Video gamers have a community all their own on Twitter. We found six figures in the gaming world you need to be following.
1. @JimSterling
Often hilarious, frequently not safe for work, and always brutally honest, Jim Sterling is Destructoid‘s reviews editor and game journalist at large for outlets like Game Front and The Escapist. Celebrated as he is reviled, Jim is someone whose content often cuts through the monotony of rewritten press releases and gives you something substantial to chew on. You may not always agree with his opinions, but he’s a refreshing voice and says what he thinks.
2. @rocketcatgames
In an environment where big companies like Nintendo or Sony have each tweet and public thought vetted through PR wranglers, smaller teams are often the best way to get real insider perspective. With Rocketcat Games (updated by team member Kepa Auwae), you’ll find just that.
Between candid opinions on free-to-play and cloning (they love them both) and thoughts on the indie scene (they hate the term altogether), following the threads of their conversations will link you to great ideas and the developers from who they came. Bonus points the way they tease previews of their awesome upcoming titles.
3. @Swery65
As lead designer of such iconic kitsch as Deadly Premonition, Hidetaka Suehiro is perhaps the biggest oddball on this list (and the most loveable). Follow him for a slew of pictures letting fans inside his day-to-day routine. He may not always appear to make sense, and a few things get lost in translation, but Swery will keep you amused… or at least bemused. He gets bonus points for following many of his fans back and replying to tons of tweets.
4. @simonflesser
The only European entry on our list, Simon is the more talkative half of the lovely two-man studio Simogo Games (Beat Sneak Bandit). Simon will give you insight on the creative process behind conceptualizing and crafting a game. Simogo titles’ feature beautiful art, so you’ll be happy to see screenshots, sound files and concept art that you can pore over and download. Simon gets bonus points for his appreciation of smile-inducing games and retro goodness.
5. @Polygon
The official twitter of the new supersite formed of the Voltron of games journalism (Justin McElroy, Brian Crecente, Chris Grant and tons more), Polygon is your bite-sized hub for some of the best long-form pieces you’ll ever read. Delving into the story behind the story, the writers at Polygon frequently investigate the personal tales that form the backbone of some of gaming’s biggest releases, littlest gems and most interesting moments. All wrapped in magazine-worthy layouts. Bonus points for frequent giveaways!
6. @eeen and @NimbleDave
Is it cheating to add two people to a list of six? Maybe. Is it rude to include the brothers Marsh as one entry just because they’re twins? Perhaps. And yet as their matching Bitizen icons suggest, it’s sort of a package deal. The family duo behind indie powerhouse Nimblebit (and creator of our latest obsession Pocket Planes) both bring something follow-worthy to the table.
Ian tweets more often and is great at interacting with fans to answer questions and comment on screenshots. Dave will often share a link to something worth reading or watching in the world of games. Both have a great sense of humor and extremely strong relationships in the game-writing community. Track their conversations to find the who’s who of awesome in this industry.
Thumbnail image courtesy of iStockphoto, adamfilip
