Been a fun week seeing Caitlins story getting so much out there. Even Fox News and MSN have made note of it now... and it still seems to be rolling out there. Been some time since I pushed out a feature story that got this kind of continued momentum. Of course, due to this comes some of the typical why doesnt so and so get this and why didnt this other person get that speak that I only seem to get from the retro video game playing groups. So while this should be old hat to most, Im going to touch base on this again. Im not a reporter nor a news guy in video gaming. Anyone who does, or has ever, painted me as that is in error. The piece done on Caitlin was not a report about a new world record. It wasnt done because of the score she set or the game title she did it on. SHE was the story. Thats what I do. I tell gamers stories. Id already been chatting on Twitter with Caitlin for some time now and was already considering a feature on her before her record-setting score on Saturday. I pulled the trigger earlier than Id planned because of it... but it wasnt the reason why I featured her. The stories I try to tell out there are ones that are far more than this person just set a score or this person just made a game... and they always have been. I aim to break stereotypes in video gaming and inspire people by telling these stories... and yes, personality sells, too. Caitlins backstory encompassed all of these. Yes, part of the push is that she is a woman. A lot of people dont think that women game at all... and a LOT of the competitive arcade scene thinks and speaks that way. This went against a stereotype... which is what I do. All due respect to Anthony... who seems like a cool kinda dude... but man retakes arcade record doesnt exactly break stereotypes, serve to inspire or appeal (in my opinion) to a mainstream pop culture audience... which happens, btw, to be my target audience. Other examples of features I did and why. - Hank Chien. Hanks first media push was HUUUUUGE. Why? It wasnt because he broke the Donkey Kong world record... it was because a doctor and Harvard educated person broke the Donkey Kong world record. Fox News brought him on TV specifically because of that. - Brian Allen. The feature on Brian wasnt done just because he hit a Donkey Kong kill screen... it was because he did so in the face of numerous people online who have bullied and harassed him, including hacking his Twitch channel and erasing his emotional tribute to a lost family member. It was a story about a guy who refused to quit or succumb to harassment moreso than what he did on some video game. - Tim McVey. It wasnt that he was trying to bust a world record (and eventually did so) but that he was trying to regain a record he got a lot of attention for back in the day that takes almost 48 hours in one sitting to do... and doing so after all that time. Pop culture ties also help.... games like Pac-Man, Frogger and Q*bert will get attention simply because they have deep rooted pop culture ties. Makes them easy sells out there. Yes, I need to get mine out of these, too. I make my living at this. If it doesnt draw traffic and chatter... I cant take the time, especially these days when time is not a luxury I have as much as I used to. Yes, its fully my decision to make that call, too... just like NBC has the right to decide what shows to air based on what they feel can best draw them ratings and revenue. They aint running a charity service and neither am I. Now... back to the Splatterhouse thing... will I do a feature on Anthony at some point? Perhaps... but as of right now, for what I do I didnt feel the potential. Again... keep in mind that Im NOT a reporter nor am I required to feature anything or anyone. Its not like I took a hippocratic oath like a doctor does or something. For the record, though... I am strongly considering a follow up on the friendly rivalry between them both and am monitoring it from here. I also updated the feature on Caitlin from Monday with the events that followed over the past few days. Do those who feel everyone should get reports and media for their high scores have a point? Sometimes they do. I am not the person to go to for that, though... nor have I ever been. If you want a reporter or video game journalist there are plenty out there... some of which are damn good. Thats not who I am nor what Ive ever been. I gotta pick and choose and have the full right to do so. Some people might not agree with that... nor like it... but thats the way it is. I dont report on scores.... I tell the stories of the people who I feel provide positives to the overall video game culture. Always have and always will do it that way.
Posted on: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 16:30:31 +0000
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