In this interview, video game journalist and now author, Jupiter Hadley, reflects on her creative journey, the evolution of her career in video game journalism, and the inspiration behind her debut book, The Best Life Adventure Games. Through thoughtful questions and reflections in our exclusive interview with Jupiter Hadley, we explore the intersections between storytelling, games, and the personal experiences that shape her artistic voice.
GH: To start off, could you tell us a bit about your background and how your journey as a writer began?
JH: I started off in the gaming space at an incredibly young age. I wanted to make games, but didn’t find that I had the patience to do so. Instead, I started recording on YouTube the various game jam games I found, but wanted to further highlight those that stood out better, so I started writing for free for some gaming websites, sharing the games that were my favorites from game jams. From there, Alpha Beta Gamer hired me to write about outstanding game jam games. After building a portfolio, I became a journalist at more and more sites.
Follow-up: Was there a particular book, game, or moment that sparked your passion for writing?
JH: I am not sure if there was a specific thing! I enjoyed writing in school, and it came naturally to me, so I found it to be something I could likely do long-term.
GH: You’ve worked across different forms of storytelling: journalism, criticism, and now indie. How do you think your personal experiences have shaped your creative voice?
JH: I have always written about indie games and games in general, though over time (and with the change of the internet), I have been able to explore lots of different writing styles and types, to tailor towards the platform. I do think that this makes me a better writer, but I have been called an enthusiastic writer due to my writing style!
Follow-up: Do you find your life influences your writing directly, or more subtly through themes and emotions?
JH: I feel like my love of games does influence my writing in that I always write very upbeat and positively! I found it very fun to be able to write something a little different this time, with the story aspects of the chapters of the book. It’s neat to get to put myself into the character’s shoes.
GH: You’ve built a reputation as a thoughtful voice in video game journalism. What first drew you to covering games as a medium?
JH: I always liked video games! I wanted to make them, but I found that to be like such a hard task, so instead I wanted to highlight people who made games and games that are created. Over time, it’s just something that I have gotten good at and (have) had fun doing. It’s great to get to do something I love so much.
GH: How has your perspective on video games evolved since you started writing about them?
JH: Not only have I learned more about video games, so understand more of the mechanics and what makes games, which has given me a deeper perspective on how games feel and how they are played, but I have also seen so many different games out there. This perspective and being able to see so many different types of games, I feel, has really widened how I talk about games and how I compare them.
GH: Many readers see game journalism as fast-paced and reactive, but it can also be deeply analytical and creative. What aspects of it have challenged or inspired you the most?
JH: When it comes to my style of journalism, though I am doing a lot of search engine optimization when it comes to articles, I also get the freedom to highlight games and go over my own thoughts on them, which have been quite inspiring! Stay on top of trends, I do feel, is the biggest challenge.
GH: Has your work as a journalist influenced your approach to writing? If so, in what ways?
JH: I think journalism has given me most of my knowledge when it comes to writing, so a lot of the way I write stems from the pieces I have written over the years as a games journalist. I do not tend to use huge, flashy words, etc, I keep things nice and easy to digest.
Follow-up: Do you ever find yourself “reporting” in your writing, observing details the way a journalist would?
JH: I do feel that games journalism is so much different than traditional journalism! I often find myself just talking about and highlighting games, not so much reporting things, per se.
Congratulations on the release of your debut book, The Best Life Adventure Games!
GH: Could you introduce it to readers who might be hearing about it for the first time?
JH: The Best Life Adventure Games book is essentially a list of nearly 50 life adventure games. Think Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley (though many of the games in the book are indie!). The idea is you get to read about each of the games, briefly, before reading a diary entry from the point of view of the character of the game, mid-gameplay. This gives you a deeper look into the game and is just fun to read.
GH: What inspired the book and its concept? Was there a single seed of an idea that started it all?
JH: I absolutely love slice-of-life adventure games and wanted to do something that showed off more of these games. This book felt like something I could really write, as my first book, as it was a concept that I love.
Follow-up: Did it begin as something else (like an article, short story, or even a game concept)?
JH: I have done similar list articles in the past, but I really love the idea of my work in print, so (I) wanted to pivot towards that!
GH: How would you describe the emotional or thematic core of the book?
JH: Well, I do think this tends to vary from game to game, as a few of these games have a deeper story than others. I do feel the emotional core is generally light-hearted and fun – or at least that’s the aim.
Follow-up: If readers take one message or feel away from it, what would you want that to be?
JH: I would like readers to find a game they like from the book and spend time in it themselves, creating their own little adventures and worlds.
GH: Were there any particular authors, games, or films that influenced the tone or world of The Best Life Adventure Games?
JH: No.
GH: What was the most challenging part of the book to write and why?
JH: I think some of the diary entries really threw me! In some games, like Stardew Valley, you can sort of put yourself into the character, as the backstory isn’t very consuming in the way you play. Other games, like The Good Life, are story-driven, so it was interesting putting myself in the place of the character and using their own catch phrases and language to write their diary entry.
GH: What does your typical writing process look like? Do you follow a routine, or is it more intuitive and spontaneous?
JH: I do a lot of writing for my day jobs, so when it came to writing this book (as it was my first) I marked out some time when I wouldn’t be writing anything else, and focused completely on writing this. I am not sure if that’s the right thing to do, but it worked for me.
GH: How do you balance structure (outlining, deadlines, etc.) with creative flow?
JH: I do think that having a deadline does motivate me, as it gives me structure and something to write towards.
Follow-up: Has your experience as a journalist helped you stay disciplined as a novelist?
JH: I have always had deadlines! So, I suppose it has.
GH: Many writers struggle with self-doubt or creative blocks. How do you navigate those moments?
JH: To be honest, this is not something I suffer with. I honestly feel like I either have words or have no words. If I have no words, I do not write. If I have words, I write. I did not feel self-doubt in this book; there are literally millions of people on Earth, and the idea that nobody would like my book is impossible, to be honest. Plus, I like it.
GH: How do you decide when a piece is finished, whether an article or a chapter is truly finished?
JH: Well, with a book, you have word counts. I was working to the max word count, divided by the number of games that I wanted to include. I then wrote the word count. I do think that with so much writing work that I have done, I just have a sense of when it’s done, especially with something freeform like diary entries.
GH: Is there a title that you wanted to include in your book but couldn’t because of any reason?
JH: No, not really. There were a few titles that were unreleased, and I had builds from judging events. I had emailed the developers of those games asking for release dates, and they were very, very confused about how I had played the game, which was funny. There is also a game in the book that has, since writing, been removed from the internet, which was another interesting thing.
GH: When you’re not writing or playing games, what are your favorite ways to recharge or find inspiration?
JH: I really love to travel and experience everything. I am a big believer in doing everything in life (all of the sidequests!) and so have been trying to do everything that I possibly can. I do also love cooking most of the time.
GH: What games, books, or movies have recently grabbed your attention and why?
JH: I really like Discounty, probably because if I played it before I wrote my book, it would be in my book. It’s a slice-of-life game that’s sort of like Stardew Valley, but with your own grocery store. It’s really fantastic.
Follow-up: Do you find yourself analyzing stories for craft, or can you still just enjoy them as a fan?
JH: I still enjoy them as a fan, though a lot of times playing games really does feel like work. This might be because I feel obligated to write up reviews afterwards, or really think of them as something that needs to be turned into content.
GH: What’s something about you that readers might be surprised to learn?
JH: I hope my readers would see games they have never heard of before and think, “Wow, I would love this game”.
GH: Now that The Best Life Adventure Games is out in the world, what’s next for you? Are there any upcoming projects, in writing, journalism, or beyond, that you’re excited about?
JH: I am writing a second book, which is more focused on the indie boom that happened in the early 2000s and the communities that stemmed from it, compared to the way that indie games work now. This is much more informational.
GH: Looking back on your journey so far, what advice would you give to aspiring writers or journalists hoping to follow a similar path?
JH: Start writing about what brings you joy, and keep writing, even if the views aren’t coming in.
GH: Finally, how do you hope your voice, across both journalism and writing, contributes to the larger conversation about storytelling and games?
JH: My life’s goal in the gaming industry is to highlight games people have not heard of. I hope that my writing, in all forms, allows game developers to feel seen and feel like their work is important and worthwhile. I hope that I can guide people to games that are worth their time, that they may not have ever seen before, due to the nature of the gaming industry.
If you are interested in checking out Jupiter Hadley’s new book, The Best Life Adventure Games, you can head over to the official website of the publisher to buy it.
