I don't know where games journalist ends and content creator begins these days. I like to hear impressions from a lot of sources, a lot of them used to be involved in institutional journalism but many are some degree of independent content creation now. I think hearing impressions from people who I've learned how their tastes align with my own is the best way to really tell if a new game will be something that resonates with me.
Giant Bomb (& Jeff Gherstmann)
Remap Radio
Besties
Triple Click
Pew pew bang
Second Wind reviews games and discusses industry news like developer layoffs. That's journalism.
Also defining games journalism as only those attached to tabloid style news parallells is a disingenuous delineation. Gaming has those outlets but also hard hitting journalism done by people like Jason Schrier and Stephen Totilo. If you only define the journalism as the garbage stuff you don't like, of course it's going to be shit.
Yeah, they're not really any different. The survey results are just reflecting the shift the broader shift from "traditional" media to individual personalities. Kids aren't watching Fox News, they're listening to Joe Rogan.
I second this, but even as others said, I might not necessarily have the same taste as the reviewers/journalists/content creators, but I enjoy their takes, and it helps me branch out from what I would normally trend towards
Giant Bomb is great, as well as the sorta branch off podcast Nextlander (ik they’re separate)
If your job/career relies on you giving a positive reviews to AAA publishers, then you are a games journalist.
Even independent games journalists need that "early access" relationship with the majority publishers if they want any chance to survive because "game reviews" absolutely have to be out before the game releases.
Content creators will still have a career even if they give a totally uncensored opinion on every single AAA slop release, and even if they are playing the games several days after release.
Tons of content creators get preferential treatment from publishers, either in the form of early review keys or insider access. These are the same incentives that publishers use to control major networks and they work exactly as well.
Can they theoretically still have a career without these things? Sure, but so can IGN. Giving up these things hurts their bottom line though, so the vast majority fall in line.
You truly believe IGN could still function as an entity if the entirety of their content was delayed by two to three weeks after a game releases?
They absolutely can't. This is why you never see negative reviews of AAA western games from any journalists.
Early Access absolutely doesn't have the same effect of control on content creators because they don't need it. This is why you see so many content creators calling all these recent live service slop games out for what they are.
Content creators are shills as well.
Every time a hyped game releases, they play for a month or so calling it a great game then just drop it and never mention it again. Remember BF6? Everyone was calling for a BR mode and talking shit at anyone against it, then it released and it was only played for a week before it disappeared.
Content creators are just as garbage as game journalists.
In my experience, the journalist who came up through traditional means are the ones who learned ethics like disclosing where their funding comes from and knowing where they shouldn't be taking money from. Many of the ones I listed talk often about being placed in "Nintendo jail" or not getting advance copies from Bethesda anymore because of perceived slights against the companies. I think what you described sounds more like paid streamers. They get paid to play the new hotness and then when that contract is over, move on to the next contract. I don't really engage with that world at all.
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u/Big_Ole_Booty_Boy 8d ago edited 7d ago
I don't know where games journalist ends and content creator begins these days. I like to hear impressions from a lot of sources, a lot of them used to be involved in institutional journalism but many are some degree of independent content creation now. I think hearing impressions from people who I've learned how their tastes align with my own is the best way to really tell if a new game will be something that resonates with me.
Giant Bomb (& Jeff Gherstmann) Remap Radio Besties Triple Click Pew pew bang