Is GameGrooves a Website?
Art by Don Corgi
If you’re reading this article, you could probably guess the answer to this question. Nevertheless, GameGrooves in its initial phase was nothing more than a series of Twitter accounts. As I mentioned previously, GameLark Gazette was being run by Ro Panuganti when I first came up with the idea for GameGrooves, and it wasn’t until I returned to GameLark Gazette that I had the idea to combine the two efforts. I wanted to create a VGM hub, a one-stop shop for all things related to video game music, but as I quickly realized, that was easier said than done.
As most of you know, there are several VGM communities that have cropped up over the years—OCR, Dwelling of Duels, GameChops, Pixel Mixers, Materia Collective, GameLark, and of course, GameGrooves (to name a few). My initial idea was to collect all news and relevant information related to each community, in addition to highlighting some of my favorite VGM cover artists. Some of you may remember that I frequently posted about some of these other communities on this website, but what I came to realize is that those articles performed worse than some of my other content. At first, I felt disappointed, but on a certain level, it made sense. If people really wanted to get news about these various communities, they would simply follow them. Moreover, I realized that I could use my social media accounts to amplify these communities while focusing on more original content for GameGrooves. Through trial-and-error, I focused on delivering unique content, including interviews, reviews, editorials, and guides.
Interviews
During my time with GameLark, interviews were some of my favorite things to do. I enjoyed learning more about VGM artists, and I formed a lot of friendships that have lasted to this day. For those interviews, I typically used Skype to video chat with a particular artist, and these conversations would last anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. With GameGrooves, I simply didn’t have time to conduct interviews the same way now that I had two toddlers, so I decided to do written interviews which saved both me and the artists time. On rare occasion, I’ve transcribed audio interviews (like these interviews with Nick Marinelli, former MAGFest executive director) or this interview between Kain White and Psamathes, but these take even more time than Skype interviews, so I do them sparingly. Interviews continue to be a staple for the website, and I hope to interview more original composers in the following months and years to come.
Reviews
For the longest time, reviews were always an intimidating task for me. I don’t have the musical background or knowledge to post in-depth reviews, so I always struggled with the desire to express my opinion and the fear that I wasn’t a good reviewer. One day, I realized that I didn’t need to write reviews that offered a highly-detailed description of the music; I could write reviews like a story. For most of my reviews, I try to convey my experience with the music and sometimes the artist. Eventually, I even added a rating system to convey how I would compare albums to other VGM albums. Now, I’m comfortable expressing my opinion and offering criticism when and where I feel it’s warranted, and reviews are one of my favorite pieces to write!
Editorials
I will completely admit that this term is a bit of a catch-all for me, covering everything from Top 10 lists to detailed discussions about race in VGM. In addition, I’ve created a few series of articles, including one that highlights underappreciated video game music (Deep Cuts), one that asks artist to choose their personal favorites (Top Picks), and one that poses a questions to the VGM community at large (GameGrooves Asks). Of all the different types of content on this website, I feel that editorials afford me the most freedom and allow me to discuss topics that range from silly (“Top 10 Steps For Becoming a VGM Rockstar”) to serious (“How to Overcome Burnout”). Finally, I’ve started hiring freelance writers to contribute additional articles, and in both cases, I’ve been extremely pleased with the results.
Guides
Once again, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Ro Panuganti who suggested that I include tips and guides for VGM artists back when this website was GameLark Gazette. Since then, he’s written several articles for the website, offering a wealth of information and tips for dozens of other VGM artists. Many other artists have contributed to the tips and guides, and I’ve sorted these articles into three categories (Audio, Video, and Creator) to make it easier for people to find what they need when they need it. This is one area of GameGrooves that I’d like to see grow, and I’m always open to suggestions for contributors or contributions.
Daily Groove
You may have noticed that I didn’t mention an important feature of the site, and that is the Daily Groove. Well, as they say, you have to save the best for last. GameGrooves would be nothing without the artists that make this such an exciting, fun, and collaborative community, so while I don’t update this section daily, I encourage everyone to listen VGM every day, starting with these playlists: