Video Games Industry Memo - explaining games
What Video Games Industry Memo is and why I'm writing it.
Hello Video Games Industry Memo subscribers,
With a bank holiday just behind us and the rest of the working year lying in wait, I’ve decided to take a week off from the grind. As a result, I’ve not put together my usual summary of the week in games for you.
Instead, I thought I’d use this opportunity to properly explain what Video Games Industry Memo is, why I’ve set it up and what I’m planning for it in the future to give you an exclusive insight into my plans and a window into my madness.
Lucky you, eh?
What is Video Games Industry Memo?
Video Games Industry Memo is a weekly newsletter that seeks to explain the games industry succinctly and successfully every Thursday morning.
The newsletter, which has been inspired by Politico’s Playbook newsletters and Stephen Bush’s Inside Politics, features a big read about a story dominating the sector each week, links to need-to know-news, jobs and events tips and a round-up of the most interesting games releases each week.
The aim is to get readers up to speed with the industry, while retaining a chatty, conversational and (very occasionally) fun approach to the biggest creative industry in the world.
Why does Video Games Industry Memo exist?
I created Video Games Industry Memo because I felt there was room for something that helped people get to grips with the inner workings of the games industry in an easy-to-read way.
In my role as head of comms at Ukie, I became a point of contact for a remarkably wide range of people who wanted to know more about games and, importantly, the mechanics of the industry underpinning them.
I had conversations with charities about developing video games strategies during the pandemic to boost their fundraising efforts; I spoke at brand focused conferences like the Campaign Gaming Summit to explain to big advertising agencies how games companies practically communicate with players; I even had Government officials and political stakeholders asking me questions about the value of games as a communication channel during a couple of notable international crises.
But while people wanted to pick my brains for information from me personally, there was inevitably a lot of demand for accessible ‘further reading’ about games to reinforce what we chatted about and to educate others within their organisations.
And while I could spend time putting together reading lists of interesting articles about games over the course of a quietly dull afternoon, consistently finding content that balanced industry expertise with approachability was hard to do.
Although there are dedicated outlets that cover games on both a consumer and a trade angle (Games Industry Biz, MCV/Develop, Eurogamer, IGN etc) and dedicated correspondents at major media outlets (BBC News, The Guardian, The Telegraph etc), output has tended to be aimed at either dedicated insiders or distant outsiders.
This often leads to content that is either overly ‘inside baseball’, and doesn’t bring a wider audience with it, or focuses too narrowly on the ‘big stories’ and misses the depth of the industry story (to the justified frustration of the sector).
Video Games Industry Memo, therefore, aims to take the best from both worlds to establish something new for this wider audience for informative games content.
By taking insider knowledge and marrying it to an outsider friendly worldview, the hope is to produce something that is credible, readable and useful - effectively bridging the divide between the two camps in the process.
What are your plans for Video Games Industry Memo?
In the immediate short term, the main plan is straightforward: officially launch the newsletter.
Video Games Industry Memo is currently in a semi-private beta. I’ve kept the audience deliberately small through a combination of soft promotion and targeted outreach to allow me to test the format, ready the brand and plan a launch. Getting the newsletter out to a wider audience is my priority and I aim to formally announce it in the next two months.
Once that’s done, the plan for the short to mid-term is to build an audience for the free Thursday newsletter. I will then consider adding a paid tier to the Substack, likely in mid 2024, depending on how it grows and what the audience is looking for.
Finally, I’m also working on some wider plans to help explain games to the audiences that want to - or need to - hear about them. There will be more on that in the months ahead too, so keep your eyes and ears out for what’s next.
How can I help Video Games Industry Memo?
For now, the easiest way to help is by reading Video Games Industry Memo and letting me know what does – or doesn’t – work. Feel free to message me here if you have feedback or through the usual channels (yes, badgering me on WhatsApp counts).
As for later, the best way to help will be to share Video Games Industry Memo with your friends, colleagues and innocent by-standers when it launches. I will let you know when I’m planning to launch and let you know how you can get involved nearer the time.
Thanks so far
Until then, I want to end by thanking you for reading so far. I’ve been heartened by the positive feedback for what I call VGIM so far and I think it has found a space to exist.
But I know it will only work with your continued support and interest. I hope to be able to earn in it in the months ahead by producing cracking weekly newsletters about video games for you.
All the best from the Costa Del Central London,
George