This is a total insider thing, but it’s thoroughly entertaining and I wanted to make sure you read it all. In a recent blog post, gaming-industry veteran Kevin Dent called out controversial journalist Gerard Williams, also known as The Hip Hop Gamer. Here’s an excerpt:
Allow me to explain a dirty little secret; no one in the industry actually believes that Hip Hop Gamer is in any way important. We tolerate him as though someone would laugh and roll their eyes at any child that pretends to carry a big stick.
The giveaway was when Penny Arcade Report wrote a piece about Fake Twitter Followers, I was genuinely shocked that Hip Hop Gamer had 75% fake followers.
Obviously these guys were wrong, this was a guy whose raps were in Twisted Metal, there is no way a journalist who had gotten money from a publisher to appear in video games deserved to be assaulted like this. He is obviously independent.
To be honest, I like both of these guys, but also understand why a lot of people have problems with them. I consider Kevin a friend (even though he’s a dick for not listing me as one of his “heroes in the video game journalism space”). He’s smart and charming — one of my favorite people in gaming to have a drink with while discussing nerd matters. I’m proud to defend him when some of my industry friends question what he’s done. That said, he can be an overzealous troll on Twitter. Some of his Twitter attacks have made me wince. I can only imagine how his detractors perceive his tirades. He’s also somewhat secretive and doesn’t boast about what he actually does, which causes some people to question why he rubs elbows with so many important people. He’s like a Marvel mutant — some people fear and hate him because they don’t understand him.
I like Gerard too. He’s fun to chat with and I admire how many people he reaches as The Hip Hop Gamer. With limited resources, Gerard has built a large audience for his character and I respect the hell out of that. He has a unique voice in an industry full of angry nerds that bore the crap out of me. (For the record, I’m a happy nerd that sometimes suffers from depression.) I’m proud to defend him when some of my industry friends question what he’s done. That said, I think he has an identity problem. To me, The Hip Hop Gamer is a great entertainer. Gerard sees himself as a “serious videogame journalist” (a concept I still struggle with). Writers that consider themselves serious videogame journalists (even ones that aren’t actually journalists, flippant or otherwise) are offended by this. I understand why these people have problems with Gerard comparing himself to them. To me, it’s like saying both Tom Brokaw and Jon Stewart are serious broadcast journalists. That’s just not the case. One is a great newsman, while the other is a fantastic entertainer.
While I like both of these guys, I hope they go at it. Hell, I’d love to film it! It would be like watching two of my favorite pro-wrestlers have a match. I’m not rooting for either of them. I just want a good show. How about it boys?
Id watch that for a dollar.
We could start a whole new video line called “Nerdfights”.