Kotaku is a prominent blog that ranks among the most-visited gaming-related websites, popular for its breadth of coverage, from major press releases to reviews of quirky Japanese games. However, the material is often drawn from other gaming sites and thus can become repetitive. Similar in design and content to Kotaku, Joystiq is a competing blog with a much better categorization of material to make navigation easier for readers depending upon their preferred console. Unfortunately, the editors' writing styles are highly opinionated and sure to offend certain gaming enthusiasts. The Wired online editorial features a gaming section that provides excellent reviews of recently-released games, including small independent games that are often overlooked by the more mainstream blogs. Sadly, GameLife receives infrequent updates with considerably less new content to be found than other sites. GameSpot is primarily a review and preview site for games of all types. Its catalog of games is staggering in size, and each review carefully examines the game and clearly points out the games strengths and weaknesses. However, the site is driven by ads and recently was involved in a controversy over one of the editors firing after having written a negative review for a game that was heavily advertised on the site. Newsweek's N'Gai Croal has a blog entitled Level Up that features articles of in-depth analysis of contemporary games as well as exclusive interviews with prominent industry leaders. The only downside to the Level Up blog is the rather lengthy articles that prevent busy readers from getting important information on the go.
Going in a slightly different direction, Penny Arcade is a popular site that features comics of the latest videogames and announcements in the industry. The comic artists offer humorous yet insightful satire on contemporary issues, requiring that the reader is already well-informed. GamePolitics, as the name suggests, revolves around politically-charged topics in the gaming world. Unlike news media, this site accurately represents important issues with sufficient evidence. In addition to user comments, the site also features a forum for visitors to engage in healthy debate. Posts are written under the title of Entertainment Consumers Association, with no credit given to specific authors. Moving into the business aspect of gaming-focused blogs, Next Generation is host to the most recent sales figures of companies in the games industry, from weekly console numbers to leading retailer revenues. Gamasutra focuses on press releases from major companies in the industry, and even has a job board with available positions at these companies. Unfortunately, the site's visual design feels cluttered and uninspired. GameCareerGuide is an excellent resource for current students interested in getting a start in the games industry with featured game design schools and articles on how to get started. A sister-site of Gamasutra, this blog also bears an overwhelming amount of information making it difficult to navigate. Each one of these sites is an excellent resource with plenty of interesting information.
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