Summary
Overview
Jason Schreier, Bloomberg's lead video game reporter and author of three books about the gaming industry, discusses his dual career in daily reporting and long-form book writing. He covers his reporting methods, relationship management with sources and PR teams, the challenges of covering an industry in turmoil, and the intensive process of writing deeply-researched books while maintaining his day job. The conversation reveals the practical and ethical complexities of investigative journalism in gaming.
Tools and Daily Workflow
Jason reveals his surprisingly simple toolkit, centered around a MacBook Air that has been his primary writing device since 2013. Unlike many writers who use sophisticated organizational software, his process relies on basic tools like TextEdit for notes and Google Drive for writing. His approach prioritizes accessibility and reliability over complexity, with a particular emphasis on physical recording devices for sensitive interviews rather than trusting cloud-connected apps.
- MacBook Air has been Jason's essential tool since 2013, chosen for its lightweight portability and reliability with 16GB RAM
- Daily work consists of reporting, phone calls, writing stories, and working on ongoing projects, plus books and podcasts as side work
- Uses physical Sony UX570 recorder for interviews rather than apps due to operational security concerns
- Takes notes in TextEdit and writes in Google Drive, avoiding sophisticated tools like Scrivener
" It's just really the standard to which everything is held. I don't know. It's like a Honda CRV or something like that. But yeah, I mean, MacBook Air is really the way to go. "
" I always knew I wanted to be a writer and kind of fell in love with journalism in high school and was on my high school paper and whatnot. And then after I graduated from college, I was doing some freelancing, moved back in with my parents for a little bit while I was trying to find my feet "
From Kotaku to Bloomberg
Jason's transition from Kotaku to Bloomberg in 2020 came after private equity destroyed the culture at Gawker Media's successor company. The move offered both professional growth and new challenges, particularly writing for a mainstream audience unfamiliar with gaming industry basics rather than enthusiast readers. Bloomberg's institutional support, including legal resources, talented colleagues, and the ability to break news as part of a global team, has proven invaluable. The company values scoops highly and benefits from having prestigious book authors on staff.
- Decided to leave Kotaku after private equity CEO ruined the company and destroyed Deadspin in fall 2019
- Bloomberg presented an interesting challenge: writing for mainstream readers who don't know gaming industry basics
- Has weekly column/newsletter at Bloomberg allowing more granular industry writing for enthusiast audience
- Bloomberg's global newsroom of thousands means no requirement to be constantly on-call for breaking news
" Going from a hardcore gaming enthusiast site where everybody who's reading it knows who Reggie Fils-Aimé is and knows what the PlayStation 4 is, going to a mainstream news website where maybe your average reader doesn't know much about the video game industry, that seemed like a really interesting challenge to me. "
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