Top 5 Video-Game Websites For The Thinking Gamer

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The women and men who create video games have to be superhumanly skilled with computers. So there’s obviously no shortage of intelligence in that segment of the population. But writing about video games on the Internet requires no journalistic credentials whatsoever. Any geek off the street with a browser and Wi-Fi can do it (watch me go!). But, if you are fascinated with culture and have even a passing interest in video games, there are certain gaming sites that you must bookmark immediately. All five of the websites/blogs I am about to mention are adding valuable insights to the discussion and offering informed critiques of the latest games. They share Paste’s respect and passion for the video-game artform and will never insult your intelligence (though they’re not afraid to insult the right people in the video-game industry, for the right reasons). Most importantly, they’re fun to read. And when it comes to games—playing them or writing about them—enjoyment is the most fundamental prerequisite of all fundamental prerequisites.

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5. Wired’s Game|Life (blog.wired.com/games)

Editor Chris Kohler and his merry minions at Wired.com have created a fantastic gaming blog. Insightful reviews (if occasionally more preoccupied with the form’s mechanics than its artistic significance), independently reported news content and wonderfully engaging multimedia content are the cornerstones of the site. A semi-recent story ruminated on the role of Irish music in the Japanese RPG tradition. Good luck finding a piece half that freshly conceived on Gamespot.