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Tag Archives: Susan Arendt

Polygamer #71: Susan Arendt of Genii Online

Posted on October 11, 2017 by Ken Gagne

Susan Arendt is the editor-in-chief of Genii Online, a website that covers magic and deception for magicians and anyone interested in the art and craft of magic. While Genii has existed as a print magazine since 1936, Genii Online’s September 2017 launch marked the publication’s online debut. It also marked a shift for Susan: after many successful years helming gaming publications such as GamesRadar+, Joystiq, and The Escapist, Susan is bringing her digital media experience and expertise to the realm of magic.

In this podcast, Susan and I chat about how she landed this magical gig; what constitutes legitimate magic, and whether magicians get their powers from dealing with the devil; how Susan assembled the team behind Genii Online and what new skills she’s had to learn in this industry; and whether print is a sustainable business model for a niche publication. We also talk about Continue, her new co-hosted gaming podcast (and which I back on Patreon), as well as Take This, the mental health non-profit she co-founded. What’s the best way to help someone who’s experiencing an anxiety or PTSD attack? Susan offers her advice.

Stream the audio edition of this interview below or from Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Overcast, Pandora, Pocket Casts, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, RadioPublic, or the Internet Archive. Click past the jump for links to resources mentioned in this episode.

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Posted in Podcast | Tags: cardistry, Continue, deception, Genii, Genii Online, Magic, magicians, podcast, Susan Arendt, Take This |

Polygamer #63: +1 to Journalism at PAX East 2017

Posted on April 12, 2017 by Ken Gagne

This week’s Polygamer podcast is the audio from the PAX East panel "+1 to Journalism: Becoming a Better Writer", held on Sunday, March 12, 2017, 4:00–5:00 PM in Bobcat Theatre.

What do you need to know to make it as a games journalist? What pitches do editors love to get, and what tropes have been done to death? Whether you’re helping consumers make informed purchasing decisions, unearthing the history of a franchise, or critiquing video games as art, you have to convey a lot of meaning in just a few words before the reader clicks away. Come hear veteran writers and editors share the best in games journalism and our own mistakes we’ve made along the way.

Featuring:

  • Susan Arendt [Executive Editor, GamesRadar+]
  • Jonathan Holmes [Writer, Destructoid & Nintendo Force]
  • Ken Gagne [Digital Content Developer, Gamebits]
  • Alexander Sliwinski [COO, Bithell Games]

Stream the audio edition of this interview below or from Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Overcast, Pandora, Pocket Casts, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, RadioPublic, or the Internet Archive. Click past the jump for links to resources mentioned in this episode.

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Posted in Podcast | Tags: +1 to Journalism, Alexander Sliwinski, editing, editors, Jonathan Holmes, journalism, PAX, PAX East, Susan Arendt, writers, writing |

Education & Journalism at PAX East 2017

Posted on February 28, 2017 by Ken Gagne

PAX East 2017 is next week. Though the event is not typically considered a safe haven for a diverse audience of gamers, over the years its programming has expanded to include not only the Diversity Lounge but speakers and panels about LGBT+, PoC, atheism, ageism, and more. As evidence, you need look no further than this podcast, which was launched following a PAX East panel on sexism in gaming. Since then, several episodes of Polygamer have featured speakers first seen on PAX East panels, such as Charles Battersby and Tatjana Vejnovic. There are plenty of open-minded, supportive, encouraging, diverse people and panels at PAX — and I’d like to continue counting myself among them.

In trying to further improve PAX East from the inside, I’ve been moderating panels at the event since 2013, including this year. If you’re interested in getting into the games industry or honing your craft, then do I have the panels for you:

Life After Graduation

Sunday, March 12, 1:30–2:30 PM in Cuttlefish Theatre

Colleges are preparing students for a career in game development and design — but how closely does the classroom match the reality? Are the next generation of creators being given the skills and opportunities they need? We’ll hear from several recent graduates about the reality of their first years in the industry and what they wish they’d known.

Featuring:

  • Ken Gagne [Digital Content Developer, Gamebits]
  • Oleg Brodskiy [QA Tester, Irrational Games]
  • Francesca Carletto-Leon [Co-Founder, Contigo Games]
  • Julie Murphy [Experience Designer, Riot Games]
  • Sarah Como [Chief Operations Officer, Zephyr Workshop]

PAX East 2017: Life After Graduation

+1 to Journalism: Becoming a Better Writer

Sunday, March 12, 4:00–5:00 PM in Bobcat Theatre

What do you need to know to make it as a games journalist? What pitches do editors love to get, and what tropes have been done to death? Whether you’re helping consumers make informed purchasing decisions, unearthing the history of a franchise, or critiquing video games as art, you have to convey a lot of meaning in just a few words before the reader clicks away. Come hear veteran writers and editors share the best in games journalism and our own mistakes we’ve made along the way.

Featuring:

  • Susan Arendt [Executive Editor, GamesRadar+]
  • Jonathan Holmes [Writer, Destructoid & Nintendo Force]
  • Ken Gagne [Digital Content Developer, Gamebits]
  • Alexander Sliwinski [COO, Bithell Games]

PAX East 2017: +1 to Journalism

Although my lineup this year may not directly address matters of diversity, there’ll be diversity on stage. I long ago signed a pledge to diversify my panel lineups — but that wasn’t hard to do, since alumni of Polygamer were quick to sign up, including Sarah Como, Francesca Carletto-Leon, and Susan Arendt.

If you’re attending PAX East, I hope to see you in the audience! We’ll be using the hashtags #paxgrad & #paxjourno, respectively, so feel free to follow along, wherever you are. Be sure to say hello afterward, and subscribe to this podcast for audio and video from these panels!

(Promotional images courtesy Thomas Awrey)

Posted in Events | Tags: Alexander Sliwinski, Boston, degree, education, Francesca Carletto-Leon, graduation, Jonathan Holmes, journalism, Julie Murphy, Oleg Brodskiy, panel, PAX, PAX East, Sarah Como, Susan Arendt |

Polygamer #45: You’re a Games Journalist! Now What?

Posted on June 8, 2016 by Ken Gagne

Every year, PAX East, the biggest video game convention on the East Coast, hosts a panel about breaking into games journalism. Editors from multiple outlets have advised aspiring writers how to pitch a feature story or self-publish — but rarely have they said what happens next. Once you’ve established a reputation as a talented and reliable writer, what’s it like to actually make a career of games journalism?

To explore this question, I assembled and moderated the PAX East 2016 panel “You’re a Games Journalist! Now What?” Joining me were Susan Arendt, managing editor of GamesRadar+; Samit Sarkar, senior reporter for Polygon; Alexa Ray Corriea, editor at GameSpot; and Holly Green, features contributor for Paste Magazine. We discussed the hard and soft skills necessary to make it as a journalist; collaborating with editors to produce better writing and writers; the difference in turnaround time for news versus features; how video is being incorporated into daily reporting; and the financial realities of the profession.

Stream the audio edition of this interview below or from Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Overcast, Pandora, Pocket Casts, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, RadioPublic, or the Internet Archive. Thanks to Lon Seidman for recording this audio and video, which are embedded past the jump along with a transcript. See also the summary at Pangyrus.


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Posted in Podcast | Tags: Alexa Ray Corriea, Bobcat, Destructoid, Gameranx, GameSpot, GamesRadar, Holly Green, journalism, PAX, PAX East, PAX East 2016, paxjourno, Polygon, Samit Sarkar, Susan Arendt |

Polygamer #35: Susan Arendt of Take This

Posted on December 9, 2015 by Ken Gagne

Take This is a non-profit charity that promotes awareness and education of mental health issues through outreach to gamers. Its “AFK Rooms” have become a staple of PAX East, West, South, and Australia, and its holiday stream gives gamers a community to help them through a challenging time of year. Soon, the organization will offer a scholarship to help those gamers who need financial assistance toward mental health counseling.

It’s been a year since Take This co-founders Susan Arendt and Russ Pitts were on Polygamer podcast episode #7, and much has happened in that time! In this follow-up, Susan and Ken discuss how the AFK Rooms have since expanded to every PAX; how mental health has been represented in some of 2015’s biggest titles, such as Rise of the Tomb Raider and Life Is Strange; the difference between anxiety as an emotion and as a clinical condition; Take This’s new 24-minute documentary; the intersection of horror video games and mental health; and how to balance helping your friends and protecting yourself.

Stream the audio edition of this interview below or from Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Overcast, Pandora, Pocket Casts, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, RadioPublic, or the Internet Archive. Click past the jump for links to resources mentioned in this episode.

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Posted in Podcast | Tags: AFK Room, anxiety, charity, depression, documentary, fundraiser, Life Is Strange, Mark Kline, mental health, non-profit, PAX, PAX East, PTSD, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Russ Pitts, stream, suicide, Susan Arendt, Take This, Take This Project, Tomb Raider, Twitch |

Polygamer #07: Susan Arendt & Russ Pitts of Take This

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Ken Gagne

Take This is a non-profit charity founded in 2012 in response to the tragic suicide of a gaming journalist. The organization promotes awareness and education of mental health issues through outreach to gamers both online, through a variety of Twitter campaigns and initiatives, and offline, by hosting "AFK Rooms" at events such as PAX.

In this interview, Ken Gagne speaks with Take This co-founders Susan Arendt and Russ Pitts about the organization’s founding, the social stigma of mental health and gaming, the resources available to gamers, and the challenges the group faces as they grow to better serve the gaming community.

Download the audio edition below or from Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Overcast, Pandora, Pocket Casts, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, RadioPublic, or the Internet Archive. Click past the jump for links to resources mentioned in this episode.

Continue reading →

https://media.blubrry.com/polygamer/www.polygamer.net/wp-content/uploads/podcast/pg07-take_this.mp3

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Posted in Podcast | Tags: AFK Room, charity, depression, Mark Kline, mental health, non-profit, PAX, PAX East, Russ Pitts, suicide, Susan Arendt, Take This, Take This Project |
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