An avid gamer since youth, Grace Doyle ’21 played video games daily—but now she gets paid for it.
“The first hour of my workday is typically dedicated to research. And that sometimes means I’m putting on my headset and logging in to find the answer to a consumer question about how to unlock a fuzzy pet,” said Doyle, games media journalist at Pro Game Guides and School of Communication journalism alum. “Or it could mean that I’m seeking out trends and current conversations on TikTok, Discord, or Twitter.”
Doyle is now a senior staff member and beat writer for what’s been dubbed “the world’s most popular game you’ve never heard of,” Roblox.
Roblox is a massive multiplayer online gaming platform that allows users to play a variety of games and chat with other online users. It combines gaming, social media, and social commerce. This virtual universe offers users a place to socialize, build new spaces, and even earn and spend virtual money.
Receiving well over 1 million views per month on her articles, Doyle has now totaled 13.5 million views overall on her work. Routinely, Pro Game Guides pulls in tens of millions of views per month.
“It’s the dream job right now,” adds Doyle. “As the point-person for Roblox at Pro Game Guides, I get to do a little bit of everything—feature stories, player guides, investigative news stories, and even interviews with our youngest fans.”
But landing the dream role didn’t come as easily as Doyle hoped after crossing the makeshift stage during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I went into the job search process with too high of an expectation. I thought that when I graduated in May, I should have a job lined up before June even started. And I really beat myself down when I didn’t,” said Doyle.
But it wasn’t the job market that hindered her. In hindsight, she admits it was simply her confidence.
“I started applying to all these random jobs in public relations, human resources, and social media management. The job pool was so massive, but also nothing seemed like a good fit at the same time.”
And for good reason. It wasn’t until fellow Redbird alum, Eric McConnell ’17 pointed out that she had gone to school to learn how to become a successful journalist but was applying for every job except something focused on her passion for writing.
“I remember him telling me to ‘just go for it’. So, I went onto Indeed and typed in ‘video game journalism’ and a job listing for Pro Game Guides popped up. I applied, not really expecting to hear back,” said Doyle.
But she did. Within three days, Doyle received an invitation to interview. Shortly after, the offer came through.
“I was trying to swim in a job market I didn’t belong in. And I was totally avoiding exactly what I wanted to do. I didn’t give myself the opportunity to look for it because I assumed it just wasn’t there or wasn’t truly an option for me.”
Doyle confesses to doing something similar while she was still a student at Illinois State University.
“At times I felt like the only journalism major who didn’t know my path. Everyone around me seemed to know what they wanted to do—become a news anchor, a weather person, or a radio personality. And I just didn’t know, so I floated around, having little confidence to pursue my true niche.”
That was, until she enrolled in COM 269: Magazine Production and Design as a junior and was asked to create a 16-page magazine on a topic of her choice.
“I just knew that I loved to write. That was it. It wasn’t until my teacher asked me point blank what my hobbies and passions were that it clicked for me. And my brain went straight to video games. But I remember thinking, ‘I can’t really write about that, can I?’”
It was a light bulb moment for Doyle.
“That was the day the trajectory of my course work changed. I realized there was no reason that I couldn’t write about the stuff I loved. I just needed someone to tell me I could combine my two passions of writing and video games. The magazine I produced for that course was something I was so proud of, so much in fact that I included it in my portfolio when I applied to my current job.”
The lesson didn’t end there. From that defining moment in her student career, Doyle continued to pour her passion into every assignment she completed.
“For my media law course, I submitted a final report on YouTube and copyright—video game adjacent. And then for my digital news class, I built a website focusing on trending video games,” adds Doyle. “I also drafted my feature film script on the same topic for my advanced writing for mass media course.”
Each piece inevitably contributed to the customized portfolio she submitted for her current role. But even more valuable, the lessons learned spilled over into other aspects of her life as well.
“Everything I learned about journalism came from the School of Communication. It made me who I am today and gave me the confidence I needed.”
The School of Communication prides itself on the hands-on learning experiences present in the curriculum. Every student has an opportunity to customize their journey and tailor their path toward a future career. With student-run media outlets like WZND, TV-10, and The Vidette, every student has the chance to build skillsets coveted by prospective employers.
“I’m so thankful that I joined The Vidette staff. It helped me get out of my comfort zone and gave me the confidence to attach a profession to my name,” said Doyle.
“Grace was a fantastic student who always brought energy and curiosity to the classroom. She discovered The Vidette rather late in her career at Illinois State, but in her relatively short time with us, Grace emerged as a valued and versatile reporter held in high regard by the entire staff,” said John Plevka, longtime and now retired School of Communication faculty advisor of The Vidette.
“As she prepared to graduate last spring, she and I were both sad that she had not joined The Vidette party sooner, but we agreed it was definitely a ‘better-late-than-never’ situation. She clearly made the most of her time at the newspaper, including winning an award for Review Writing in an annual Illinois College Press Association competition. When recent grads like Grace successfully launch their careers beyond ISU, we can all swell with pride,” added Plevka.
Reflecting on her Redbird experience, Doyle advises students to chart their own path and not be afraid to unlock their own personal fuzzy pet.
“Find something you are passionate about and incorporate it into your writing any way you can. You’ll immediately find you care way more about your final product. Use what you love to produce your content,” she adds. “If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t be in my dream role today.”
Find your passion and level up your game, Redbirds!
