Edited and Published

Video game journalism is growing in relevance and respect with every passing day. Want evidence? How about an article from newspaper trade magazine Editor and Publisher that calls video games "the latest arts beat."



NEW YORK If the phrase "grand theft auto" makes you think of larceny and not entertainment, it's a safe bet you're not a video-game fan. But as newspapers continue to add video-game reviews and columns to their arts coverage -- some even employ staff columnists -- you'll have more opportunities to master the lingo.



The article provides a good overview of the long and continuing struggle for acceptance that has faced those on the video game beat. It even make mention of the burgeoning International Game Journalists Association and its Style Guide (which is finally starting to come together. If you have the time and inclination, we could use some help.)



The best part for writers aspiring for a paid column of their own (like me) might come from the experience of 35-year-old Pittsburgh Tribune-Review columnist J.C. Schisler:



Schisler, who's an avid video game fan, said getting the column meant convincing his editor, not a big video game fan.



"I said, 'I hate musicals, but we cover those,'" Schisler says with a laugh. And after explaining the industry's financial success and large audience, Schisler says the editor conceded.



I always knew those musical reviews were good for something.

Quote of the Moment

"You know a game's gonna rock hard when the menu beeps have been replaced by raging guitar riffs. I didn't just create a new save file; I created a new save file and rocked out to the max!"

-Joshua Cain, leading off his review of Backyard Wrestling 2: There Goes the Neighborhood, in the latest EGM (February 2005, Issue 188, Pg. 100)

Icons -- Iconic of a Good Network?

I'll admit that I don't watch G4TechTV that much. Sure, if I stumble across an episode of X-Play I might stay and watch, but I can usually only stand about five minutes of Judegement Day, Filter, CinemaTech, or most of the network's other video game shows before changing the channel in disgust.



Which is why I was pleasantly surprised today when I flipped to G4TechTV and found a three-year old episode of Icons, the channel's video game documentary show. The episode took a look at Oddworld Inhabitants that was surprisingly thorough for a half-hour program. Through interviews, movie clips, and a sometimes-cheesy voice-over, the program summed up the company's short history, touching on their artistic message, workplace environment, controversial move to the Xbox, and more with some decent depth and pacing. The show's web page mentions recent episodes on topics as varied as the Apple II, Metal Gear Solid, Pitfall, Mark Cuban and Women in Gaming. Color me impressed.



I'm not sure how this program managed to fall under my radar for so long, but I'll definitely be onthe lookout for episodes from now on. To those who might watch a bit more G4TechTV than I do -- are there any other hidden gems that I'm missing? Send me a tip, or leave a comment below.

We Don't Do That [Except We Do]

Props to Electronic Gaming Monthly for inserting a much needed editorial note into an interview with SCEA preident Kaz Hirai in their latest issue. The relevant excerpt:



EGM: Most in the biz feel that Xbox 2 will launch in 2005. Do the moves of the competition affect when you'll release your console.



KH: We've always stuck by what we believe is the right game plan for ourselves, and more importantly, for the third-party publishers, retailers and consumers. We don't go changing consoles every three, four or five years [Actually, PS2 launched roughly 5 years after the original PlayStation --Ed.]



By jove, he's right! In fact, if the next PlayStation is released in late 2005, it will be five years after the PS2 came out in America.



A journalist's job is more than just transcribing information, even in a verbatim interview article. If the interviewee says something that's outright wrong, it's the journalist's job to look into it and correct the record before it hits print. This only applies to certain statements, of course -- everyone's entitled to their opinion, predictions can be hard to confirm until after the fact, etc. -- but when someone is talking about solid facts in your publication, you'd better be as sure as you can be that they're telling the truth.



In this case, the misstatement was most likely a casual slip of the tongue, but that doesn't make the correction any less needed. So, again, kudos to EGM for a good catch.

Ombudsman Stature Levels Up

Apparently I'm "well known in the game-journalism community."

Hey, Sun, Take the Game's Advice

I know that I've said that paying attention to tabloid stories is "like getting worked up about a National Enquirer story saying that video games cause AIDS," but this story still gets me riled up. If you didn't click the link, and haven't seen this thing somewhere else, read the first sentence (below) and tell me if it doesn't set off a few warning bells:



A girl of seven found the words "F*** off and die" on her Disney computer game.



I'm assuming everyone reading this has some experience with both Disney and video games, so the warning bells should be deafening. If you're a journalist writing about this story, what would you do first:

1. Find another copy of the game to see if this is an isolated incident.
2. View the game for yourself and see the complete message in context.
3. Ask the family if there was anything strange about the game -- where they got it, who they got it from, etc.
4. Ask someone involved with the game or the video game industry in general to explain what might be going on.
5. Make an attempt to contact Disney during the night and run the story without their comment.

If you said (E.), I hear The Sun is hiring.



Luckily, there are bloggers around to fact check this stuff. Both Video-Fenky and Idle Thumbs managed to track down the pirated version of the game (which was edited by hacking group Mode 7) and post screen shots that definitely don't look like they belong in a Monsters Inc. title. Boomtown found and printed the full version of the pirate text that was referenced above and in the Kotaku blurb. Joystiq, meanwhile, was the only source I could find that ran the story uncritically, only to be thoroughly lambasted in their own comments thread.



None of the biggest gaming news sites seem to have posted anything about the story, which is heartening, given that it's nothing worth writing about. Then again, it may just be too recent to have made it into this morning's updates. Let's see if anyone bites, shall we?

Fiction is Truer than than Truth?

I'm a bit conflicted about this three-page scan (click each word in order) I found on Spanish gaming site Gamerah. On one hand, the article is an obvious fake, as evidenced by Yamauchi's sudden, perfect grasp of American slang and outright incorrect takes on Nintendo history, among other things. On the other hand, everything besides the juvenile humor could be taken as a pretty accurate send up of Nintendo's sometimes-arrogant nature and it's former president's sometimes-outspoken diatribes. Is this scam or satire? Ersatz or editorial? You decide.