Electronic Gaming Monthly... Is it DEAD?

[spoonman]

I can confirm that EGM is not dead. I just contacted an EGM rep today and she confirmed that my Sep./Oct. issue would be sent out. I have also contacted Marc Camron who handles all of EGM's back issues. And he told me that all of the 2012 issues are still available; for those of you who were interested in buying them.

So they are sending Sep/Oct?

I don't even have any proof that July/August made it to print.

The EGM customer service are pretty cludeless. I wouldn't be surprised if they sent you Sep/Oct of 2011.

[MegaTroopX]

There hasn't been an EGMi issue lately either. I wouldn't mind if the print edition went away if EGMi were still coming weekly.

[spoonman]

Well, EGM July/August DOES NOT EXIST according to someone at the EGM help line.

They said they were having printer issues. (thought I think it's a little bit of everything causing problems)

So they've now made issue #256 the Sep/Oct 2012 issue and you should have received it by now, assuming you are subbed that is.

I expect to hear an official cancelation very soon.

[E-Day]

I can confirm that EGM is not dead. I just contacted an EGM rep today and she confirmed that my Sep./Oct. issue would be sent out. I have also contacted Marc Camron who handles all of EGM's back issues. And he told me that all of the 2012 issues are still available; for those of you who were interested in buying them.

That's swell, but there is the July/August issue? Did they not make one? If they did, there is no way in hell I am buying it from them when it should have been sent to me as part of my subscription.

[ctophil]

I guess EGM should be changed to EGQ or Electronic Gaming Quarterly now because they keep delaying their mess. And apparently Bi-monthly is still not enough time for them to get the printers working properly. I believe Gamepro tried to go quarterly but failed pretty much right away. So we got the July/August issue missing with "perhaps" the Sept/Oct one coming? I understand the economy is tough these days. But they need to just let it go when the time is right.

[E-Day]

Don't forget that GamePro's attempt at quarterly was pretty terrible. Their re-jig wasn't very good, and there wasn't all that much different from their monthly magazine, which was pretty bad near the end. They should have gone to a retro format for retro games. They have to much back catalogue for that, plus there is a lot of interest in retro games.

[spoonman]

That's swell, but there is the July/August issue? Did they not make one? If they did, there is no way in hell I am buying it from them when it should have been sent to me as part of my subscription.

They didn't produce a July/August 2012 issue. They were so delayed that they just changed #256 to Sep/Oct.

I don't see them making it into 2013.

[E-Day]

I think they tried to take on too much with too few people. Producing a magazine, running a website and making a weekly digital magazine takes a lot of people.

[Areala]

Yeah, I think of those three choices (monthly mag, weekly digital publication, and website), just like the "fast, on time, under budget" joke, the punchline should be, "Pick any two."

*huggles*

Areala

[spoonman]

Proof the #256 issue is real. I finally received it.

[E-Day]

I notice they aren't bothering putting a month on it now.

Any mention on the inside about the delay?

[spoonman]

I notice they aren't bothering putting a month on it now.

Any mention on the inside about the delay?

Yeah. Not a good sign.

I only browsed through it a bit, but I didn't see any mention in the Editor's intro.

Weird.. my avatar is still showing as "No Permission" even though it showed it in my profile settings and I logged out/in.

It's kind of cool looking as far as default avatars go. I feel like I am breaking the rules!

[Phillyman]

Yeah. Not a good sign.

I only browsed through it a bit, but I didn't see any mention in the Editor's intro.

Weird.. my avatar is still showing as "No Permission" even though it showed it in my profile settings and I logged out/in.

It's kind of cool looking as far as default avatars go. I feel like I am breaking the rules!

Have you tried doing a "Control + F5" refresh? I also noticed some odd things with the refresh, if your icon still doesnt show.....delete your browser cache.

[spoonman]

Have you tried doing a "Control + F5" refresh? I also noticed some odd things with the refresh, if your icon still doesnt show.....delete your browser cache.

Hey, there it is. Thanks.

[Phillyman]

Hey, there it is. Thanks.

[spoonman]

Hey, did anyone happen to archive EGM's "Lost issue" February, 2009 issue (number 237)

[ctophil]

Proof the #256 issue is real. I finally received it.

Eh? It reads, "Display until 10/16/2012." So I assume it's the September/October issue. Guess you were right. They totally skipped the July/August issue. So now we just get numbers on the issues like comic books.

Oh well, I just got my September 2012 issue of @Gamer Magazine (my first issue). I have to say it's quite good. It's got a unique feature like "Games that Changed Gaming," and I really liked the calendar of game releases in September and little bit of October. For certain dates, it even talks about major events that happened in gaming history on the calendar. Another thing I liked were the game review stats that showed on the right side of each review. Very informative when I want to look up a game in the future. The writing got some personality to them almost like the old days. I haven't been this engrossed in a magazine since reading EGM for the first time decades ago. EGM has really lost its touch. I'm not talking about not getting issues. It just feels bland and lack of personality. Seems too "professional" these days. We are gamers not businessmen. I would rather read the Wall Street Journal. The changes they made recently helped. But they still got a lot of work to do.

[E-Day]

Hey, did anyone happen to archive EGM's "Lost issue" February, 2009 issue (number 237)

Nope. As far as I know, it was never released in any form.

Eh? It reads, "Display until 10/16/2012." So I assume it's the September/October issue. Guess you were right. They totally skipped the July/August issue. So now we just get numbers on the issues like comic books.

Oh well, I just got my September 2012 issue of @Gamer Magazine (my first issue). I have to say it's quite good. It's got a unique feature like "Games that Changed Gaming," and I really liked the calendar of game releases in September and little bit of October. For certain dates, it even talks about major events that happened in gaming history on the calendar. Another thing I liked were the game review stats that showed on the right side of each review. Very informative when I want to look up a game in the future. The writing got some personality to them almost like the old days. I haven't been this engrossed in a magazine since reading EGM for the first time decades ago. EGM has really lost its touch. I'm not talking about not getting issues. It just feels bland and lack of personality. Seems too "professional" these days. We are gamers not businessmen. I would rather read the Wall Street Journal. The changes they made recently helped. But they still got a lot of work to do.

I picked up a copy of @gamer when I was in Plattsburgh in June. I also liked it for a lot of the same reasons. It seemed like a magazine that didn't take itself too seriously. I wish it was available in Canada.

The reason I really like Nintendo Power these days is because the writing has personality and a fun vibe to it overall, the way magazines used to in the 90s.

[spoonman]

Nope. As far as I know, it was never released in any form.

I picked up a copy of @gamer when I was in Plattsburgh in June. I also liked it for a lot of the same reasons. It seemed like a magazine that didn't take itself too seriously. I wish it was available in Canada.

The reason I really like Nintendo Power these days is because the writing has personality and a fun vibe to it overall, the way magazines used to in the 90s.

Yeah, I agree.

Way too many publications take themselves too serious and sound like they are analyzing a game rather than playing it.

I miss the excitement that used to come through in the old EGM or Game Fan mags. You could tell them were dying to get their hands on these games and when they did you were envious as hell

and excited to read about it.

I enjoy reading Retro Gamer magazine each month. You can tell they are all really into it and it comes through in their writing.

[partypooper]

EGM hasn't been the same ever since its revival. The old EGM used to be fun and had lots of humor. I always looked forward to every issue and was extremely disapointed when it ended. I got super excited when news broke out that Steve Harris was bringing it back but when my first issue came, I realized that it was not the same magazine. They should've just gave it a whole different name.

[retroplayer]

I miss the old EGM too, but I guess I can be considered biased.

I think the difficulty they are having is that the nature of magazine journalism has changed because of

competition from the internet and free news sources that are up to the minute with the latest information.

Simple reviews and previews are no longer relevant in a magazine becuase they are weeks if not months old by the time it hits the newsstand.

What are we left with? Lengthy feature stories and interviews with industry folk that are usually too long or too boring to read.

I feel bad that EGM might be dying again but to see GamePro and Nintendo Power call it quits is the writing on the wall so to speak.

From what I hear Game Fan is struggling as well despite having a great retro look and feel to it.

[Areala]

Gamefan would have a better retro look and feel to it if they actually paid their staff (but I can be considered biased as well, since my brother did several months' work for them and never saw anything for his efforts)...

*huggles*

Areala

[retroplayer]

I have heard stories from many people very dissatisfied with their treatment from both EGM and GameFan.

My hope is that video game journalism doesn't get the reputation for using and abusing people just because

there are so many willing to sell themselves short just to get a foot in the door of this industry.

I left EGM after 5 years due to some major issues and pure exhaustion. Working 80-90 hour weeks

and being on fixed salary can make you a disgruntled worker no matter how cool the job.

Martin Alessi

[Jie]

Frankly, I prefer old game journalism way back in the 90s. You could really feel their passion in the pages. This new breed of Internet game journalists we have now seem unrefined and a slave to the video game publishers/companies. The Mass Effect 3 ending brouhaha comes to mind.

[Areala]

Agreed, Jie. There's a large amount of "fun" missing from a lot of the current generation of gaming journalists. But the reason it's missing, I think, is because that's what the audience has evolved to expect. In the 90s, everything felt more "fresh" because it was still pretty new and exciting. Many US magazines devoted space to an international section, where gamers got to see games that would never be released in the States and drool over them.

The attitude today seems more to be one of "if I'm never going to see it, I don't want to know about it."

Also, while competition was fierce in terms of lead times among magazines, this also generated a variety of ways the magazines distinguished themselves from their peers. Nintendo Power was a lot more balanced and kid-friendly, focusing on a variety of titles that had appeal across the spectrum, and making sure their different editors all spoke with one voice.

EGM became known for it's massive size, the capsulized reviews from the four-man "Review Crew," and the fact that it usually hit shelves about a week earlier than its competition, which made it a must-read for gamers who wanted to know everything about everything (no wonder you were exhausted, Martin!) In addition, they often had much better coverage of the international scene which was a goldmine for young Japanophiles like myself.

GamePro distinguished itself by playing up the various personas (whether real or invented) of it's various monikered editors, and it's seeming lack of fear at the thought that those editors might disagree with one another at different times over things that often turned out to be irrelevant or just plain silly. Their yearly predictions of what would happen to video games in the coming 365 days were "anything goes" affairs. Whether you thought they were better or worse than their competition, you were guaranteed at least one laugh every issue.

I do miss the old days... *sigh*

*huggles*

Areala