What Are the 8 Different Types of Video Game Articles?

Video games have enthralled players for many decades dating back to the 1970s. Today, gaming is a multi-billion dollar industry, and there are a plethora of websites and printed magazines that cover all things video games. Video game articles are those about any gaming-related topic. These articles most typically cover games for the most popular Nintendo (Switch), Sony (PlayStation 5), and Microsoft (Xbox Series) consoles along with Windows PC titles. However, many websites and magazines also cover Android mobile and Meta Quest VR (virtual reality) games.

(What Are Software Articles and Who Writes Them?)

Gaming writers devote themselves to writing articles about video games for websites and magazines that cover them. Many gaming sites recruit freelance contributors by advertising vacancies on websites like SimplyHired, Indeed.com, LinkedIn, UpWork, and ProBlogger. Some print gaming magazines are also open to freelance submissions. These are the types of video game articles that gaming websites and magazines typically include.

Game Tip (Guide) Articles

Game tip articles are guides that provide handy pointers for playing games better. These articles can be miscellaneous beginner tip lists for specific games. They can tell players how to solve puzzles, defeat bosses, activate different endings, or find hidden items and secret locations in games. Such articles can also provide guidelines for how to activate cheats and configure games with their settings and debug consoles. You can view some examples of game tip articles on the following pages:

10 Horizon Zero Dawn Tips for BeginnersHow to Solve the Assassin’s Creed Origins Sundial PuzzleHow to Customize the CS2 Crosshair in Counter-Strike 2How to Get the Best Ending in Witcher 3: Blood and Wine6 Ancient Mechanism Locations in Assassin’s Creed Origins

You will notice all articles on those pages include screenshots. Screenshots captured from games are important for most gaming article types. They are important for gaming guides because authors can utilize them to show locations and specific things. For example, the Assassin’s Creed Origins sundial puzzle article linked above includes screenshots that show crystals and map locations players need to look for.

Game Walkthroughs

A game walkthrough is an article that walks its readers through a part of a video game. It tells players what they need to do to complete specific levels, quests, or stages in games. These walkthrough articles are particularly prevalent for helping players complete quests and stages in role-playing (RPG) and single-player first-person shooter (FPS) games with puzzle elements. IGN is a big gaming site with many walkthroughs for which you can see examples on these pages:

Prey walkthroughWitcher 3: Wild Hunt walkthroughAssassin’s Creed Origins walkthrough

Gaming News

Most video game websites and magazines include gaming news articles. These articles tell readers about all the latest gaming news for consoles, mobile devices, and Windows PC games. Such articles often cover announcements about upcoming games and consoles. Developers also frequently update multiplayer (and to a lesser extent single-player) games with new content that gaming news articles cover in detail, as in some of these examples:

Imangi Launch Frozen Shadow Update For ‘Temple Run 2’Big Huge Games Launch World War Update For DomiNationsUbisoft Launch Rayman Adventures On iOS And AndroidNew Multiplayer Shooter ‘Space Jet’ Launches On Android

Game Reviews

Game reviews have been part and parcel of video game journalism throughout the history of the gaming industry. These articles review and rate the latest video game releases to tell players what the best ones to purchase are. There isn’t a universal format for review pieces, but many typically rate games with scores out of five, 10, or 100. Some reviews rate the visual, audio, and gameplay quality of games separately to form overall scores.

Game Previews

Game preview articles tell readers what to expect from upcoming games with confirmed release dates. Such previews are typically for games showcased at trade shows like E3 with playable demos. However, it’s not necessarily essential to have played pre-release demos to write game previews. Previews usually provide more in-depth insights about the gameplay and storylines of upcoming game releases.

Troubleshooting Guides

Video games can have technical issues much the same as regular computer software. Players often report crashing issues for Windows 11/10 PC games that make them unplayable. Many video game websites have troubleshooting guide articles with fixes for more widely reported gaming issues. These articles can be similar to troubleshooting pieces on general Windows software sites with screenshots and step-by-step instructions for applying the potential fixes. These are some examples of troubleshooting guides for video games:

8 Ways to Fix Counter-Strike 2 Not Launching on a Windows PC6 Ways to Fix the Palworld Black Screen Bug on Windows PCs5 Ways to Fix the Easy Anti-Cheat “Untrusted System File” Error for PC Games5 Ways to Fix the “You Need to Authenticate to Microsoft Services” Minecraft Error

Retro Gaming Articles

Old retro games have become more popular in recent years with Nintendo and Atari reviving their best consoles from the 1980s with the NES Classic and 2600+. Retro game articles are those about the history of the gaming industry. These articles revive gaming nostalgia by covering classic games and retro consoles from the 20th and early 21st centuries.

Many gaming websites often look back on the history of the games industry with retro game pieces. There are also some magazines entirely devoted to the retro gaming scene, such as Retro Gamer, Amiga Addict, Eight Bit, and Retro Format. This article submission guidelines page confirms Retro Format is open to freelance contributions.

With a growing catalog of instructional writing videos available instantly, we have writing instruction on everything from improving your craft to getting published and finding an audience. New videos are added every month!

Opinion Pieces

Video game websites and magazines are full of opinion pieces. Such articles often provide positive or negative opinions on the state of the gaming industry and video game products outside of reviews. Best-of-list articles recommending game titles for specific gaming genres and consoles can be considered opinion pieces. Many gaming opinion pieces are also listicles that rank video games relating to content, characters, ending sequences, and much more besides. These webpages include video game opinion pieces:

6 of the Best Free Games on Epic Games Store6 Good Reasons to Embrace Mobile Gaming6 of the Best Battle Royale Games for All Gaming Platforms6 Reasons Why Windows Gaming Beats Console Gaming

If you’re an avid gamer, becoming a gaming writer could be a great way to extend your penchant for video games. There are plenty of websites and magazines seeking video game article content in the form of game tips, walkthroughs, reviews, previews, news, troubleshooting, retro, and opinion pieces discussed above. You can find them by browsing the online vacancy directories and querying video game magazine editorials about freelance article submissions.