How to write News

Thanks for your interest in participating! Before you create content at GamersGlobal, make sure that you comply with the following rules, as well as our Terms of Use (AGB).

I. HOW TO WRITE GOOD NEWS

Write about interesting stuff.
The 40th screenshot of a B title is boring. Well known facts are not news. It's easy: If you have new information about a gaming topic people care about, your news will be read.

Keep it short and simple.
Short, precise sentences are better than long, ambiguous constructs. While
facts are good, the core information should be easy to get. A good news item often has only two or three facts, at least one of them should be important and interesting. The news' first sentences usually answer (1) who said or did (2) what, (3) where and (4) when.

Quote your sources.
Always quote your sources or link to them if possible. Do not just copy and paste other content, although taking the core information and adding your own content is fine. Sources can be game designers, community managers other game sites (do not just copy what they write, add meaning or facts!), online shops, a report seen on TV, and many more.

Stick to the facts.
Don't write about hearsay or relate rumors as if they are fact. Having said that, to report that there is a believable rumor about something important is okay. Identify it as a rumor, state where you heard or read it, and identify the facts that support that rumor. Never start rumors.

Be precise.
Write "20 levels" if you know the number instead of "many levels." If something is uncertain ("they may"), do not add certainty ("they will"). If a game release date was announced for a given day, give that day. Check the names of persons citied, companies mentioned or graphic engines used. If you don't verify your content, others might copy your error, multiplying it.

Be fair.
Do not look for flaws in games or companies for the sake of finding a flaw. If there are many facets of a game or company that, seen from a neutral point of view, are clearly positive, do not omit them from your news in order to only write about the one negative point. Try to see both sides of a story or argument. Keep in mind that other people might like other games or genres than you, and that not everybody agrees with you that Frogger is the best game ever made and that every game which is not Froggeresque is not a good game.

You have an opinion? That’s good!
It's actually okay to express personal opinion in your news, if it is insightful, based on knowledge, and if it can help readers to understand the facts better. If a company has so far published 14 add-ons to a best-selling series, chances are that the latest add-on will not re-invent the wheel. Chances also are that we have a company here that tries to "milk" its successful series. You can include such thoughts in your news.

II. OUR DO NOT'S

DO NOT use this website if you are younger than 14 years of age. If your age is between 14 and 17 years, do not use this website without the consent of your parents.

DO NOT use news for any purpose other than to provide the gaming community with relevant news about the gaming industry or other very closely associated entertainment fields. For example, do not post news or opinions about political issues unless they are directly linked to the gaming hobby or gaming industry.

DO NOT sabotage the flow of information on our website by "updating" news with bogus information or destroy or truncate news content in any other way -- except for the sole reason of clarifying something or correcting an error (and only if you're absolutely sure that clarification is needed). If the facts are right, but you disagree with the author’s opinion or reasoning, do not change the news. Post a comment to it, instead.

DO NOT use news or comments for commercial or advertising purposes whatsoever. Having said that, if the mod team you're part of (to name one example) has just released a new version of an interesting mod, we'd be very happy to read about that in a news you write, including a link to the website. If you're a PR person or representing a games company, you must state so in any news you write.

DO NOT post news or comments that are likely to insult, belittle or in any other way hurt the feelings of other contributors or readers. Having said that, hurting the feelings of typical "fan boys" by not supporting their paranoid belief system is not unlawful, at least not on this website. Also, do not insult companies (if that's possible...) or rather people working for companies. There is a difference between questioning the sense of "Vista only" games and the personal opinion that "Microsoft sucks!" -- we do not want to read the latter or similar opinions.

DO NOT post news or comments and do not link to content (text, audio, video, photos) that is racist, fascist, pornographic or in any (other) way unlawful. Reporting about leaking, hacking and reverse engineering games is not unlawful (although the leaking, hacking and reverse engineering probably is). Do not use robots or other means to artificially change the votes for any postings on our website. Do not manipulate, hack or crack any part of this website.

Thank you very much, we're looking forward to reading your news!