For savvy users, the whole Internet is the service, not just a single site. The redditor claimed that they didn’t subscribe to just one site for all their game news and reviews, but used several. AND Adblocker was blocking the ads for all the other, non game related, sites. Ads are annoying. No one likes commercials (except during the Super Bowl)and they become especially annoying when they are intrusive. As much as it tries to disguise itself as a entertainment, the Internet is a tool. It’s a very fast and streamlined tool that rewards users for knowing the secret ins and outs. When barriers, like ads, get in the way and reduce the efficiency of using the Internet tool it should be expected that services to circumvent those ads will crop up. That leads to two paths: create smarter ways to advertise, or allow people to opt out for a price.
A lot of gaming websites are managed like magazines The sad reality is magazine journalism for video games is dead. Currently, each major gaming region is ruled by one magazine: US has gameinformer, UK has EDGE, and Japan has Famitsu. Each of these kingdoms have reigned supreme for unique reasons, but long gone are the days of waiting for a publication for all the video game gossip. The Internet has it all there, ready to be accessed the moment the news breaks or a game comes out. Plus it’s free.
The redditor brought up a great point: with sites like reddit, 4chan, and neogaf (all decent sources of video game news and reviews) in which content is made solely by users, why do big conglomerate sites with paid staff exist? They can’t fund themselves and a segment of their readership shuts down the advertising that does provide a revenue stream for those sites. There is an abundance of gaming media outlets that don’t have the worries of large corporation. Blogs and the good writers behind them are already doing that job for free. YouTube has millions of users with favorite channels that provide video game coverage. Publishers and developers have even entered into this space with the ever increasing relevance and prevalence of community managers.
I predict that the large outlets that cover all forms of media will be the next to go. Sites like gamespot and IGN will not last. Their overhead is too much, their staff is too big, their only diversification is their other sites, and they bank on ads. They can’t keep lumbering on. There is a solution though: personality.
Personality is what will save the industry, or already has. Once upon a time, writers strove to be objective and align with the voice of the publication. Times have changed especially thanks to the “I can do that too,” mentality of game players and enthusiast. No longer do the magazine writers travel down the mountain with sacred text in hand about the secret Square project only out in Japan. They are not gate keepers but now pundits. Blogs and podcasting are to thank for this. The constant drip feed of news being leaked by developers and publishers are instantly on every website thanks to the speed of the Internet and the obvious fact that the company already wrote and emailed the news to website. Gaming websites often report on each other! What good is one site over the other when they are publishing identical stories? Personality. It’s who can tell it better.
Giant Bomb, a favorite site of mine, is the perfect example of the future of all sites. It was hard to not fall in love with the scrappy little team back in 2008. From the beginning, they were completely open with every step of their process when building their site. They did it right by gaining the trust of the users by providing videos of them setting up the office, encouraging users to add to the Wikipedia style database, a weekly podcast that never missed a day and everything was headed by gamespot martyr Jeff Gertsman. They brought the niche Let’s Play style videos to the main stream and pioneered doing short videos for every new game. They added achievements were collected by navigating their site and embraced community interaction even to the point of a yearly block party style live show. Then they asked for money. A premium membership was launched with complete transparency. By paying about double the price of a magazine subscription users would get access to premium content; smart premium content by people who have established trust with their users. The most notable part of the premium membership was it allowed for an ad free site. Bam! An ad free solution.
Another prime example of success is gameinformer. Yes, they are in a partnership with GameStop which sells a ton of their magazine subscriptions, but there is nothing wrong with tethering to another institution. Another part of Giant Bomb’s success was the partnership they had with their web engineers who also acted as a contractible design group. Gameinformer established themselves online as much as they succeeded in print. Being a larger crew with a magazine to manage first and foremost, they came late to the video scene. But by putting people chalk full of personality on camera, they staked a section of the market. By synergizing professional print and silly online, they get the best of both. Advertising is still a cornerstone for them, but gameinformer has established themselves as a brand beyond the magazine.
There you go, two companies that have embraced the theme of personality to leverage a subscription. I pay a small amount of money every year to support what I like. I get meaningful rewards beyond the fantastic work that is already being provided. If Kickstarter proved anything last year, it's that people want to spend money. By Offering rewards, establishing a relationship with the users, and valuing the individual personalities of their employees, video game websites will stand strong if the advertising bubble pops. It’s just like when game journalists answer the question of how to break into the industry; do great work consistently and you will get noticed.