Dec 22

Dec 22 Amy Eastland's Time In Game Journalism Has Been a Whirlwind | Winter Spectacular 2021

My time in gaming journalism has been a whirlwind that has felt both excruciatingly slow and incredibly fast-paced all at the same time. I studied creative writing and journalism in university and graduated with a 2:2. Unfortunately, it was during COVID, so I didn’t perform at my best. I preferred creative writing in university and I swore that I wouldn’t go into this profession once I finished.

How wrong I was. After looking for jobs and being constantly rejected for not having the right skill type, I was frustrated. Fortunately, I saw a tweet on my business Twitter for TechRaptor’s discord, so, with nothing to lose, I joined. Just like that, I was a freelancer!

It’s time to check in one the How-Mad-Are-WoW-Players-O-Matic 5000.
Oh… Oh dear, they seem to be hitting dangerous levels of “let’s go break the economy in Amazon’s MMO”.

My first feature was about the current state of World of Warcraft, a game I am incredibly passionate about. I was met with open arms and enjoyed every second I had something to write about. I was nervous about working on a team of predominantly men, but quickly realized that this was the norm in the industry. There was nothing I could do about it, so I put up with it and kept to myself for the most part. Hearing that I was going to be paid for my words was a surreal feeling and a mind-blowing concept. I didn’t realize that getting paid in dollars was going to hurt a little due to conversions but, money is money and it was the only income I had.

Soon after, TechRaptor began looking for people to hire full-time. I had done quite a few pieces for them at this point, so I thought I had a shot. I was hired and paid per piece and over the moon about my new position! I would have preferred a salary, but this was a start at least. I was getting to write reviews, pitch features, and explore new games and write guides. It was a blast; until it wasn’t. My writing was suddenly going downhill at a rapid rate. I was barred from writing reviews, despite writing them for other companies and being praised for the good work. I was confused and heartbroken and didn’t know if it was my fault or not. It started to really affect my mental health, but I needed the money so I kept going. I was strictly on guides from then on.

My mental health returned to a semi-normal state, and I was working for TechRaptor as a staff writer and Indie Ranger as a social media manager and freelance journalist. I enjoyed working for multiple sites, despite working for free for Indie Ranger. Although, it did get to a point where I was juggling deadlines and trying to keep myself afloat, and it was a dangerous game. I wish I could look back and tell myself to take it easy, and that I didn’t need to take on so much.

Eventually, the editor I was working with most frequently at TechRaptor left, and my work was never good enough anymore. Errors were constant and large reworks were happening over and over. I started to doubt myself and was seriously thinking of quitting the industry then and there. My pitched features were pinned and never saw the light of day, and my guides tapered off too.

Then the talk came. I got fired on the 20th of October 2021 - just one month after I was officially hired. My heart shattered and I couldn’t stop crying. I panicked and frantically looked for a new job. I felt like I’d failed my family. Even though months have passed, I still feel a tinge of hurt thinking about it all. However, I moved on. I found startmenu, which turned out to be a huge resource for me to find new places to freelance for, and I have gotten to write for amazing sites like GGRecon and Game Watcher.

There have been a lot of ups and downs in my short time thus far in gaming journalism. Do I regret joining the industry? Not at all. However, I still need to learn to take it easy. I push myself too hard and take on too many jobs whilst juggling a masters degree that I have writer’s block for. I still need to learn to ask for what my writing is worth, and not settle for just about anything. Although, I did turn down a job that was offering me $2.50 per article, so I’m proud of myself for that.

Can the next Yakuza game put Kiryu or Ichiban in charge of a video game news site, please?

All in all, video game journalism has been an experience I’ve enjoyed, but there have been some incredibly stressful times that have weighed on my mental health. I’ve tried to take each misstep as a lesson, and that’s really geared me up for what to expect within the industry - I just wish jobs weren’t so precarious. I have met fantastic people along the way who I’m glad to call friends now. I have played amazing games that I otherwise would have never heard about or gone out of my way to play, and I am grateful for all of the opportunities that gaming journalism has given me, and I can’t wait to see where my adventures take me in the future!