Critical Alternative Journalism from the Perspective of Game Journalists

This study examines how alternative online game journalists and established print game journalists understand their own role, and whether online alternative journalism can be more critical and independent than mainstream game coverage. Drawing on eleven semi-structured interviews with Swedish game journalists, nine working online and two in print, the research is grounded in theories of commercial dependence on advertisers, brand journalism, the distinction between cultural and service journalism, and alternative media. Its central question is whether creators outside traditional newsrooms can fulfill a watchdog function in a sector where publisher relationships and advertising revenue are deeply intertwined.

The findings point to a consistent tension. Alternative journalists regard critical, investigative reporting as a core duty, yet they face financial precarity, incentives shaped by networked platforms, and commercial pressure from publishers. The research concludes that alternative outlets can exceed established coverage in criticality and independence only if creators accept unpaid labour and maintain distance from publishers. Digital media logic, particularly on YouTube, pushes many toward persona-driven entertainment, such as the "angry gamer," which can undermine the authenticity on which their credibility depends.

A striking result is the near-absence of self-identification as journalists. Most interviewees, online and print alike, described themselves as critics, reviewers, editors, or video bloggers, citing a lack of formal training. This self-conception shapes practice: it tends to confine work to consumer-oriented reviewing rather than watchdog journalism and weakens engagement with professional standards, a pattern the study interprets through Zelizer's interpretive community framework.

Overall, the study concludes that alternative game journalism enjoys greater editorial freedom than advertising-funded print but remains reliant on publishers for access and vulnerable to social media logic. Its reliance on unpaid labour may compromise authenticity and exclude less affluent participants, suggesting that the potential of alternative outlets to serve as critical watchdogs is constrained by the economic and cultural conditions of their production.