''Rock Paper Shotgun'' is a British video game journalism website. It was launched in July 2007 to focus on
PC games and was acquired by
Gamer Network
Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British mass media company based in Brighton. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and other ...
, a network of sites led by ''
Eurogamer
''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson.
Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EGX ...
'', in May 2017.
History
''Rock Paper Shotgun'' was founded by
Kieron Gillen
Kieron Michael Gillen (; born 30 September 1975) is a British comic book writer and former video game and music journalist. In comics, Gillen is known for ''Phonogram'' and ''The Wicked + The Divine'', both co-created with artist Jamie McKelvie ...
,
Jim Rossignol
James Michael Rossignol (born July 1978) is a British video game journalist and critic, as well as an author. He has also branched out into games, founding the company Big Robot in 2010.
Biography
Rossignol started his career as a reporter o ...
, Alec Meer and John Walker in 2007. All four were freelancing for
Future Publishing and wanted to create a website focused entirely on
PC game
A personal computer game, also known as a PC game or computer game, is a type of video game played on a personal computer (PC) rather than a video game console or arcade machine. Its defining characteristics include: more diverse and user-deter ...
s.
Gillen announced that he would no longer be involved in posting the day-to-day content of ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' in 2010, focusing more on his work with
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
. He continued to act as a director and occasionally write essay pieces for the site. Rossignol founded his own game studio,
Big Robot
Big Robot is a UK company that specialises in developing computer games, registered in Halstead, England. The company was started by Jim Rossignol in 2010.
''AVSEQ'' was released in 2011, ''Fallen City'' is in the final bug-testing phase prior ...
, in 2010,
but also continued to contribute to the site for six more years. Meer and Walker left in 2019.
''Rock Paper Shotgun'' contributors include:
*
Leigh Alexander
Lieutenant-Colonel Leigh Arbuthnot Alexander (4 July 1898 – 28 April 1943) was a British Army officer and cricketer.
Early life
Alexander was the son of Major William Alexander and Ethel Rubina Arbuthnot and brother of Gilbert Alexander. ...
*
Cara Ellison
Cara Ellison (born 28 September 1985) is a Scottish video game writer and critic.
Journalism
Ellison made regular contributions to publications PC Gamer, Unwinnable and Rock Paper Shotgun beginning in 2012.
She has also written gaming related a ...
*
Cassandra Khaw
Cassandra Khaw (born 31 August 1984) is a Malaysian writer of horror and science fiction. They also create video games and tabletop games, and formerly wrote about them as a games and tech journalist.
Biography
Cassandra Khaw was born in Malays ...
*
Porpentine
*
Emily Short
Emily Short is an interactive fiction (IF) writer.
She is perhaps best known for her debut game ''Galatea'' and her use of psychologically complex non-player characters (NPCs).
Short has been called "a visionary in the world of text-based game ...
*
Robert Yang
Robert Yang () is an academic, artist, and indie video game developer, whose work often explores gay subculture and the boundary between video games and art. His work focuses particularly on sociologically deviant and sometimes illegal sexual be ...
Reception
''Bulletstorm''
On 8 February 2011, the game ''
Bulletstorm'' came under scrutiny by
Fox News
The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...
. These claims were largely ridiculed among gaming websites, including ''Rock Paper Shotgun'', who ran a series of articles discrediting the reports by Fox News.
The articles analysed
Carole Lieberman
Carole Lieberman is an American medical doctor, psychiatrist, and author who has provided expert witness testimony for cases that have included the murder of Scott Amedure. She gained attention in 2011 due to comments she made suggesting video ga ...
's claims and found only one of eight sources she provided had anything to do with the subject at hand. Fox News acknowledged that they had been contacted by ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' and responded to their claims on 20 February 2011 through another article, stating that the game still remained a threat to children.
Public domain article
In 2014 a ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' article by John Walker about the existence of
orphaned classic video games, and the suggestion to let them enter the
public domain
The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work
A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...
after 20 years, raised a controversial public debate about
copyright terms and public domain between game industry veterans John Walker,
George Broussard
George Broussard is an American video game producer and designer, one of the creators of the '' Duke Nukem'' series ( Todd Replogle, Allen Blum, and Scott Miller being the others).
Broussard released his early games under the name Micro F/X. In ...
and Steve Gaynor.
on gamasutra
''Game Developer'', known as ''Gamasutra'' until 2021, is a website founded in 1997 that focuses on aspects of video game development. It is owned and operated by Informa and acts as the online sister publication to the print magazine '' Gam ...
.com by Steve Gaynor "There is some argument going on about for how long a copyright holder should be able to charge exclusively for their own work, before it enters the public domain. John Walker argues that perhaps a good cutoff would be 20 years before an 'idea' enters the public domain." (February 03, 2014)
Notes
References
External links
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{{Video game critics
2007 establishments in the United Kingdom
British entertainment websites
Internet properties established in 2007
Video game blogs