“I worked at IGN.com, the largest video games website in the world, for nearly a decade, spending the last two years as Editor-in-Chief. Currently, I am a contributor to more than a half-dozen magazines and websites including GameSpot, the Escapist, Venturebeat, and the Official Xbox Magazine as well as a marketing consultant for numerous game publishers. In that time, I’ve worked with dozens of writers, teaching them how to be successful in the games industry.

“Many gamers dream of having a job where they can write about video games. Every week, I get hounded with questions about how to get a job in the industry. Because it’s about video games, most people – even a lot of our journalist hopefuls – assume it’s easy to do. That’s not true. It’s actually incredibly demanding work that requires specialized writing skills that few know. A lot of intangibles factor into success in this field.”

In this online class Hilary will explain the role of journalists in covering games, show you how video games are made and marketed, talk about how to conceive, pitch and write articles, provide steps to build a fervent fan base, and give you tips for getting a job writing about what you love.

This course requires you download Skype (a free group communications tool). As members of a vibrant Web community, you will receive craft advice, motivation, and support through:

• Monthly 1.5-hour group Skype chat sessions online to discuss thought-provoking lectures on game design and game journalism. Transcripts will be available for students who are not able to attend.
• Submission to Hilary of up to four articles for written feedback, to be discussed during one-on-one Skype conversations at times that are convenient to you.
• Weekly email check-ins with Hilary to review goals, discuss progress, and address questions.
• A private Skype group where you’ll have the ability to engage in conversations with classmates, share writing, and discuss your favorite games, along with optional writing exercises to hone your skills.

At the end of the course, you’ll have a concrete plan to get your work in front of millions of readers.

The Good Bits

Though Maddow is an unabashed liberal, she treats both Republicans and Democrats with equal scorn for allowing presidents unprecedented power when it comes to fighting wars. Sly writing, acute analysis of the past four decades of American military action, and a chilling warning about our neglected nuclear stockpiles.

The Bad Bits

Surprisingly, glosses over the march to war on Iraq. Tosses out a handful of brief solutions only in the final pages, making this more about how we got to this point rather than a road map to recovery.

The Good Bits

Surprise! This isn’t a shitty movie at all. Of all the silly buddy cop films of the past decade, this is the funniest. I nearly pissed myself when Jonah Hill’s character started praying to Korean Jesus and that was just the start of a very funny 90 minutes. Worth it for the awesome Johnny Depp and Peter DeLuise cameos.

The Bad Bits

Like most buddy cop films, the plot is pretty thin. Two idiots manage to bumble their way into one of the biggest busts in Jump Street history. They succeed, get the girl, etc., etc. If you haven’t seen the original TV show, some of the best gags will fall flat.

The Good Bits

Some insane action scenes with the kind of brutality that makes people so uncomfortable they start to laugh. It may be a slow start, but once our hero Rama cuts loose, it’s pretty much non-stop Indonesian martial arts mayhem. Incredible fight scenes and some excruciatingly tense moments.

The Bad Bits

The story is almost non-existent. Rama has a pregnant wife, so we better pull for him to kill all these scum-bags in this apartment complex the cops have decided to raid! Go, Rama, go!