Gaming Reporters and Journalists - 2025 Contact List

As TechRaptor's Editor-in-Chief, Otton has redefined gaming journalism through rigorous technical analysis and unwavering ethical commitment. His work spans three core domains:

• Industry Ethics: Developed the first crowdsourced journalism disclosure tracker
• Technical Analysis: Pioneered frame data journalism for fighting game communities
• Cultural Criticism: Authored definitive essays on gaming's representation challenges

Pitching Priorities

Seek:

• Hardware teardowns with performance benchmarks
• Developer postmortems with verifiable metrics
• Policy changes affecting content moderation

Avoid:

• Mobile gacha mechanics showcases
• Celebrity voice actor promotions
• Esports organization press releases

Recent career highlights include moderating the Melbourne International Games Week ethics panel and consulting on Australia's interactive media classification reforms. Otton maintains an open door for pitches that demonstrate both technical rigor and human impact awareness.

Brad Shoemaker is a leading gaming journalist currently analyzing industry trends through The Nextlander Podcast. With roots at GameSpot and Giant Bomb, his work combines technical hardware analysis with cultural commentary on gaming's evolution.

Key Coverage Areas

• Retro Gaming Renaissance: Tracks modern implementations of classic gameplay mechanics
• Open-Source Gaming: Chronicles Linux compatibility solutions and community-driven projects
• Input Innovation: Examines controller/interface developments across PC and console platforms

Achievements

• 2017 Games Journalism Award for Technical Analysis
• Moderated record-breaking PAX Prime 2019 panel on input latency
• Pioneered the Quick Look format generating 850M+ lifetime views

When pitching Shoemaker, emphasize cross-industry applications of gaming tech or novel implementations of retro concepts. Avoid mobile gaming trends or celebrity-focused content. His work consistently bridges the gap between hardcore technical analysis and mainstream gaming culture.

Brian Mazique (Forbes, Heavy Sports) specializes in dissecting the intersection of technology and physical/digital sports. His work demystifies gaming engines’ impact on sports simulations while providing blow-by-blow analyses of WWE’s most contentious moments.

Pitching Priorities

• Tech-Driven Sports Innovations: Pitch stories about VR training tools or motion-capture advancements, as seen in his Unreal Engine 5 coverage .
• WWE’s Regional Audience Strategies: Propose features on how wrestlers adapt promos for specific cities, mirroring his Chicago Smackdown analysis .

Achievements

• 2023 Esports Insider Award winner for bridging gaming and motorsports journalism.
• Cited by ESPN’s Outside the Lines for combat sports revenue analyses.

This 15-year veteran translates cutting-edge tech into actionable consumer insights for Popular Science, Tom's Guide, and TechRadar. Her work sits at the intersection of:

• Playable Innovation: Reviews next-gen hardware with emphasis on real-world usability
• Streaming Anthropology: Analyzes viewing patterns as cultural artifacts
• Game Design Philosophy: Explains complex mechanics through accessibility lenses

Pitching Priorities

• Quantified Performance: Demo units must show measurable improvements over previous generations
• Cross-Demographic Appeal: Stories should bridge hardcore enthusiasts and casual users
• Historical Context: New products framed through tech evolution timelines

Career Highlights

• Authored Wiley's first gaming-focused "For Dummies" title
• Regular NPR commentator on gaming's societal impact
• 2021 Online Journalism Award for pandemic-era tech reporting

Cameron Koch bridges gaming culture and mainstream entertainment through GameSpot features and cross-publication collaborations. His 15-year career began analyzing modding communities before evolving into authoritative franchise retrospectives and industry trend analysis.

Key Coverage Areas

• Cultural Legacy Analysis: Examines how game design choices influence broader entertainment trends
• Developer Workflow Innovations: Highlights technical solutions to creative challenges
• Cross-Media Adaptations: Tracks game-to-film/TV translations and their impact on both mediums

Pitching Preferences

• Seek: Historical context angles, academic research tie-ins, behind-the-scenes design philosophy
• Avoid

"The best pitches help me answer one question: Why does this matter beyond the next release cycle?" - Koch in 2024 GDC panel

As lead critic at Girls on Games, Catherine Ashley has spent nearly a decade examining how interactive media shapes contemporary storytelling. Her work blends technical analysis with cultural commentary, particularly focused on:

• Emergent Narrative Formats - Tracking innovations in branching dialogue and transmedia integration
• Event Marketing Anthropology - Studying how launch events build player communities
• Ethical Design Practices - Advocating for responsible AI implementation in game development

Pitching Insights

Effective outreach to Ashley should emphasize:

• Concrete examples of narrative innovation over technical specs
• Historical context for gaming trends
• Underrepresented voices in development teams

Recent recognition includes invitations to keynote at the Digital Storytelling Symposium and consultation work for the Canadian Media Fund’s interactive division.

As Doublejump's primary gaming analyst, Gallagher specializes in:

• Industry Trends: Tracks market shifts in APAC region
• Cultural Criticism: Examines narrative depth in story-driven games
• Developer Spotlights: Champions Australian indie studios

Pitching Recommendations

• Focus on Innovation: Prefers stories about novel gameplay mechanics over graphics comparisons
• Local Angles: Prioritizes Australian developers but considers international projects with unique hooks

Chris Charla stands at the intersection of games journalism and platform innovation, having shaped both media coverage and development ecosystems over his 25-year career. As ID@Xbox Director, he architects Microsoft's indie support programs while maintaining deep roots in games criticism through advisory roles at GDC and industry publications.

Key Focus Areas

• Platform Accessibility: Champions technical frameworks reducing barriers to Xbox publishing
• Developer Sustainability: Advocates for funding models ensuring studio longevity
• Content Discovery: Engineers algorithmic solutions improving player engagement

Pitching Considerations

"The best pitches demonstrate understanding of systemic challenges rather than individual success stories."

• Do: Highlight innovations in cross-platform tools or discovery algorithms
• Avoid: Generic indie success narratives without ecosystem analysis

As PC Gamer's Senior Editor since 2014, Christopher Livingston has established himself as essential reading for understanding PC gaming's technical and cultural evolution. His 1,200+ published works blend:

• Technical Analysis: Breakdowns of game engines and AI systems
• Developer Profiles: Deep dives into studio decision-making
• Genre Studies: Authoritative takes on survival/simulation trends

Pitching Priorities

• Seek: Pre-release developer access, modding community innovations, educational gaming applications
• Avoid: Mobile-first concepts, esports coverage, hardware benchmarking

Career Highlights

"My job is to help players understand why games work, not just that they work." - Livingston, 2023 GDC Interview

• 14 years specializing in PC gaming journalism
• 650+ PC Gamer features since 2014
• 2024 Games Media Award finalist

Daniel Kaszor is a Canadian journalist specializing in video games, technology, and their cultural intersections. Formerly the editor of Financial Post’s Post Arcade vertical, he now contributes independent analyses and essays. His work emphasizes narrative innovation, ethical industry practices, and gaming’s societal impact.

Pitching Tips

• Do: Pitch deep dives into game narratives or developer interviews. Example: A studio using procedural generation to enhance storytelling.
• Avoid: Hardware reviews or mobile gaming trends. Kaszor focuses on AAA and indie console/PC titles.

Career Highlights

• Launched and edited Post Arcade (2011–2017), elevating gaming coverage in mainstream Canadian media.
• Consistently high OpenCritic scores reflect his nuanced critique style.

David Cook (NEXT.io, USA) specializes in mergers, regulatory shifts, and leadership strategies within global iGaming markets. With a Pulitzer-winning foundation in investigative journalism, his current work combines financial acuity with operational insights for industry executives.

Pitching Priorities

• Regulatory Deep Dives: Prefer pitches with jurisdictional licensing data (e.g., “How Sweden’s 18% GGR tax impacts operator margins”)
• Executive Profiles: Seek CEOs navigating platform migrations or market entries, particularly in Africa/SE Asia

Awards Spotlight

• 1996 Pulitzer Prize for exposing post-Soviet human rights violations
• 2023 iGaming Media Award for Best M&A Analysis

With over a decade at GameSpot and 34,000+ articles, Eddie Makuch has become the gaming industry’s most prolific news breaker. His coverage focuses on three core areas:

• AAA Franchise Evolution: Tracking sales milestones and creative directions for series like Resident Evil and Call of Duty
• Executive Strategy: Securing exclusive interviews with leaders like Xbox’s Phil Spencer
• Transmedia Adaptation: Reporting on game-to-film/TV projects from announcement through production

Pitching Priorities

• Lead With Data: Makuch prioritizes verifiable sales figures and player metrics
• Access Matters: Proposals including C-suite availability receive fastest responses
• Time Your Pitch: Major franchise anniversaries or adaptation milestones yield best results

Recent career highlights include his 2025 Capcom franchise analysis reaching 1.2M social shares and his Phil Spencer interview being cited in three industry earnings calls.

Evan Lahti shapes global PC gaming discourse as Global Editor-in-Chief of PC Gamer, where he's championed technical analysis and cultural criticism since 2008. His work sits at the intersection of:

• Hardware-Software Synergy: Explaining how GPU architectures influence game design decisions
• Competitive Ecosystem Building: Documenting esports' grassroots communities
• Development Process Transparency: Investigating studio workflows and labor practices

Pitching Priorities

• Technical Deep Dives: Stories bridging component-level specs with player experiences
• Regional Market Analysis: Emerging gaming hubs' hardware/gameplay trends
• Historical Preservation: Legacy title impact on modern design conventions

Avoid mobile gaming ports or console comparison pieces. Lahti's 2024 Marvel Rivals investigation exemplifies his approach: rigorous yet accessible analysis that informs developers and players alike.

As a senior editor at GAMINGbible, Ewan Moore has carved a niche analyzing how video games reflect and shape subcultural movements. With a career spanning freelance contributions to Kotaku and TheSixthAxis, his work sits at the intersection of play and identity.

Key Coverage Areas

• Community-Driven Development: Moore tracks how modders and indie studios collaborate, as seen in his deep dives into Cyberpunk 2077’s modding scene.
• Nostalgia in Gaming: His Kotaku piece on emo aesthetics highlights his interest in retro influences within modern titles.
• Indie Transparency: Profiles of studios like Team Cherry emphasize his focus on developer-player communication.

Pitching Insights

• Do: Offer access to developers discussing community feedback integration.
• Don’t: Pitch esports statistics without cultural hooks.

Based in the UK, Moore’s work reflects a distinctly British lens on global gaming trends, often contrasting AAA studio strategies with grassroots creativity.

As lead gaming journalist at Press Start Australia, Ewan Roxburgh has become the definitive voice for understanding Australia’s $226 million games development industry. His work bridges enthusiast audiences and industry professionals through:

• Technical Analysis: Breakdowns of game engines and hardware architectures
• Cultural Criticism: Examinations of representation in character design
• Economic Reporting: Investigations into studio financing models

Pitching Priorities

• Australian-developed games with unique mechanics or narratives
• Emerging gaming hardware/accessory innovations
• Policy developments impacting the local industry

“The most compelling pitches demonstrate deep understanding of both creative and business aspects of game development.”

Garri Bagdasarov is PlayStation Universe's lead RPG and narrative systems analyst, specializing in technical breakdowns of PlayStation-exclusive mechanics. Based in the UK, his work focuses on:

• Action-RPG Innovation: Detailed examinations of combat/narrative integration
• Technical Benchmarking: Cross-generational performance comparisons
• Retro-Modern Design: Analysis of classic mechanics in current-gen contexts

Pitching Priorities

Developers should emphasize:

• DualSense implementation beyond basic haptics
• Branching narrative systems with gameplay consequences
• PS5-exclusive visual/performance modes

"True next-gen experiences aren't about pixels – they're about rewriting the player's relationship with systems."

With over 200 published analyses and recognition from industry leaders, Bagdasarov remains essential reading for understanding PlayStation's evolving RPG landscape.

Gieson Cacho is a senior technology and culture reporter at The Mercury News/East Bay Times, where he analyzes the societal impacts of gaming and entertainment systems. His work bridges technical specifications with human experience, particularly in:

• Platform Evolution: How hardware limitations shape creative decisions
• Regional Tech Ecosystems: Northern California's role in global media trends
• Preservation Studies: Archival challenges in digital entertainment

Pitching Priorities

• Technical Anthropology: Stories examining how users adapt to interface constraints
• Infrastructure Narratives: Hidden systems enabling digital experiences
• Cross-Generational Analysis: Direct comparisons between tech eras

Recent recognitions include the 2024 NorCal Media Award for exposing data center environmental impacts. Avoid pitching consumer-facing product updates without historical context or community impact angles.

celebrity gaming endorsements, mobile app reviews

Imogen Donovan (GAMINGbible, OpenCritic) specializes in decoding how video games reflect societal shifts. Based in the UK, her work bridges academic analysis and mainstream accessibility, making her a sought-after voice for studios aiming to highlight their games’ cultural relevance.

Pitching Priorities

• Narrative Innovation: Prioritize games where story and mechanics are interdependent, particularly those exploring mental health or socioeconomic themes.
• Art Direction with Purpose: Highlight visual styles that actively contribute to world-building, especially retro-futurist or hyper-stylized environments.

Achievements

• Cited in 3 university game design curricula for her analyses of therapeutic game spaces
• Regular contributor to industry panels on ethical game monetization

As Managing Editor of Casino Player Magazine, J. Phillip Vogel shapes coverage of North America’s gaming industry through three lenses:

• Regulatory Mechanics: Track record analyzing tribal gaming compacts and interstate poker agreements
• Player Experience Design: 19 articles since 2020 on casino layout psychology
• Payment System Innovations: Early adopter reporting on cryptocurrency integration challenges

Pitching Priorities

• Submit technical white papers 6-8 weeks before major gaming conventions
• Highlight cross-jurisdictional data comparisons
• Avoid celebrity-focused angles unless tied to licensing deals

Vogel’s work continues to influence both industry practices and regulatory frameworks, particularly in markets transitioning from land-based to hybrid gaming models.

As PC Gamer’s specialist in hardware and narrative design, Davenport merges technical analysis with speculative fiction. His 8-year tenure has produced definitive guides on:

• GPU Architecture: Benchmarking frameworks that correlate frame pacing with player immersion
• Indie Horror: Psychoacoustic analyses of dread-inducing sound design
• Astro-Gaming: Articles linking space sim mechanics to real astrophysics datasets

Pitching Insights

• Lead with Data Visualization: His UW News piece included custom Python-generated light curves—pitches with interactive demos or Blender-rendered asset breakdowns cut through.
• Avoid Celebrity-Driven Stories: While he interviewed CD Projekt Red’s quest designers, his focus remains on systemic analysis over personality profiles.

Davenport’s work sits at the rare intersection where Radeon ray tracing benchmarks might cite papers on quasar luminosity. Pitchers must bridge technical specificity with narrative wonder—the same alchemy that makes a perfectly optimized shader or a neutron star collision compelling.

Jason Schreier (Bloomberg News) is a leading voice in gaming and tech journalism, specializing in labor practices and business strategy. His work combines investigative rigor with accessible analysis of complex industry trends.

Coverage Focus

• Development Culture: Chronicling studios’ efforts to improve working conditions through unionization and policy reforms
• Market Shifts: Analyzing platform exclusivity erosion and the rise of multi-platform distribution
• Tech Implementation: Examining ethical AI use in asset creation and testing automation

Achievements

• Authored 3 NYT bestselling books documenting gaming industry evolution
• 2023 Gerald Loeb Award winner for Tencent market dominance analysis
• Regular contributor to NPR’s All Things Considered gaming segments

Pitching Guidance

• Do: Provide anonymized developer testimonials with verifiable supporting documents
• Don’t: Pitch product announcements or DLC release schedules

Jess McDonell is a UK-based gaming and culture journalist at WhatCulture, renowned for her deep dives into RPGs and narrative analysis. With a background in video production, her writing blends technical insight with cultural commentary, making complex topics accessible to diverse readers.

Pitching Insights

• Niche Focus: Prioritize story-driven games with moral complexity or historical depth, avoiding mobile or esports trends.
• Cultural Angles: She excels at linking gaming trends to film, literature, and societal shifts—ideal for cross-industry analyses.

Recent Highlights

“The best RPGs aren’t just played; they’re inhabited—a quality that separates timeless classics from fleeting trends.”

This ethos permeates her work, from sword symbolism essays to retrospectives on player agency.

As a Senior Editor at Engadget since 2015, Jessica Conditt has carved a niche at the intersection of gaming culture and technological advancement. Her work emphasizes:

• Indie Developer Advocacy: Regular features on small studios leveraging tools like AI-assisted animation.
• Hardware-as-Storytelling: Analyses of how console designs reflect cultural moments, from Nintendo’s loyalty programs to Sony’s accessibility controllers.
• Sci-Fi’s Tech Parallels: Explorations of how games like Cyberpunk 2077 predict real-world UI trends.

Pitching Priorities

• Do: Lead with unique origin stories about tool development or team dynamics.
• Don’t: Pitch mobile-first games or VR hardware without novel interaction models.

Recent recognition includes a 2023 Game Developers Choice Award nomination for her series on women in game design. With over 15 years in tech journalism, Conditt remains a bridge between engineering labs and living room couches.

Jessica Howard (she/her) shapes conversations at the intersection of gaming culture and ethical journalism. As Managing Editor of Uppercut, she oversees coverage of:

• Industry Ethics: Monetization models, labor practices, and mental health impacts
• Narrative Design: Storytelling innovations across RPGs and interactive media
• Community Building: Marginalized groups reshaping gaming spaces

Pitching Preferences

• Do: Lead with data-rich case studies from ANZ regions
  Example: Her 2024 series on Māori representation in NZ game studios
• Avoid: Mobile game trends or hardware spec comparisons
  Note: Only covered 2 mobile-focused pieces in past 3 years

Career Highlights

• Founded Australia’s premier rural journalism platform Bush Journal (2018-present)
• Byline authority score of 87/100 per PressContact’s 2024 analysis
• Keynote speaker at PAX Australia 2023-2024

Current Focus: Howard’s upcoming book Virtual Fences (2026) explores parallels between rural communities and online gaming spaces, under contract with Affirm Press.

celebrity gossip, hardware reviews

Jody Macgregor (PC Gamer's Weekend/AU Editor) combines music journalism pedigree with encyclopedic gaming knowledge to shape PC-centric discourse. Based in Melbourne, his work spans:

Core Coverage Areas

• Indie Game Ecosystems: Champions narrative-driven titles through features like 2017's "Recettear" deep dive
• Franchise Preservation: Documents legacy IP adaptations, notably completing Warhammer's entire gameography
• Sensory Game Design: Analyzes audio/visual integration, building on his Alien Isolation sound analysis

Pitching Considerations

• Focus: PC-first experiences with mod support or unique hardware utilization
• Avoid: Mobile gaming trends or esports infrastructure stories

Recent recognition includes reader-voted accolades for Warhammer coverage and academic citations of his audio design analyses. His career trajectory from music journalist to PC gaming authority offers unique insights into industry convergence.

With 19 years at Destructoid, Jordan Devore has become synonymous with thoughtful analysis of indie innovations and major studio releases. His work bridges enthusiast passion with academic rigor, particularly in:

• Mechanics-Driven Storytelling: Examining how gameplay systems convey narrative
• Accessibility Advocacy: Highlighting design choices that welcome disabled players
• Live-Service Economics: Tracking the sustainability of ongoing game models

Pitching Priorities

• Deep Developer Access: Prefer pitches including designer interviews or build access
• Niche Genre Insights: Especially cooking sims, farming RPGs, and physics-based combat
• Post-Launch Support: Stories about games evolving through updates

Recent Career Highlights:

• Co-Editor-in-Chief at Destructoid (2015-2022)
• 2023 Shortlist – Games Media Awards (Best Guide)
• Mentored 14 junior writers now at IGN, Polygon, and Kotaku

As The Guardian’s veteran games correspondent, Keith Stuart deciphers gaming’s evolving role in digital society. His work spans:

• Industry Trends Analysis: Tracking shifts in development practices and player behavior
• Narrative Design Criticism: Examining storytelling techniques across indie and AAA titles
• Tech-Culture Intersections: Exploring how VR/AR reshape social interactions

Pitching Priorities

• Seek: UK studio innovations, experimental narrative formats, gaming’s mental health impacts
• Avoid

“Games aren’t escaping reality—they’re rehearsing better versions of it.”

Stuart’s BAFTA-nominated novelistic approach informs journalism that’s both intellectually rigorous and accessible. Recent accolades include the 2021 UK Games Media Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his three decades of industry commentary.

Yorkshire-based journalist Kim Snaith has become the leading voice analyzing STEM toys and gaming culture intersections. Her work for Space.com and Live Science redefines how adults engage with play technologies.

Key Coverage Areas

• Hybrid Play Systems: Reviews products blending physical/digital experiences with technical specs comparable to MIT reviews
• Adult-Focused STEM Toys: Documents the $17B adult toy market through manufacturing tech and nostalgia economics
• Pop Culture Engineering: Analyzes franchise tie-ins from Star Wars to Jurassic Park through materials science lenses

Pitching Insights

• Lead with technical differentiators: Snaith prioritizes innovation metrics over brand legacy
• Highlight cross-generational appeal: Successful pitches demonstrate both child safety and adult complexity
• Provide hands-on testing access: Her most cited pieces involve 72+ hours of product interaction

"The best toys aren't escapes from reality - they're gateways to understanding it." (Live Science, 2024)

As Features Editor at Game Informer, Wallace has redefined how critics approach storytelling in interactive media. Her work bridges academic analysis and accessible critique, particularly focused on:

• Character-Driven Design: How gameplay systems express personality and relationships
• Cultural Revival: Modern relevance of retro narrative styles
• Empathy Mechanics: Emotional intelligence as gameplay innovation

Pitching Priorities

• Do Highlight:
  • Narrative risks in AA/indie development
  • Historical research informing game worlds
  • Accessibility features enhancing story immersion
• Avoid:
  • Pure technical spec discussions
  • Multiplayer-focused design
  • Licensed IP without innovative storytelling

Recent recognition includes featuring in the Pell Center's Arts & Policy series and shaping Game Informer's acclaimed 2024 "Future of Storytelling" issue.

Leon Hurley is Managing Editor for Guides at GamesRadar+, where he oversees one of gaming’s most comprehensive tutorial libraries. With over 20 years in games media, his work bridges technical analysis, consumer advice, and cultural criticism.

Key Coverage Areas

• Horror Genre Evolution: Tracks innovations in atmospheric design and player psychology across platforms
• Hardware-Guide Synergy: Explains component specs through direct gameplay impact analysis
• Indie Development Narratives: Highlights creative problem-solving in small-studio projects

Achievements

• Spearheaded digital transition strategies for major gaming publications
• Increased GamesRadar guides traffic by 214% through SEO-optimized storytelling
• Cited by Unity Technologies for making game development concepts accessible

Pitching Priorities

• Focus on horror mechanics innovation over franchise extensions
• Contextualize hardware within specific gameplay scenarios
• Emphasize retro-inspired modernization in indie pitches