New Games Journalism

We’ve all agreed that videogames should be considered forms of art, and with any form of art, there are many different approaches to explaining them. Since videogames are still developing as an art medium, new approaches are still being taken to describe them. The article "The New Games Journalism" stated that "The sign of a healthy artistic medium is not that it can be easily explained by one approach, but that it takes several and sometimes even dozens to really properly explain all the amazing things that a piece of art is doing. When it comes to New Games Journalism, it’s hopefully only the first of many."

Now, I’m not saying that New Games Journalism is better than the standard games journalism piece, but depending on the type of game it is used for, New Games Journalism can be more beneficial. Kieron Gillen said, "Part of the problem with games is that they contain everything. As such, what critical approach works best varies from game to game. Some games, taking primarily from film theory is pretty well justified. Others, a more music-inspired approach works." For some games, New Game Journalism is arguably the best approach to describing a game.

New Games Journalism is best used to portray (in first person) a unique experience of the reviewer, which goes beyond simply describing the mechanics of a game and instead placing the reader in that experience. This is best used for multiplayer experiences or games that are nonlinear in which no experience will be the same. New Games Journalism also provides a description of the gameplay a game has, but in first person narrative. "The New Games Journalism" article made a good point by saying: "Rattling off the details of your special powers in a game and claiming this is enough to describe what a game is about is just as absurd as describing the effect that a real gun will have on a live target: talking about it is not the same thing as being there." New Games Journalism gives you that feeling of "being there" with the use of first person narrative, which in my opinion is more interesting to read. This could also be a good approach to helping games journalism appeal to the non-gaming community.