game journalism
/ɡeɪm ˈdʒɜːrnəlɪzəm/
CommonThe profession of covering video games, used online as shorthand for poor or biased games coverage.
Heavily loaded term. Sincere use exists (discussing the actual profession) but ironic use dominates online spaces. Often weaponized in culture war arguments about games coverage. Context determines whether it is descriptive or dismissive.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | gave a 6/10 because the game was too hard. game journalism. | Mocking a review that penalized a game's difficulty rather than evaluating it on its own terms. | x, 2023 |
| 02 | game journalism is just content marketing at this point. nobody believes scores anymore. | Reviews are seen as influenced by advertising relationships rather than honest assessment. | reddit, 2023 |
| 03 | I stopped reading game journalism years ago. youtube and twitch tell me everything I need to know. | The person trusts video content creators over professional games press. | x, 2022 |
| 04 | some game journalism is actually really good. people just don't read it because discourse is louder than writing. | Defending quality games coverage that gets overshadowed by hot takes and arguments. | x, 2024 |
Use it when
- Discussing the actual profession of games coverage neutrally.
- Criticizing a games outlet or reviewer for bias or poor quality coverage.
- Referring to the cultural tension between games press and gaming communities.
Do not use it when
- You specifically mean a game review rather than coverage broadly.Use “game review” instead.
Variations and related forms
Origin and context
Game journalism as a profession traces to the early print era of gaming magazines in the 1980s. The term became culturally loaded after the Gamergate controversy of 2014, which centered partly on accusations of bias and conflicts of interest in games coverage. That history makes the phrase carry significant baggage in online conversations.
- First seen
- 1980s
- Confidence
- medium
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/game-journalismUpdated: 2026-08-28License: CC BY 4.0