What the heck is this biz?
It’s my (Zoey Handley) video game blog. I once thought that I might want to build it up into a legitimate publication by having other people write for it, but I no longer want to run a business. So, it’s my blog.
So this isn’t actually a complaint department?
Yeah, I realized some people might find the name confusing after I started receiving complaints about refrigerators. We’re just a hobby blog about video games. Also, we’re not affiliated with the GAME chain of stores. It sucks that you couldn’t get a refund, but we don’t deal with that here.
Your review scores are suspiciously low. Is this clickbait?
My scoring system just works a bit differently than most game sites. Here, anything above a 5 is a recommendation, and the higher you go, the more enthusiastically I recommend it. Anything below 5 is a recommendation to avoid. If the score is 5/10, it means I’m ambivalent. So, I’m sorry if a game you enjoyed got a 6/10, but that actually means that I enjoyed the game and think there’s a chance you will to. I just don’t think it’s the cat’s pajamas.
Yeah, but everywhere else gave X game a 9/10
It’s just a personal opinion and my unconventional scoring system. I don’t weigh games off of metrics like art, narrative, or sound design, though that may tie into my opinion. My only method for weighing a game is my feelings about the game, and there’s no accounting for taste.
Are publishers paying you for coverage?
Ha! No. If someone provides me with a key, they’re usually looking for coverage on Destructoid. I always disclose where the copy came from beneath the article in the disclaimer. I’m not comfortable taking money for coverage, so I probably never will.
There are no ads here. How do you make money?
The short answer is I don’t. My primary source of income is writing for Destructoid, which I use to pay for the hosting here. I hate ads, so while I’ve considered adding a few, I haven’t taken the leap. If you want me to lose less money on the site or just want to see me write more here, consider contributing to my Ko-fi.
You’re lying. I just found some above the comments section.
Right, those ads are added by the Disqus plugin, they’re not part of the site. I don’t make any income from them. To get rid of them, I’d need to pay a subscription to Disqus. It’s 12$ a month to go ad-free, and, as I’ve stated, this site is not monetized, so I don’t really want to pay it. If they really bother you, you can use my Ko-fi account to send me $12 monthly, and I’ll pay it forward to Disqus.
Why don’t you post new stuff as much as you used to?
When I started the Game Complain Department, I was mostly just dabbling with the idea of writing in games media. Somehow, that became a reality, and now I’m a staff writer at Destructoid. They let me write about all the stuff I used to over here, but they pay me to do it. As such, it’s harder for me to come up with content for the Game Complaint Department. However, I still try! You’ll see new stuff show up here sporadically.