Mike gets his game back with new domain. Sorta.

It’s been a while since I’ve updated this blog. I’ve decided to resurrect it, but at a new location. You can now visit Mike Got Game! here, where there’s no “.wordpress.com” extension to the domain.

Would I put in posts more regularly? Yes, of course. Especially now that I’m paying to have my domain hosted. Wouldn’t you? 😉

Greg Kasavin is leaving GameSpot

I stared at the screen in disbelief at the news. I’ve been a regular of the site for years, and like you, Greg, I write about games for a living. I’m one of the early game journalists in the Philippines and when I started, I didn’t know how to go about it.

There was simply no one here to emulate at that time.

That’s when I found GameSpot, and I turned to it for all my gaming news. I read every review, preview, and news article. I assimilated into the culture, the writing style. I reveled in it. I absorbed the knowledge from your editors.

But it was you, Greg, that stood out.

Yes, the GameSpot editors are objective, but it was your writing style that had me hooked. You were uncompromising, unbiased, and clear. Your most important attribute that I value is your taste in games.

Reviews and reviewers will always vary in opinion and that’s a fact. There are reviewers that love strategy games, while some are predisposed with first-person shooters. One reviewer would rate a game differently and his or her audience would either agree or not.

It’s difficult to find that reviewer that agrees with your preferences. Greg and I are very similar in that aspect so I always tune in to his reviews–be it written or for video.

To find a game journalist whose tastes are similar to yours can be difficult, and Greg has done that in spades. To find one that also writes excellently is a steal, and that is what Greg’s work in GameSpot means to me.

Greg Kasavin is my favorite game journalist. Not Jeff Green, not Dan Hsu, not Desslock. To hear him leaving is a shock. To never read his reviews again is a loss. Greg, your presence in GameSpot will be missed.

I’m sure you’ve seen the reactions of the community, so don’t be surprised.

What I am surprised about though is your decision. As a game journalist, you know the work conditions within the industry: the insane crunch, the 7-day work weeks, low salary, and no overtime pay, among others. Yes, these things could happen when you’re a game journalist, I understand, but it’s nothing compared to what the games industry offers.

I’m sorry to bring this up now. Being the intelligent person that you are, I’m sure you’ve considered those factors. I also understand your drive to work on a beloved game franchise, so there’s no question there. I hope you achieve that dream—that this franchise would flourish even more as you join the ranks of the people working on it.

Here’s to you, Greg Kasavin. May you always excel in what you love doing.