麻豆视频

Gemma Johnson (English Language, 2009, Furness) tells how she changed her plans from teacher training to become a writer in games journalism, allowing her to combine her passion for video games with her skills acquired at Lancaster as part of her course.

"Being a writer probably seems like an obvious choice as someone who graduated from 麻豆视频 in 2009 with a First-Class BA Hons English Language degree. However, while I never intended to be a writer and originally planned to pursue teacher training, the signs were always there. I’ve always loved learning and creative activities like writing. Having visited numerous universities, Lancaster was undoubtedly the perfect choice for me with its Collegiate system and cosy campus setup, which felt like a big safety net for my first time living away from home.

During my degree, I got some school-based experience, basing my dissertation on language in the classroom while volunteering at a local primary school. I also landed a summer job teaching English in Northern Spain through a language immersion programme where I also lived with a local host family – till this day, probably one of the best things I’ve ever done.

However, when graduation arrived, I’d decided that teaching wasn’t quite right for me, so I moved back home to figure things out. After getting a part-time job and some volunteering, I missed being in education and got an admin job at a local college where I also completed a CERT TESOL. Cue the next 10 years of working in administrative roles at local universities and colleges. However, I knew I wanted something different, and the work wasn’t stretching the creative potential I knew I had.

During the pandemic, I kickstarted my career change and rediscovered my passion for video games, something I’ve always enjoyed since childhood but didn’t know how to make a career out of. I got a place on a government-led Skills Bootcamp in technology, something I was grateful for, with retraining opportunities for people 30+ years old seeming rare. I finished the course with gaming firmly in mind but knew it wouldn’t be easy. I started a blog about the course, tapping into the writing skills I’d learned from university. Someone pointed out I seemed great at writing, so I wondered if games journalism could be my shot at entering this highly competitive industry.

While I had no games journalism experience, I felt hopeful with my degree and blog on one arm and passion for gaming on the other. I was lucky enough to get a role in writing lists at Game Rant, soon adding more types of articles under my belt, covering guides, updates, plus features and interviews when progressing to Interview Reporter and Senior Writer. I’m very grateful and privileged to interview game developers and other industry professionals, from indie studios to big AAA companies. I also feel very fortunate to break into such a competitive industry, which I personally put down to the skills I’d learned from my degree combined with my passions. Being a games journalist also enables me to keep learning, something I’d searched for all along.

Of course, being a freelance writer is challenging and is not necessarily for everyone. I would encourage anyone interested to do their research and talk to people through platforms like LinkedIn to get a sense of what it’s like. I’d also say to anyone leaving Lancaster who is not 100% sure about their career to stay hopeful, that career changes later down the line are still possible, and to utilise the available resources and opportunities at university. On reflection, the signs were always there – my degree, writing publicity materials for the Ballroom Dancing Society…Sometimes you just have to dig deeper to connect the dots."