A Year at Game Informer

I was tinkering with the sea of scattered equipment in Game Informer's make-shift video storage room when Matt Miller told me that I'd be going on the next cover trip: "They're making an Elder Scrolls V, it's called Skyrim."

I was plucked out of a world where the"big get" was sitting down to interview the mayor of a small town in Minnesota and placed in a job where I had to debate with Bethesda's Todd Howard whether or not the video tour of his studio should be shot handheld or with a tripod. That first trip was eye-opening. Working in an office filled with talented, intelligent, and hilarious writers was shocking, but seeing an hour-long demo of an incredible game that the outside world didn't even know existed was when the bizarre nature of my new job sank in.

November 3rd was my one-year anniversary as a video producer at Game Informer. Time has flown by and I haven't written as many blogs as I had hoped, but I thought it would be nice to give an update with my thoughts on the last year.

Second only to the fantastic interaction with Game Informer's community, the highlight of the job thus far has been traveling the country/world and visiting some of the most talented developers in the industry. You know in The Price Is Right during the showcase showdown when they reveal the vacation? That's what it is like every month when I hear about our next cover story. I'm the kind of dork that loved to study for tests in school, and I get that same cheap thrill when reading about the studio's location and history and playing their past games in preparation for the big trip. I keep a notebook and scribble down ideas for possible video content to pick up when I'm there. I'm not trying to imply that every trip involves drinking something with an umbrella sticking out of it on a beach, but the monthly trips are a dream come true for a workaholic and gaming nerd like myself.

Overall, I'm proud of the amount of video content that I've produced. Some are most certainly better than others, and I'm working on raising the quality level as time goes on. A large factor in that area is that we've hired a new video guy named Jason. Some people were confused or thought that he was my replacement, he has been and will continue to be a huge asset to the fledgling video department at Game Informer. His specialty is in live-streaming and video tech, which nicely counter-points my love for shooting and post-production. His addition has freed up some of my time and has stopped me from drowning in a sea of deadlines and half-finished videos.

So what does the future hold for Game Informer videos? Jason and I have heads full of ideas and there are plenty of big things in motion. On the smaller scale, I hope to provide you all with more video previews and other fun videos shot in and around the office. I love seeing comments like "It's so great to finally put a face to so-and-so's voice!" All I want to do is connect visitors to our site with the genuine opinions and personalities of the editors in the office. Both so that they feel part of a porous online community and that they better understand where the editors are coming from when reading previews and reviews of a game. This is why I'm especially proud of shooting and editing the Smash Bros. marathon documentary, it is an honest glimpse into the atmosphere and personalities in the office and it takes a couple of bricks out of the wall between editor and visitor. I hope to continue this trend in the future, and I'm always open to ideas from the community about what kind of video content you'd like to see. Please send me an e-mail at hanson@gameinformer.com or send me a tweet @yozetty with request or complaints, I hope that our newly revamped YouTube channel has curbed some of the complaints about our quirky video player.

I really hope that you've enjoyed the video content that I've produced in the last year. There will be a lot more content and surprises in the future, including a nice reboot of Replay. My first year at Game Informer has been a delightful learning experience. Friends and co-workers have moved on and new ones have joined, but the positive atmosphere at the office remains. It can be stressful but I'm beginning to feel at home in this new, crazy world. I hope to be here for a while.