Tired of hearing about Esquire columnist Chuck Klosterman bemoaning the lack of a games critic on par with Lester Bangs? Too bad. We're going to talk about it again. And I can't promise you it'll be the last time. What I can promise you is that the first commenter to namedrop Tim Rogers get their commenting access pulled rightquick.
So what's the hold up? Why aren't there any good games critics? I contend that there are, but with the tens of thousands of voices on the internet talking shit on and praising their favorite video game experiences, Klosterman can't hear anything but the noise.
Sure, video game journalism ain't sexy. Nobody ever lost their virginity to a playthrough of Metroid. Few, if any, can equate finishing Phantasy Star II to a life changing experience on par with, say, hearing London Calling for the first time.
And what if you're looking for tastemakers? They're out there. Go to GAF. There are a handful of posters who turn thousands of people onto underground, import-only hits like Ouendan, Earth Defense Force 2, Ikaruga, the Bit Generations series. These are people directly responsible for number-one selling titles at importers like NCSX and Play-Asia.
But Pitchfork has a multitude of reasons why video game journalism hasn't supposedly caught up to romanticized, half-century old rock and roll reporting glory. It's a good read, but just part of the answer.
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