10 Misconceptions You Have About Being A Games Journalist
4. The Pay Isn't Great
Nobody can speak for everyone here, but it's no grand secret among games journalists that there isn't a ton of money in the business. Remember that bit about many sites being passion projects? Well it's a good thing that passion is there, otherwise few could stomach the small returns. Industry veterans and top-notch editors can work their way into a cushier position, but, as GamesRadar reports, most games journalists hover between the $20,000 and $30,000 mark on annual income. Because so many sites are competing for the same audience's attentionand by extension, the same ad revenueeven the biggest of publications can struggle to stay afloat. The guys in print have it particularly hard. As a result, games writers are almost never rolling in it. If you're truly invested in the industry and determined to deliver the coverage it needs, you can find a way to make gaming journalism your career. Just don't quit your day job until you're damn sure that you are.
A freelance games writer, you say? Typically battling his current RPG addiction and ceaseless perfectionism? A fan of horror but too big a sissy to play for more than a couple of hours? Spends far too much time on JRPGs and gets way too angry with card games?
Well that doesn't sound anything like me.
