Advice for Editors, Pray

[dwarf]

I'm going to be the Games Editor for the Manchester student newspaper this coming year. I've never had an editing role before and I'm aware some of you have some relevant experience, so it would be great to hear some of your advice as to how to manage the whole operation.

 

The set-up I'm taking on at the moment involves:

 

- Meetings with the editorial team

- Meetings with Games Contributors

- A games section email address for receiving article submissions and for requesting review code from publishers

- A Facebook group to advertise the section and to encourage newbie writers. Primarily used for discussion amongst contributors.

 

There will be software training and legal advice for editors prior to publication of the first edition.

 

Snippets from my informal application

 

The paper in general strives too hard to compete directly with professional publications both in terms of tone and content. In the games section this has meant an over-supply of formal reviews that methodically analyse every aspect of an individual game before coming to a broad verdict. In most cases these reviews lack personality and steadfastly adhere to journalistic conventions when they should focus on being more expressive.

 

I personally don't pick up the paper in expectation of a buyer's guide; I pick it up because I want to hear student views and student stories, I want to hear student voices. To see so many contributors apologise for their style, as is evident in the way they imitate professional content, is therefore disheartening. As games editor I would try to encourage creativity and assure contributors that form is less important than style, whilst demanding respectable standards. I have some promising ideas for features that would serve as good jumping-off points for the games writers at the university.

 

A mixture of tyranny, hubris, and necessity meant that last year's editor contributed somewhere in the region of 40-60% of the overall content for the section. Maintaining a steady stream of articles is going to be the biggest challenge for me, which is why I'm hoping to set up in the freshers fair in order to scout some talent. There's no doubt we need a larger pool of contributors and I don't want to be designating too much time to the role what with it being my final year of study 'n' all.

 

When there's a slow week and I'm not receiving enough submissions, I'm going to need quick and easy article ideas which can be written in advance and published at any time. Under last year's regime a sizeable chunk of the section was reserved for retro games reviews (Retro Corner) but that apparently proved to be a burden to the editor because few students wanted to contribute 800-1200 word pieces of that kind. I'm thinking of having a 'Moments' segment, or something with a similar title, where multiple students contribute a small paragraph each about a 'moment' e.g. a time they raged out, a memorable online session they had, their favourite level etc - something which makes for interesting reading but doesn't take a great deal of effort to write. It would also mean I could set out a schedule so that contributors could work towards dates.

 

I might ask for the odd cartoon as well.

 

Despite having the biggest (potential) reader base of any student newspaper in the country, distribution is still pretty poor. On that basis I won't be killing myself over the role, I won't be taking it overly seriously - it isn't, after all, the grandest of projects - but at the same time I want the section to be of solid quality because it carries my name with it into le public domain every week. If I'm to achieve only one thing with the paper, I hope it is to provide students with a much needed dose of levity on Monday mornings, thereby distracting them, however briefly, from this shit-house world we find ourselves living in.

Edited July 30, 2014 by dwarf

[EEVILMURRAY]

You're welcome to use some of the reviews from my site, if you can credit me properly.

[dwarf]

I'm pretty sure they have to be from current UoM students but if I'm desperate I'll let you know (and I don't mean in the sense that I have to resort to your piddling efforts).

[Sheikah]

Didn't know you were at UoM, great uni. Spent my undergraduate and Master's years there.

[dwarf]

You did, but you forgot

[Sheikah]

You did, but you forgot

 

Soz 'ard.

 

I'm often down in Manchester anyhow since I'm originally from nearby, and I'm really wanting to get back into playing squash again. You play? :p

[dwarf]

I was tempted to join the society but I am hilariously unfit at the moment and I doubt it's n00b friendly. Tried fencing instead but it's fucking gash. Didn't feel like you could really put all your energy into it, too much about technique and patience and poncing about.

[Cube]

I was tempted to join the society but I am hilariously unfit at the moment and I doubt it's n00b friendly. Tried fencing instead but it's fucking gash. Didn't feel like you could really put all your energy into it, too much about technique and patience and poncing about.

 

I don't like sports, but I found Squash to be pretty easy to get into.

 

(I'm in Manchester, too).

[The Bard]

I'm from Manchester, went to MGS down the road from UoM. I hate that place (Manchester in general), but it's cool that UoM actually got as far as having a proper gaming editor - we just had a couple of reviews here and there from dull witted bong ripping CoD fiddlers.

[dwarf]

So.... tips, anyone?

 

I don't like sports, but I found Squash to be pretty easy to get into.

 

(I'm in Manchester, too).

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm big on pretty much all sports be it spectating or playing, just never tried Squash properly. I had a handy tennis backhand back in the day which will hopefully translate well should I try the walled in version.