Kyle Orland’s Workblog

Media Coverage continues its look at those bits of game writing that just rub some people the wrong way.

(full article) 

"Haha, I have more friends than you."

The schoolyard taunt in my instant messenger box was pretty easy to dismiss. For one, it was coming from my 12-year-old cousin, who is always trying to find some petty way to get under my skin. For another, the taunt was based not on a deep, insightful discussion of our social lives, but from a quick perusal of our competing MySpace pages.

I was a latecomer to the MySpace craze, signing up primarily to view the profiles of a few close friends and family members. My cousin, on the other hand, had quickly made MySpace the center of her middle school social life. A quick conversation confirmed that her impressive-sounding list of 180-plus friends was comprised mostly of classmates she barely knew, random strangers that spammed her with friend requests and a few "friends" that were actually her friends in real life.

But all these mitigating factors didn’t really help me shake the annoying feeling I got when comparing her massive friend count to the paltry dozen or so friends on my list. It was an unmistakable feeling at the pit of my stomach that would be familiar to any gamer with even a hint of ego - a feeling that combines the shame of failure and the shame of caring so much about something so trivial.
image

I felt like I was losing. At MySpace, of all things.

(full article)

The game industry has plenty of controversy, but the world of game journalism certainly produces its own fair share. Media Coverage take  a look at the most controversial bits of game writing from the last few years.

(full article) 

When game journalists aren’t writing reviews, most of their time is spent putting together previews for the "hottest upcoming games." Media Coverage looks at some of the problems with the standard game preview.

(full article) 

Media coverage takes a bittersweet look at the eclectiv mix of previews, columns and codes that was the old Tips & Tricks.

(full article) 

Media Coverage takes a second look at issues covered in previous columns. Don’t worry, the column is still a USDA-approved source of new content. And riboflavin!

(full article) 

Game coverage these days isn’t all about enthusiast magazines and websites. Media Coverage talks to some journalists (including N’Gai Croal, Stephen Totilo and Chris Morris) who write about games for general interest publications.

(full article) 

The American arcade industry is dying.

Sure, there are still some signs of life in the huge, multifaceted family entertainment centers like Dave & Busters, and your local mini-golf course or bowling alley might have a few antiquated games, but the conventional wisdom today maintains that the real action in American gaming can be found inside the home.

But what if I told you there was an arcade revolution going on right under your nose? What if I told you manufacturers were putting out svelte, flatscreen machines with dozens of games, flashing LED exteriors and 3-D graphics? What if I told you the top manufacturer of these machines currently has 250,000 units on the market, rivaling the imprint of mega-selling classics like Pac-Man and Donkey Kong in their heyday, and brings in over a billion dollars a year?

What if I told you there was probably one in your neighborhood?

The arcade isn’t dying. You just have to change your idea of what an arcade is.

(full article) 

Don’t get your hopes up — this column ended up getting a seven out of ten. That’s OK though. At Media Coverage, five is average.

(full article)

The focus in gaming journalism nowadays seems to be very much on online publications. Media Coverage gives some game magazine proponents a chance to defend the continued existence of the dead tree format. 

(full article)