Hey! Over the last six months I’ve been pitching writing ideas around to different game sites, and after a few attempts I got one accepted for Rock Paper Shotgun. I figured there might be other posters here who are interested in doing this sort of thing, so I thought maybe we could have a thread here to pool knowledge and share tactics?
Some general tips for pitching:
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Your pitch email is your CV, cover letter and interview all in one, so spend the same time polishing it as you would for something that was being published. Include examples of your writing — unpublished ones are better than nothing.
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Don’t lose heart if you get no reply. Editors are super busy, and not all of them will read everything in their inbox, or reply to a pitch that they’re passing on. I usually follow up after a week has passed, then a week after that, then move on, and try to sharpen the pitch for the next time.
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Every site has different emphasis and needs, so check out their pitching guide if they have one. Read their articles and take careful note of the kind of things they publish.
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Unwinnable and Into the Spine are two volunteer-run sites that are explicitly interested in giving a voice to new writers, and will give a fair amount of freedom in choosing your subject. (They only pay a small amount.)
There can be a difference between what a commissioning editor will pay a freelancer for and what they will assign to staff. For RPS (pitching guide here), this is the reply I got from Graham when I asked why he passed on an idea I had about 500 Caliber Contractz:
Graham: We use the freelance budget to cover for our own lack of expertise or time. We have the expertise to write about a game like 500CC ourselves, and it’s likely a short game, so we may well have the time, too. On top of that, it’s obviously niche, which makes coverage of it feel less essential.
This is why we end up commissioning a lot of reviews. To give one recent example: we gave Dragon Quest 3 2D-HD to a freelancer, because it’s 40+ hours long and none of us internally have a lot of Dragon Quest expertise. Likewise, I recently accepted a pitch about an old, influential Flash game, because although niche, it was a topic that we lacked the expertise to cover ourselves, and we’re not realistically going to invest the time to do the original research into the subject matter.
I didn’t want to give up on writing about something “niche”, so I came up with a feature topic that could allow me to cover multiple games. The pitch that got accepted was an interview-led feature about to two Australian devs, Jack Clover and Magicweedoo.
(Mentioning an article they’ve published like I did here can be a great way to give an editor confidence that you’re paying attention to the site.)
I’ve got another idea for a feature: “Weirdos Down Under”, an interview-based profile of Magicdweedo and Jake Clover, two indie developers based in my hometown, Melbourne. Both are exemplars of a punkish, DIY game-making attitude – the kind of sensibility Brendan highlighted back in the day in his fantastic “Punk’s Not Dead” series.
For games, I’d be highlighting the following:
Dryft City Kyngs, a Grant Theft Auto 1 and 2 inspired racing game set in Melbourne mixed with elements from life-sims and RPGs*.* Magicdweedo fills the game with local specificities and absurd, deviant humour, hand-drawing its cartoon world with lurid, day-glo colours.
Cape Hideous, a masterpiece of enigmatic tone and fleet-footed styling, all the more beautiful for not being so in the obvious ways. Jack Clover makes a return to game development with a gripping pirate yarn, introducing a new, intricate art process that retains the messiness of his earlier iconic freeware efforts.
The Soul of Too Birds, a wry, cryptic walking simulator where you smash artworks. Magicdweedo collaborates with local underground trio Too Birds, showcasing their feverish, Death Grips-like blend of harsh noise, hiphop and industrial beats.
By themselves, these are games that could conceivably be covered by RPS staff – but what I can offer is local expertise, and an expansive, thoroughly-researched approach. I’ve attended Too Birds gigs in person, so can give a first hand picture of their identity as musical artists. (I’d like to interview them as well as the devs.) The Melbourne-based environments in Dryft Kings are ones I’ve walked through with my own two feet, so I can provide an insight into their significance as places.
To combat toxic consumer relations and emphasise that people make games, my belief is that we writers need to set an example and think deeply about games in their cultural context, rather than treating them as disposable products. My hope is to write something cool, smart and appealing, sketching out the games, the personalities, and the motivations behind them, giving each the attention they deserve.
The ideal filing date would be toward Q2 next year. I’m expecting to start a new job in Q1, and need time to arrange the interviews and immerse myself in the games. At the moment I’m imagining a word count between 1,500 and 2,500. (Let me know if that’s too extravagant.)
Graham’s reply:
I like the sound of this feature. These aren’t games we’d cover on their own, but talking to the devs and placing them in a local context sounds interesting.
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Hope that’s helpful to someone. I’m happy to give feedback on anyone’s pitches — shoot me a DM if you want!