing or think of a game journalism issue you have a strong opinion about, I want to hear it. As I've said before, "this column is only as good as the readers that take part in it, so do your part by dropping me a line."



About the Blogger



Kyle Orland graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in May 2004 with degrees in computer science and journalism. He's been writing about videogames since 1997, when he founded Super Mario Bros. HQ, which he ran for four years. He's written for a variety of online and print publications including The Diamondback, GameCritics, and GameSpot. Kyle is a founding member of the International Game Journalists Association and is always looking for freelance and permanent writing opportunities. His favorite game of all time is Super Mario 64.



Also, he's not really an ombudsman.