Quinns on the responsibilities of his platform and more
“I don't think people should stop criticizing me…I think my role is to kind of shut up and take it."
Games journalist and reviewer Quintin Smith — better known online as Quinns — made waves in the tabletop industry when he shifted his focus (and audience) from board games to RPGs. Overnight, his dedicated base of fans opened their wallets for titles from publishers like Tuesday Knight Games, Mythworks, and Rowan, Rook, and Decard.
Smith’s influence in the space is undeniable, selling out print runs and spiking sales for publishers in an industry that is dominated by a single game. When so much media energy and attention is directed to the dragon in the room, it places an onus of responsibility on reviewers (the author of this article included) to balance personal bias and material impact of their work. However, do games critics and journalists even matter as the state of global politics continues to descend rapidly into fascism?
Rascal sat down with Smith last November, weeks after the U.S. presidential election, to chat about this balancing act, what’s in store for Quinns Quest Season Two, and his perspective on the socio-political value of games journalism around the globe.
This is part two of the conversation. The first part, about Quinns’ new actual play show, Play To Find Out, is available here.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and flow.
