“You Can’t Work for Somebody Who Doesn’t Exist”: The Decline of Games Journalism and the Rise of Independent Gaming News

Abstract

Despite the continued growth of the gaming sector, media conglomerates have recently begun a disturbing trend of downsizing their gaming-oriented publications, leading many journalists to pivot towards independence. This paper analyses the current moment in games journalism, highlighting how search engine optimization (SEO), artificial intelligence (AI), and guide-based content have motivated this pivot. Following this we show that some creators have used gaming podcasts as an opportunity to provide independent games coverage. To examine these issues, we draw on interviews with eleven gaming podcast creators which highlight their perspectives on the medium and why gaming podcasts have become a viable alternative. We conclude by contrasting the differences between influencer-focused games coverage and games journalism. This paper therefore emphasizes the importance of continued analysis of gaming journalism to studies of games media—illustrating how the issues that these journalists face are relevant to the broader online media sphere.