Games media layoffs, KOTOR, and the great Twitter exodus
It’s the round-up posts of round-up posts
Hi there! This is a tad embarrassing. I had meant to update Changelog more frequently, but an avalanche of work (mostly non-games stuff) came by, so sitting down to write a post became increasingly challenging. Now it’s two months after my first post! For what’s worth, I’ll try to update this page a lot more, especially given the general sense of malaise around social media (*cough* 𝕏 ) these days.
But first things first—I wanted to be a bit more open about the behind-the-scenes stuff on my journalism work. By and large, I haven’t had much success these days nailing stories; most sites are either out of budget, or just not responsive at all. Plus, coming up with feature ideas and pitches is particularly time-consuming on my end, with zero guarantees that any of these would be picked up, so it’s getting harder to justify spending more time on the pitching process. If you’re a veteran in the space and am getting steady work, please share your tips! Conversely, if you’re just starting out in this space, I’m sorry to suggest that this is pretty much the reality of work in this side of the media these days.
But okay, on to the meat of this update:
Not-so-quick plugs!
#1: Gamesindustry.biz - “Why do games media layoffs keep happening?”
I do have some stories that were picked up though. One of the biggest report I’ve done this year so far is the trend of rampant, careless layoffs in games media for Gamesindustry.biz, where I interviewed several peers and journalists from Fanbyte, The Washington Post’s Launcher, Future publications, and Gamurs publications, while speaking to a lawyer—Wileen Leu, senior counsel from Morrison Rothman—about how we can better protect ourselves as journalists. The manner that many of these layoffs were carried out was particularly callous. One of the most astonishing things I’ve learned is the short quote appended on the email for laid-off Fanbyte journalists: “According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a worker will go through an average of 12 to 15 jobs in their lifetime. This is just a small bump in your career and we sincerely hope you will come back stronger." I have no words for this.
The interview process for this story isn’t the easiest either. I spoke to around 20 folks, and then had to go through the tedious process of individually transcribing and digesting everything. And as I was updating the story, several waves of new layoffs were taking place concurrently, from Inverse to the closure of Vice’s Waypoint. Then there’s the navigating the cynicism around making a living as a journalist these days—whew. Writing this piece was cathartic, but at the end of the day, I’m not sure if it matters very much. I do hope that, at the very least, it helps fellow writers learn how to better defend themselves against being exploited in this hellscape.
There are a few additional bits I wasn’t able to include in the report for Gamesindustry.biz, though. One thing I wanted to expound on is what Leu shared with me about legal protection for journalists. While in the midst of writing this piece months ago, there was a bit of chatter about the legality of vaguely worded NDAs, with several laid off writers sharing that the NDAs they’ve signed were pretty much in perpetuity, since the terms are phrased in largely ambiguous terms. When the line gets too blurred, this can also function as non-compete clauses, which can lead to not-so-great consequences (you may get into trouble working for a competitor, for instance). That's why it’s important to read through your contract if you're accepting a writing gig, and negotiate NDA terms that’re more specific and limited in scope:
“We do caution our own clients nowadays to limit the NDA to [a] very specific scope, like instead of just saying “you can never talk about this, you can't talk about the company” [...] we try to restrict the NDA in some way so that it's only for a certain time period, you know, six months, [or] a year after you receive your severance,” says Leu. “And that it's limited in scope—meaning, you cannot disclose very specific things because when you limit the NDA, it becomes more enforceable but sometimes if the NDA is too broad in scope and it gets challenged in court, [...] the risk is that you might have an agreement that's unenforceable if you have an NDA that's overly broad.”
And, of course, join a union if you can—like what the folks from Launcher did.
Another aspect I wanted to delve into is the series of Gamurs layoffs, especially for freelance writers who are already severely, severely underpaid. If full-time staff writers are already at a disadvantage when signing contracts, it is probably going to be a lot worse for freelance writers, who have very little in the way of legal protection, and this felt like a loophole that Gamurs exploited. And of course, who can forget that Gamurs had very famously searched for an AI editor?
There are plenty more I wish I could delve into for this report; to be honest, every single writer I’ve spoken to has told me so much about their experiences that it’s heartbreaking. Some have gotten back on their feet, others are working in PR, and several have simply exited the industry altogether—sadly, not of their own accord. That said, I’m not too sure about the legality of publishing stories like that on my own yet, and if I somehow manage to find a way to do so, I may share a bit more in the future.
Meanwhile, I’ve been attempting to pitch a story on the Gamurs layoffs and the publisher on the whole; if you’re an editor who is interested in commissioning this story, please contact me.
#2: Gameshub - “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Is Still Legendary, 20 Years Later”
There are some games you just love for "old times' sake", and for me, this was the first Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR). I wasn't a big Star Wars fan to begin with, so efforts to articulate why exactly I love KOTOR was a tad challenging. Sometimes games are just fun, you know, because you get to shoot stuff with blasters, engage in breathtaking space combat, and lacerate baddies with the searing hot blade of a frickin’ lightsaber. Sometimes it feels like there’s nothing more, really, to enjoying a darn good game.
But for KOTOR’s 20th anniversary—yes, the game was released two decades ago—I wanted to put into words the significance of this very special RPG. There’s a sense of enormity to this Star Wars game when it was released back then; it felt like the game had the biggest in-game universe ever, and with the most melodramatic of the hero's journey. This resulted in me writing an article about KOTOR’s countless spectacles for Gameshub.
Admittedly, I’m a bigger fan of KOTOR II because 1) everything Obsidian touches is somehow gold, even if janky and broken, and 2) the concept of the death of the Force, and the atrocities of Kreia are incredibly compelling. Nonetheless, there’s plenty to be nostalgic about with KOTOR, and I was glad to wax lyrical about it for the site.
#3 NPR - “The best games of 2023 so far” (which is the System Shock remake)
NPR is one of those publications that I know would be incredible to write for, and after sending a couple of (rejected) pitches to the editor, I had the opportunity to write a short blurb on the System Shock remake. Not quite a byline, but happy to have my name appear in there in some form. Moral of the story: persistence sometimes works.
I’ll probably also be writing a bit about the System Shock remake for everybody’s favourite indie crit publication featuring shooters. IYKYK!
#4 Jordan Minor - “Video Game of The Year” book
Jordan had very kindly asked if I would like to contribute a small blurb for his book about one of the best games I’ve played in recent years. Of course I said yes—and submitted a short bit about one that’s very much under-the-radar in the western side of the video gaming world (it’s a Chinese RPG). A little more than a year later, this became one of the coolest projects I was part of, and I was also sent a copy of the book. My cat, too, is super thrilled about it. Look at the excitement in her eyes!
If you wish to get a copy of the book—and honestly, why wouldn’t you?—you should head to this link right here.
Other random bits
I have a Bluesky now, if alternative platforms to Twitter are your thing. Please say hi to me at @crapstacular.bsky.social. Or you can click here!
Honestly, I much prefer Mastodon as a Twitter alternative, since it’s open source and decentralised. Find me at @crapstacular@mastodon.social (no direct link—Mastodon is just confusing AF).
I do not have Threads or Cohost. But I’m sadly still posting on the social media formerly known as Twitter. My advice? Just stay off social media if you can.
Until next time, folks. If you like what you see, let me know—and perhaps consider subscribing, too!