Magazines - how far behind they can be

[Ouenben]

I got the new Nintendo mag through the post today and it's so behind. They announced the price and date of Wii (Although no virtual console stuff) but they plan to cover TGS next issue which comes out 27th October!! Everyone will have long forgotton about it by then it's ridiculous.

Also according to them rayman 4 for wii is a collection of mini games not a full game?!?!

[eastyy]

Hence why i do not by mags as much as i used to

[Dirty Sanchez]

and you still buy magazines?

Obvious innit, there is no way they can attend the show, edit the content, print and distribute in what, 48 hours?

[VR46]

It's all down to printing/publication deadlines, if something happens days after the mag has "gone to press", the following issues news could be upto five weeks out of date.

[dvdmike]

The news may be slow (bar any exclusives) but the reviews are normally on time or early

[Kongster]

Before the internet took off, Magazines were your only source of information for the latest news, previews and reviews in videogames; it made waiting for each monthly issue all the more exciting. How times have changed, eh?

[Salsa Party Animal]

Forum like this killed off games magazine. I haven't read Edge for ages.

[charlesr]

Fast Bikes have tried to reduce this lag by moving to 13 issues a year. One every 4 weeks. I like it because it means some months aren't longer than others and you know you are never more than 4 weeks behind. Motorcyle journalism online isn't great.

[Concept]

Magazines still have a place but they can't function on news and previews (and arguably with the progression of Live and sites like gametrailers.com get by on offering demos/videos) much anymore.

What magazines can thrive on is decent, well written editorial opinion, interviews and features. Edge and GamesTM do well at that, but personally these days I value grassroots opinion on forums such as these for discussion/viewpoints. I've said it before, but I think Digi/GameCentral struck/strike a good half-way point between the real-time nature of the net and magazine-like content for people who hunger for it.

If you're to ask me the future of written journalism to do with videogaming, then it's going to narrow. The high-produced editorials will survive on their current niche and audience base while the magazines traditionally fighting for the things the internet is replacing them for, will die the more net-literate people continue to become.

[NekoFever]

Magazines could all do with downsizing their news sections dramatically because it's pointless now. Have some analysis on the big stories or maybe include some of the interesting stories that might have been overlooked, but when the biggest news stories often make the mainstream news plastering a story from a couple of weeks ago across the cover - the latest issue of PSM3 out today has the news of the PS3 delay right across the front - just makes it look behind the times.

Who here honestly reads magazines for news, though? They're really just an outlet for features, reviews, and analysis now.

[Dogg Thang]

Who here honestly reads magazines for news, though? They're really just an outlet for features, reviews, and analysis now.

That's a very good point. That's a way magazines could evolve and still serve a very useful function. I still maintain that one of the best magazines was the Sega Saturn magazine and the best time in its lifespan was right towards the end when it simply had no news to print. It could spend pages going in depth - something no other magazine ever has the space to do.

[NekoFever]

I still remember the last page of the last issue of Saturn magazine *sniff*

That's a very good example, actually. I came to that magazine very late in the game and I enjoyed how they had the luxury to talk at length about the issues and really become a great magazine for the fans. Your average magazine which tries to review every last release and cover all the news just can't do that; the only ones that can are the likes of Edge which can be selective about what games they cover.

[MattyD]

In answer to the question: it varies between magazines but the lead time between an issue being finished and appearing on the shelf can be between three weeks and two months(!). Obviously the news would be at least a couple of weeks old even if they left it until the last minute.

I agree it's something that really ought to be trimmed down in the multiformat magazines with a more hardcore readership but in the case of official magazines it's a big selling point for their target readers (i.e. people who don't religiously check several news sites and forums every day).

[eastyy]

Only really bought magazines for demos or pc mags for demos/mods etc

[VR46]

Fast Bikes have tried to reduce this lag by moving to 13 issues a year. One every 4 weeks. I like it because it means some months aren't longer than others and you know you are never more than 4 weeks behind. Motorcyle journalism online isn't great.

Heh Charles take off those rose tinted glasses, EMAP did the same years back, the one and only reason they do it; 13 issues a year means more revenue