A Primo Position

Today I was going to show you the complete first chapter of a new short story I'm working on, but the perfectionist in me took a look over and decided there were still a few kinks to work out, so it'll have to wait until Friday (and no, I will not extend that promised date any further, may God strike me down). There's also a certain inconsistent plot point that I will need to address, but I have faith in my creative skills to explain it sufficiently.

Or I could just say it's magic, which apparently needs no explanation.

In the meantime, I am happy to reveal to all of you that I've been given a generous opportunity. I was offered a couple of weeks back, via a private forum message, the chance to work at a gaming website by the name of Primotech, where I would work as either a news editor or reviewer.

Having never worked on a legitimate website before, I had doubts if I was up to the task, yet I was immediately interested in filling out the position. The website owner confirmed that I would first work as an intern of sorts, not receiving compensation until the first couple of months. However, I did assure him that the money was not my primary motivation, but rather it was the credential in working for an established gaming website. If I could pull this off, it could potentially increase my chances at a future in a bigger publishing company, possibly the likes of 1up or IGN. My biggest desire is still the written world of fiction, so I'm unsure how a website credential would improve my chances, if at all, but it couldn't hurt.

I recently managed to get in contact with the website owner via AIM, where we further discussed what I need to do and how to do it. He managed to dispel the uncertainty I felt with providing up to date gaming news, and instead immediately offered me the position of game reviewer. Since I'm one of the many legions of people who periodically tear apart videogames in forums, the transition to a professional reviewer seemed like a better fit.

Naturally, there were still a couple of trust issues from both our ends. He politely wanted to make sure I wouldn't accept the job, receive my free copy of the game in the mail, and then cease all contact afterwards (whoo! free game!). And I wanted to make sure that I had what he was looking for in a reviewer without putting him through the trouble of sending games out to a total stranger.

So I offered a compromise: I asked him if I could take a game that I was already planning to purchase on the day of release, and use that as my first reviewer. He agreed instantly. The game will be available early February (I won't mention the name, but it should be easy enough to narrow the choices down), which gives me extra time to read the previous reviews on that site.

But preparation aside, I am quite excited about this oppurtunity. I believe I have what it takes in order to write up a critical review each month, and this could lead to further oppurtunities in the future, perhaps even a guest pass to major gaming events such as GDC. And again, the credential is the most important benefit, and could be exactly what I need to make a name for myself in the world wide web.

Also, woo! Free games!