N’Gai Croal is leaving Newsweek (link - his last post). I don’t really know what he will be doing from now on but i really hope he stays within the videogames industry. Videogames need N’Gai’s and other serious journalists’ influence to keep maturing as a medium.
The way i play and see games has changed a lot in the last couple of years as i have tried to keep myself thinking of what i am doing and feeling during a game. It’s not just about enjoying the moments in games now but also trying to understand why. In these couple of years games journalism and critique has started to move beyond reviews. Now people with great writing and thinking skills, who are not just kids who play games for a living, have started to influence the way we see games.
I think a leading figure in this “movement” has been N’Gai. He has always been able to ask the questions to both developers and gamers that were always waiting under the surface but never asked. I remember one post about Manhunt on the PSP. He found the game to be average and had many games lined up to play. Yet he was really hooked on it and could not undestand why. He wanted to know what qualities it had that were not obvious but yet sufficient to keep him playing.
As i was playing Freedom Fighters and Beyond Good & Evil (both of course better than average) recently i kept asking myself, why do i like these games? For the most part i could not answer my own questions beyond that it had cute graphics, tight controls and a friendly user interface. The usual checklist. I could not find the words to explain what i was feeling and thinking. But at least now i am aware of it.
As we ourselves mature it’s important to not be just gamers but also critical gamers. I think people like N’Gai have to take the credit for this new way of thinking about games.
Bookmark/Search this post with:
Re: Good luck N'Gai
I never knew N'Gai was leaving, that's a shame. Will have to keep a closer eye on his Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/ncroal) to see where he lands.
As you say, asking the questions is the easy part, its the answers that are hard to find. It's funny how something as basic a questions as why you like something can be so hard to explain.
It used to be a case of gamers (without any writting skills) writting up the reviews that would be published. It is only very recently that their has been a push for a more serious form of journalism and it is these people that we are relying on to push gaming into mainstream entertainment circles where it belongs.
I have personally given up on reading reviews and I am more interested in listening to the various individuals' ,that I have grown to know and admire, discuss games and the direction of the industry.
In any case, N'Gai we wish you good luck in your future endeavours.
Re: Good luck N'Gai
Let's hope he stays within the industry.