POLL: Should Noclip Start Documenting Games Coverage? (Magazines, Websites, YouTubers, Streamers)

Hey Noclip Community,

This will be a familiar topic for those of you who watch the Patron Show, but I want to open the question up to our community before I make any firm decisions on this.

So, the games media has suffered an alarming decline in the years since Noclip began. The major websites have shrunk in headcount and influence, the death of Game Informer was the nail in the coffin on the magazine era, and even popular YouTubers and Twitch streamers are starting to struggle.

Just two months ago Mega64 just had a hail mary funding campaign to help keep their lights on.

So much of my love of video games came from these sources. From Amiga and PlayStation magazines, to websites like GameSpot, 1UP and Giant Bomb. And today YouTube and Twitch streamers dominate much of my entertainment time - and the gaming discourse. The world of games coverage - be it journalists, streamers, writers or video editors - has long been part of the fabric of video games.

Personally I feel like there is a history worth preserving here. Be it to understand the lessons that these people/organizations learned about their craft, to inspire new generations and ways of talking about games, or simply to celebrate the people who made our enjoyment of games all the more richer.

I also think there is a lot to be learned from talking to new contemporary names in games coverage. Streamers and YouTubers who produce videos highlighting various aspects of game design, game history and fandom. It would also give us a good excuse to cover organizations attempting to preserve this stuff themselves (VGHF). Not to mention our own project to digitize thousands of old game tapes.

That said, we run Noclip with your money. You pay us every month to document the people who "play and make video games" as I originally put it. Granted, we mostly cover the making, not so much the playing. Games coverage was never part of the original pitch or any one since. So I don't want to make a decision on this unless I have a good understanding of what you all think of it.

So the question is simple enough. Do you think we should spend some of Noclip's production time / budget on documenting these stories?

I know some of you get mad at me for having weird answers on these polls - but I think most people will fall into one the following buckets. Please pick one and leave a comment if you have any more insight into this.

Thanks so much everyone!

Danny