Klosterman Surfaces, Blowing Rhetoric, Harpooned By NGJ
Having caused a large amount of anguished self-reflection from anybody who has ever written about video games ever, journalist Chuck Klosterman has popped up over at GameSpot News in a detailed, interesting Q&A in which the Klost "outlines the reasons he threw down the gauntlet".
For me, Klosterman comes across most strongly as surprised that anyone actually cares, but his key point is this: "I think that people were confused by my piece. What they seemed to think that I was saying is that no one is doing good video game criticism. And that's not really the point, I wasn't making that argument. What I was saying is that there seems to be no dominant person writing about video games in a way that transcends the insular culture of gaming."
Another good point is made, actually: "If there's somebody in the gaming community that has a problem with it, I totally understand it, and that's fine. I'm just surprised that this is the first time that someone's ever written about this in a mainstream publication. That alone makes it seem worth having done it."
So certainly, the 'enrage game journalists' box can be successfully checked at this point, and some good issues were brought up. But overall, I think we've learned... well, what have we learned? Maybe that we need more forthright personalities in game journalism - people willing to battle the PR machine head on and slay the hydra of mediocrity foreve... oh, it's time for my pills? Thank you, nurse!
Comments
I don't expect even the best video games journalism to "transcend(s) the insular culture of gaming" any more than I expect the best curling journalism to transcend the insular culture of curling, or the best hair-care products journalism to transcend the insular culture of beauticians.
Posted by: Icupnimpn2 | July 12, 2006 9:22 AM
To agree with the above comment - Why does videogame criticism even need to transcend the culture of what it's discussing? Surely that defeats the purpose? Surely it should be gamers speaking to gamers - as opposed to someone who doesn't have a clue speaking to people who are not interested? I think, actually, that the games press needs to get off its high horse and burrow even deeper into the insular culture of videogames, get right down there on the front lines, and smother themselves in the gamers' world. Speak directly to the core interested market. If the rest of the vanilla world wants to take part, then they need to take the time to go through the trials we all have, learning about and absorbing the ways of things. They need to "Game-ify" themselves. They need to Get Geek. They need to become one of us, in order to understand us. If you want access to the club, spend years learning the secret handshake, and stop trying to force this world out into the open; stop trying to transcend it. Because when you do, you will have destoryed and lost something very beautiful. Games and the gaming press are for gamers, no one else. Get over it.
Posted by: The Dude | July 13, 2006 2:25 AM