How much games criticism does anyone need?

Videogame writer Ed Stern argues that "video games as a medium are not going to gain cultural legitimacy or worth through the attention of critics or theorists - it's going to be because the games are good".

By Helen Lewis

My piece about games criticism – and the paucity of it in mainstream media – generated a lot of response (not all of it angry! result!). In the next few days, I’ll be bringing you a rebuttal to the piece from a journalist who is trying to broaden the practice. But, in the meantime, games writer Ed Stern – who works for Splash Damage – agreed that I could share his full response to my question: “How can we have a better cultural conversation about games?”

Ed, and I’m going to be making him blush now, is one of the most thoughtful and well-read gentlemen I’ve encountered, and it cheers me enormously that he’s chosen to write videogames. Even if he is, as you will discover, a touch pessimistic about making them “mean” anything.