It is a side of the software industry that gamers seldom realize is there. And yet without these hard-working folks, some titles might not get the attention they deserve.

The job is public relations, which can also be interpreted at media or press relations. These folk bridge the gap between the developers and the media, getting out information about a title, making sure that interviews are set up, and that …

Wait a minute, why tell you what they do? Why not let them describe the job themselves?

Pete Hines, with Bethesda, and Infogrames’ Jayson Hill took a few minutes to answer some questions about the world they work in, what it takes to do the job, what exactly they do, and how they got into the business.

It should be noted that the opinions that these gentlemen are expressing are their own, and not the policy or position of the companies they work for.

Question: Some folks may labor under the misapprehension that working in public relations for a game publisher would be a cake walk – as in the product sells itself. Can you give us a general synopsis about what goes into the public/press relations’ side of the industry? How many hours a week do you work? What are the biggest headaches, and the biggest delights?

Pete: “My hours fluctuate wildly depending on the time of year. It's usually a 10-hour day at the office and a couple more at home at night. Since my duties also including directing all of our marketing efforts, I have lots of headaches. I think my biggest headache is that I worked on the press side for several years, and I have a standard that I think everyone should meet when covering games ... and it isn't met nearly as often as it should be. Far too many times I see reviews for games (and not just ours ... I see this everyone else's games as well) where the reviewer mentions problems with the game that they've read or heard about on the Web or in newsgroups, or is obviously trying to ‘fall in line’ with what other reviews have said, or gets facts wrong, etc. All I really want is for someone to evaluate the game based on its merits and whether it achieves what it attempts. That's my least favorite part.

“The best part is that because of my ‘game geek’ background, I get fairly immersed in the development. So I follow the progress of games, help evaluate, make suggestions, etc. I get to lend my opinion on potential new games, etc. I work pretty closely with two very talented guys in Todd Howard (project leader of Morrowind) and Todd Vaughn (VP of Development) and working and interacting with them provides copious amounts of creativity and humor.”

Jayson: “Cake walk? I wish! Some games are easier because they have a great lineage and name recognition. Most don’t and they are the hard ones.

“Public relations planning starts anywhere from nine to 12 months before a product ships. A product is announced when the development team determines it is a feasible project. After announcements come the first screenshots, then previewable code, reviewable game and finally tips, tricks and strategies. Dunning people for the assets to make all that happen takes up a lot of my time. Shows like E3 also come along to interrupt the smooth flow and we have to get all the stuff we can show together to put the best face possible on the line for our industry’s premier show. Smaller shows like Classic Gaming Expo also take a chunk of time. Let’s just say I average working 40+ hours a week.

“Working with the R&D side of the house is the biggest headache. They are such perfectionists that they are loath to ever release an asset for the press. They always feel it could be just a little bit better and want more time to work on it. I really appreciate their love of the games but it can get trying from the PR perspective.

“Working with the editors has to be the biggest delight. A great bunch of professionals that really love games work in the gaming press, but there are a lot of very jaded gaming editors out there and they know when you are feeding them a line. Being honest about the quality of your game is the best rule in this business.”

Q: Can you give us some back ground information? What kind of education do you have? What got you into the world of games? Are you a game junky, or just a casual player? What kinds of games do you like and play?

Pete: “I'm definitely a game junkie from way back to my Vic20 and Commodore64 days when my brother and I used to type in game code that came in the latest issue of RUN magazine. I've pulled more than my share of late night or all night gaming sessions with Strategic Conquest, Civilization, X-COM, and the old Gold Box AD&D games. I still play games as much as I can, and my tastes tend to center around RTS and TBS games, and RPGs. Stuff I've played recently included Emperor, BG2, IWD, HOMM3, and a little here and there with some others. I like games that require thinking and strategy more than a quick trigger finger and fast reflex time. As for my education, I have a business degree from Wake Forest University and an MBA (Masters in Bus.Admin.) from George Mason University.”

Jayson: “Being a strong believer that you should try everything that interests you, I was in the Army for several years, worked as a field representative for a US senator, and did PR and MIS work for consumer electronics giant Philips before being hired by Hasbro Interactive in early 1999. Infogrames retained me when they bought HI.

“I don’t have a PR degree. I hold a Bachelors of Science in Secondary Education from Auburn University and a Jurisprudence Doctorate from the University of Tennessee.

“Game junky for sure! I’ve loved video games since I played an Atari Race In Space arcade game in about 1974. I’m a big fan of console games and started collecting them about 20 years ago. I currently have over 80 systems (the oldest being the original 1972 Magnavox Odyssey) and over 2200 games for them.

“Multiplayer games where everyone sits around the same screen are my favorites. We recently had a ten-player game of Saturn Bomberman at my house. A little difficult with a 32” TV, but it was worth it.”

Q: “You've probably seen a lot of trends flash past during your tenure in the wonderful world of games. What do you think was the hottest trend, and what will be the next wave?

Pete: “Well, everyone thinks the hottest trend is massively multiplayer games. The new hottest trend may be people losing their shirts trying to cash in on massively multiplayer games. The other is the constant effort to tap into the ‘casual’ market. Consoles certainly seem to be getting more attention, and it'll be very interesting to see how the online component plays out for
consoles.”

Jayson: “Hottest trend was probably fighting games. Never cared for them myself, but they burned up the charts for several years and almost everyone jumped on the bandwagon and made one. Many were poor quality. The genre has settled down a bit now.

“Next hot trend – online console gaming. Might have to wait for broadband to take better hold, but it should be big when it happens.”

Q: From your perspective, what is the biggest genre of games? What makes a really good game?

Pete: “The biggest genre is probably ‘action’ which includes a lot of things, but obviously the FPS games seem to have the biggest appeal to the widest range of gamers. I think a really good game makes you forget to look at what time it is. Doesn't matter what kind of game it is. If you're so into it that you don't notice that three hours have passed, that's a good game in my opinion. The next level beyond that is the suspension of belief. If you're playing a game and not only do you not notice what time it is, but you've actually left yourself and have become that character ... that's very cool. Finally, any game that you spend random moments during the day thinking about (i.e., how am I going to get through that level, or finish that mission or quest). The greatest games I've ever played have taken over whatever I was doing in my life at that time, and I thought about them all the time when I wasn't playing them.”

Jayson: “For me it is arcade/action games. The best games are those that a person can pick up and immediately have some success in but true proficiency should only come with real practice. Good arcade/action games have that magical combination.

“The mass market has embraced these games and buys a bunch of them.”
 

Share Glink It

---