More writing on Giant Bomb!

Hey, there are some really good writers on the staff of this website. Let's see them do more writing! I realize articles probably aren't as big a driver of page views as video content, sure. But having articles/ lists/ etc. show up in a big flood around GOTY time just reminds me how much I'd like to see that sort of thing more often.

Honk if you like words!

Honk!

I'd like to see Jeff write more about video game culture stuff, like this one

Honk honk!

These guys were a big part of what inspired me to start writing about games back in the late GameSpot/early Giant Bomb days. Always appreciate the (increasingly) rare occasions that we get some written words from them!

I don't know how much of an impact my opinion will have, but the staff lists definitely reminded me of how much I miss writing on the site.

Honk!

I miss pretty much all the writing on this site. The written reviews, Alex's weekly column, and any time Austin posted an essay here it was great. I bet there's some traffic they're looking at to show that the number of hours it takes to write that content isn't worth the views it gets, but I'm always down for more writing.

Honk!

Nothing else to say except ya, I miss the writing content.

I have been bad about updating my blog, but I still have a few years of decent stuff in there. I'll try to get more things in there! Always a good goal.

Also don't forget to sign up for the Giant Bomb Newsletter. Since it's only bi-weekly we have a bit more time to plan them out so they're a bit longer and more in-depth than you're probably expecting from a newsletter!

That's a honk from me

Yeah I mean Alex and Scott's top 10's made me openly sob so I think having a little more writing on the site would be really nice.

Just completely fucked me up.

Alex is a good writer.

Honk!

I miss written articles on this site.

I'm always down for more written content, but hey, that used to be the backbone of the forums here too. So let's see more community blogs and forum posts too. And throw some comments now and then in the Community Spotlight, the best way to find new written content on the site!

I used to write reviews for the site because I enjoyed the occasional written piece over the years.it’s always inspiring to see someone do something well. I dunno what they would write about but I still do enjoy a well written review.

Wasn't part of Austin's job was to set up a system to commission writers to write in-depth articles for the site. Since he left they seem to have dumped it completely. Which makes sense, as there were multiple new gaming "verticals" from bigger media entities being spawned at that time, all wanting that sort of content and GB competing in a saturated market would not have resulted in a significantly higher level of discourse.

Now all those other entities are dead and/or struggling though. Perhaps they will consider a renewed focus on the written word.

Honk!

I am mostly a podcast listener of GB content now since I don't have time to watch their video content but I do really miss written reviews. I know they'll never come back in a meaningful capacity.

I'm surprised I haven't seen any write ups of the GB game of the year winners and runners up. Usually they post that stuff in addition to the podcast/video content of their decision making process.

I also love the written content. But I think they've talked about it on the pod before - the time for the payoff/user engagement just isn't there for the writing vs doing videos so it doesn't make as much sense.

I think I'm realizing I actually want more blog-like writing than written reviews. Like I wanna see articles about what old games Jeff is playing and his historical relationship to them, or what Brad and Jeff are doing with the Mister, or what Vinny is collecting, or anything that Alex is thinking, or what books Rorie is reading.... I think I just like the personal stuff. For some reason my mind just went to the old days of Gamespot in the early 2000's when the editors would do a MTV cribs showing their homes or when Alex did his surreal take on the Robocop game. As I write this I'm realizing maybe I want less serious but goofy shit. :)

This is also a roundabout way to plug my fantasy of GB rehiring Austin, although he seems to like his new self-employed, indie-tabletop niche just fine.

Yes. Writing reviews may not be worth the time investment, but writing which doesn't require finishing a game might strike the right balance between staff time and (ugh) clicks.

Certainly worth a try if they're up for it. Though probably after they start hiring again.

Agree 100% I have all ways thought Alex particularly is wasted as he is such a great writer.

Shoutout to the community highlights, I guess?

I can only imagine writing as much as Jeff had for Gamespot or Alex had for Tested Screened (man I need some sleep) and burning out hard on the grind of it.

I hope it's mostly about setting manageable expectations for once a month and getting into a rhythm because Vinny's "Thread About Site Goings-On" almost seemed too ambitious from the get-go. Patrick seemed to manage that very well to keep up the weekly output.

Though I will say some of the newsletters have been great pep-talks to get through 2020.

A suggestion could be locking occasional writing behind premium if it's such a time sink but I guess the newsletter is kind of that?

Honkerino

Is there an archive of the newsletter on the site or a reason why there wouldn't be one?

@bigsocrates: I imagine that it's one of those measures where content is only available in 1 spot to make people want to add them on that platform to increase their internal metrics. Unique content is a reason for people to sign up for their newsletter, just like they've done exclusive instagram stories to get those numbers up, premium unlocks are only on youtube and small highlight clips only pop up on their twitter.

They were also part of this contest a year ago, as a means to gather subscribers to each of the sites' newsletters, so it seems like increasing that number means something to someone.

I always hoped they would do more writing. Looked forward to Guns of Navarro when that was a regular thing. But it probably does less traffic for a lot more work (inspired writing can be hard!)

But yeah, Alex, Brad, and Jeff are all damn good writers. It seems like the shift towards video in games media really caught on. A good article, though, is something I'll always open. If I'm sitting around at lunch, I'm not gonna watch a Quick Look. I need something to read.

@bigsocrates: This is the closest I've seen: https://www.reddit.com/r/giantbomb/search/?q=newsletter&restrict_sr=1&sort=new

I get the GB newsletters and have only read a few of them. Some of have talked about games or what they've been personally up to.

I feel like a lot of the written content of days passed is just what they express on the podcasts and videos. I am truly a fan of the HotSpot as we get to here more opinions from the Giant Bomb crew and I encourage those that want to hear more from Jeff, Vinny, Brad, and Alex to take a listen!

I think over the years the tone of the site, especially when it comes to writing, has depended largely on the composition of the staff. When Patrick and Austin were here there was a lot more emphasis on writing and blog-style updates. Dan, Ben and Abby all contributed to more of a live-stream-of-consciousness style that lent itself less to blogs and more towards videos and podcasts. Part of that will be a generational thing, and part of it will simply be because of staff personal preference - there's no wrong answers. However, it does imply that whoever comes next, now that Ben and Abby have both left, will have the potential to steer the ship a little when it comes to written work, so I hope we get someone who is as enthusiastic about writing as everyone in this thread :)

Jeff wrote a buncha stuff around his goty list that made me go "oh yeah, there are writers here at giant bomb dot com."

Would love to see more of it.

Sadly, 3 of the best writers for GB, Alex, Brad, and Austin are no longer with GB.

Definitely wish they would still write, but I think the site has changed quite a bit as far as content, and how they are delivering that content. Written pieces do not seem to be the popular trend now either with the focus on video content from just about every outlet.

As said earlier, I liked the GOTY write ups, but too bad it is on such a limited basis. Its nice to hear a collected and focused set of thoughts instead of the riffing type of conversations that come from videos (which are great too, its just two different formats)

@hannahharrisbgg: You would think a spam bot advertising an essay writing website would write better spam. Your post doesn't contain a single metaphor. No repetition of theme. No gradual building of evidence to support your conclusion. It's like you're not even trying.

Come on bot. You can do better.