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EGM makes a "new" hire
EGM Review Crew Survivor ran in the summer of 2004 on a then less than a year old 1UP.com. EGM Editor-in-chief Dan Hsu was wary of the idea of putting a reality show concept at the forefront of a major contest saying "Normally, I am not a fan of taking something that is currently hot in pop culture and applying it to what we do just for the sake of capitalizing on it, but it seemed to make sense for us." [For more of our chat with Dan Hsu, check out our state-of-the-industry interview here.] He pushed forward, however, and may have changed the way gaming outlets hire new writers in the process. In Review Crew Survivor, a field of 15 writers was whittled down to one with, with the opportunity to contribute to EGM's review section at the normal freelance rate as the grand prize.
It may have been a bit before its time, however, as the eventual winner's prize didn't amount to a lot of content. Aaron Koehn, the EGM Review Crew Survivor produced a total of three reviews that appeared in two issues EGM. Hsu lamented the fact that Koehn did not have easy access to pre-release material, living in Lincoln, Nebraska without access to debug consoles. As a result, Koehn's output for EGM consisted of one hundred word reviews for three movie-licensed games; Star Wars: Episode III, Fantastic Four, and Batman Begins. As one might expect, Koehn's work, while ably done (especially considering this contest was his first foray into game writing), didn't exactly leave a major impact on the history of the magazine.
The tribe has spoken. They've asked you to review this.
Koehn had just recently graduated from college with an English degree when the opportunity to compete for a spot in EGM presented itself. On the outside looking in, Koehn correctly surmised that the gaming media would be a tough nut to crack. "It seems like every male I knew played videogames recreationally and at the same time every male I knew hated his job." Koehn said. "So I came to the conclusion that reviewing video games must be a job that basically every male would want." After five rounds of competition, Koehn had won a spot on EGM's Review Crew. The prize was a review and the freelance rate for writing one. Insofar that the winner was only promised one review in one issue, it could considered a minor success that he got to write three.
While he may have beaten out hundreds of applicants and over a dozen competitors, Koehn still felt he had something to prove after his victory. "I did always feel like I really needed to prove myself each time I submitted a review, hoping that EGM would think I was good enough to keep on full-time." Ultimately, they didn't, though Koehn may have never really stood a chance in that regard.
While it may have been the prime period to cash in on the reality craze, the timing was not great to for the winner to get a foot in the door. EGM had become more reliant on freelancers, making entry-level permanent positions all but obsolete, and the logistics of keeping a writer without access to pre-release material made keeping the contest winner on board a difficult prospect. It should be no surprise that the more convenient aspects of internet gaming journalism have given new life to this hiring method. Although it's barely been three years since he won the contest, the changing landscape of gaming coverage could be just what Koehn needs, as he still yearns to write about gaming, saying "Maybe that's the most significant way this contest has affected my career: it's defined my direction."
