Losing Polygon is a Huge Blow to Games Journalism

I’ve been struggling the last couple of days with how I wanted to talk about the news of Polygon getting bought out and the incredible writers losing their jobs. Mainly because I’m aware of the position from which I speak on this. Dwayne will tell you: I was very apprehensive about joining VICE. But I saw an opportunity to change some things in my life and took the leap.  

POLYGON WAS IMPORTANT

This situation sucks, and there’s no way to sugarcoat it. No one needed to lose their job behind this. Polygon was one of my favorite places to read about games. The work was always top-notch and personable. I felt every single writer’s personality in every piece.  

It was one of the last big outlets where gaming felt like gaming. That feeling I would get every E3 or watching G4 growing up — I felt that when I read Polygon. It means something to me. It means something to hundreds of thousands of gamers. And it won’t be that anymore without the people and creative freedom that made it what it was.  

I always thought of Polygon as another version of EGM. The same kind of fun that came from that magazine emanated from every page of that website. My hope is that each writer lands somewhere that respects their talent and autonomy. These are people who made me believe it was possible to even be doing this. I owe everything to the writers at Polygon and others like them. And I’ll never forget that.

games journalism is a NECESSARY profession

The worst part of all this is how disposable these companies treat not just games journalists, but games journalism as a whole. This isn’t as simple as “we like video games and write about them.” There’s real work, emotion, and love that goes into this. I’ve seen several writers get out on their respective platforms and say things some political outlets won’t even say. Doing so no matter the reaction from certain toxic subsections because it’s the right thing to do.

Games journalists speak on more than just gaming; there’s a space here where we can talk to like-minded people and reach them in a way others can’t. These companies getting out here, gutting these sites, and selling the parts off as if they don’t matter is wrong. You want to make money? Then trust the people who have been doing this and have built something truly sustainable. Instead of walking in and acting like you know how this works. Polygon was built by people who love this space, and it was torn down by those who couldn’t possibly care less about it and what it means.

I’ve been lucky in my time here to be able to write in my voice and have creative freedom. I’m worried that won’t be the same for anyone who chooses to write for this next “version” of Polygon. I’m aware of what this may mean to some of you coming from me. But trust that I love writing about games, I have the utmost respect for everyone who works in this space, and I want them to thrive. To be successful and cared for anywhere they may be. I think we all want that for them. The problem is that the decision-makers will never understand the heart and soul of games journalism.