Hey Fediverse -
I’ve been seeing a lot of discussion around the lack of game outlets that people like to follow nowadays. I used to follow a decent amount, but with how many of them have changed - Giant Bomb, PC Gamer, RockPaperShotgun, Game Informer - I also have been looking for a new outlet/community.
I’ve been working towards starting an outlet myself, and I’m wondering what folks would like to see out of one. My list:
- Independent, or more so. Referral links make it hard to trust an outlet being unbiased if they have a financial incentive to promote things.
- Discourse focused: Modern coverage, especially from influencers, is a lot of a singular person speaking. Giant Bomb especially had great dynamics between the various perspectives when covering a game.
- Diverse Coverage: By this I mean, not just focused on AAA titles and the yearly release calendar. Covering mods, older titles, different communities (speedrunners, small multiplayer communities, etc.)
Other questions:
- Would you be interested in supporting an outlet financially? Would you even if all content was available freely, eg. public media as opposed to “premium access.”
- Do you have any preferred platforms? Would you be interested in an outlet that prioritizes the Fediverse over Twitch, Youtube, etc.?
- Do you have a preference between written content, video, audio?
Generally, what you have on the list is what I want to see from a gaming news outlet. I especially like the idea of focusing on older games, mods, niche communities, and that sort of thing. I guess if there was more of something I wanted to see in games journalism it’s more in-depth coverage of gaming topics and less rushing to cover the latest AAA release. I’d much rather be reading a long-form article about microtransactions or watching a video essay on the possibility of a video game actor strike than reading about where to find the best ship or weapon in Starfield. Of course, I’m just some random person on the internet, so take that all with a grain of salt.