I'm definitely with you. I'd love to see a great magazine for older gamers -- something that is more than just big pictures and snappy puns.

The only magazine that I can read for more than ten minutes is Play. It's not perfect, but it does a lot of things right.

If you ever revive the idea to start a new magazine, I'd love to help in any way I can.

Posted by: Matt on February 16, 2005 06:01 PM

Anyone who claims that our game magazines are not hitting the exact target market they are reaching for is totally out of touch with who the average gamer is in America.

Posted by: kathunter on February 16, 2005 06:19 PM

There's nothing wrong with big pictures and snappy puns, or even including some of the younger set in your readershi. The problem is being incredibly lame about it :).

Sometimes I wonder if game magazine editors, by and large, aren't really "being themselves" when they make the decisions they make in their magazines. I mean, are there really that many stpuidly goofy immature people out there interested in a career in print games newswriting, or are there a lot of cases of otherwise competent people inexplicably deciding their magazine has to be about "what would some 12 year old think is bad ass and/or hilarious?"

Regardless, the prospect of a not-sucky games magazine in any way is definitely an appealing one.

Posted by: Jake on February 16, 2005 06:22 PM

I used to like Play magazine, but when they started promoting sex over most anything else (especially with the Bloodrayne issue), I was pretty disappointed. I do like that they tend to disagree with other magazines and give very high scores (with good reasoning to back it up) to games that usually are written off as mediocre. This alerts me to a whole batch of games, like Armed & Dangerous, that are pretty darn fun but I wouldn't have picked up just reading Gamespot.

Posted by: dariusk on February 16, 2005 06:23 PM

I think the issue here is pretty much thus: print news mediums are dead.

No, they're not truly dead, as in dead and buried, but they're dying a slow, lingering death. I can't tell you the last time I picked up (or more importantly, purchased) a print gaming mag. It's not even that I'm "hardcore." It's that online media is so much faster and easier to get to. I don't even have to leave my chair.

Posted by: bowler on February 16, 2005 08:01 PM

Agreed, bowler. Over the next five and ten years, the smart gamers are largely going to be online, even the non-hardcore ones. I think there's a lot more need (and possibility!) for replacing GameSpot.com and IGN than for replacing CGW.

Posted by: misuba on February 16, 2005 08:17 PM

I simply think that game magazines need to go in a new direction. Physical print mediums are good for long reading. I'd much rather read a couple thousand word article in a magazine than I would on the Internet. It's easier.

We need game magazines to adapt a more serious and adult attitude. Maxim and its ilk are better at hitting the horny teenaged boy market (I've written for some before), so game magazines can stop with the "Videogame Babe of the Month" shit that takes up space.

I want to see an analysis of games and game culture in a magazine. And not just sex. Jesus Christ, games are sexy. Female gamers are sexy. I really, honestly, fucking know that already. Give me something a little more substantive than just what appeals to my genitalia.

It's cool to have quick and witty articles. Fine. No problem. But let's also see some longer magazine format investigations into parts of the game industry. No one has yet to write a decent, investigative magazine article investigating the labor claims. What about an article on the pressures of the holiday season game-rush and how non-Judeo/Christian gamers react to their games being shoved out the door prematurely for a set of holidays they don't celebrate? Hell, religion is almost as big of an issue in games as sex. Remember when Nintendo had to change the music from the fire dungeon of Ocarina of Time after Islamic groups complained about the Arabic music? Nary a peep from Game Informer.

I love EGM, don't get me wrong. It's been my dream job since I was eleven. But at the same time, as a Journalism student, I have a subtle and cynical feeling that the journalism-degree holder wasn't ousted because he wasn't a gamer but because the magazine isn't journalistic in any sense anymore.

Posted by: Mike on February 16, 2005 08:38 PM

Waitaminnit.
Are you proposing the Harper's Magazine or National Geographic of the gaming world? A mag that delivers not only well-thought-out and articulate reviews, but also one that moves away from the banalities and cliches of current popular culture?
I'm so all over that. In fact, I'd like to propose a column: "The Luddite Review" - wherein I (who else?) get to review non-electronic games. Like Scrabble.

Or chess.

Or tag.

Posted by: J on February 17, 2005 09:07 AM

Damn it, when are we going to stop talking and make it happen?

I'm tired of waiting. What about you?

What about me?

Well, we've started this.

Our mission statement:

The Gamer's Quarter magazine is a collaborative project between dedicated gamers who do not just play games, but experience them. Rather than sitting in a lonely room plowing through a game just to attach a few numbers and witty quote for the box art, we play the games we want and write about how and why they attach themselves to our hearts and minds in a way that no other form of media is capable of. It is our intent to publish honest, provocative, and entertaining writing which reflects our belief that video games can be more than mere vehicles for entertainment, but also creative, meaningful works.

We're doing something.

Sorry if this seems like spamming. But, well. You were literally asking for it.

Posted by: Mister Toups on February 17, 2005 09:58 AM

I miss "Next Generation". During its prime in 1998 or so it was going beyond the others with articles about the politics of the rating systems, analysis of game design trends, etc. It did decay towards the end and I assume that was due to competition from the tips&tricks style magazines.

Posted by: chadm on February 17, 2005 10:28 AM

I still think the British mag Edge is pretty damn good.
It doesn't fall into any of the traps mentioned in the linked article and they take games (relatively) seriously.

Posted by: paranoid koala on February 17, 2005 12:34 PM

I am sorry guys, but I am going to totally disagree here. While I am sure the current selection of print mags do not appeal to the majority of the people reading this site, YOU ARE NOT THEIR TARGET MARKET! If you were, CNet would have purchased Terranova instead of Gamespot. The Ludologist would be tracked on MediaMetrix, Next Generation would still be around, and this site would not need to post Google ads. It is still a business folks, and if you really think that the "average gamer" is this 30-something intellectual, spend the next month hitting all the major LAN events in town and get back to me.

That being said -- He was spot on with some of points, especially the boring game reviews point. God knows I have written my share.

Posted by: kathunter on February 18, 2005 02:00 AM

Hey, if u need another gamegirl, sign me up :)
I can bring u the canadian perspective, eh.

Posted by: Girl_from_Mars on February 18, 2005 08:53 AM

kathunter, I think you're missing Jane's point, and that's that there aren't any magazines for us, the 20-30-something intellectual.

We need to find a way to appeal to that person, and make a magazine that would not only be informative and evocative, but also stay in business using that target demographic.

Posted by: bowler on February 18, 2005 09:17 AM

No, I totally get her point, and even agree we have a real problem in our industry magazines. My comment is more to the point that there is a reason this "thing you all speak of" does not exist. I find it hard to believe the industry would support it. While the current mags may not speak to us, they make money, or at least some of them do. The print industry is very tough to make it in, especially in a year like 2004. All the wishing in the world is not going to change that.

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