Gamer Blog Genre Analysis, Part 3

Part 3: True Identity

or

Will The Real Blog Please Stand Up

Now comes an important question that until now has been somewhat glossed over. In the introduction of this analysis, I hinted that the definition of "blog" may not be entirely appropriate for a few of the websites I have studied. Here I take a critical look and attempt to answer the question: "Are these really blogs?"

As I've mentioned, Scott Kurtz (creator of PvP) regularly reffers to his "rant" section as a "blog" (note the use of the words "Old Blog Entries" to refference the archives for his rant). As a result, his "blog" is just that if we accept self-identifying terms as indicative of what a blog is and isn't. Unfortunately, I have also mentioned the great similarities between his rant section and that found at Penny-Arcade, and that in the past that site has shown they do not share this self-identification; their comments on blog micropayments identified themselves as a separate entity in their view. Thus, the self-identification factor cannot be considered 100% accurate.

Another factor to consider is that neither site has a function considered basic to the form of the blog: The ability of others to leave comments on a post. Even this, however, can be considered a false statement when one considers the fact that both sites have message boards wherein others may potentially leave comments on the most current post (the "Community" button at PvP, the "Forums" tab at Penny-Arcade).

Perhaps most telling, however, is how the rest of the blogging community feel. Two separate searches in Google's Blog Search tool reveal that Penny-Arcade is here considered a blog, while PvP, though a popular topic of other blogs, is not. Another site, Blogshares, seems to embody the same opinion. Again, however, their inherent similarities cannot be discounted, and this method cannot be treated as a final determination.

It is thus the proposal of the author that all methods be taken into account, in part. Thus, while they certainly qualify as blogs on some level, they cannot be considered quite the same as the more "traditional" blogs such as game girl advance.