I’ve taken this extremely personally because RPS and Eurogamer basically ensured I didn’t just write a game and get lost in the milieu over and over again. Whether that’s writing about my stuff, writing for them, sitting on panels or having my work on show, they’ve been a consistent force for good.
I’m proud to have bylines on Gamer Network. I’m grateful to everyone who helped lift me up. I’m just one of many, many folk they helped raise and what IGN have done with these layoffs is a travesty.
A lesser focus for anyone outside of games but important all the same – staff over at GI dot biz have bust a gut over the years to turn the place around from a complete shitshow to the best in class, doing the work of business posting for other businesses whilst keeping a beady eye on the human costs that come with people existing in videogames and holding games companies to account with their own words and actions.
This shit shouldn’t be as rare as it is but it is and the work folks have put in, year in, year out across Gamer Network to make games a less shit place to be is a testament to them.
Brilliant people who deserve better than this. IGN bought some of the best and threw them away.
Everyone in videogames is worse off for this. Every good person we lose has been a champion for someone else. They’ve brought eyeballs to games and situations that would struggle to find any. Their work has been not just consistently entertaining and well written but vital.
Games is a lesser place with every callous sacking and a little bit of hope and magic disappears alongside.
Much love to everyone right now and I’m so sorry this industry doesn’t know how to treat people right. I hope everyone can land on their feet after this though I know nothing is that easy.