Poll: Help! Ive been asked to write a few game and gaming related articles for a website....

[JackalSick6Sick]

Ok quick bit of market research! What do you guys look for in a gaming website and what sticks out in an article, what makes you read it? and more importantly what makes you come back? Ive been asked to write a few articles for a friends website and any ideas or suggestions no matter how obtuse or obscure would be great! also sorry if this lacks in the information dept this is 1 of my first posts!

 

[Simalacrum]

A sort of comical 'edge' helps, I find; try looking at some of the articles in Gizmodo, or on Games Radar, (or The Escapist ), and they have articles that often catch my attention.

A title that catches my eye is important too; for example, if its a robot-related article, always try and cram a robot apocalypse joke in there somewhere

 

[TheMonkoFunk]

Balance has got be key right? Make no judgement without justification. Humour definitely makes an article more enjoyable to read but it really needs to back up the facts. For example, I sometimes read reviews which try to sound insightful or intelligent through the use of jokes but actually end up just being bias and lacking any factual substance.

At the end of the day, if I'm reading an article its usually because I want key information or speculation. As long as that's there, dress it up however you like!

 

[Trivun]

Personally, I like a mix of facts, list format, and humour. I read Cracked a lot, and they have valid and well-sourced information, but they also use an easily readable format with the lists, which I find helps a lot in making an article simple to understand and digest in bite-sized chunks, which I'd rather read than a wall of text (the exact reason why I've occasionally skimmed over threads or articles on this very site ). But the humour is important too, to encourage people to read it.

I would recommend looking at the work of some successful internet writers, includind the Cracked team (as they mostly have their own sites or sidelines in writing non-Cracked work too) and use those for inspiration. Take particular note to Seanbaby, Dan O'Brien, and Christina H for examples of really good writing. Also, any homage to Charlie Brooker gets extra points in my book xD.

 

[BlueberryMUNCH]

I'm an absolute sucker for lists. Like seriously, I JUST LOVE LISTS.
More sites need more lists; you should make a list:].