4 Tips for Writing About Video Games

4 Tips for Writing About Video Games

If you’re an avid gamer with writing skills, you may have thought about combining your passions as part of a freelance career. After all, who wouldn’t want to get paid for writing about something they enjoy? As the gaming industry grows, large and small publications are looking for skilled writers with an understanding of gaming to contribute to their sites.
You could write on all sorts of topics, including RPGs, battle royale-style games, and casino games. If you’re really good, you may be able to freelance full-time and say goodbye to your day job. Keep reading for 4 Tips for Writing About Video Games.

Find Your Niche

Before you embark on your freelance writing career in gaming, it’s a good idea to think about the video game genres you’re most knowledgeable about. While there are opportunities to write generalist articles, many publications will want you to get into the nitty gritty when talking about the top titles on the market.

As a freelance writer, you may think you’re on your own, and there’s nobody for you to bounce ideas off of. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. As with all professions, most people do their best work when collaborating with others.

From Reddit to Twitter, you can connect with other gamers and writers to get an idea of what works and what doesn’t when writing about gaming. Once you’ve decided on your niche, you’re ready to start pitching to publications. 

Put Together an Online Portfolio

game_image

It doesn’t matter how strong your writing skills are, if you don’t have an online profile to share with target publications, you’re going to have a hard time breaking into freelance game writing. You may get lucky and find some jobs that accept college essays as a writing sample, but that’s unlikely to work for the top gaming publications. 

Besides, you want to ensure the samples you submit for review are relevant to the gaming industry. The easiest way to build an online portfolio is by creating your own website on WordPress or blogging on a site like Medium, LinkedIn, or the IGN user blogs. 

Once you’ve written a few articles, you can link to them when you apply for a job, allowing editors to quickly review your work. 

Hone Your Skills

Many people want to write about video games, so you’ll face a good amount of competition when you first start. If you have no formal writing or journalism experience, you may have to accept a few non-lucrative jobs to get your foot in the door. 

Some websites will pay you according to the clicks your article gets. The barrier to entry for these types of websites is typically low if you can write well, making them an attractive option for new writers. 

You won’t want to give up your day job before establishing yourself as a freelance writer because you won’t start making a decent living until you’ve got a byline on a few pieces. As you build your portfolio and learn how to write for gaming publications, you’ll be able to land higher-paying gigs with good companies.

Spend Time Writing

Even if you haven’t landed a gig, you should spend time writing a few times a week. Set a goal to publish one or two posts per week on your blog. Giving yourself a weekly goal will help you stay on track, and you’ll experience a sense of accomplishment when you get it done. 

Keeping a regular writing schedule will allow you to keep your skills fresh, so when you land your first job, you’ll be ready to hit the ground running. Be sure to find someone to proofread and give you feedback on your work, so you can improve and avoid making the same mistakes repeatedly.

Several online communities are dedicated to writing; some of the most active ones are on Facebook and Reddit. Many writers in these groups meet in person to review each other’s work, which is something that can help you as you embark on this career.


0 Comments on "4 Tips for Writing About Video Games"


Would you like to share your thoughts?

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Leave a Reply