Victoria Phillips Kennedy, Freelance Gaming Journalist

 

In Career Spotlight, we profile women and nonbinary people who work in the gaming industry. It is our goal to show the vastness and variety of jobs within the world of gaming and to share professional advice and perspective with our readers.

This week we profile Victoria Phillips Kennedy, a freelance writer in the video games industry who has written for The Gamer, Metro, Screen Rant, and the*gameHERs. We discuss her first inspirations in the gaming industry, the responsibilities of being a games journalist, and the importance of unending persistence when it comes to furthering your dream career.

Victoria Phillips Kennedy, photo courtesy of the subject

Victoria Phillips Kennedy, photo courtesy of the subject

 

Could you please provide your name and title?

My name is Victoria Phillips Kennedy. I am a freelance journalist who specializes in video game news and features.

 

How did you get into gaming and writing?

I have loved both gaming and writing for a long time. When I was younger, video games offered me the chance to connect with my two older brothers in a way that nothing else had before. I still remember with absolute clarity the moment that one of my brothers was fighting Dark Link in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’s Water Temple. Even though I was not the one in control, his sense of achievement when Dark Link was finally defeated was infectious, and I felt so elated to have shared that moment with him.

Since then, my love of games has just kept on growing. I have, thankfully, gotten over my fear of any harm happening to my characters and now embrace all the chaos and escapism that can unfold in any given title, and at any given time.

As for the writing, I only got my diploma in freelance journalism last summer. I do not know why but it had never crossed my mind that writing was something that I could do for a living until relatively recently, even though I have always enjoyed it. I even remember making my own pretend magazines when I was younger and selling them to my friends in exchange for M&Ms.

However, in 2018, I began a blog that documented some challenges that I was taking on to raise money for three charities close to my heart. During the blog’s run, I got some really lovely feedback about my posts. When I ultimately closed down the blog at the end of 2019, I realized that writing was something that I not only enjoyed doing, but something that others enjoyed reading. So, I took the plunge and decided to make it my career. And, being a video game fan, I decided to focus specifically on the gaming industry.

 

What are your major responsibilities in your role?

As a video games news writer, I am responsible for delivering the most current stories in the video games industry in a timely and accurate manner. I also need to be on a constant lookout for new stories and angles for pitches.

Features are slightly different, although a lot of the same principles still apply. While the time frame for producing a feature is not as tight as it is for news, there is still the need for information to be correct and delivered in a professional style.

 

What skills do you think you use the most in your as an independent journalist?

Gosh, I don’t know if this is a skill in the traditional sense, but persistence and the ability to constantly put myself out there. I think it is an often underappreciated skill to just be totally unflinching in your goals and to be able to open yourself up to being vulnerable in the process. But it is so important. 

I remember reading a post online that said something along the lines of “70% of your content may flop and 20% may be quite good, but there will be that 10% that is simply excellent, and it will tip the needle in your favour. However, you won’t find what that 10% is if you don’t produce the 70%.”

I think seeing things on social media (where we all mostly post our “highlight reels” of life) can often warp people’s perceptions of success, and the “immediacy” of it. Success does not come overnight. There is a lot of work that must happen behind the scenes. So, persistence is a skill, or at least a trait, that I use every day to further my career.

 

How do you find being a writer in the games industry different than how it’s been in other industries you’ve written about?

The video games industry is so incredibly fast-moving. While some games may hold their appeal for a long time with thriving and dedicated fan bases, others come and go before you know it. Then there are others that have been in development for such a long time, but that are still yet to release. Some get canned altogether out of the blue. You are constantly on your toes in an effort to keep up with it all.

When I first started writing about video games, I was perhaps a bit naïve and did not appreciate this. There is a lot more to writing about video games than just being a fan of a particular franchise. Every day there is a new take on an accessibility option in a game, a new YouTube trend, a developer that has changed companies, a new gadget, a change in market trends... the list of day-to-day variables in the video games industry is astounding.

Thankfully, as the industry changes and evolves, so do those who work in it. And I am so grateful to be part of an industry that is anything but boring.

 

What advice do you have for women who may want to start a career in game writing or professionals who want to pivot their careers into the gaming or esports industries?

If it is something that you really want to do, go for it! It is that simple, so do not overcomplicate it. By doing nothing about your dream, be it in the videogames industry or any other area in your life, you are just guaranteeing a “no” for yourself. Whereas if you put yourself out there, you are at least giving yourself the chance for success. And, of course, keep being persistent.

 

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