I don't think I'm fit to "play" journalist.

For a while I’ve been a bit of a wannabe gaming journalist. I wrote quite a few blogs months ago, and I was really passionate about it. But now, having realized that there is way more to life than video games and websites and all, I don’t think I’m too fit for the game writing hobby.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been busy with school work, or maybe it’s an obsessive crush I’ve had over a girl over the past few months, but I’m just not motivated to post blogs about video games or to even play video games anymore.

I don’t play as many games as I used to and I don’t think that I want to. There is more than life than this, but saying that doesn’t mean I’ll pop in a video game once a week to pass the time.

This also means that I don’t finish games as fast as I could before. I play less, shorter sessions so obviously it will affect the time it takes me to beat it.

I still enjoy playing games, but I’m not as passionate about it now than I was many months ago. This blog is a note to myself. A note that I don’t need to write blogs about video games. I don’t need to review games. No one is really depending on me.

I can do whatever I want with my time, and I don’t think I want to write about video games. 

For a while I’ve been a bit of a wannabe gaming journalist. I wrote quite a few blogs months ago, and I was really passionate about it. But now, having realized that there is way more to life than video games and websites and all, I don’t think I’m too fit for the game writing hobby.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been busy with school work, or maybe it’s an obsessive crush I’ve had over a girl over the past few months, but I’m just not motivated to post blogs about video games or to even play video games anymore.

I don’t play as many games as I used to and I don’t think that I want to. There is more than life than this, but saying that doesn’t mean I’ll pop in a video game once a week to pass the time.

This also means that I don’t finish games as fast as I could before. I play less, shorter sessions so obviously it will affect the time it takes me to beat it.

I still enjoy playing games, but I’m not as passionate about it now than I was many months ago. This blog is a note to myself. A note that I don’t need to write blogs about video games. I don’t need to review games. No one is really depending on me.

I can do whatever I want with my time, and I don’t think I want to write about video games. 

That's cool. I'm doing and risking a lot for the chance to get into "the biz". But it's a job that requires motivation.

my blogs aren't even blogs (which is a very good thing). they're just crazy things that i can't add into status updates. 

" That's cool. I'm doing and risking a lot for the chance to get into "the biz". But it's a job that requires motivation. "

Meh. As of late the "Journalist" Arnt really giving me a reason to read their stuff. Course a review is nice now and then. It does seem everyone is trying to jump into that little job of "Journalist"  
 
 
And of course Life comes first. As long as you do not fully give up gaming. I have not play any games for more then two hours in about a week. In truth I have not played a console game in a week. And mostly its just TF2 for PC. 

" That's cool. I'm doing and risking a lot for the chance to get into "the biz". But it's a job that requires motivation. "

Games are more fun when they aren't what you do for a living.  Just have fun, you might come back to journalism once your out of school.

" That's cool. I'm doing and risking a lot for the chance to get into "the biz". But it's a job that requires motivation. "

"  @EpicSteve said: 

" That's cool. I'm doing and risking a lot for the chance to get into "the biz". But it's a job that requires motivation. "

But aren't you in the military? "

" @EpicSteve said:

" That's cool. I'm doing and risking a lot for the chance to get into "the biz". But it's a job that requires motivation. "

And being able to stand criticism. "

"I enjoy playing games but not enough anymore to write a long blog post about it or anything. I’m kind of burned on the whole “blogging” concept.     "

" @EpicSteve said:

" That's cool. I'm doing and risking a lot for the chance to get into "the biz". But it's a job that requires motivation. "

But aren't you in the military? "

Good riddance.  How tired I am of people using the terms "journalism" and "journalist" in vain.  If just half the people who claim to be aspiring "gaming journalists" knew that writing crummy reviews of games on their blog realized that that's nothing nothing nothing like what any actual journalist does day to day I'd be happy.  I don't mean to single you out OP, but I needed to get it off my chest.  Sick of people watering down a profession that I'm legitimately working my ass off to get into. 

" @natetodamax said:

" @EpicSteve said:

" That's cool. I'm doing and risking a lot for the chance to get into "the biz". But it's a job that requires motivation. "

But aren't you in the military? "

I joined the military for a lot of reasons. The main reason being the free college benefits. Jobs are incredibly hard to come by in my area, and my family doesn't have the money to support my education very well. So I got Uncle Sam to help me get my Bachelor's in Journalism with some education in  media production on the side. After I've served overseas and get my deploma, my fiancee and I are moving to California so I can work for interviews and hopefully land a job. I'll be doing traditional journalism until then. "

" my blogs aren't even blogs (which is a very good thing). they're just crazy things that i can't add into status updates.  "

Do what makes you happy. Sometimes that changes, so you have to change with it. Oh, and a woman can definitely motivate you in a different direction. Just make sure you don't change to appease.

" @AjayRaz said:

" my blogs aren't even blogs (which is a very good thing). they're just crazy things that i can't add into status updates.  "

well it's meant to be a web log, so you're actually doing it correctly, using it sort of like a journal. "

" Good riddance.  How tired I am of people using the terms "journalism" and "journalist" in vain.  If just half the people who claim to be aspiring "gaming journalists" knew that writing crummy reviews of games on their blog knew that that's nothing nothing nothing like what any actual journalist does day to day I'd be happy.  I don't mean to single you out OP, but I needed to get it off my chest.  Sick of people watering down a profession that I'm legitimately working my ass off to get into.  "

My interest in videogames has been steady for enough decades now that I know lack of interest won't ever be my problem.  I enjoy writing too, which is a very important aspect of wanting to be a 'journalist'.  I don't know if I'd want to be on a schedule and being told what games to play and review though.  I just wish our site had more viewers and people TO BE critical. 

Yeah, you're definitely not fit for the job. Most people who write professionally know what a paragraph is.

The major problem I have with gaming journalism is that the industry isn't doing a lot to challenge them. All the controversy ends up happening before the game even comes out in the form of stupid press releases and corporate drama; the games themselves aren't making very large marks on media as a whole and they aren't doing a lot that is thought provoking or even generally interesting. Every once in a blue moon they get a Portal or Batman that challenges our perceptions of what a game can be, but most high profile releases aren't doing a lot for community as a whole. 
 
That's just an outsider's opinion though.

  You know, reading this thread made me come up with an idea. Maybe Giantbomb should sponsor one of you wannabe game journalists a week by putting a well written user submitted review for a current game on the front page. That way, gives the person some exposure and something a little more official to put on their resume and promotes the community. Win win.  
 
  There was a point where video games was going to be a career choice for me, but I knew that making it my every day life would have taken away all the fun. Also, playing bad games makes my head hurt. A lot.

"   You know, reading this thread made me come up with an idea. Maybe Giantbomb should sponsor one of you wannabe game journalists a week by putting a well written user submitted review for a current game on the front page. That way, gives the person some exposure and something a little more official to put on their resume and promotes the community. Win win.  "

" @Ekasra said:

"   You know, reading this thread made me come up with an idea. Maybe Giantbomb should sponsor one of you wannabe game journalists a week by putting a well written user submitted review for a current game on the front page. That way, gives the person some exposure and something a little more official to put on their resume and promotes the community. Win win.  "

Go to home page. Scroll down. Duh... "

" @Vinchenzo said:

" @Ekasra said:

"   You know, reading this thread made me come up with an idea. Maybe Giantbomb should sponsor one of you wannabe game journalists a week by putting a well written user submitted review for a current game on the front page. That way, gives the person some exposure and something a little more official to put on their resume and promotes the community. Win win.  "

Go to home page. Scroll down. Duh... "

  My point exactly. So out of view and pushed under the rug that if an every day user doesn't remember it's there, an average user probably doesn't know it exists.  "

" Yeah, you're definitely not fit for the job. Most people who write professionally know what a paragraph is. "

" @Vinchenzo said:

" @Ekasra said:

"   You know, reading this thread made me come up with an idea. Maybe Giantbomb should sponsor one of you wannabe game journalists a week by putting a well written user submitted review for a current game on the front page. That way, gives the person some exposure and something a little more official to put on their resume and promotes the community. Win win.  "

Go to home page. Scroll down. Duh... "

  My point exactly. So out of view and pushed under the rug that if an every day user doesn't remember it's there, an average user probably doesn't know it exists.  "

" @Vinchenzo: The paragraphs looked perfectly fine where I originally wrote it. "

" @Metal_Gear_Sunny said:

" @Vinchenzo: The paragraphs looked perfectly fine where I originally wrote it. "

A paragraph is something consisting of 3 or more sentences. Most of those still aren't even paragraphs. "

Maybe you're just growing older. When I was your age, video games weren't shit. I had an Atari 2600 and a couple of arcades I went to. I played video games, thought about video games and even dreamed about them, but never thought about writing about them. I was 31 when the N64 came out, shit that's old and look at me now, still playing. But do I want to write about video games for a living, hell no, I just do what I do and move on. Still here, writing my crappy ass blogs from time to time. 
 
Maybe video games and writing is leading you down a different path. Always remember to ask yourself the simple questions, who, what, when, where and why.
 
"Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail" Ralph Waldo Emerson

" @Metal_Gear_Sunny said:

" @Vinchenzo: The paragraphs looked perfectly fine where I originally wrote it. "

A paragraph is something consisting of 3 or more sentences. Most of those still aren't even paragraphs. "

" @Vinchenzo said:

" @Metal_Gear_Sunny said:

" @Vinchenzo: The paragraphs looked perfectly fine where I originally wrote it. "

A paragraph is something consisting of 3 or more sentences. Most of those still aren't even paragraphs. "

I honestly don't give a fuck. This is a blog post, not an essay. "

" @Metal_Gear_Sunny said:

" @Vinchenzo said:

" @Metal_Gear_Sunny said:

" @Vinchenzo: The paragraphs looked perfectly fine where I originally wrote it. "

A paragraph is something consisting of 3 or more sentences. Most of those still aren't even paragraphs. "

I honestly don't give a fuck. This is a blog post, not an essay. "

What happened to wanting to be a games journalist? "

Good to see you all getting along so well.

" @HandsomeDead said:

" @Metal_Gear_Sunny said:

" @Vinchenzo said:

" @Metal_Gear_Sunny said:

" @Vinchenzo: The paragraphs looked perfectly fine where I originally wrote it. "

A paragraph is something consisting of 3 or more sentences. Most of those still aren't even paragraphs. "

I honestly don't give a fuck. This is a blog post, not an essay. "

What happened to wanting to be a games journalist? "

I'm sorry, I thought this whole post was about me realizing that I probably shouldn't take writing stuff seriously and just chill out. I don't give a shit about paragraphs in this particular situation. Fuck off.  "

I think that we're delving ourselves too deep into the OP's personal bubble. Time to chill with the jabs, guys.

I feel you, man. 
 
I think a lot of people who are passionate about gaming go through a phase of wanting to be a journalist. After all, journalists are the source for all of our information. We build a connection,and eventually start to look up to them more than we do the designers/artists/writers. You know, the people who actually make games.   
 
Don't get me wrong -- I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to be a game journalist. But I do think the profession is romanticized (on multiple levels) in many people's minds.

Look Sunny, idk why your making yourself choose between a "normal school life" and being a amateur journalist you can have both. I am about the same age as you and get where you are coming from what with school work that feels like it will last forever and the chick who you think you must change your ways to have any chance with. To be honest with you dude, if it the chick does not like you for the lovable nerd you are then do not bother with her. You are obviously passionate for games and writing so why stop. And just so you know, I love your blogs and your perspective on games. Just think of all the things games of done for you. You have ended up here with over 150 people who are watching your every move. All the friends you have made on here (such as nate and systech). What I am saying is do not give up, keep writing, go to college, get a degree, maybe meet a chick who you do not have to obsess over for months before she notices you and loves strange obsession with dave grohl and giant bomb, and get a job at game site doing what you love.

If you do get back into it, check out stuff like AP Style to help you out.

" Games are more fun when they aren't what you do for a living.   "

" @HadesTimes said:

" Games are more fun when they aren't what you do for a living.   "

What? Really? I was looking to do that... You've further confused me now :( "

You have the rest of high school and probably some of your college years to decide what you want to do. Nobody ever follows their childhood dreams or we'd all be policemen, firemen, and doctors.

It's a very hard profession to get into. Especially when you are new to the scene and only starting out. It's not like getting a normal job where you just put an application in and hope you get a call back - it's about what you write, how you express yourself. If you really do want to be a journalist, keep trying. I've been following your blogs here since day one. 

My main problem was inspiration and motivation. If it takes you hours to write a good piece, but next to nobody reads it, it can feel like a right blow. But when you know hundreds upon thousands of pieces are reading your work, it's one of the best rushes you can get. 

Send me a PM is you decide you want to keep trying. I run a gaming website, I'm sure I could help you out.