@BenKuchera

Ben Kuchera

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Do you think the number of big studios will continue to shrink, or will there be a rebound at some point?

I don't really care about "big" studios, but I think there will always be a bunch of people making games. I'm not sure we really need a rebound at the higher end, I'd rather see more smaller and mid-sized studios making more interesting games.

Does the journalism industry closely follow the rise and fall of the big-name studios? It seems like a time of contraction for both, but I'm not sure how closely they're related.

I think the amount of money people are willing to spend on content is much less than it normally is, and that hurts everyone. I also think budgets for big studio games are getting out of control. But all in all I think the two things match each other at least a little bit.

Are you getting the upgrade bug yet? As I recall you're still using the old Ars rig with a GTX 580?

Holy shit yes. That's a great system but it's starting to feel a little long in the tooth. I'm thinking about moving up to a faster GPU before the Oculus Rift consumer version is released, and I'll likely add a bit more RAM.

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Have you ever directly broken a PR department's rules for a game or a press conference? Asked something you are told not to ask about, broken a review embargo, leaked something that was off-the-record? If so, was it an accident, and were there any consequences?

I've been doing this a long time, and everyone makes mistakes. I don't really like being told I can't ask about something, so if that happens I just go for it, but you usually don't get an answer. That's no big deal. I've flubbed one or two embargoes years ago, and usually you call the company and apologize and explain what happened. They're usually fine with it, as long as it doesn't turn into a habit and they know it wasn't malicious.

What do you think would need to happen for the field of paid games journalism to start expanding again?

People to be willing to pay for content, or ad-block to go away. Neither of which are going to happen, so all forms of online writing are going to go through a painful contraction in the next five years.

Interesting comment about retail earlier. There are high-end bookstores, grocery stores, video shops, all kinds of retail.. even if the products are the same, the presentation and experience is better. Why aren't there luxury game retailers?

Because the margin on new games and consoles sucks. It's a brutal business to make a buck in, which is why it's used to either attract people (Walmart, Best Buy, both of which make money elsewhere) or the focus is on used goods and trade-ins (GameStop). Without a margin there's no way to invest in the experience.

Would you rather write fiction for an existing property/series/world, or come up with your own (and any ideas bubbling now)?

I do have a few ideas, but not a lot of time to get them down. It would be fun to do work in an existing world though, just because you have a place to start.

Was it a good idea for me to pre-order a DK2 tonight?

YES. You're going to love it. I'll be sure to post some demo recommendations when I get mine.

No question. Just wanted you to know that I appreciate you and your work. I think the thing I like the best is how unabashedly devoted you are to your family. It is very refreshing, and gives me hope of balancing games and being a dad. Keep it up.

That's such a nice thing to say! I think if I didn't have a family I'd be even more of an insufferable turd than I am now, taking care of all the kids makes me step away from the computer and live an actual life. Everything I do is informed by my family, and it's really helped me grow into a more well-rounded person. It's not for everyone, but it's a life I really enjoy.

When writing articles/reviews/etc what helps you get into the creative mind set?

It sounds goofy but I light a candle, put on some music, and just kind of putter around until an idea pops up. I try to play as much as I can and talk to people online and listen to what the other Polygon writers are talking about until I make some sort of connection in my head and an article comes out. Sometimes I don't have the luxury of waiting and I just have to sit down and create something, and in those situations I power through it.

Retail is more complicated than consumers realize. What is the one thing Retail needs do better to drive the Gaming Industry.

To help itself or the industry? I wish retail would stop holding back digital purchases, but that's not a good play for retail.
Also the experience sucks. At GameStop you get upsold on things you don't want, and at big box stores the staff doesn't care about games. I wish there was a store that could make money and make the act of buying a game fun.

If you wanted to start a game company right now but had no savings to get it going, how would you do it? Contact investors, crowdfund or something else?

That's kind of the thing, I wouldn't. It would be like opening a restaurant without ovens, food or being able to pay your staff. If I wanted to make a game and was broke, I think teaching myself the skills and doing as much as possible as a one-person show would be my approach.
1

What's the biggest difference between games journalism today and five years ago?

There were more outlets five years ago.

Do you think Mike Krahulik has rehabilitated his image to some degree?

I don't really like talking for or about people in this way, so I'm not sure how to answer. It's also very different when you know someone personally and compare that to how they're portrayed in articles about them, especially having gone through things like that on a smaller scale myself. Dealing with being a public figure at that level is a very hard thing, no matter who you are.

CES - E3 - PAX E/W. Rank 'em

I enjoy PAX the most out of those, E3 is the most fulfilling in terms of news and interviews, and CES is just the worst. I haven't had to go in years.

Doctors Without Borders or Child's Play or Extra Life? Why?

If you're lucky enough to have extra money to give to charity, I think you should pick one that matters the most to you. I don't think there's a bad choice, and I've given to all of them in the past. I also try to support a variety of Patreons, and I have a pretty decent Kiva account that I try to stay on top of.

What do you have against yogurt? What are some podcasts or tech/games site that you would recommend

I prefer ice cream. Also, you'd be surprised at how little game writing I read, mostly because I get my news from Polygon, and I don't write a lot of non-opinion stuff. I think I'm past the point in my life where I scour a bunch of news sources for different stories.

If you were only allowed to play one video game for the rest of your life, what would it be, and would you write about it?

It would probably be a MOBA, or maybe StarCraft 2. Something I could study and really get good at. If I could only play ONE game for the rest of my life I'd probably move on to writing about different things though.
I always like to imagine the situations that would make these questions come true. Like, what is stopping me from putting another game in? Is there someone with a sniper rifle always trained on me in case I slip up and try to play Mario 64?
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Follow any traditional sports? I remember you tweeting about the Bengals a bit last year.

Condrarian’s Profile PhotoAdam H. Condra
Nah, I'm a fair-weather fan with local sports and think it's fun, but I don't personally follow anything seriously. With the kids and work I have so little free time that I'd rather play games, read, or catch up on a good TV show if I have time to myself. When I watch sports it's usually social.

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