Hello, I’m the new editor-in-chief of Destructoid

Fashion and game (blogging)

I started an account on Destructoid.com back in 2007. Shortly after that I was hired to write a few news posts here and there. Seven years later, I’m lucky enough to call this place a second home. I’ve created video shows for the site, written essays and reviews, interviewed game developers, and, more than anything else, I’ve done my best to be a lover of games. 

For whatever reason, the people who run this joint have asked me to become the new editor-in-chief. I was afraid I couldn’t do the position justice. I’m still afraid. That’s how I know it’s important. That’s why I’m taking the job. 

But what’s an editor-in-chief anyway?

The editor-in-chief at Destructoid isn’t exactly an “editor” or a “chief.” That’s not how Destructoid works. As you can see from our staff roll, we don’t have a CEO, we have a chief shark. We don’t have a community manager, we have a community loveboat. Likewise, the editor-in-chief isn’t a traditional boss.

So no, you don’t have to worry about the site turning into a Nintendo/indie/glamour/glitter-focused website anytime soon. At Dtoid, the editor-in-chief works with the staff to steer the site in the direction that we as a company, and as a community, want to take it. They have a responsibility to lift people up, expand creative boundaries, collaborate with outside parties, and help set the tone for the site as a whole. 

Destructoid is, at its best, a big videogame fan club where everyone is invited. It was formed because a man wanted to do what he loved more than he wanted to make money. It has grown because people who love videogames have used the site to share that love. When we’re doing our job right, Destructoid fosters the kind of passion and excitement for games that keeps the industry moving.

The fact that so many of our staff and community members have gone on to make games themselves (Fantasia: Music Evolved, High Strangeness, and Borderlands 2 to name a few), is proof that we’ve managed to pull that off a few times. Creative freedom, risk taking, and genuine, heartfelt communication are what we value most here.

We don’t often share the same views, but that’s not a problem. Quite the opposite. The fact that Destructoid welcomes a diverse set of values is part of what keeps us honest and (hopefully) interesting. What’s important is that we never lose sight of the fact that differing values are not a threat. They are nothing to be angry about or to be struck down. They are to be heard, pondered, and reflected. Sometimes that’s easier said than done, as human beings are prone to feeling angry or threatened when faced with differing ideas, especially when using the internet. But that’s the goal and we aim to reach it.

So what’s in it for me? 

As editor-in-chief, I have a million ideas of things I want to try in order to meet our creative and editorial goals. If we were to start a community blog contest where I would sing to you and send you some random crap from my house every month, would you enter it? If we were to work toward getting guest editorials from former Dtoid staff about how their relationship with videogames has evolved over the years, would you read them? Would you like to see a new video show about Samus Aran and Sagat living as roommates? Do you want to hear game design analysis from some of the most talented game developers in the world? 

Let us know in the comments what you’d like to see happen next on Destructoid and we’ll do our best to make it happen.