Ian McKinzey Hall

Ian McKinzey Hall

Holder of a BA degree in English Studies; currently working on an MFA degree in creative writing. Ian's favorite word is zealous, and greatly enjoys pizza.

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Latest Topics

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Bias in Video Game Journalism

Video game journalism is quite popular these days with websites such as IGN, Gamespot, and Kotaku. However, it seems to be a common issue that many video game journalists have a preference on which console they prefer or which genre is their favorite; leading to a bias when they cover their preferred games over others. This can lead to what is practically yellow journalism, with writers over exaggerating the games and features of what they prefer while undermining the competition, even if the competition is an amazing game or console itself. This issue should be addressed in some way and possible solutions discussed so that gamers are presented with fair coverage of all video games and video game related news.

  • I think this is a great topic to explore! It might lead to further specialization in journalism, where an author could write specifically about the kinds of games they enjoy on the console they play most, which would allow their bias to work for their articles instead of against them. – Winterling 9 years ago
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  • I really don't think this is the right platform to restart the GamerGate debate on if that was the intention of your topic. – MattHotaling 9 years ago
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  • This is a very useful topic to explore given the mainstreaming of gaming culture. How does gaming journalism give itself the same kind of credibility and quality that one would expect from other forms of journalism? – Cmandra 9 years ago
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Latest Comments

Ian McKinzey Hall

Isn’t that what their Boomerang channel is?

Nickelodeon’s The Splat: Bringing Back Classic Content for Millennials
Ian McKinzey Hall

Text based games seem to, today at least, exist in a limbo. We truly have been spoiled by hyperrealistic graphics along with the convenience and simplicity of of how we are accustomed to interacting with the digital worlds around us. I, personally, love the idea of text based games, but practically I have trouble getting into them. They’re clunky by today’s standards and although these games may be gold plated under just a layer of dust, that layer of dust may be harder to sweep away for some than for others. But whether you love them or you can’t stand them, text based games played an important part in video game history and are still looked upon fondly today. I believe it was the first Call of Duty: Black Ops that actually feature Zork in its entirety as a hidden Easter Egg for no reason other than respect and love for a beloved genre that’s fallen off the radar.

The Text Adventure: Relic of Gaming History, or Timeless Medium?
Ian McKinzey Hall

Telltale’s The Walking Dead (at least season one, I have not played season two) truly is an excellent example of the illusion of choice in video games. In this game several choices are presented to the player concerning matters as trivial as what food to give to which members of your survival group, and as major as deciding between which member of your group to rescue when you do not have time to rescue both. However, no matter what decisions you make, no matter who lives or who dies, no matter if you play as a saint or a manipulative jerk- the ending is the same. The end result, even if there are options as to how the end events play out, is always the same. Two different players may play through the game making polar opposite choices in how they act and who they save, but both players will get the end result. This is, in my opinion, the perfect illusion of choice.

Bioshock and the Illusion of Choice in Gaming