Journalistic Decthalon:

The Hurdles of Writing in the Video Game Industry

By Ralsu

“Dude, you have the dream job!” I hear that comment every now and again, and it's true for the most part. All the same, writing for the video game industry isn't just play; there's a fair amount of work involved! The path from article concept to publication is a difficult one, including a number of tasks—each of which could ruin the whole project: planning, meeting the deadline, surviving editing in tact, converting it to HyperText Markup Language (HTML, the language of the Internet), placing advertising, publishing, dealing with reader responses, and trying to earn a living. I will address each of these challenges in my experience in writing for Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach (DDO).

Planning

Take this editorial as an example of the planning stage. My idea for an article discussing the hurdles of writing about DDO first cropped up at the end of May when I was planning content for the month of June here on DDO @ Ten Ton Hammer. With the topic identified, the next step was to select a writer. The obvious first choice was Karen “Shayalyn” Hertzberg, then Community Manager of DDO @ Ten Ton Hammer. Shayalyn had the most experience writing about video games among the staff on this site.

Murphy's Law kicked in immediately, and Shayalyn moved to another site in the Ten Ton Hammer network—dropping the assignment in my lap. Since I didn't expect to write this editorial, I postponed it to July so that I would have time to give it proper consideration. Not every writer gets to be involved in the planning stage like me, and even when we do we often get notification of assignments at the last minute. This presents another obstacle for writers: deadlines.

Meeting the Deadline

First of all, it is sometimes hard to feel motivated about writing about a topic someone else picked. Second, a tight deadline can prevent a writer from doing as much research or adding the level of polish he wants. Finally, life gets in the way. Maybe a writer has a day job. Maybe she goes to school. DDO @ Ten Ton Hammer's Lyle Vertigo serves in the armed forces. All of these factors can make a deadline loom like a death sentence.

Surviving Editing

Once the article is written—often finished at 2am of the morning of the day it is due for writers with a heavy workload or poor time management—it still has to pass through the editorial process. Editors have deadlines, too, and they usually have several articles to edit at once. The consequence for the writer is that he seldom gets an opportunity to review the editor's changes prior to publication. Just ask our own Darkgolem about how frustrating that can be.

Converting to HTML

Now if all a writer does is write, she is likely a volunteer or freelance writer. Today's industry most often necessitates an understanding of web design and HTML. Thus, a writer frequently needs to convert his article into HTML and post it to a website. The conversion process requires a dependable HTML composer (think word processor of the Internet) or a lot of meticulous hand coding.
Placing Advertising
In order to maintain a server that can handle the hits a typical gaming news site gets and pay the writers to keep quality content coming in, most sites use advertising generate revenue. The types of ads used varies:
-banners at the tops and/or sides of pages
-blocks that appear within a story
-interstitial (you click a link and are directed to an advertising page where you must click another link to continue to the page you really want to see)
-pop-ups
-pop-unders
Some sites offer subscriptions to users that allow them to view the site without ads. Writers may have to insert the HTML for the ads into the article during the conversion process. It's a small but important step; companies want their ads displayed prominently and neatly.

Dealing with Reader Responses

Since I've mentioned ads, it's no great feat to transition into how that subject generated a lot of response from readers. I've been visiting gaming new sites online since before any of them used advertising. As more and more Internet users sought information, the costs of maintaining a gaming news site soared and ads became necessary. Here at Ten Ton Hammer, we feel strongly about the types of ads we use on our network. We want our ads to be from respectable merchants and service providers. You won't see any ads from third parties trying to sell you DDO gold and ruin the DDO economy here! Also, you won't see ads for pornography or illegal activities. You'll only see real products and services offered by legitimate companies. Some of our ads even invite readers to try a 7-day trial of DDO! All the same, many gamers are offended by the presence of ads. On several occasions I or another DDO @ Ten Ton Hammer writer has had to defend our use of ads to bring our readers content. Shayalyn even ranted about it in her blog.

Ads aren't the only reason a writer might face criticism for his article. If the tight deadline didn't give a writer enough time to do extensive research or to interview enough people, he may feel the wrath of the readers. If the writer expresses an unpopular opinion, he could be attacked for it. And as I've mentioned, a site's use of advertising could lead readers to view him as a money-grubbing spawn of evil. He'll get the question, “Why don't you post the article on the official forums if you're not just greedy for hits on your site?”

Trying to Earn a Living

The continual accusations of greed segue into another difficulty for writers: the pay. Up front, let me say that I am not complaining about my salary from Ten Ton Hammer. But also keep in mind that I work another job. I have a wife and a daughter to support, and I couldn't do it on my Ten Ton Hammer pay alone. So I use my master's degree for a job at a university during the day and my passion for DDO and writing skills when I get home to give you content here on DDO @ Ten Ton Hammer. I hope no one will begrudge me my efforts to provide for my family!

While contract writers seldom receive benefits, volunteer writers get even less. They have to make do with sincere gratitude from Community Managers who would be hard-pressed to do it without them. Their motivation is pure: they want to help people and enjoy the game.

Parting Thoughts

I have described the hurdles of writing about DDO for you. I do this not to complain—I love my job!—or scare you. I do it to inform you. Hopefully, my inside perspective will help you understand how it all works in the “dream job.” For those of you who have considered writing in the video game industry, I feel I have been honest with you about the trials you'll face. If you have read all of the above and know that you're up to the challenge, consider volunteering for DDO @ Ten Ton Hammer. We want to give our readers the best and freshest DDO information in a convenient layout. You can help make that happen!

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