Aftermath Is The Gaming Publication I've Always Wanted

In a post math world where we hate numerical values, I wish there was more than just one

With so many business models focused on traffic, how to generate it, how to keep it, how to do it at the lowest possible cost to the company, there tends to a favoritism towards content. Not good or bad, just content.

And when it comes to gaming websites, that content mainly centers around news, reviews, and guides. For Aftermath, it’s whatever the hell they want - and what they want is what I’ve wanted, for a very long time.

Aftermath is a worker owned gaming publication that reminds me more of a bespoke magazine than a website or blog. The variety of pieces range from a strategy guide for Citi Bikes to the woes of being a Silent Hill fan, to how games journalism works in the series aptly called Inside Baseball. Reading Aftermath is like going out for Korean food. You’re there for the bulgogi, but you stay for the banchan (the side dishes, fun fact for you).

Food is a great analogy here, because it can be very personal, a quality that Aftermath excels at. Sure, many gaming websites report on the human element of video games, but Aftermath does it so frequently, with such empathy and great reporting, that its emotionally engaging. When I read any of the pieces on the site, I feel like I’m being sucked into a world that didn’t feel fully appreciated by others. Aftermath is comfort food.

All of this is only possible because the folks who write the pieces also own the business. Five years ago, this type of strategy would have been rejected by everyone you could present it to, and then local dickhead Jim Spanfeller, CEO of G/O Media, decided to fire Deadspin’s Editor-in-Chief Barry Petchesky. The fallout that ensued was enormous, but it resulted in Defector - A worker owned sports blog that proved you could be independent and be successful.

Defector became a north star of sorts, and Aftermath is possible because of the ground work laid by them. Sidenote - It’s fascinating to me that G/O media is so poorly run that some of its most famous publications have either created worker owned offshoots, or have outright gone independent, like The Onion.

I want to leave off with a sincere appreciation for a piece written by Nathan Grayson called The Bittersweet Feeling Of Seeing Your Game Revealed After Getting Laid Off. Game development’s difficulty is often referred to as magic. There are so many moving parts that vary wildly from game to game that developers often speak the common sentiment that it’s a miracle the game even released. It’s not often I read a piece that resonates so deeply.

I was lucky enough to be involved with a former developer who turned from video games due to similar circumstances mentioned in the article. I never fully appreciated the depth of that pain, and I’m grateful that a website exists that’s able to explore such a difficult and emotional topic in a way that helps people empathize with the hurt.

You can subscribe to Aftermath here.