Print gaming journalism may be on its way out, says 1UP's Cox
by Griffin McElroy 
{ Apr 13th 2008 at 12:00PM }
We can still fondly recall those afternoons during our formative years when, while returning from school, we would notice a rolled-up, plastic sheathed bundle of gaming journalism joy poking out of our mailbox. We're sure it's an occasion that most of you can warm-heartedly remember as well, whether your poison was Nintendo Power or Electronic Gaming Monthly. Unfortunately, in a recent interview with the mighty Ombudsman, 1UP's Simon Cox spoke about the closing of Games For Windows magazine, and how EGM (as well as print gaming journalism as a whole) may have an expiration date.Cox explained that "dollars and eyes," particularly the beady, sunken eyes of PC gamers, are continually moving away from print media and towards internet publications, stripping the ink-and-papers of their subscribers, advertisers and, eventually, life. Cox remarked that while EGM still has a great deal of spunk, and is supported by a body of loyal readers, it too will eventually be crushed by the incipient, grim claw of new media. The fact that you're reading this right now may support his claim -- have your gaming news consuming habits changed over the past few years?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Limezor @ Apr 13th 2008 12:08PM
I love the gaming magazines and all, but theres just no way I would be reading anything new considering I go on Digg/Joystiq/Engadget at least once a day.
bigsofty @ Apr 13th 2008 12:41PM
They priced em selves out of the market here in the UK... 14$!?! ... I can go on Amazon and buy a book for the price of a magazine here... its natural selection...
Fernando Rocker @ Apr 13th 2008 12:47PM
Joystiq needs to release a magazine... 20% news and 80% printed comments.
I would buy it =p
hvnlysoldr @ Apr 13th 2008 1:05PM
I agree with Fernando. Magazines should devote more pages to reader mails.
finnith @ Apr 13th 2008 1:16PM
Yea, cause we all want to see flame wars in print, too.
Ethan @ Apr 13th 2008 1:55PM
The Edge letters page had some of the most interesting points to make on it. I think occasionally the comments section here can produce real view-changing intelligent debate, but other than highlighting and whiting out (which pushes out unpopular but pertinent points), there's nothing bringing the quality (not me btw) to the surface.
Another thing where edge beats joystiq/1up is it's in-depth look at aspects of gaming, like the codeshop stuff, making ofs, looks at individual companies and people, or just special pieces on anything from arcades to MMRPGs.
But joystiq is a blog and I guess it's more about translating the industry sources back to the end user and collating opinion. 1up is a magazine though, and it is a bit behind. I wouldn't mind paying a bit for something really excellent.
BananaBoat @ Apr 13th 2008 2:31PM
Truth be told, if it weren't for the internet, I'd still be on the edge of my seat on a monthly basis, waiting for my magazines to arrive (like I was 10+ years ago with Nintendo Power and Gamepro etc). Now though, even if magazines like EGM or GameInformer get exclusives, they are leaked to the internet before the magazine hits store shelves anyway. It's a perfect storm, that has begun to kill off even the most storied of gaming publications.
Do I think it's a bad thing that I don't have to wait an entire month to get new gaming news anymore? No. I'd love it if I could continue to get print publications with confirmation of the news, and maybe one or two exclusives a month.
I think US magazines need to go the Japanese route, and start having multiple (read: Alot) of fold out posters, two page posters etc, for games (For instance, a fold out poster of Kasumi from Dead or Alive. That'd bring the readers back).
John McPoop @ Apr 13th 2008 3:11PM
The only thing keeping some gaming magazines like Game Informer successful are deals with companies like Gamestop to sell subscriptions when you buy a discount card. That way the subscription actually pays for its self eventually.
The other thing keeping Game Informer alive is they are consistantly offering information not available on the internet. No one else had the information on Gears Of War 2 before GI did. GI also has a good staff and a good balance of humor and actual important news. It's hard to do a dedicated magazine to anything electronic with the success of the internet but if you offer something no one else has it is still possible to succeed.
shamgar03 @ Apr 13th 2008 12:11PM
I still read (and like) PC Gamer. More than anything because the mag has a real sense of humor, and they get good exclusives. A lot of times I hear about games from them first, because gamespy and others sort of ignore the indie labels and "unknown" developers.
heckthor @ Apr 13th 2008 7:19PM
Besideds i rather take the magazine to the CRAPPER than the Laptop...
Derrick @ Apr 13th 2008 12:13PM
I've been using the internet for gaming news for more than a few years, so no I can't say my habits have changed. Haven't bought a gaming magazine since Ultra Game Players died in 1998.
Pointz @ Apr 13th 2008 12:13PM
Not necessarily. Not everyone has access to the internet, and I still buy mags to see their articles and their review scores. Also for the extras like demos and the free gifts. I'm also gonna buy ONM's new issue for the Sonic Unleashed preview which shows the Wii versions screenshots according to NintendoWiiZone.com.
So yeah head over there joystiq/Griffin for that article.
spikespeigel @ Apr 13th 2008 12:15PM
You know, I'm sorta torn on this subject. On the one hand, I know that everything in periodical format is otherwise dated (I say otherwise since the interviews aren't anywhere else). However, the Interweb is a tricky place when it comes to finding old news about videogames. Hence the back catalog of magazines to peruse whenever you need to. Then there's the ultimate use of print. Something to do while you're on the john!
propanol @ Apr 13th 2008 12:18PM
Print journalism dying in favor of other forms of journalism? News at 11.
Jomolungma @ Apr 13th 2008 12:18PM
I openly admit that I read far fewer gaming magazines today then I did in the 90s, or even just five years ago. However, while up-to-the-second games journalism might be nice to have and the wave of the future, I would lament the complete death of print in the games space. In my opinion, the depth of reporting in print has not yet been matched online, and I appreciate the layout techniques that print employs to present visually compelling pieces. Also, while I can bring my PSP to the can if I want to get my game news via RSS, nothing beats having a stack of game magazines at the ready for those long quiet moments on the porcelain throne.
There are some positive trends online, with IGN doing longer pieces and bloggers like N'Gai Croal upping the level of discourse. I really liked Jeff Green and Shawn Elliot's tete-a-tete recently over Fallout 3 on 1UP. If sites like IGN and 1UP can figure out a way to make the quality of their presentation meet the quality of print, then I'd be willing to spend my throne time reading something else. Otherwise, I think gaming and gaming culture will be losing out in a big way if print goes the way of the dodo.
Jason Lamb @ Apr 13th 2008 12:33PM
I think the last gaming magazine I read was PC Gamer back in 2002.
Internet sites, such as this, are constantly updated and have the perk of being completely free to read (sans ads). I'm surprised people even buy gaming magazines anymore to be honest.
Jonah Falcon @ Apr 13th 2008 12:40PM
They're also sources of misinformation and rumor as everyone tries to be first with a story without taking the time to check their sources, solidify the story, or even have editing for style, grammar and spelling. When you work in print, you have to make sure you get the story RIGHT.
Nigeria: Cody ChesnuTT Defense Force @ Apr 13th 2008 12:21PM
If Sega still made consoles I'd probably buy their magazine.
Actually, I probably wouldn't.
I just like typing Sega.
Deck @ Apr 13th 2008 12:27PM
I am going to have to agree. I stopped reading somewhere around 2003-2004 I believe. I was an avid reader of PC Gamer and EGM.
I still love flipping through and sometimes i'll still buy PC Gamer just to read the articles as they are pretty good. But ever since The Vede (Greg Vederman) left that publication, it hasn't been the same for me.
I think overall its just that relying on print for news is just way outdated. By the time that it prints and is on shelves its potentially a month+ older. Being an avid web user and being on Joystiq + other sites all the time, there's no point for print media anymore. For me anyway.
mocax @ Apr 13th 2008 12:28PM
One less mag to take to the bathroom.
I don't really want to lug my notebook to the loo to read stuff....
Macbook Air maybe... hmm...
Maxwell Ash @ Apr 13th 2008 12:39PM
May I suggest an EEE PC
Russ Tundra @ Apr 13th 2008 12:47PM
eww Brown Mac Book Air Keys...EWWW!!!
KeenCommander @ Apr 13th 2008 12:29PM
I still look forward to my monthly EGM, but I find now I wind up skipping through large portions of it since I've already read a lot of this stuff on Joystiq or elsewhere online. And sometimes metacritic replaces actually reading the reviews, unless it's a game I really care about a lot.
UnnDunn @ Apr 13th 2008 12:29PM
I just received the latest issue of EGM in the mail, and the thing isn't a magazine; it's more like a Sears catalog, only with games instead of cheap sweaters and lawnmowers.
By that I mean it was woefully thin (100 pages), nearly devoid of content I didn't already know and filled to the brim with ads.
The thing about mags like EGM and GfW magazine is they don't treat games like a lifestyle; they treat it like a series of products going through a pipeline: first the product is rumored, then speculated about, then given a blowout "world exclusive" feature, then previewed. Finally, the game comes out and it gets reviewed, and a month later they publish some cheats, and that's it.
How is that any different to what the game sites do?
These days, the only print magazine I am interested in reading is Edge, because it doesn't focus on the incessant rumor-feature-news-preview-review-cheat cycle, but instead focuses on gaming as a culture, examining trends, interviewing key figures, covering events and such, with a measured, in-depth approach that can only really be done in a magazine.
If the EGMs and GfWMs of the world want to survive in the face of web-based media, they are going to have to reinvent themselves.
Rocketboy @ Apr 14th 2008 8:57AM
See, I don't want a magazine of gaming as a 'lifestyle'. I want to know about things that I do for fun. Not how some people turn it into a 24/7 obsession.
Jonah Falcon @ Apr 13th 2008 12:31PM
I read gaming mags, partly because it's hard to read an article on a computer while in the bathroom. It's relaxing to sit back on a sofa or a bus and read a gaming magazine.
Von Dozier @ Apr 13th 2008 12:31PM
I read gaming mags.
When I was 12.
LaughingTarget @ Apr 13th 2008 12:32PM
As long as GameStop keeps pushing it with their "discount" card, Game Informer isn't going anywhere for a long time.
Ralod @ Apr 13th 2008 1:00PM
Well, but is game informer a magazine, or as someone said above, a glorified sears catalog?
No where else in gaming media is there such blatant use of the money for good stories system then there is in Game Informer. I have not looked at the thing in years but i don't even recall them having reviews and if they did they I am sure they were all glowing.
Is print gaming media dead? Maybe, but as has been stated above i like the mags for the in depth stories and features. Like for instance I had been a subscriber of CGW, and then GFWm and the first thing I always read each month was the "Tom Vs Bruce" Article. That one article is what kept me coming back. I just liked the writing and the format of it. And it is features like it that I still buy gaming mags. For reviews and up to date info I look online.
Can that same thing be done online? Sure it can, but there was always something nice about holding the mag in your hands. We need that paper like digital display already, so surfing the internets on the can is easier:)
John McPoop @ Apr 13th 2008 3:20PM
@Ralod
I think Game Informer is actually a magazine. In addition to what Laughing Target mentioned about the discount cards GI also offers news about upcoming releases before even sites like Joystiq and Kotaku. For example, the last 3 months had an entire 5-6 page spread on Resistance 2, Alpha Protocol and Gears Of War 2. These spreads actually caused excitement and a stir on Joystiq. So, you have some magazines that have been able to adapt (GI) and others that still treat gaming as a catalog of titles for sale (EGM) and thats why GI has been able to increase it's market share. It's really a darwinian principle about adapt or be killed.
John McPoop @ Apr 13th 2008 3:23PM
@Ralod
BTW GI does have reviews and they are actually quite harsh. I remember looking at this month's magazine and seeing an ad for Obscure The Aftermath on the PS2 console. Then, when I was going through the review section I did see a review of Obscure The AFtermath and it got like a 3/10 if my memory serves me correct.
Synner @ Apr 14th 2008 11:08AM
@john:
I used to manage a Babbage's back when they first bought funcoland and aquired Gi from them.
If you take a look at all the "harsh" reviews in there, they are always for games that are exactly that: Obscure.
They rarely point out flaws in a big seller and their reviews are on average higher than those in other mags because they are losing their parent company money when they possibly jeapordize sales of a title with bad reviews.
How many copies of a game like "obscure" for the PS2 do you think were going to sell anyway?
Crazylink @ Apr 13th 2008 12:37PM
I used to subscribe to Nintendo Power, for about 4 years, but then Future took over and I haven't bothered to renew. Besides, ever since I started reading Joystiq, nothing was really new to me when I got it.
nick @ Apr 13th 2008 12:38PM
I still follow several print publications, but I can tell in the long term their days may be numbered. Not only are they shrinking in terms of page/content, I've noticed less ads, or ads not pertaining to the scope of the magazine.
Right now, online news/information/blogging is far more timely, and is my primary source of information.
But there are some magazines which receive exclusive content that I've yet to encounter online, so it that sense they're still relevant while that practice is occuring.
Rocketboy @ Apr 13th 2008 12:47PM
Sad, sad day. I don't mind reading a multi page article in print. Online, I just find it tedious. I blame the kids today with their short attention spans and their instant gratification.
Jeff @ Apr 13th 2008 12:49PM
Wow. My free subscription must have ended before the dragonage issue.
Dammit.
Gareth @ Apr 13th 2008 12:51PM
I'll get my news from online, but for quality reviews and features, no website can beat a good magazine. The quality of the content is higher by an order of magnitude. Lots of online "writers" have difficulty with spelling, let alone anything else.
GamesTM and RetroGamer are a hundred times better than anything you can read online.
Nick @ Apr 13th 2008 12:52PM
Good Riddance to Games for Windows Magazine. I've been a 4 year subscriber to that magazine and once it went from CGW to GFW something more than just the name changed it seemed. Good columns went missing and in came the 4-5 pages of Microsoft ads in the back. It just seemed to get sloppy and uninteresting. Granted the demise of the print version has alot to do with online gaming blogs (because the information is actually current and not a month old like print magazines) but the quality of that publication really went downhill and I lost interest in it awhile ago because of that.
Anyways, I'm glad the print version is gone. the last few months of GFW didn't do the old CGW justice.
theboi @ Apr 13th 2008 1:06PM
aside form what other said as being out of date content
the other problem I have is when you compare online to print.
you have to pay for print mags and while your paying for it, it will still have large amounts of advertising.
In comparison online we online pay for the connection but that is something we would of done anyways
there are still ads but no fee with content that are the same and sometimes better with the ability to correct error instantly and offer your two cent too like minded people.
it because of this reason I think print media is having a hard time
on another note no media ever seems to dies it just get smaller every time something else comes along being forced to share the spot light.
Neebs @ Apr 13th 2008 12:58PM
Just damage control over how GFW Mag was unable to compete.
BATZARRO @ Apr 13th 2008 1:06PM
AWWW Come ON! There are monthly mags about cannabis usage, how is gaming less profitable?(in terms of making a magazine?
Mr Khan @ Apr 13th 2008 1:56PM
Weird, you'd figure the potheads would seek the anonymity of the internet, too
Unless they're stationed in Der Nederlands
Roto13 @ Apr 13th 2008 1:09PM
As much as I'd still enjoy reading a game magazine on the bus or something, I can't justify spending that much money on news I've probably already read for free. Not to mention the intarweb has videos.
Derek Rudolph @ Apr 13th 2008 5:17PM
The only thing that is keeping the magazine market open in gaming is exclusive news, but then again, 90% of the time the game that is covered ends up being terrible.
Mills and Boom @ Apr 13th 2008 1:18PM
There are a few posh gaming mags I like for a higher quality of journalism and such that I'll always buy.
And Retro.
Raedien @ Apr 13th 2008 1:29PM
The writing's been on the wall for quite some time now.
ogvor @ Apr 13th 2008 1:29PM
I don't think magazines will die out completely. The thing I love most about magazines is their portability. You can take them on a plane trip or to the bathroom real easy. Eye strain is also important: our computer monitors actually makes our eyes work a lot harder just to read them than ink and paper does, meaning we can only stare at them for so long. If I end up getting a job where I stare at a computer all day long, then I go home and play some video games, do I really also want to read a gaming review or two on the computer monitor?
I beleive two things will happen: Magaizines will consolidate. The end of GFW was the first step. It's to hard to sell a magazine to just one niche console or PC market. The only gaming magazines that sell are to hardcore gamers, and most of them have 2-3 consoles or a PC and a Handheld. One magazine is all they should need. And second, in maybe 20 - 30 years, eink displays will become good enough and cheap enough to be used in place of newspapers and magazines. These things are like the newspapers in Minority Report. Essentailly a thin film of plastic, these things have none of the eye strain associated with normal computer monitors and are digital, meaning they could be updated wirelessly. Then magazines are just as up too date as computers.
Mills and Boom @ Apr 13th 2008 3:28PM
Sortof.
Since I got an iPhone I ditched a lot of magazines. I suppose any phone with an unlimited data plan would suffice, so long as it has a good enough screen.
fleisch @ Apr 13th 2008 1:31PM
I check Joystiq, Eurogamer, CVG etc etc everyday, but i still sub to EDGE magazine, you get more than the internet, theres something brilliant about receiving a magazine in the post and being able to take it with you anywhere...oh and the quality of writing and articles seperate it from the pack.
Ninegauger @ Apr 13th 2008 1:35PM
The joy of getting magazines in the mail is nice, but just not enough to pay for it which is why I appreciate that free subscription to EGM that I got from Joystiq.
I check the internet daily though for gaming news so there's rarely anything in the magazine that's new per se but since magazines can only include so much content per issue I may read about stuff in there that I may have otherwise ignored.
I'm not sure that magazines' unique qualities are enough to keep them in business though. I mean if Newspapers (which are relevant to everyone in theory) are doing poorly then what hope is there for enthusiast and specialist published magazines?