London, 22 September 2022 -. A new survey of over 160 video game journalists has found that journalists are working under increasing pressure, with over 42% receiving 11-30 pitches every day and many citing that a lack of time is the main reason they pass on opportunities. With an ever-increasing workload, an amplified pressure on KPIs, and shrinking resources to cover a never-ending list of games, respondents share the reality of working in gaming journalism in 2022.
The survey, commissioned by video games PR agency Big Games Machine, featured input from video game journalists across the media landscape, including print, web, and video. Staff and freelance journalists from publications including Eurogamer, Kotaku, CNET, and IGN contributed to the survey, with many of them sharing additional context on their answers in the form of comments.
Key findings include:
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42% of respondents receive between 11 and 30 pitches daily, and 21% of respondents receive over 30 pitches daily.
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Blockchain gaming is exceptionally unpopular amongst journalists. The vast majority of video game journalists are disinterested in covering the topic, with 75% of respondents stating it’s ‘unlikely’ they will cover Blockchain gaming news.
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76% of respondents acknowledged the shared space between influencers and game journalists exists. However, many noted the differences between the two and aired frustrations when influencers are given preferential treatment (codes, access) over journalists.
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Journalists aren’t being given enough time from PRs and game studios to review games and do their jobs properly. Most respondents aired frustrations with short lead times, and over half said a three-week lead is the minimum needed to review a game properly before a launch.
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The transition from ‘traditional’ media platforms to ‘multimedia’ platforms is well underway. Over 50% of respondents produce video content, and 40% create audio content and/or podcasts.
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PC is the most popular platform for journalists, with over 86% of respondents reviewing games on the platform. This is compared to Nintendo Switch (84%), PlayStation 5 (76%), and Xbox Series X/S (67%).
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Access issues to virtual reality hardware are a potential issue for game reviews, with only 35% of respondents having access to VR platforms.
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Tips, guides, and walkthroughs are becoming an increasingly popular beat with journalists, mainly due to SEO factors. 34% of respondents are involved with guide/walkthrough work.
James Kaye, co-founder, and Director at Big Games Machine said:
“The games industry is growing increasingly competitive, and as a result, we are seeing the media landscape grow and evolve. Since we first conducted this survey in 2018, we have seen the pressures mount on journalists. Unfortunately, the findings from the 2022 survey demonstrate that journalists are working under increased pressure but, despite this, are not given the lead times they need from publishers and PR professionals to review titles. This is problematic, especially given the size of AAA games and the additional time required to write up these reviews and create additional content formats around them.
“Thanks to the input and additional comments from game journalists, we also highlighted many areas where PR professionals can improve their pitching process to journalists. We hope the findings from this survey will lead to improved ways of working.”
The survey helped to raise £500 for charity SpecialEffect, as a donation was given for every response received.
Download the full survey from: https://www.biggamesmachine.com/game-journalist-survey
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For more information, please contact:
Big Games Machine
Email: jack@biggamesmachine.com
About Big Games Machine
Big Games Machine is a specialist PR agency for the global video game industry covering B2B and B2C audiences. With clients ranging from independent game studios and AAA publishers to software providers and blue chip corporations, Big Games Machine’s content-first approach involves a heavy focus on creating data-driven reports, research and intelligence gathering (just like this!) to all of the usual stuff you’d expect from a PR agency: game launches, PR, media and influencer relations, events management, award submissions and a whole bunch more.