Dear Freelance Dude,
I landed my first freelance job recently. Part of what I would like to include is an interview with someone in the videogame industry. What’s the best way to get a hold of someone and conduct an interview when you have no prior contact?
Signed,
Derek T.
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“A celebration of the hard work of both bedroom coders and smaller established studios alike, the annual Independent Games Festival shines a much-needed spotlight on the boldest, most innovative, and most creative projects from indie developers around the world. In this first installment of our two-part piece highlighting the competition’s 2012 PC game finalists, we poke and prod the noggins of the developers behind this promising batch of upcoming releases.”
Check out the full feature here at GameSpy.
Dear Freelance Dude,
What are the repercussions of having a pitch rejected? Will getting a pitch rejection put you on “The List” of writers to ignore future pitches from, since there are a ton of other writers who can fill your place instead? Failure is a lot easier to cope with when there are future opportunities to try again! Also, are there any actions, outside of full-on disrespect and rudeness, that can jeopardize your relationship with a publication before it even starts? I don’t want to relocate to San Francisco in order to further my goal of becoming a games writer, only to find out that no one will take me because of something I did two years prior.
Thanks,
Andrew T.
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“For a small indie studio, selling more than 4.7 million copies of your debut game is pretty incredible. Beginning in 2009, the blocky but absorbing sandbox fantasy realm within Minecraft grabbed a hold of gamers’ hearts (and eventually, their wallets) with surprising ferocity. Its runaway success on PC skyrocketed creator Markus “Notch” Persson and his development team, Mojang, into the mainstream public eye, generating some serious green in the process.
It’s no surprise that plenty of “me too” imitators have come pouring out of the woodwork to vie for a piece of the action, especially on platforms like the Xbox 360, where it has been unavailable. If you’re an Xbox 360 owner itching to get a taste of Minecraft’s RPG-survivalist building, crafting, and exploring adventure, that’s not such a bad thing. The Xbox Live Indie Games Channel is already packing a few crafty clones that offer a similar experience — and they’re pretty awesome for the few bucks you’ll spend on them. We still have a few months to wait before Minecraft hits Xbox Live this spring, so why not dig into these indies in the meantime?”
Check out the full article here at OXM.
Dear Freelance Dude,
So I’ve been writing for an average sized gaming site for a few months now (we get around 10-20k hits a day now that the holiday season is over), and now I feel like I need to seek bigger and better opportunities, mainly because writing for this site doesn’t pay anything. I mean, sure, it gets me free games, and that is nice; but I want to pay bills with my writing.
Everywhere I look, all I ever seem to find are freelance jobs that want to pay as little as $2 per article or are simply volunteer jobs. I own every current gen system, aside from the 3DS, and will be getting a Vita on day one. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Signed,
GamerDadtheGreatPlus8
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Dear Freelance Dude,
With the current economic state in mind, do you think games journalism is (still) a viable career option?
Signed,
KnucklesSonic8
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“It’s not often that a game’s splash screen is so alarmingly bizarre that it forces you to pause for a moment to consider whether or not it’s a good idea to proceed. Space Giraffe gets off to such a weird start that it makes you wonder if you’ve just been dosed with hallucinogens. You’re greeted with a swirling neon vortex punctuated with a fuzzed-out bobbing giraffe head, a child’s voice chanting repetitive gibberish, and high pitch electronic space blips — and that’s before you even start playing. While this love-it-or-hate-it retro space shooter made a splash with its over-the-top psychedelic freakiness, equally memorable is the controversy that surrounded its creator’s outspoken response to critic reviews and meager sales.”
Check out the full article here at Official Xbox Magazine.
Dear Freelance Dude,
I’m wondering what the rule is for debug consoles and freelancers. I’m trying to branch out, and one of the things I’ve realized makes one more enticing to publications is access to a debug. As freelancers, are we able to obtain these magical machines? If so, how?
Signed,
Matt H.
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“It’s rare when a game’s sheer beauty and elegance has the power to hook me from the very moment I start playing. Toren’s story-driven puzzle adventure follows the tale of a young girl trapped inside a crumbled tower guarded by the doom-inducing gaze of a horrific monster who watches from afar. But it’s far more than that. Every facet of her meticulous ascent through the ominous spire — from her initially playful outlook to the way time rapidly ages her as she climbs higher — has a poetic grace to it that simply captivates. The early stretch of this indie held me transfixed to my PC screen, yet one niggling question remained: Can immaculate style and storytelling keep bare-bones gameplay afloat? “
Check out the full preview here at GameSpy.
Dear Freelance Dude,
I’ve been studying journalism for about three years now, and I got a job in layout at a newspaper currently. I want to make the jump in writing (gaming, sports, etc.), but I try to send writing samples to get critiques and advice from different outlets and I don’t get anything back. So, my question is, how can I get some sort of feedback in regards to sending samples to professionals?
Signed,
Tanner L.
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