Being a game journalist is serious business. You have to play video games, collect swag, and get drunk at private parties with Cliffy B, then come home and talk smack about poor people and immigrants. Still, there's quite a few people out there who still want to become one, and Destructoid has decided to help.

Starting right this second, Dtoid is running a 3-week long competition of sorts where the most talented and devoted community blogger will win his or her way into PAX as a temporary Destructoid editor. You'll get to live among us, sleep among us, and even make your own posts on the front page live from the event.

Hit the jump to see if you've got what it takes to be the next Jim Sterling...

So what does being the "most talented and devoted community blogger" mean? Basically, you need to show that you know how to write well, you know your gaming shizzle, and you can tie the two together while still being entertaining. Kinda like Fox, only the exact opposite.

So what do you need to write about? Anything you want. If you want to do game previews, editorials, news reports, or if you just want to dress up like a homeless Samus Aran and film yourself running into oncoming traffic while trying to "morph into an explodey ball," then you go right ahead.

At the end of the three weeks, on August 6th, five finalists will be chosen by shaking a plastic fortune ball and awaiting its wisdom. After that, finalists will have three days to submit a short video of themselves. This can either be you telling us why you're the one to pick, or it can be yourself interviewing inaminate objects around the house and the like to prove that you're not going to be a total f-tard at PAX. On the fourth day, August 10th, a winner will be chosen, this time by not one magic ball, but two.

The winner gets free entry into the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle, as well as free lodging with your new fellow editors. You will be given a couple of assignments (games or conferences to cover), and will be able to make front page posts for the duration of the event. You're also entitled to all the free swag you can handle, Chad's secret stash of Twinkies he thinks I don't know about, and photo opportunities with a more-than-likely naked Ron Workman.

Although this will probably be the best time of your life, on Monday things will return to normal and we'll pretend like nothing ever happened, just like at your senior retreat where everyone breaks down and apologizes and promises to be BFF. Didn't last long, did it? Well Destructoid is exactly like high school, minus the creepy girls P.E. coach who eventually got arrested in an undercover sting operation when he went to meet "SunnyGrl14" at the park.

All child molestation aside, for anyone who's serious about breaking into the journalism world, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Your work at Destructoid will be read by MILLIONS of people across the world, and even if you're not that good there's always the chance that Kotaku or GGL will crown you their king (or queen).

The nitty gritty: You must be 18 years or older. Travel expenses are currently not included... Drugs and prostitution are *NOT* okay in the Dtoid mobile. That's it.

Gentlemen (and women), start your blogging.