Do I need a journalism degree?

Nope. Sticking the tag “journalism” after the words “video game” is a very loose practice. We aren’t really journalists in the traditional sense, but there are a lot of journalism-like aspects of our job. You won’t need a journalism degree to start your career or even land a day job writing for a magazine. It doesn’t hurt, however, and proves to prospective employers that you’re committed. The main thing editors want to see is that you’re reliable and can actually string together a sentence or two. Published clips/your blog prove that, and that usually speaks louder than a journalism degree. If you’re interested in pursuing the degree outside of game writing, go for it. But don’t force it on yourself.

How do I get started in video game journalism?

It’s a lot easier than you think, thanks to the internet. To start your career writing about video games, you just have to start writing about video games! The easiest way is to start a blog. Yes, no one will read it, but that’s not the point. You need to get in the habit of writing something game-related every single day. This helps train your editor’s eye, hone your writing skills and make you faster and better at your trade.

Most importantly, having a regularly updated blog is an excellent source of writing samples when you start applying to other publications. If you don’t want to start your own blog, find a small-ish fansite that needs writers and talk your way into a volunteer position. Even though you won’t gain much recognition/cash, you have to take these first steps in order to work your way up the ladder.

How do I find writing gigs?

Video game journalism jobs can be scarce at times, but if you’re persistent you can find exactly what you want. Search any freelance job board, such as Problogger Jobs, for the occasional game writing gig. Craigslist is a good resource as well, and so are straight-up Google searches. A few other places you can look:

• AboutFreelanceWriting – Bi-weekly job posts occasionally contain game writing positions.

• Crazedlist.org – Meta search several Craigslist sites at once. Stick to the big cities in the west coast for the most results.
• About.com – Their freelance writing section is great for beginners.

The best way to find jobs is word of mouth. So many gaming sites out there post ads for writers every day. It’s impossible to find and check them all, so visitors passing the word along is extremely powerful. That’s what this site hopes to do, help small publications get the word out to more writers.

Do I have to start as a freelancer?

I suppose not, but you’d have a heck of a time starting out in this field if you didn’t. Because most video game journalism jobs are for websites, freelancing is the way to go. There are only a few print publications that can hire you 9-5, so being self-employed and finding your own gigs is easier, faster, and in my opinion, better.

Do I have to live in California?

Not at all, although when you start climbing the ladder it might help. I advise most writers to stay freelance and look for online jobs throughout their career. If you want to land a snug magazine-type job, however, you’ll pretty much need to live in sunny CA.

What are my chances of landing a great job?

Pretty good, but don’t think you’re going to retire rich any time soon. Freelancing is a hard career path, and focusing on video games narrows your field down considerably. Less than half the jobs openings I find are paid, and only a few of those pay well. Once you get established, though, your chances of getting a good video game writing job are quite high. Just stick with it, keep writing, keep sending out query letters, and soon you’ll catch a big one.

Why is it abbreviated VGJobs? Isn’t there a J missing?

Yeah, but VGJJobs just looks funny.