“In other words, no one really believes that any one opinion is just as good for compelling as any other, especially when it comes to matters of importance. No one believes, for example, that a freshman algebra student’s opinions about mathematics are on a par with Einstein’s theory of relativity…” (Toolbox, Page 22/23). First, I should establish the extent at which I would be “qualified” as having authority. As the quote states, being understood as “having knowledge” about a topic is established by being experienced and being accepted as having done great work. But, with the problem I presented in the above paragraph, unlike many other fields of journalism, being a videogame journalist involves a unique mix of presenting fact with insight and opinion. Knowing this, is it even possible for my writing (as it is based on opinions) to be more qualified than another person’s?
The instinctive answer to this question would be: “Of course! Why shouldn’t a reader put trust in someone who has knowledge and experience in their field?” The thing is, while things such as novels and albums may indirectly (or arguably, directly) be created for others, providing advice in a review on a videogame is necessarily intended for others. Otherwise, what purpose would my insights serve? It might be nice to write them down on paper and feel good about myself, but ultimately my work as a videogame journalist would be created under the assumption that my views will ultimately (or hopefully) help others make good purchasing decisions. This is first step to my process—surrendering that I have full control over the meaning I will attempt to present as a journalist. However…
“If meaning is simply shifted from what the author thinks to what the reader thinks […] absolute authority, in that case, would simply be moved from the author to the reader. And if we shouldn’t take the author’s word for meaning, it seems even less plausible that we should take [the reader’s].” (Page 23, Toolbox). Wait a minute…you’re telling me that I can’t just put the ball in my audience’s side of the court, assuming they’ll just “do their own thing” with what I write? What do I do, then? Do my words, opinions, my literary style…mean anything?
“Reading or interpretation is not primarily a matter of forming or reinforcing personal opinions but rather a process of negotiation amongst contexts. What texts mean […] has everything to do with the contexts in which they’re produced and read.” (Toolbox, Page 23). Knowing this, I can understand that while meaning is interpreted—I also have an equal, personal sense of meaning that I can offer. My knowledge and experience in the videogame industry, while not necessarily enabling me to produce absolutely authoritative meaning through my writing, makes me who I am as a writer. It is a great portion of the context of my writing. This is the other step of my process—knowing that while readers will interpret things in their own way, that who I am, my individual context is an asset, not a liability. Through my own history and experiences I can provide insight to readers from my point of view.
As I progress as a journalist (hopefully) into the videogame industry, knowing that I will never be fully in control of meaning, but at the same time recognizing that my meaning is my own, and thus can provide something unique and different to others. This will be reassuring to me in that I don’t have to totally agonize over how to specifically direct my writing towards one purpose for one person or group. After all, all kinds of people love to play videogames. Old, young, athletic, nerdy, imaginative, and casual alike enjoy the kind of non-reality and fun that videogames offer. Furthermore, this great variety of personalities is equally mobile when it comes to genres of interactive-entertainment. Knowing these things, I should not approach writing as a videogame journalist as purely “convincing” one abstract audience when there are many different people involved in their own sets of meaning approaching my writing. However disagreeable or helpful my insight may prove to be, ultimately, I will not seek to “spoon-feed” meaning to my readers, rather to offer them a smorgasbord of thought and outlook, wrapped in a salty-breaded context to chew through and digest—effectively shaping their own beliefs and perspectives in a variety of ways.
