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Telling the game Industry's Stories.


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Telling the game Industry's Stories.


 

About Blake

Hi, I'm Blake. I'm a writer focusing on the video game industry. I used to lead features for Game Informer Magazine. Before that, you might have seen my work on Polygon, Vice, Rolling Stone, GameSpot, Playboy, Waypoint, Unwinnable, Kill Screen or Bullet Points Monthly. Check out what I've written below. If you want, contact me at blakehester94[at]gmail.com or follow me on Twitter.

 
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Features


I’ve traveled the world talking to people in the game industry. Here are their stories.

Features


I’ve traveled the world talking to people in the game industry. Here are their stories.

Exploring caves with the creator of Spelunky

The oral history of Guitar Hero

The making of Humanity

10 years of Double Fine Adventure

10 years of Double Fine Adventure

Life and death with Ikumi Nakamura

Exploring Shibuya with Tango Gameworks

The life and career of Hi-Fi Rush creator John Johanas

Inside Yager's failed attempt to make Dead Island 2

Inside Yager’s failed attempt to make Dead Island 2

Two days in Colombia with the founder of Rockstar San Diego

Three days in Tokyo with the creators Of Silent Hill, Siren, and Slitterhead

The version of Bully 2 you’ll never get to play

A month on the road: My indie developer road trip

The Agent before Agent, a lost Rockstar San Diego project

All the money in the world couldn’t save the Kinect

Waterskiing and running for my life with the guy behind Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater

The story of Eight Days, one of Sony’s canceled big bets

How shock sites shaped the internet

How the Red Dead franchise began

Crash Bandicoot: An oral history

Three days in the woods with Psychonauts 2 backers

The rocky story of Retro Studios

The story of BMX XXX

Podcasts and appearances


Podcasts and appearances


 SOMETHING ROTTEN

A podcast about dark, violent, and nihilistic video games. Co-hosted with Jacob Geller. Published by Nebula. Listen on Spotify.

OTHER APPEARANCES

Talking about Shock Sites with Vice // The MinnMax Show // 99 Questions // Ranking every single Tony Hawk game // Talking Tony Hawk soundtracks with MinnTrax // Talking cancer and sobriety on The 1099 // Talking reviews on The 1099 // The Game Informer Show // Carving Gaming Rushmores // Playing Simpsons Wrestling // Seven Boys Podcast // Creating unspeakable horrors in Drawful 2 // Trying out Videoball // Intern Game Night I, II, III.

Resume


Resume


 
 

Skills

I am an experienced features writer covering the video game industry. Over the years, I've written numerous pieces for outlets such as Polygon, IGN, Variety, Playboy, and Rolling Stone about upcoming games, games that never came out, and in-depth behind-the-scenes looks at the development process.


Experience

October 2020 - Present

Game Informer Magazine

  • Editing longform feature content, from its earliest, roughest draft to final copy. Providing content edits, copy edits, fact-checking, and mentorship to a team of eight writers

  • Writing longform feature content based on travel at home and abroad, in-depth research, and dozens of interviews

  • Delivering highly clean copy to meet ongoing editorial standards and deadlines

  • Working directly with the Magazine Content Director to plan out future Game Informer issues, contributing to both long-term and short-term editorial project planning

  • Collaborating with Game Informer’s editorial and design teams to decide appropriate character counts for features, reviews, previews, and more, while also providing editorial input to art direction and design changes

  • Created and now manage Game Informer’s freelance department, working with a variety of different writers, fielding pitches, editing pieces, and ensuring on-time payment

  • Featured guest across Game Informer’s suite of podcasts and videos

  • Laid off in February 2024

April 2015 - October 2020

Freelance writer

  • Specialized in longform features, telling the human stories behind the games we play. Ranging from profiles of storied developers, to oral histories about the development processes, and behind-the-scenes looks at games that never came out

  • Traveled both domestically and internationally  in search of the most interesting video game stories in the world, using my unique perspective and approach to storytelling to bring both the people and their homes to life

  • Balanced different longform projects for multiple outlets at once, as well as working with a variety of editors to produce features that are in line with a website's tone,  voice, and style guide

May 2016 - August 2016

Intern, Game Informer

  • Worked alongside the Game Informer team for three months, publishing more than 130 different articles, including features, news and previews

  • Worked directly under Senior Editor Ben Reeves, workshopping pitch ideas and daily content for Game Informer's website

  • Made several hosting and co-hosting appearances on podcasts and videos

References available upon request