The player

"As we discovered, no one writes an angry letter like a gamer" Praise and insult in equal measure - JOE GRIFFINdips in to the mailbag

OVER THE past decade, on and off, I've been writing about the artistic output of others as a film critic, video game and (briefly) music reviewer. So, in the interest of fairness, I should be able to take criticism, right? Well, as we discovered this year with the start of our gaming section, no one writes an angry letter like a gamer.

Here's a nice example: a highlight taken from a diatribe of roughly 500 words. This reader went on to write three more e-mails: "When you're writing for a demographic you tend to have to know even the slightest thing about that culture. You clearly don't. Anyway, I really hope you'll develop this 'gaming section' and learn more about what you're writing about, because I was pleased to see gaming get recognition in your paper/on your website - but very unpleased [ sic] to see it get so little thought or have the half-assed effort that went into it get passed by a naive editor."

The "half-assed" effort he was referring to was my review and column on Heavy Rain, the preparation of which included flying to Paris, attending a press conference, interviewing the game's producer and playing it. But, like everyone who has written in to The Player, he was open to communication and we discussed how we could improve the gaming section.

On the more genteel side, a typical missive is: "Great to see that The Ticket is covering gaming. It's long overdue. I wish you all the best and I for one will be reading each week to check out your views." Lovely.

My favourite e-mails are the ones that pick our brains. Whether asking where to get retro games (eBay and charity shops), if Heavy Raincan be enjoyed as a communal game (not really) or which console to buy (long answer), it's nice to be able to encourage gaming and share whatever knowledge we have.

Previously, letters to journalists and editors were from a small minority who would take the time to put pen to paper and drag themselves to a postbox. Now, in an era of e-mail, messageboards and blogs, the world is a forum for everyone with a laptop. Many journalists don't like communicating with their readers but we think it would be a shame not to capitalise on the insight, knowledge and passion of the gaming community. As much as we love compliments, we welcome debate, and even the most vitriolic e-mails usually have a kernel of insight. Just don't make fun of our byline photos.