An Interview With Jim Sterling

Jim Sterling was born different. Some would say born perfect. One thing’s for sure, he’s not like you.

It probably won’t surprise you to learn that Jim’s first love was comedy. Before he even considered pursuing a career in games journalism, comedy was the muse that stirred his soul. Jim’s chief inspiration was Chris Morris, the controversial satirist behind the groundbreaking Brass Eye. For the uninitiated, Brass Eye is a series of spoof documentaries that mocks sensationalist media and the moral hysteria it generates. Those of you who tune in to The Jimquisition every week will be familiar with these themes. Jim relishes the opportunity to expose the manifold absurdities that lurk within the video game industry.

Deciding that comedy wasn’t to be his career path after all, Jim had a minor epiphany: “I love videogames, I love writing, why not try and make it work?” He set about emailing a few places and struck lucky with IGN. “I wrote a piece for IGN Insider about the failed arcade fighter Tattoo Assassins, since I knew someone who worked on the game. The piece succeeded and it opened a lot of doors for me”.

Keen to secure a regular gig as a games reviewer, Jim kept his eyes peeled for suitable vacancies. While reading an issue of gamesTM, Jim found an article about how to make a career in the games industry. Destructoid was featured as an example of a gaming blog that had become a success. “I heard they paid, so I emailed Niero (Yanier Gonzalez, Destructoid’s founder) with some samples and the usual patter. He put me through to staff writer Nick Chester, and they decided to take a chance on me. It was a bumpy start, but I got there in the end.”

Jim has been known to ruffle a few feathers as Destructoid's reviews editor. His provocative articles have cemented his position as the industry’s most outspoken pundit. Controversy is only ever a tweet away. Jim's hardwired compulsion to call it as he sees it has won him a loyal fan base. His ever-growing army of twitter followers attests to his increasing popularity. Jim has even been cited as one of the ‘The 25 Raddest Games Journalists To Follow On Twitter’. And it’s not hard to see why.

Sterling’s tweets are a spunky mosaic of pop culture references, click-bait controversy, and of course video games. He’s not afraid to get his hands dirty either, often publicly calling-out his detractors with direct responses to their criticisms. The most high profile of these being his short-lived twitter-spat with Epic’s head honcho Cliffy B.

Yup, there’s never a dull moment when Jim’s about...

Hey Jim, what’s a born and bred Englishman doing living in America?
Quite a boring story, really. I moved to get married. I am fortunate enough to be able to do my job from anywhere in the world, whereas my other half has a lot more ties. Hence, the move.

What do you miss most about good ol' Blighty?
It'll sound bad for a fat man to say, but the food. Stuff in America is so artificial, and that nightmarish corn syrup crap is in anything. I can't even eat regular bread out here, I need to go to a special market to get stuff without chemicals in.

I'm dying to know, what's you Xbox Gamerscore? It's gotta be pretty epic, right?
Not sure myself! It's not hugely high, mostly because as much as I find Achievements fun, I don't go out of my way to get them. I certainly don't do the ones that require huge amounts of effort and grinding, because I really don't have time to do so.

The very first blog you set up – Morphine Nation – was devoted to social satire. Are you a satirist at heart?
I love comedy, it's always been one of my first loves. I don't know if I'm a satirist at heart anymore, though I used to be. I write a lot less satirical stuff these days, focusing on more straightforward editorials and “serious” reviews. Every now and then, I get a kind of nostalgic pang and think about trying my hand at normal comedy again.

You cite Brass Eye as a major influence. Do you have any literary muses?
In terms of game coverage, Penny Arcade's Tycho Brahe is a bit of an influence. His heavy use of emphasis and surreal metaphors are something I find incredibly engaging.

What's the best book you've read about video games?
To be honest, I don't think many good game books exist. Grand Theft Childhood is the obvious, go-to answer, so let's just use that.

What’s you first gaming memory?
My childhood memories are too jumbled up for me to accurately say, so I usually go by the first solid time I remember purchasing a videogame – or rather, getting my grandmother to purchase it. It was a copy of Dizzy: Prince of the Yolk Folk in the Bexleyheath branch of W.H. Smith. Crazy to remember a time when games still came on cassette.

As a youngster, were you drawn to console or PC gaming?
Half and half. A lot of my earliest gaming memories come from playing titles like Gods and Commander Keen on my grandfather's PC (he's always been pretty high tech for his age) but eventually we got a Sega Mega Drive and that took over.

What games do you enjoy playing with your kid?
I don't really play games with him. He's into a lot of single-player stuff, as am I, so while there will be conversations about the likes of Skyrim and Demon's Souls, there won't really be much multiplayer going on. That said, he did very kindly help me test the co-op on Kirby's Return to Dream Land.

When you’re not playing them in a professional capacity what video games hog your leisure time?
Skyrim at the moment. Infinity Blade (and its new sequel) are huge time sinks. I always have plenty of time for Dynasty Warriors, too.

Has a video game ever made you teary eyed?
I think the ending of Final Fantasy X came damn close, and the last big cutscene of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater still manages to get me every damn time.

When was the last time you rage-quit?
The new Shinobi for 3DS can be pretty damn rage-inducing. Surprisingly tight little game and pretty fun, but it is NOT shy about kicking your ass. I definitely needed a time-out after a session.

When you're suffering from video game burnout, what do you do to cleanse your pallet?
Funnily enough, I find that playing games actually reduces burnout. For example, after November's huge release rush, I spent a little time playing DOOM II with all weapons activated, just to remind me of the simple purity of a classic, fun game. It does wonders for the gamer soul.

Destructoid is a major player in the games industry. It must be a thrill to be a part of it. Ever have to pinch yourself?
I still believe it's all a trick and it's leading me into some sort of trap. I don't know what I did to get this lucky.

Do you carefully cultivate controversy or is it simply an inevitable by-product of reviewing video games for a living?
Here's the thing – I've been accused many times of planning my controversies in advance, carefully constructing social experiments and falsifying my opinions for traffic. However, when you look at how successful that's been, one would have to be a chessmaster possessed of such a great intellect that he'd be wasted on videogame reviewing. I am not a supervillain with the brains of Lex Luthor and the sociopathic will of Carnage. It's a compliment that people think me capable engineering other human beings into dancing on strings like puppets, but I am unfortunately just a guy who writes on the Internet, and is constantly surprised by how his opinions are received.

Do the trolls ever get you down?
I think any significantly well-known game reviewer is lying if he says it doesn't from time to time. It's dismaying to have one's opinions ignored or twisted to suit the arguments of people with an agenda, and it isn't exactly fun to be harassed. What starts as funny in the first hour gets tiring after the sixth. But there's not a lot that can be done about it. Just grit the teeth and march forth.

In hindsight, have you ever thought to yourself, ‘Hmm, I’m not entirely happy with that review score’?
I think every reviewer has moments of doubt. Exactly what games have been doubted, however, I shall keep to myself.

Where do you film the Jimquisition?
I have a home office from which I do all my writing and filming. I have the computer area on one side of the room, and the lectern/backdrop set up on the other side. It makes for a somewhat weird looking room.

I love those disturbing doodles you splice into the video footage. Any chance you could draw me a unicorn with tits? You know, just for the hell of it.

When was the last time you were shocked by something?
I think the Modern Warfare 3 review was the biggest shocker I've had in a while. I knew COD had earned some hatred over the past year, but I didn't realize it had managed to acquire Twilight status in just twelve months. A lot of people were apparently looking forward to me attacking the game for them like a hired thug, and reacted viciously when their expectations were betrayed. I was very surprised. It seems liking COD is now like being a McCarthy-era communist.

What’s your most cherished bit of video game memorabilia?
The Sonic 20th Anniversary statue I have is pretty neat. I think that's my favorite item at the moment.

Most underrated game of the year?
E.Y.E: Divine Cybermancy, without a doubt. Nobody will remember the game in the wake of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, but it was truly something spectacular, in a very weird way.

It's clear from your twitter feed that you're a bit of a movie buff. Who's your favourite director?
Funnily enough, I suck at movies. I watch a lot of campy, silly films, but I've only recently been properly into watching a lot of them. I'd put up pre-LotR Peter Jackson as a top director though. Not that I dislike LotR, but to appreciate Jackson, you really need to watch his grotesque splatter efforts such as Dead/Alive and Bad Taste.

Okay, be honest. When the Wii U was unveiled what was your gut reaction?
I wasn't indifferent, but I wasn't enthralled. It looked – and still looks – intriguing. To be honest, I was more pumped about the Aliens: Colonial Marines and Darksiders II footage Nintendo screened during the Wii U game lineup trailer.

Is Nintendo losing it?
Nintendo had nothing to lose. They've always existed in a weird little bubble – cut off from normal thinking, yet weirdly able to resonate with a lot of people. It has its ups and downs, and I am skeptical as to whether the Wii U represents a potential up, but I don't think it's any worse now than it's ever been. Nintendo is just a very strange, anachronistic company, protected but also damaged by the strange bubble universe it inhabits away from normal people.

As a veteran games journalist you are uniquely placed to comment on the trends, fortunes and foibles of the industry. What did E3 2011 tell you about the future of the video games industry?
It told me that we're in the best and worst position of gaming history. Amazing, amazing experiences are being married to some of the worst business practices of our time. It's a time to be incredibly excited and incredibly worried.

Jim, you're someone who's 'made it' in the industry. You get paid to write about games. There are many people who want to follow in your footsteps. Can you give them any advice?
Don't try to be someone else and write every damn day. Many starting writers will try to emulate someone else, or scrabble to be “first” with news items so that they beat Kotaku or IGN. That's not happening. Focus first on finding a personal voice, with opinions and features that readers cannot get anywhere else. Also, carpet bomb every company you can with samples of your work. It can be surprising what companies take your bait, if you're interesting enough.

And finally Mr Sterling, where do you see yourself a decade from now?
Sleeping.