Screen Play is an online forum focusing on Australian videogame culture. Between May 2006 and April 2014 Screen Play was a blog in Fairfax Media newspapers The Age (Melbourne), Sydney Morning Herald, Brisbane Times and WAtoday. Screen Play was founded by Jason Hill and featured regular contributions by journalist James "DexX" Dominguez. Both the Brisbane Times and WA Today beganFour times as nice mirroring the blog on 26 June 2009.
Screen Play was launchedSumea - "Jason Hill's new blog" on 5 May 2006. In an initial post, Mr Hill wrote that the blog would:
"...provide lively and entertaining coverage of the burgeoning games industry... a place where you can debate and share your thoughts on this exciting new medium. And hopefully, have plenty of fun."
Recurring issues Some of the issues that Screen Play has revisited on a regular basis include:
Australia's videogame ratings systemScreen Play - "Time to play hard" - advocating the introduction of an R18+ classification Australia's changing gaming demographicsScreen Play - "Playing up" Battle Stations - comparing the strengths and weaknesses of gaming consoles The Screen Play community voting for their favourite games of the year.
Your Turn In March 2008, Screen Play launchedScreen Play launched 'Your turn' Your Turn, an initiative to encourage the blog's visitors to contribute their own essays on videogame culture. Another incentive to would-be writers was a monthly prize of a Sony games console.
Your Turn winning essays have included themes such as "passing videogaming onto your children",Your Turn winner May 2008 "how to game when you've hurt one arm"Your Turn winner July 2008 & an intensive investigation comparing Australia's game pricing to pricing in other territories.Your Turn winner June 2008
Two Player Mode In March 2009, Screen Play launched Two Player Mode, an inter-blog debate feature. Each month, a gaming issue was debated between Jason Hill (Screen Play) and David Wildgoose (Kotaku Australia). The debate was mirrored across both blogs.
Split Screen In June 2009, Screen Play announcedScreen Play launches 'Split Screen' that "Your Turn" contributor James "DexX" Dominguez would be writing a new weekly column, titled "Split Screen". James was described as "one of the Screen Play community's brightest stars" with an "astonishing reservoir of gaming and pop culture".James "DexX" Dominguez Mr Dominguez is the firstDexX gets a regular gig Screen Play reader to have been promoted to a regular writing role on the blog. James "DexX" Dominguez took over managing and writing for Screen Play in October 2012, writing Tuesdays through to Fridays.
Game Taco In March 2010, four of Screen Play's most prolific contributors launchedScreen Play - "Your Turn: The Four Horseman of the A-podcast-lypse" their own gaming podcast, called Game Taco.Game Taco - website James "DexX" Dominguez, Mark "Mr Ak" Johnson, Tim "Wall" Saitta and Steve "Smoolander" Smoothy discuss gaming issues, and interview guestsGame Taco - Interview list involved in many aspects of videogames. This podcast ended in early 2013 as the contributors faced conflicting priorities.
Critical response Jason Hill was awarded "Best Gaming Journalist" in the 2006 Sun Microsystems IT Journalism Awards.Media Connect - "MIS cleans up at The Lizzies".
Screen Play won the award for Best Contribution to forwarding the Industry by a Publication or Journalist at the Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia's awards in 2008.
References
External links Official Site Natro Macro