The Importance of Video Game Magazines

[Phillyman]

Video game magazines have been a significant part of the video game industry for several decades. These magazines have been crucial in providing gamers with the latest news, reviews, and insights into the gaming industry. In this essay, I will discuss the importance of video game magazines and why they continue to be relevant in the modern gaming landscape.

Firstly, video game magazines serve as a valuable source of information for gamers. These magazines cover a wide range of topics related to the gaming industry, including news about upcoming releases, reviews of recent games, and previews of future titles. Gamers who are interested in staying up-to-date with the latest trends and developments in the industry can rely on these magazines to provide them with accurate and timely information.

Moreover, video game magazines offer a unique perspective on the gaming industry. Unlike online sources, such as blogs or forums, video game magazines have a dedicated team of writers and editors who have extensive knowledge and experience in the industry. These experts can provide readers with insights and analysis that are not readily available elsewhere. By reading video game magazines, gamers can gain a deeper understanding of the industry and its trends, which can help them make informed decisions about which games to play and which platforms to invest in.

Another important aspect of video game magazines is their ability to foster a sense of community among gamers. These magazines often feature letters from readers, as well as forums and other interactive features that allow gamers to connect with each other. This sense of community can be particularly valuable for gamers who may not have many friends or acquaintances who share their interest in gaming. By participating in online discussions and engaging with other readers, gamers can build relationships and feel a sense of belonging within the larger gaming community.

Furthermore, video game magazines have played an important role in the history of the gaming industry. Many of the most popular video game franchises, such as Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Final Fantasy, were first introduced to gamers through magazines like Nintendo Power and Electronic Gaming Monthly. These magazines helped to build excitement and anticipation for new releases, and they played a crucial role in establishing these franchises as cultural icons.

In addition to their historical significance, video game magazines also serve as a record of the industry's evolution over time. By looking back at old issues of magazines like GamePro and Game Informer, gamers can see how the industry has changed and evolved over the years. This historical perspective can be particularly valuable for gamers who are new to the industry and may not be aware of its rich history.

Finally, video game magazines offer a different kind of reading experience than online sources. While online articles and reviews can be helpful, they are often designed to be read quickly and efficiently. Video game magazines, on the other hand, offer a more immersive and engaging reading experience. They often feature long-form articles, interviews with industry insiders, and detailed reviews that provide readers with a more comprehensive understanding of the games they are interested in. For gamers who enjoy taking the time to fully explore a topic, video game magazines can be a more satisfying and rewarding reading experience than online sources.

In conclusion, video game magazines have played an important role in the gaming industry for several decades. They provide gamers with a valuable source of information, offer unique insights into the industry, foster a sense of community among gamers, and serve as a record of the industry's evolution over time. While the rise of online sources has led to the decline of many print magazines, video game magazines continue to be relevant in the modern gaming landscape. For gamers who are interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the industry and its trends, video game magazines remain an essential source of information and insight.

[Areala]

Playing with ChatGPT again, are we?

*huggles*
Areala

[Phillyman]

1 hour ago, Areala said:

Playing with ChatGPT again, are we?

*huggles*
Areala

Is it that obvious?

[Areala]

2 hours ago, Phillyman said:

Is it that obvious?

ChatGPT articles all read like something a freshman composition student whipped up the night before the essay was due, rife with glittering generalities. There's nothing technically wrong with their construction, but they reek of hastily-researched and even more hastily-written bullshit. As someone who majored in English and minored in Creative Writing, and who has been writing essays and stories for years, I can spot AI-generated text a mile away.

*huggles*
Areala

[PixelBoy]

On 3/4/2023 at 4:18 AM, Phillyman said:

Video game magazines have been a significant part of the video game industry for several decades.

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Firstly, video game magazines serve as a valuable source of information for gamers.

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Moreover, video game magazines offer a unique perspective on the gaming industry.

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Furthermore, video game magazines have played an important role in the history of the gaming industry.

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In conclusion, video game magazines have played an important role in the gaming industry for several decades.

That is a bit redundant. Nothing wrong with the thought behind though.

But basically the conclusion is the opening statement re-worded, and much of the other content is simply repeating over and over again that magazines are full of information about "the industry", which should be obvious, unless you browse them for the pictures. And in the video game context those are information as well, especially back in the early days when magazines were the only place to see real screenshots of new games.

AI is useful for many things, but games aren't really one of them. Simply asking some chat thing about best titles in some specific genre is going to provide a list of games which aren't necessarily anywhere near the genre you asked about. I wonder if some AI actually read all those magazines, would it learn to be more intelligent about games and the industry?

[JHD]

Personally, I most enjoy the magazine content that is not directly about games. For example, articles about how to get into the industry (job opportunities/requirements, discussions of various training programs), company profiles, interviews with major figures, etc.

 

I also like the detailed strategy guides, but only for those games that I have, so just a small subset of the total  

[kitsunebi]

Just read the OP and I kept thinking "what video game magazines are they TALKING about?"

"immersive and engaging reading experience?"

"detailed reviews that provide readers with a more comprehensive understanding of the games" (cited as a reason they're better than online resources.)

WHAT?

Hahahahahahahahaha.

Video game magazines have their place, especially from the point of nostalgia.  But most of them offered only the most superficial form of journalism at best (which is fair, considering most of them were primarily marketed towards teens).  I'm supposed to believe that a four-sentence review from EGM is more insightful than an 8 paragraph review from an established online gaming site?

Let's be dead honest.  when you were a kid, what excited you the most about the latest gaming mag?  Was it hard hitting, literary journalism () or was it the copious screenshots of upcoming games that fired up your imagination?

Gaming mags have one purpose nowadays, and that's simply being a physical collectible for those interested in owning things.  Nothing in their contents is better served on paper than it is online.  (The exception being guides full of maps and reference material which can be more easily referred to in your lap while playing the game than by looking them up on a computer screen in the other room.)

[PixelBoy]

58 minutes ago, kitsunebi said:

Video game magazines have their place, especially from the point of nostalgia.  But most of them offered only the most superficial form of journalism at best (which is fair, considering most of them were primarily marketed towards teens).  I'm supposed to believe that a four-sentence review from EGM is more insightful than an 8 paragraph review from an established online gaming site?

Magazines and reviews have evolved, perhaps matured. Back in the day there were four game reviews on one page, these days one game review can take four full pages. So today's reviews are more thorough and try to cover some background, whereas the early reviews were more like "it's a nice game with nice graphics, four stars".

  

58 minutes ago, kitsunebi said:

Let's be dead honest.  when you were a kid, what excited you the most about the latest gaming mag?  Was it hard hitting, literary journalism () or was it the copious screenshots of upcoming games that fired up your imagination?

I suppose I was fortune enough to read magazines which had good writers, so I can even today quote some things they said about the games they reviewed. That's not to say that screenshots weren't important. Some magazines had some black and white pages to keep their printing costs lower, and those pages were always disappointing to read, because it was very difficult to see what the game really looked like.

  

58 minutes ago, kitsunebi said:

Gaming mags have one purpose nowadays, and that's simply being a physical collectible for those interested in owning things.  Nothing in their contents is better served on paper than it is online.  

Yeah, you can find everything online.

Magazines still have their purpose, if you are looking for something beyond latest game reviews. They have articles that are well researched and unique, such as covering gaming culture in some specific country, or visiting some interesting museums/shows, or finding connections between entertainment simulators and real life training simulators, and so on. And all kinds of histories of some companies or people who made an impact in the business.

Even game reviews are interesting. Not so much to read about some game specifically, there are plenty of YouTube channels which review all kinds of games, but to see which games some magazine has chosen to be reviewed, and from what point of view they are covering it. I am probably in the minority, but I think it's always interesting to go through a magazine, page after page, and see what they have chosen to use their limited space on in that specific issue. (I am also often disappointed to see that they don't cover almost any traditional adventure games.)

[kitsunebi]

8 hours ago, PixelBoy said:

Magazines and reviews have evolved, perhaps matured. Back in the day there were four game reviews on one page, these days one game review can take four full pages. So today's reviews are more thorough and try to cover some background, whereas the early reviews were more like "it's a nice game with nice graphics, four stars".

I'm not sure what country's magazines you're talking about, but I should have been clear that I was talking specifically about American video game magazines.  Of which, currently, there is only ONE still in publication.  And that's Wal-Mart's mag, which I've never bothered looking at, because...well, it's published by Wal-Mart.  But yeah, once Game Informer went digital-only recently, there isn't a single print magazine about videogames you can buy in America anywhere but at Wal-Mart or through the Internet (small press/Patreon mail-order type stuff, which certainly can't be counted as significant or influential).

So unless I'm not giving them the credit they deserve and Wal-Mart Game Center is actually the greatest magazine about video games ever published, I don't think any argument saying that video game magazines (in America) still have much to offer has any legs to stand on.

 

Other countries may be different.  Certainly Japan still publishes a decent array of books and magazines about games, even if they're in far fewer numbers than the past.

 

The high-school-English A.I. OP post briefly touches upon the one thing mags DO still have to offer, which is a look at the past.  Current mags...well, they don't even exist for the most part.  But older mags, especially pre-Internet mags, offer a solid look at the history and evolution of gaming - information that sites like this try to make more permanent by digitizing via scanning so that it can be freely disseminated to all.