Why do game journalists now hate blockchain?

Cutting your nose...

One of the most established gaming business websites has just declared it won’t be covering news about blockchain games and technology.

The arguments contained in the opinion piece entitled ‘Why we’re passing on blockchain pitches’ are more complex, however, and say much about how games journalism is changing.

For, what writer Brendan Sinclair says is that GamesIndustry.biz isn’t promising not to cover such subjects.

In fact, it will inform its readers “If a major player in the gaming industry -- Ubisoft, for example -- embraces these technologies”.

Equally - “If blockchain really does reshape the industry the way previously promised disruptions like digital distribution and free-to-play games did, obviously we would have no choice but to cover it.”

In actuality then, GI.biz only appears to be passing on blockchain pitches from small companies it can’t be bothered to deal with or take the time to understand; not quite such a catchy headline.

Look at me

So why even bother with such a public pronouncement?

In my opinion, the point that’s being made is moral: the article is virtue signalling.

The reasons given for not covering blockchain games is that ‘Bitcoin uses as much electricity as Argentina’ and that NFTs are in some manner gambling and/or purely speculative.

Clearly, these are familiar - if confused tropes - but intelligent people believe them.

The deeper question of whether - even if true - these are sufficient to effectively ban information from companies in this sector being published on your website is - for me - more significant.

Because, the article also concludes with the general hope that blockchain will not reshape the games industry.

No shades of grey

Now this strikes me as an incredible statement.

This is a key games industry website taking a moral stance - it could be argued even becoming an active participant - for the failure of a new technology, even if it improves the industry that website has been set up to support.

Of course, I would say that wouldn’t I, because I firmly believe blockchain will disrupt games and in a positive way for both developers and players. In fact, I already see it happening.

But over-enthusiasm in the positive is very different to active protestation in the negative. Should our individual morality really impact the news we’re not writing?

As far as I see it, the role of journalists - game journalists at least - is to cover what’s going on in our industry to the best of our time resources and ability.

Not to cover an entire technology or sector for almost any reason is extraordinary, even in an era in which the personal politics of an increasingly number of journalists appear to trump all else.