The (Unethical?) Perks Of Being A Video Games Journalist

Ever wanted to know what it’s like being a video games journalist? Former EGM editor Dan Hsu sheds some light on some of the less noble aspects of the profession (if you can even call it a profession). Everything from free tickets UFC fights and Super Bowls (!), to nights out on the town in Tokyo, complete with all the female attention you could ask for.
Fair? Ethical? An abuse of power/access? Whatever you want to call it, it happens, and it happens all the time.

The former EGM editor points out why, exactly, these things even happen. Two reasons, really: the primary one is that game publishers (or, more specifically, the public relations companies the publishers hire) are desperate to get on game reviewers’ good side. A positive review in a big magazine or Web site can be the difference between meeting or missing sales marks. So these companies splash out the cash—hey, come join us in Vegas next month for the big UFC fight, that way you understand our UFC game’s mechanics a little more—to essentially butter up the reviewer. Whether or not the reviewer is influenced by the treatment is a whole different, ethical matter.
Hsu also offers some advice to up-and-coming journalists on how they should handle these types of situations. It’s mostly common sense stuff, really. Know the difference between a $50 preview build of a video game and a multi-thousand dollar trip to a far-away land to see the game at the developers’ offices. Don’t go asking for trips to ballgames in your local city not only because you’ll look like a total ass, but because it endangers your credibility as a journalist.
Or, better yet, become a doctor. Everyone respects doctors inherently.
Behind the Scenes: Gaming Journalism (Part 5) [Sore Thumbs]