The internet really is a wonderful invention, isn't it?
To me, the fact that websites like Gamespot, IGN, and The Escapist manage to make money and employ sizeable numbers of people is nothing short of amazing. The sheer magnitude and variety of content that has expanded around gaming has elevated our medium far past the level of a mere hobby, it's a full blown culture. We have songs, comics, critiques, analysis, parodies, satire; the full cultural spectrum. But best of all we have journalists, both professional and amateur, covering gaming news, creating reviews, providing critique and overall contributing to the growth of our medium.
And that is fantastic on every level.
The culture that springs up around a medium is often just as important as the medium itself. It takes an active role in shaping its view in the public eye, allows discussion and networking for people within the industry, and most of all contributes to the growth and improvement in the medium. You can see this almost directly paralleled in film. For years, film publications, critics and bodies like the Academy have been actively shaping the way films are made, conceived and viewed. It is quickly becoming the same with video games, and the levelled field of game journalism.
On one hand of that field, you have the professional journalists. These are the people who are employed by major publications or websites, and often the individuals who's opinions carry great weight and power within the industry and its consumers. They offer the medium a great deal of legitimacy, as well as invaluable feedback and criticism due to their extensive experience. The quality of game journalism is constantly improving. The competition for the field is so high, that those without the passion and knowledge for the medium rarely succeed. But professionals aren't the only ones helping to shape the industry.
See, on the other hand, you have the smaller-time curmudgeons These are your freelancer writers or your bloggers. Now what you'll find here is a different sort of value. Often you don't find quite the same level of expertise, if only by the virtue of not having the benefit of consistently writing and playing games. But what you often find here is passion. People who write about games and the industry because they love it, because they want to see it improve, and because they want to connect with other gamers. You'll rarely find a gaming blogger with an ulterior motive.
Both of those facets combine to make a vibrant, and steadily improving culture of gaming journalism. Such a growth can only be beneficial to the industry, and to our medium. So for everyone waiting for the moment when video games are as accepted as movies or books, be patient. Our time is coming, and we're on the right track.