A stopgap for games journalism
What's next for Shannon and this newsletter? Hint, a lot of reporting
Hey all, it’s me again. It’s the end of March now, which means I have a lot more clarity on what’s happening next with my employment situation. Today is my last day with the Post, as my one open job application with them did not get moved further along. (I reached a really interesting crossroads when people suggested I pivot to fashion news or move to Asia and cover climate change news to stay on with the Post, but I decided these were too wildly disparate ideas for me to chase, at least at this particular moment.)
What’s next for me? I’ll be regularly freelancing for places including The New York Times, The Verge and Vice and doing a podcast series on the science of gaming for Scientific American. You can send story ideas, interview suggestions or leads to my email, shannon@flashinfics.com. Since I just got back from GDC, I have a backlog of reporting that I’d love to share with all of you, so please expect plenty of noteworthy issues up ahead.
Like I tweeted back in January, there are few roles for game journalists right now. What there’s plenty of, however, is freelance work. This is really a media industry issue, not a gaming industry one. The state of media is such that the Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates journalism will lose 4,100 more jobs in the next ten years. Just this week, I wrote a story about Wordle and the New York Times’ video game bets for The Verge.
I have repeatedly witnessed journalists leave their roles and media outlets simply decide to never fill those positions again. But that’s not to say there are hiring freezes across the board. Like I’ve repeatedly assured my friends and family, I’m seeking every avenue of employment, speaking event, freelance story, and of course, growing this newsletter.
There are and there continue to be so many interesting things happening in games, and few people to cover them.
For example, just today, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) found merit in allegations that Blizzard illegally surveilled employees and threatened to cut their communication lines because the workers were discussing wages and work conditions. If the two parties don’t settle, the board will issue a complaint, hold a hearing with a judge, who can then order remedies.
Activision Blizzard chief administrative officer Brian Bulatao responded in Slack that the board’s claims have no merit and that those employees had been using the chat to “disparage the work of the Diablo Immortal team and others,” according to a screenshot viewed by this newsletter.
Activision Blizzard spokesperson Joseph Christinat said in a statement, “We take protecting our people from toxic workplace behavior very seriously. We appreciate that the NLRB has withdrawn one of these allegations, and we’re confident the steps we took to protect our people from a toxic workplace were the right ones.”
The Communications Workers of America union, which works with Activision Blizzard employees who organize, said in a statement that the company is “using its platforms and tools to coerce and intimidate workers exercising their protected right to organize.”
The story I’m proudest of working on during my time at Launcher, the Washington Post’s gaming section, is about Diablo IV working conditions, which you can read here for free. After publishing the story, I heard from folks across the industry, from all kinds of backgrounds, about how it resonated with their experiences. It’s my hope that this kind of work continues on.
As my old Launcher boss puts it in this beautiful goodbye essay:
It’s not over. Yes, Launcher is ending — officially closing as a subsection of The Post on March 31 following a series of newsroom layoffs — but the mission does not die.
Cheers, and catch you on the other side.