A profile of Brendan Keogh.
Brendan Keogh
is a freelance writer, game journalist and academic. His work has appeared in Polygon, Ars Technica, Overland, Kotaku, Unwinnable and The New Statesman. In August 2013 Keogh co-founded the publishing company Press Select, along with Dan Golding.
Controveries
On 31 May 2012, Keogh published an article on his personal blog, entitled Quit Pretending There Isn’t A Videogame Rape Culture, in which he criticises one of the Hitman: Absolution trailers:
It really upset me. Not just infuriated me, but upset me. I lost sleep over this last night. I’m embarrassed and ashamed and disgusted to have any part in a videogame culture that produces work like this. (…) Videogame culture reinforces rape culture when 99% of videogame protagonists are male. Videogame culture reinforces rape culture every time a developer or publisher or journalist assumes all gamers are male. — Brendan Keogh
Jim McLennan would like later criticise the piece on Trashcity, in an article entitled Hitman: Absolution, and The Boy Who Cried “Rape!”. In response to the claim that “videogame culture reinforces rape culture when 99% of videogame protagonists are male”, he writes “They’re pixels on a screen, and ascribing gender to them in a meaningful way says more about Keogh’s confused view of reality than anything”. He also notes that Keogh uses the words “rape” or “raped” a total of 46 times in the article:
Keogh uses the words “rape” or “raped” 46 times in his piece about an animated trailer for a video game. One which contains no actual sex acts of any kind done to anyone, let alone forced sex. Whoops.jpg. By this definition, the writer is actual part of the very “rape culture” problem he claims to be fighting. — Jim McLennan
Michael Thomsen also criticised the piece on Killscreen, but would later apologise for “insensitivity” after a number of complaints from readers.
Conflicts of interest
1. Aevee Bee - Keogh wrote an article for Overland in Autumn 2014, in which he namedrops Aevee Bee. On 21 October 2013, Keogh published the following tweet:
I just patreoned you but I’ve never patreoned anything so it is currently a piddly amount, sorry, but I might change that! — Brendan Keogh
Despite publicly admitting to donating to Aevee Bee’s Patreon, no mention of this financial conflict of interest was made in the article.
2. Cameron Kunzelman - In the Overland article that Keogh published in Autumn 2014, Cameron Kunzelman was briefly mentioned. Numerous Twitter conversations show the two to have a personal relationship. Moreover, both Kunzelman and Keogh were donating to each other’s Patreon several months before the article was written. Keogh failed to disclose both the financial and personal relationship in the article.
3. Cara Ellison - In a collection of tweets, Ellison and Keogh can be seen to have a close personal relationship, which includes friendly conversations and planning meet-ups. Furthermore, Keogh’s Patreon account shows him to have been donating to Cara Ellison since 6 January 2014. Keogh namedropped Ellison in an article published in Autumn 2014, lacking disclosure of both the personal and financial conflict of interest.
4. Critical Distance - Keogh published an article on Overland in the Autumn of 2014, in which Critical Distance is briefly mentioned. Keogh can be seen donating to Critical Distance’s Patreon since 6 March 2014, which Keogh failed to disclose in the article.
5. Dan Golding - Dan Golding’s article, Listening to Proteus, was promoted in an article published in Autumn 2014. Dan Golding and Brendan Keogh together founded the company Press Select in August 2013, and as evident in numerous tweets, the two have a close personal relationship with him as well. No mention of this personal or professional relationship was made in the article.
6. Jenn Frank - Jenn Frank was promoted in an article written in Autumn 2014. As shown in numerous tweets, Keogh and Frank are shown to have a close personal relationship. Furthermore, Jenn Frank has been working for Press Select, a publishing company owned by Keogh, since its foundation in August 2013. Keogh failed to disclose both the professional and personal conflict of interest in the article.
7. Liz Ryerson - Writer Liz Ryerson was briefly mentioned by Keogh in an article from Autumn 2014. In a tweet from March 2014, Brendan Keogh can be seen talking to Liz Ryerson about meeting up with each other. Moreover, Keogh had been donating to Ryerson’s Patreon since 3 January 2014. Neither the personal nor financial relationship with Ryerson was disclosed in the article.
8. Mattie Brice - Brendan Keogh wrote about Mattie Brice and her game Mainichi on two occasions; on 24 May 2013 for Polygon and in Autumn 2014 for Overland. As shown in numerous tweets, Brice and Keogh can be seen to have a close personal relationship, including friendly conversations, promoting a fundraiser, planning meet-ups and offering a spare room. Keogh also appears to have been donating to Mattie Brice’s Patreon since 22 November 2013. Keogh failed to disclose the personal relationship in the first article, and both the personal and financial relationship in the second article.
9. Tim Rogers - In an article published in Autumn 2014, Keogh briefly mentioned the article The Literature of the Moment: A Critique of Mother 2, which was published by Tim Rogers.[28] On the website of Keogh’s company, Rogers is listed as one of its employees since the company’s foundation in August 2013. No mention of this professional relationship was made in the article.
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