Game journalist survey: 75% say they won’t cover blockchain game news

blockchain game According to, it is very unpopular among game journalists. Investigation 160 writers from video game PR agency Big Games Machine.

About 75% of respondents said they are unlikely to cover blockchain gaming news in the next six months to a year. Of course, if they had asked me, I would have answered that I would cover it. They claim to have sent us a survey, but I don’t see it in my inbox.

Non-fungible tokens that use blockchain digital ledgers to authenticate unique digital items have proven incredibly divisive between gamers and game developers.Team17 and GSC Gameworld Dropped plans to do an NFT after gamers complained loudly on social media. And while games journalists may sit on top of that fray as objective reporters, that’s not what’s really happening. Instead, gaming journalists are highly hostile to the subject, says Big Games Machine. Gaming journalists agreed with his backlash against NFTs, with only 5% saying he would be very likely to cover blockchain games.

Journalists believe that audiences are not interested or receptive to covering blockchain games.

“While others said they were generally uninterested in covering blockchain games, others were more passionate in the way they expressed their dislike of blockchain games.” the report said.

Games journalists expressed a bias for the status quo in their responses.

As one gaming journalist put it, “I have yet to see a legitimate or compelling use for integrating blockchain options into games.

Another person in the survey said:The market is flooded and we don’t see
Articles about blockchain games have a large readership.”

Another games journalist parroted what game developers said against NFTs, stating: It’s touted as a panacea for problems that don’t exist and don’t add real value to players. ”

Even if Ethereum moves to proof-of-stake verification and layer-2 chains reduce the cost of transactions and reduce the environmental side effects of transactions, another argues that the “environmentally harmful” nature of blockchain. was brought out.

Staff and freelance journalists from publications such as Eurogamer, Kotaku, CNET and IGN collaborated on the survey, many of whom shared additional context about their responses in the form of comments.

my hot take

Of course, my view is different. One of the lessons of being a business publication that deals with games is that you have to follow the money. Blockchain games may not have been all that fun, but they will generate billions of dollars in 2021.

Its success has created a cycle of hype that many skeptics rightly suspect. In the first half of this year the 1/3 to 1/2 of the money Game company investments went to blockchain game companies, according to a report from Stats Tracker. Drake Star Partners and game invest.

I’ve spoken to many game developers in the industry. Chris Casarke To Rami Ismail, they say that the arguments against blockchain games outweigh the possible benefits. I’ve spoken to numerous gaming business leaders who believe chain games are an opportunity to decentralize power in the world. It gives gamers ownership of the gaming industry and what gamers buy.

These leaders liken blockchain games to the beginnings of free-to-play mobile and social gaming a decade ago. Hardcore gamers and many game developers had a similar aversion to the free-to-play business model. They were fraudulent and associated with low-quality games and get-rich-quick schemes. But free-to-play games have helped him grow his audience tenfold, becoming a major form of entertainment, and now accounting for more than half of the gaming business’ revenue.

Proponents believe it could happen again in blockchain games. I’m not here to agree or disagree with that. I’m here to cover one of the biggest divisions in the gaming industry, so I can see who gets confused. I don’t think the role of a games journalist is to choose which format of games to write about. Both when the hype cycle started and when it ended and we moved to something new like the Metaverse, we have to cover it. Check if the blockchain plays a role in keeping the metaverse open.

I don’t think all blockchain game transactions are good deals and I see a lot of scams. I write about them when I can. I have seen the consequences of the collapse of cryptocurrencies and his NFTs on the market and players who want to make money. But our job is to screen out scammers and potential leaders. We ask them about their business ethics and how they can turn their behavior around. Their answer is that when a quality game (one that takes years to create) is fleshed out with the right technology and business model, mindsets change.

Games journalism is hurting

I’m not here to fight with my co-workers. Especially since we are in a time of deep recession. The survey also shows how businesses are taking a hit and journalists are overworked. Sadly, saw the layoffs this week On FanByte, G4, and Future. We’ve also seen longtime leaders leave publications like Game Informer.

With my deepest sympathy for those who have lost their jobs, it’s easy to see why journalists are disappearing and moving on to other industries. Most of the time they see themselves becoming game makers. I’ve been covering his game for 26 years, and few of my peers have lasted as long as I have. It’s not an easy life. However, I have always been passionate about this work and it has allowed me to reach out to so many people in the games industry. Many of them have spoken over and over again over the years.

It’s clear that the medium has changed with the advent of influencers, creators, streamers, and more. About 76% of respondents admit that a shared space exists between influencers and game-her journalists. However, many point to differences between the two and complain that influencers are given preferential treatment (code, access) over journalists, says the report.

With ever-increasing workloads, increasing pressure on KPIs, and shrinking resources to cover a never-ending list of games, respondents share the reality of working in games journalism in 2022, says the report. increase.

“The gaming industry is becoming more and more competitive and we are seeing a growing and evolving media landscape as a result. Pressure on journalists has increased since we first conducted this survey in 2018. We’ve seen it in action,” said James Kaye, director of Big Games Machine, in a statement. “Unfortunately, the 2022 survey results show that journalists are working under greater pressure, but nevertheless, they are getting the requisite amount to review titles from publishers and PR professionals. No lead time has been given, which is a problem, especially given the size of Triple A games and the additional time required to write these reviews and create additional content formats around them.”

With over half of respondents creating video content and 40% creating podcast/audio content, PR professionals should ensure that media kits/assets have enough audio and video when pitching a game for review. You need to make sure it contains content.

While online blogs and websites remain the primary content medium for respondents, it is interesting to note that more than half also produce video content. It’s not clear if this content is specific to the site they wrote for, or to platforms such as YouTube or his Twitch.

Either way, PR guys should include additional video content in their media kits beyond typical game trailers so that time-pressed journalists don’t have to spend extra time collecting footage. You may want to consider

The life of a game journalist

According to the report, 42% of game journalists receive between 11 and 30 pitches each day, and 21% receive more than 30 pitches each day. I get over 500 emails a day, and I don’t know how many of them are sales.

Journalists aren’t given enough time by PR and game studios to review games and do a good job. Most respondents expressed dissatisfaction with short lead times, with more than half stating that he has three weeks as the minimum lead time required to properly review a game before release. increase.

The transition from ‘traditional’ media platforms to ‘multimedia’ platforms is well underway. According to the report, more than 50% of his respondents create video content and 40% create audio content and podcasts.

PC is the most popular platform for journalists, with over 86% of respondents reviewing games on this platform. This compares to Nintendo Switch (84%), PlayStation 5 (76%) and Xbox Series X/S (67%).

About 40% of respondents are engaged in podcasting, and BGM expects this to grow as podcasts attract larger audiences and services such as Spotify and Apple Music heavily promote podcasts. . PRs and studios should consider how to track coverage for podcasts and how to work with journalists to create them.
Podcast content, such as providing studio staff for interviews.

Less than 10% of journalists create content for print publications. It’s no secret that gaming magazines are getting harder and harder to find in stores. A return to the golden age of gaming magazines is unlikely, but Wireframe, Switch Player and of course the lovely Lost In Cult’s [lock-on] game magazine.

More than 80% of respondents said it was “important” or “very important” to pitch their games directly from the developer or publisher, indicating how much they valued a direct relationship and how important it was. We would like to emphasize that we appreciate the studios who are taking the time to That said, 68% of journalists had the same reaction to being contacted by PR Epople.

Also interesting is the influence of other gaming media on journalists when deciding which games to cover, with 40% of journalists saying it is moderately important. For journalists, seeing competing publications dedicate a lot of time and space to a game they don’t plan to cover can affect them.

Access to virtual reality hardware is a potential issue for game reviews, with only 35% of respondents having access to VR platforms.

Tips, guides, and walkthroughs are becoming increasingly popular among journalists, largely due to SEO factors. His 34% of respondents are involved in guide/walkthrough work. Let’s be honest, GamesBeat’s own revenue doesn’t depend on his SEO factors, so he doesn’t cover many things that are popular with other games journalists. Our events generate our revenue and help us focus on building community among gaming business leaders.

next gaming event GamesBeat Summit Next 2022 It takes place October 25-26 in San Francisco. You can probably learn about blockchain games and the metaverse, and a traditional game or two as well.