I have met some friends that asking about how come I found so many topics to write about in my MMOSite gameblog?  Some of them already join MMOSite for blogging too but wondering about what to cover.  I also found some blog asking about what to write.

Well the answers of that questions are not easy, I know.  But, here’s what I want to share to all of you on how I ‘found’ topics to write about.  I am not trying to teach you how to write or what topics to be written.  I am just SHARING.  If you feel that you don’t have any difficulties like what my friends mentioned above, just skip this article.  You don’t need it.

Purpose

Now ask yourself, what’s your purpose on writing in your blog.  Please refer to Layce’s article about the definition of blog, I’m not gonna repeat it in here.  But a blog is where you can express what you’ve think about something.  And if you have a purpose when you’re writing, you WILL EVENTUALLY find a topic.

Let’s take an example:

I have played so many games in my life, and yet sometimes I have my own opinion about games (certain or general).  But I don’t have that much chance in saying it to other people especially when they are having a different topics.  So this is the right place to say my opinion.  And to be frank, THERE ARE SOOOOO MANY GAMES out there that I want to write about.  But my time won’t allow me.  However, my purpose of saying my opinion has made me found so many topics!

Another example:

My friend like to share about the joy of playing games, especially online games.  So he went to create his own blog and website.  The purpose is one: everytime he found joy in playing certain game, he share it.  Everyday, I found joy when playing online game, that’s why I really hooked up with online games.  So he is.  So the topics never stopped to come up.  Maybe it’s the joy of founding rare items.  Maybe it’s the joy of finding a funny situation.  Maybe it’s the joy of meeting a new friends.  Maybe it’s the joy of reporting a bot to the GM.  Look!  So many topics to cover just because of one purpose!

So if you have a purpose that people need to hear you about certain game or game in general, MMOSite blog is the right place for blogging.  There are 1 million potential readers (although hitting 1,000 readers is already good in my experience).

Explore

Try to explore the general words.  I have found a friend who play online game more than I do, and ask me what to write in his blog.  And then I said, “Man, you play game more than I do, why would you ask me a topic to be covered?”.  But then he said, “What should I write?”.  And I said to him to express his opinion about games that he’s already played.  I carry on with listing some games that I know he has played, and what I found is that he’s just saying some GENERAL WORDS, like well it’s good, it’s fun, it’s boring, it’s bad.  And now I know why he lost a topic to cover.

Tell us why would you think this game is good or bad or fun or boring.  Is it because the graphics?  If yes, what would differentiate it from others?  Is it because the music?  What kind of music that they made?  If I have a good knowledge of music, maybe I would cover a topic exclusively about Granado Espada music!  Is it because a certain distinctive system?  Try to elaborate the words!  You will find so many topics by elaborating why you like or dislike certain games.

Sometimes you can find a topic just because one single aspect of games.  An article by Froggyman about Grand Chase is an example of it.

Details

Not many people willing to pay attention to details.  That’s why they lost topics.  Learn to pay attention to details!  You will find many topics.  If you pay attention on how a game can give you joy, you will find a topic.  If you pay attention on how your friends behave when playing games, you will find a topic.  If you pay attention on what make a certain relationship over internet (or online games) succeed while others not, you will find a topics.  If you really pay attention on how some guys always find a real girl in an online games (some of them did), you will find a topics.  If you pay attention on why some games really succeed in having a PVP while others not, you will a topic.  If you really pay attention on why WoW can succeed, you will find a topic (don’t worry, just say your theory about them, it’s your blog!) I can still mention many more, but the point is, YOU WILL FIND TOPICS IF YOU PAY ATTENTION TO DETAILS!

Experience

I have seen so many topics related to experience.  Try to write about them.  Tell us about your feeling during that experience.  And once again, avoid using general words.  It can be an experience of being hacked, or love that you find in online game, or joy that you find, or friendship that you find, or sometimes EVEN A SMALL EXPERIENCE like having a guild wars just because a single words of noobs (errr, at the second thought, it might not be small experience, eh?), can be written as a good blog.  If I have time, I would write about recap of my unnessarry death in my online game and how to avoid it.  Alas, I don’t have much time to elaborate that one.

Another easy way to write about experience is by starting with something that you like.  If you like anime, share it with us and why would it affect your way of gaming.  If you like a music, share us your thought on how a music can affect online games (I really want to write about this one, really!).  If you like movies, what do you think about certain games that coming from film, or what make a game that come from a movie succeed as an online games.  Something that you like is your experience.  Share it with us.

Read

If you take a look at some of my blogs, they were inspired because of other articles.  If you want to have a topic, try to read others.  And then tell us about what you think.  If it’s just short, try to comment on it.  If you have a full blown arguments or thought, congratulations, you have found a topic.  We are lucky to have so many good editors in MMOSite so that we can easily access the recommended blog.  You can learn and find a topic from there.  More over, by reading some of recommended blog, you can learn something.  I have learn on how to write a good blog from many of MMOSite members (Cesarsuki, Layce, Paradox, Splices, Gamh, and so many more, thanks guys).

Remember, the more you read, the more you will find topics.

It’s all that I can share on finding topics.  And guys (or gals, sometimes I forgot to mention), all of you still very lucky to have times to write.  I am dying to write all of my thoughts in here about so many games and topics.  But yet, I don’t have time for that.  My job is very overwhelming lately.  Not to mention that sometimes hardware or network problem occurred when I try some games (Mabinogi T_T and Requiem for example).  But I hope someday (not far from now I hope), when I retire, I will have time to play many online games and write my opinion about them.