TechRaptor
Type of site | Gaming Website |
|---|---|
| Website | techraptor |
| Launched | March 2013 |
| Current status | Active |
TechRaptor is an American video game website that publishes news, reviews, guides, and videos about both video games and tabletop games. Started as a passion project in 2013 by Founder Rutledge Daugette,[1] TechRaptor has expanded their coverage over the last 8 years, and dropped the "Tech" side of the site in 2017 as part of a refocusing initiative to focus wholly on gaming.[2]
History[edit]
The gaming site TechRaptor was launched on March 18, 2013 as a passion project by owner Rutledge Daugette. Originally started with just Daugette writing, TechRaptor has grown into an online hub for the latest in video games and tabletop, publishing numerous articles a day across news, reviews, and features. Over the last 8 years, TechRaptor has grown to serve millions of readers a year, with writing from a team of international contributors. The site has hosted a range of talent over the years, such as Jordon Oloman (IGN), Rhiannon Bevan (TheGamer), Tyler Treese (ComingSoon), and more.[1]
In 2017,[3] as part of an ongoing internal discussion on how to improve the quality of the site - TechRaptor added an editor's note to a range of articles that did not meet the standards of journalism they sought to publish, at the same time refocusing on gaming and dropping the tech side of content.[1]
These changes were left in place until May 2021[4] when the editorial leadership decided that content should be removed from the site, citing "While many of these articles weren’t inherently violent or inciting negativity, we feel that they no longer represent the quality we hold ourselves as a site today, and others were just incredibly broken and next to unreadable in their current state."
In 2021, TechRaptor announced that they are now a Safe in Our World #LevelUpMentalHealth partner, committing to ensure their working environment is safe and supportive for their team's mental health, and pledging to donate monthly to the charity.[5][6]
Content[edit]
TechRaptor publishes video game and tabletop (board gaming) news, reviews, guides, and features. The site has published interviews with developers and personalities such as John Romero, Akira Yamaoka, J.B. Blanc, Dan Butchko, Erich Schaefer, and more. Their interviews and articles have been quoted by publications such as PCGamer,[7] Kotaku,[8] Polygon,[9] and PCGamesN, and their reviews can be found on OpenCritic.
Their Podcast, The TechRaptor Podcast, was launched in 2021 and appears on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more. The cast features a few of the site's editors, and will begin featuring industry guests and writers in 2022.
Features and interviews are typically based on current events, game releases, or anniversaries, as well as social issues and discussions about representation in gaming. Video game reviews always include a score by the individual reviewer, while tabletop reviews include no scores, opting to focus on the pro's and con's of the game. The news section is updated daily by a team of news writers, and primarily focuses on the story; any particular writer's opinion is clearly defined in a "Quick Take"[10]
The site also hosts its own awards at the end of each year, voted on internally by the team as a whole to select the best games of the year for the following categories:
- Best Visual Design
- Best Multiplayer Design/Gameplay
- Best Writing
- Best Soundtrack
- Best Expansion/DLC
- Best Evolving Game
- Indie Game of the Year
- Game of the Year
Review process[edit]
TechRaptor uses a 10-point rating system for reviews, with games scored in increments of .5. Games cannot score less than 0, or more than 10 under this system. The review score is indicative of the state of the game when reviewed, meaning the score is final once published, although games with significant updates may get a note added to comment on the changes. TechRaptor is featured as a "Top Critic" on OpenCritic, and can be seen on many review roundups around the web, with their review breakdown outlined in their Review Policy page which states what each number means.[11]
TechRaptor has awarded very few games a 10/10, but some titles include Stardew Valley, Death Stranding, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and a handful of others.
Business[edit]
Wholly privately-owned, TechRaptor utilizes an advertising-focused business model - serving ads to readers on every pageview with a mix of both direct-sold and programmatic inventory. The site works closely with Publisher Collective for their ads,[12] ensuring that they don't impact the UX of the site, and have more of a gaming-focused experience for readers.
With the exception of editors and News Team, TechRaptor pays its team on-publish for all content, switching to this model in 2020 to pay their team faster and reduce time spent on invoicing and payments.
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Our Story". TechRaptor. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ↑ "TechRaptor on Being 'Positive Voice' in Video Game Journalism". OutVoice. 2021-12-07. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ↑ "[Updated] We are Making Some Big Changes And Here Is Why". TechRaptor. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ↑ "How We're Continuing to Fulfill Our Commitment to Quality". TechRaptor. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ↑ "Level Up Mental Health". Safe In Our World. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ↑ "Supporting Mental Health - TechRaptor is now partnered with Safe In Our World". TechRaptor. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ↑ Tom Sykes (2016-09-17). "Valve removes Digital Homicide's games from Steam". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ↑ "Deaf Destiny Player Petitions Bungie For Captioning". Kotaku. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ↑ Good, Owen S. (2016-09-17). "Steam removes games of developer seeking subpoena for users' information (Correction)". Polygon. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ↑ "Introducing Quick Takes". TechRaptor. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ↑ "Review Score Policy". TechRaptor. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ↑ "TechRaptor". Publisher Collective. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
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