So you want a job in video game public relations? Hope you have the liver for it.
At a panel this evening called “Puppet Masters: The not so invisible hands of video game PR,” one panelist voiced her opinion loudly above the rest and expressed how mass alcohol consumption is a big part of the PR effort for any game.
Stephanie Tinsley Schopp, owner of Tinsley PR, whose clients include Stardock and its breadwinner “Sins Of A Solar Empire,” said your liver might suffer should you choose a career in video game PR.
“It’s a lot of hard work, hanging out and getting drunk with press, it’s not all we do, but we do it,” said Schopp.
On a tad more serious note, Schopp indicated that PR is a necessary force in getting a game out there, but it can’t make a game better.
“PR does not make a game better. You have to manage expectation of what a publicist can do before it gets in reviewers’ hands. No matter how many shots at the bar or trips [to exotic places] won’t affect review score.”
There you have it. Alcohol and video games, like sugar and spice.