The Escapist
Still on my quest for the salvation of journalism on the interwebs. I have a few nifty ideas circulating, and am pursuing some leads, all that fun stuff. Here’s a memo I wrote for that same class, about an online magazine called “The Escapist” which I think is a fitting update, even if the news is a bit old:
The Escapist is a fully online magazine, complete with full graphics, editorials, articles, video, audio, and an impressive assortment of talented writers and entertainers providing in-depth analysis of media, pop culture, and the effect interactive software such as video games, computer games, the proliferation of information on the Internet and the ease of its use in an increasingly mobile world.
The most impressive thing about the Escapist is that it is unabashedly modern. It offers no print alternative, and it pays its way by opening itself to freelancers, keeping a small staff, and drawing in casual readers with funny video reviews, such as Zero Punctuation. Zero Punctuation, for a brief history lesson, is a series of video game reviews done by British commentator Benjamin “Yahtzee” Croshaw, who delivers erudite reviews of various games backed by a slideshow of still images crafted using very simple tools. It’s an example, sterling if I may, of just how simplicity and ingenuity can be combined online to create a product that is not only entertaining, but also lucrative. When the Escapist hired Croshaw on, after watching his videos on Youtube, their web traffic increased by a whopping 500 percent! Not a bad number, especially since the site makes the majority of its money from advertising, which it embeds into its video or scrolls the sides of its home page.
A thriving forum and an active enthusiasm for taking in freelancers and lone bloggers, the Escapist exists because of its audience, serving them and serving itself in the process. The popularity, stability, and quality of its product is hard to ignore, and the fact that it is fully online with (seemingly) few drawbacks makes it a model that journalists today should seek to emulate.
Why is it so successful? Well, the key thing, I feel, is that it not only knows and understands its audience, but it opens its doors to them. The Escapist may not accept every freelance article submitted, but it certainly doesn’t discourage you from offering suggestions, and the fact that the editors regularly patrol the forums, picking out good ideas and offering unpaid, but published and portfolio-building opportunities for contribution.
In addition, the magazine has a clear focus—it focuses, essentially, on modern technology and entertainment, with a clear emphasis on video games, video game culture, as well as internet culture, the future of technology, and the impact it has on humanity on a whole. It sounds lofty, but the internet is almost primarily populated by tech-savvy gamers, gadgeteers, programmers and their various fans and offshoots, delivering the Escapist an almost pre-made audience, easily lured in by their quality content, and delighted to stay by their strong community building. Truly, the Escapist may very well be the prototype for the future of journalism, and maybe the future of mass media as a whole—open to the public, well-organized, and gracefully melded with the chosen medium.
Look forward to reading more from you in the future. Thanks