How to Start a Gaming Blog in 2022
Being a freelance writer means becoming an “expert” in a wide range of topics. Sometimes, you may find yourself writing about things that don’t necessarily interest you. For many, starting a blog about something that is exciting and relevant to their personal interests is a welcome reprieve. Doing this can help to keep your love of writing alive, to further examine a topic that you enjoy, and maybe even make some money. This article discusses how to start a gaming blog in 2022.
A gaming blog might be just the right place to start. Video games have never been more popular, and the market keeps growing every year. It’s also a hobby that you can do in your spare time. It will almost be like you’ll be “working” while playing them! The question then becomes, how do you start? It’s one thing to get an assignment, or pitch one, and do the research and write articles. It’s another when you need to build something sustainable about one subject over time. Here are some tips to start a gaming blog in 2021.
Just Start Writing
One of the most important steps to creating a blog is to just start writing. Put down your thoughts and opinions as they come to your head into a word processor. When you are writing for a client, you need to make sure that every word and every piece of punctuation is in the right place. When it’s for you, you can do whatever you want. Have fun with it.
Don’t worry about form or structure at first. Just get used to spending time writing about games. Even as a freelancer, you may not have written blog posts before. You will only get better at it with practice. Your style and voice will grow the more you write until you feel comfortable with how your blog sounds to the reader and how you are presenting your voice.
Decide What Focus You Want
Writing a blog means being able to write about whatever you want. You may have decided to write about gaming, but that is a huge topic. There are countless ways you can go with it. Do you write reviews about modern games that are played on consoles such as Xbox, Playstation, or PCs? Or, would you prefer to write playing guides to help gamers beat certain levels or complete special missions?
You can be hyper-focused on a certain game or franchise, or you can broaden the horizon. There is a market for nostalgic gaming, such as the original Nintendo and Sega consoles. Maybe you could even stick to timeless classics, like Tetris, Chess, Sudoku, or Solitaired. Having a niche will help you draw an engaged and interested audience that will be more invested on a daily basis than if you had a broad focus or jumped around a lot. Depending on what you’re trying to achieve with your blog, you can always build-out of your niche as you grow and develop.
Figure Out a Creative Name and Buy a Domain Name
One of the trickiest, and yet also fun, parts of creating a blog is coming up with a name. It has to be creative, catchy, and memorable. The best names do not just refer to the subject of the blog, but also to the style, tone, and personality of the content. You can be very basic, such as “the Solitaire and Tetris Blog,” or you can go with something more creative. Make sure that you search around the web to check for any other blogs, websites, or products with the same name.
Another factor you need to consider is how well your blog name will translate to a URL. Ideally, your blog name should be in the website address to make it easier to find. You also should avoid characters that don’t work well in URLs, such as hyphens and commas. You don’t want to choose a name that makes your URL unnecessarily complex, long, or difficult to spell.
Choose a Platform and Customize Your Blog
There are so many blog hosting platforms from which to choose that with time and patience, you will find a perfect one to meet your needs. WordPress is incredibly popular and provides a range of options along with easy compatibility with most hosting services.
All blog hosting platforms offer themes and customization. Make sure to sample a wide range of them to find one that’s perfect for you. You can play around with it after the fact, but it’s always good to start with a base that you love. Choose colors and layouts that reflect your voice and the content you are producing. Make it your own, and have fun with it.
After you’ve taken these steps, you should be good to go. The main thing is that you continue writing, and are consistent with it. The more you write, the bigger your audience will be. Take it seriously, but enjoy yourself, and your audience will enjoy it too.