So long to Kieron Gillen, even if we disagree.
By trulyalive 1 Comments
I'm not much of a writer yet. I've worked a few months on a community magazine and I'm arguably the weakest writer on the staff. I don't get paid a thing for my work, nor does anyone, to the best of my knowledge. Understandably, Kieron Gillen's farewell blog resonated with me somewhat.
Despite the fact that I'm not a PC Gamer, I've been reading Rock, Paper, Shotgun for just over a year. I liked the writing and that's just about all I have to say about it. Sometimes the things people do with words are more entertaining than the point they're trying to get across and even when that's not the case there's always fun to be had with disagreeing with them. This is the internet and you knew that much already. Kieron was the sort of writer I put in the same class as Leigh Alexander. I didn't always agree with what he had to say, but I had to admire the consistency of his style and intelligence. Naturally, I'm saddened to see his retirement from the video games journalism industry but as with all men and women who transcend their current lifestyle to do something more becoming of their inner passions, I cannot fault him for his decision. Naivete and cheesiness abounds, but people need to follow their hearts just as much as their heads.
Now whether or not you follow Rock, Paper, Shotgun, Kieron has another workload, one that he understandably neglected: A blog called Kieron Gillen's Workblog. Not the most inspired of titles, but I'm more than happy to give him the benefit of the doubt. This was the most recent post. The first half is ultimately just an explanation of his retirement. The second half however is the single most cynical piece of expressionist writing I think I've ever read about career progression. Not that there is any surprise there at all. Gillen states it as a rant and in practise it is precisely that.
I can't deny that there's truth to the declamation. Publishers and editors will naturally resort to dirty tricks to save a buck, but this is old news. Video-game writing is a much sought, underpaid job that has little-to-no benefits beyond 'doing what you enjoy'. This much is known. But shunning the whole industry as stupid feels overly violent. It seems like a potentially dangerous thing to say. Even if he's right and writing about video-games is a stupid use of real talent, it's probably the most effective way to improve your writing, if you enjoy it. And shunning an entire industry, one that is reaching peak levels of exposure and productivity in todays world? Film was new once and I'm sure people said the same back then.As I said, have some pride. You’ve got talent. You’re using it in a stupid way. And when you smarten up, you’ll go on to do great things.
I mentioned naivete before and I'm probably obligated to point out my youth and love for video-games right off the bat but I'm not going to fault Gillen for anything he said. He seems to be the sort of guy who means what he writes and this is amongst the final opportunities he is going to get to post these thoughts and be taken seriously. But if you're a video-game writer, aspiring or professional, I hope you don't take the post too seriously. I don't get paid for my work, but I do it anyway. Regardless of how much material gain you benefit from your writing, as long as you're getting that feeling of satisfaction when you decide you're finished on a piece and you hand it in, you're on a good track. The second to last line of Kieron's blog is what you should be focusing on.
You’re talented. Don’t let them ever make you forget it.