In Disney movies, longevity guarantees you a nice gold watch, a beautiful, yet matronly wife and a retirement bungalow in the hills overlooking Malibu; sadly, the real world was not part of Walt Disney's fever dream of how things should be. Computer Games Magazine, the second longest-running PC gaming magazine in existence, is being shuttered (along with sister magazine Massive) by publisher, TheGlobe.com. Lacking the biting niche hipsterism of Vice or the up-to-the-bleeding-edge-of-the-minute coverage the Internet offers, Computer Games Magazine had been showing falling profits in recent years, and if there's one thing I know about TheGlobe.com, it's that they don't stand for declining profits. Also, I know very little about TheGlobe.com.
If this article was being written by Rob, this is where you could expect to find some self-congratulatory comments about the death of print media and how Destructoid is taking over the world, but I prefer to masturbate in private. I will pose a question to all of you reading this, however; is there a chance that the recent failure of so many gaming magazines is due to the loss of interest in the inner-workings of the games industry by the new influx of casual gamers? You've got to admit, that while the Wii (and other inclusion-oriented ventures) brings Ma and Pa Scared-Of-A-Joystick into the gaming fold, they certainly don't care who Tommy Tallarico is.
What say you? Speak now or go look at porn instead.
Contest:
7:57 AM on 03.14.2007
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"loss of interest in the inner-workings of the games industry by the new influx of casual gamers?"
No. It just means there's a growing market now, and just because more casual gamers are seeing the light of day, it should affect hardcore gamers , through magazines. If those hardcore gamers stoped playing then there would be an issue, but then again they also were never really hardcore to begin with.
Down with the masses, for the Horde, etc etc..
That kind of redundancy of the moment is exactly what is ruining the videogame industry . . . the demise of a magazine is not a cause for celebration as we should all consider if we really want genuine publications that document history (as opposed to the transience of the Internet) to go out of business.
dammit....
I personally know much more talented game composers.
I waffle on magazines, sometimes there's times where I want the extra reading material, but there's other times where I realize I'm capable of having internet access while on the toilet, and I could care less about ever reading a magazine again.
Tommy Tellarico could vanish from the face of the earth tomorrow and gamers everywhere would be better off for it.
And honestly, PC gaming is alive and well.. but the internet is where I get my info, and as PC gamers.. I'm guessing most of the readership of that magazine had access to the same intarwebs I have access to.
Anyway. I like the take that Old Suzy Lunch Pail and Johnny TimeClock are killing games magazines with disinterst...but I don't think that's what it is. If anything I'd imagine a big influx of "casual" gamers would help fuel these people to pick up magazines at the super market or wherever.
I thik that you have no one to blame than Destructoid and it's ilk. A lot of people I know are have given up on magazines cause what's the point? What can a magazine give you that destructoid couldn't a month or two earlier? The only thing keeping console mags alive was demo discs...but now the PS3 and Xbox 360 have downloadable demos...what's the point.
For me I'd say the only thing keeping people reading magazines is if a magazine has compelling a editorial voice or an exclusive angle (Games For Windows..Nintendo Power...etc).
Computer Games was one of the last magazines I had a subscription to. I wonder what this will mean for me. I cancelled several game mag subscriptions about two years ago.
Currently I'm subscribed to the following games magazines:
Computer Games
Games For Windows
PC Gamer
Retro Gamer (the greatest Magazine ever...I challenge you to defy me).
GamesTM
Official Xbox Magazine
Game Informer (cause I'm stupid and buy everything the guy at EB tells me to)
I'd be curious to know what games magazines (if any) you guys are all reading...does anyone subscribe to anything anymore?
If you do will you let your subscriptions run out? Renew? Do you care?
I'm getting off-track. My point is, the webs are taking over and it's only a matter of time before we're down to slim pickin's at the magazine rack. The new generation of casual gamers don't care about gaming magazines, nor does most of the old generation - not only because of the internet, but also because word-of-mouth is probably a more reliable source for these folks.
Hells yeah, nerd on cop action.
Shit like this doesn't even require foreplay.
PCs and gaming consoles are becoming an everday houshold appliance and media... its almost like buying the tv guide these days... I means who still buys the tv guide??? we have guides built into our cable and satellite recievers...
i have never heard of anyone buying TV magazine or Stove Top Magazine...
Its the sign of the times and intersting content is becoming obsolete (except for the industry folks). The industry concentrated rags will still have there readership, but the consumer rags will wither and die... mi dos centavos, meng!
Unless they get really professional (how much I miss Next Generation) or totally wacky (like GameFan) they are going to dissappear.
I'm suscribed to EGM, but it was a freebie, so maybe I'm part of the paperless-Mag movement.
But the main reason is the move of information from paper to the internet. Why pay when you get this all for free and more like Fatal Fury hats. The appeal of mags is dying. Mags can't show videos etc, so they waste money on including a free dvd to appeal more.
An interesting idea would be to put together a Weeks/Months top stories into a PDF for printing or offline viewing. The Dtoid Shitter Times. Might be more work than it's worth though.
That would require them leaving their precious raids.