Computer Games magazine shut down
by Ludwig Kietzmann 
{ Mar 15th 2007 at 9:12AM }
A Gamasutra article indicates that dead tree media will soon be missing two more magazines, with Computer Games Magazine and its sibling, Massive, both facing the publishing guillotine. Publisher for the computer enthusiast and MMO-centric magazines, TheGlobe.com, is reportedly buckling under a recent spam-related lawsuit -- the cause of which was a ham-fisted ad campaign that blasted MySpace users with over 100,000 unsolicited e-mail messages. An SEC filing from TheGlobe estimates the damage payable to be between $40 million and $120 million. The filing goes on to state that "judgment against it would materially and adversely affect its financial condition and future operations, including the potential bankruptcy or cessation of business of the Company." It seems even large companies get to slit their wrists on MySpace.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Pig @ Mar 15th 2007 9:28AM
"Eeew! Hardcopy." - Eugene Belford A.K.A. "The Plague"
Does anyone actually buy mags for month old news anymore?
The Boo @ Mar 15th 2007 9:29AM
Too bad the actual people affected by this won't get the money. So who does? Government? MySpace? If they divied that up to the users that would be $400-$1200 per email.
Au @ Mar 15th 2007 9:44AM
Wasn't there a Joystiq "one free month of Computer Games Magazine" giveaway just a little back? Will this affect those people?
And why do people use myspace anyway? It's all just goth and emo kids making shitty HTML + javascript cut'n'paste webpages on a shitty template.
I hate myspace.
jettoki @ Mar 15th 2007 10:31AM
NO!
Computer Games was my favorite magazine!
This sucks. :(
arrrgh @ Mar 15th 2007 10:44AM
some myspace pages are pretty hot when they get into DIVs and stuff like my cousin's buddy's band myspace.com/theendofaugust
hot page
CowboyGA @ Mar 15th 2007 10:51AM
Print publishing has been on the decline, anyway. I hate seeing one of these magazines go down, but it's a matter of "evolve or die." In related news, Joystiq.com seems to be doing pretty well with readers. And hopefully they don't spam people (no sympathy at all).
REUYL @ Mar 15th 2007 10:56AM
Can't we just abolish MySpace?
...Please?
Steve @ Mar 15th 2007 11:00AM
I buy the Nintendo commerc...I mean Nintendo magazine "Nintendo Power". I've been a member since the Nintendo Fun Club news days and I just like knowing I have every issue and low membership number. I probably haven't gotten actual news from this magazine for 10 years, but it's only about $20 a year and it's fun to flip through. It makes great bathroom reading, and it improved a lot when they changed it up about a year ago.
Now I'm going to sound a little but like one of those people who stubbornly refuses to admit that CDs are superior to vinyl. I sometimes miss the days where gaming info wasn't as easy to get. Once a month I'd get a factual tidbit on some upcoming game or, better yet, the upcoming next generation system. You'd get a vague idea when the item would arrive and then it would be a surprise when you actually found it on the shelves. Now with the internet you get this constant flow of the tiniest details of what's going on and interesting rumors that may or may not be true. Rarely is anything a surprise anymore, and when it is (like the Revolution's controller annoucement in 2005) you then wait a year or more to actually experience it for yourself.
Markusdragon @ Mar 15th 2007 10:59AM
Anyone know how the magazines that are actually worth reading are doing these days, like GamesTM or Edge?
NeverSage @ Mar 15th 2007 10:59AM
@Au
I'm not friends with any goth or emo kids so myspace doesn't bug me. I hate instant messenger so myspace helps me keep in touch.
Man, I wish every company that sent spam got shut down. I get a fuck load of emails from University of Phoenix. I wish they'd get sued and go bankrupt.
CowboyGA @ Mar 15th 2007 11:54AM
Steve,
This is off topic, but I have to say... I still have the very first Nintendo Power at home. It's still in okay shape, considering the years. Of course I dropped the subscription in the early 90s.
Jimivern @ Mar 15th 2007 12:06PM
While I understand and agree with all the speculation on the death of print magazines I have to say this is still dissapointing. Computer Games was one of the few (possibly only?) magazines that didn't cater to the assinine spike TV demographic that the gaming community is stereotyped into. Heavy on text and ideas, low on screenshots and gratuitous swearing this mag will be missed.
I'll be looking for where the writers go though, Cindy Yans, Steve Bauman and Tom Chick are some of the best gaming writers out there.
lpbrochu @ Mar 15th 2007 6:23PM
I guess lots of people here have not touched a gaming magazines in some years... It's as ridiculous as saying people shouldn't buy financial magazines and just watch the financial news instead. Or never buy sports magazines and just watch ESPN all day...
In 2007 any good magazine focus on more in-depth sujects, analysis, interviews, etc... They also have news but they can't just rely on that.
Oh and btw, if magazines *always* have months old news... could someone explain me where can I get info about the next Guild Wars 2 on the net? The new PC Gamer is gonna be out in a couple of days with a cover story on this....
Neebs @ Mar 15th 2007 2:26PM
PC Gamer is a very good publication for those who this news is peeing on.
ackmondual @ Mar 15th 2007 6:18PM
Damn that's sad to hear! I subscribed for 1 yr to CGW back in '98 - '99. It was awesome b/c they were more trustworthy with their reviews. I.e. for CGW's reviewed games, 85% of them were 3/5 stars or below. Another typical mag reviewing roughly the same games would've givena 85% of those games a score of 80% or above. That mag was also how I heard of some really obscure, less advertised, but awesome games like Twinsen's Odyssey (aka Little Big Adventure 2) and Archamedean Dynasty (underwater sub simulation). Most importantly, those games listed specs, which ran well w/my dad's P75MHz with 8MB RAM.
I subscribed to CGW again 2006, simply b/c it was only $2 (beautiful deal offered after purchasing memory from Crucial.com). Still have the mags, but only read about one whole issue's worth of it (spread across several issues)
It's sad to see it go. Sure PC Gamer will still be around, but I was always happy to know that CGW and PCG were keeping each other competitive and on their toes.
savvydoc @ Mar 15th 2007 7:07PM
LMAO at post #5 by arrrgh
RIGHT after someone said myspace was full of goth and emo kids he links to a total emo band, lol.
Sucks about the mag, though. I always liked that one.