Why are the best game magazines all British?

[Roddie]

I don't get the 'I don't buy magazines, I just use the internet' point.

Surely the point about printed media is that it isn't about the latest news, instread it's about interesting articles and well written pieces that you don't get anywhere else.

It's like saying 'I don't watch current affairs programmes like Dispatches, because I just watch BBC News 24'. Kinda misses the point.

To be honest, I don't get why you don't get it. Before the internet, the main source of gaming news were magazines. But now we have another source that is more up-to-date, free and offers more points of view and videos that can often give you better idea of a game than a lot of articles can, it's hardly surprising people opt for it.

If people are looking to printed media for interesting articles and well-written pieces, I hardly think a gaming magazine is the first place to look. Game Zone was humorously written and Edge is great if you like your pages packed with pretention by people who like to think they are above everyone else, but generally, the only reason anyone read games magazines was because they wanted to find out about new games.

You comparison of people not watching Dispatches because they watch BBC News 24 is pretty stupid considering they are both broadcast on television. A more accurate one would be someone who says they don't read newspapers because they just read the news online instead, and frankly I'd agree with them. The likes of the Guardian offer pretty much all the content from the printed paper on their website, as well as loads of additional news stories and articles. It's also more up-to-date than its printed counterpart, is free and offers people the opportunity to discuss the topics being written about. But I suppose you don't get why anyone would check the news online either.

[zipper]

People don't buy Edge (or any magazine) for the news do they? They buy it for the unique style of review and articles. I can't stand Edge personally, but there's no denying that it's unique and can't be easily found online.

If people are looking to printed media for interesting articles and well-written pieces, I hardly think a gaming magazine is the first place to look.

Retro Gamer is only about interesting articles, and likely does well because it marginalises(sp?) current news. It's the only mag I buy because as you correctly point out, the internet is better for news.

[ShadowDancer]

I Buy edge and retro gamer. But i also bought official nintendo magazine last week for the 4 page on No more Heroes. ONM is no where near in the same league as the aforementioned.

[huyi]

i guess the quality of gaming mags in the usa reflects the typical stupidity of your typical american.

[JammyD]

I don't get the 'I don't buy magazines, I just use the internet' point.

Surely the point about printed media is that it isn't about the latest news, instread it's about interesting articles and well written pieces that you don't get anywhere else.

The internet's got that base covered as well.

I would buy The Economist, except the whole magazine's free to read from the website; likewise, some EDGE reviews/articles/Time Extends/columns are made available through next-gen.biz.

There's good quality editorial articles on Eurogamer too.

[prinnysquad]

I can get the content elsewhere, it's just I enjoy having something in my hands (oh er missus) and the ability to read it anywhere. I can't lie on my back on the settee munching crisps, with a laptop.

[Strider]

good to see there's some fans of Retro Gamer here
It's kind words like these that keep Stuart and myself going.

[crocky-chocky]

^The 'new look' CVG felt like a Heihachi punch to the large intestine. It felt like the sun had fallen from the sky when I bought that turd of a magazine. C&VG in 96/97 was an amazing magazine, so full of content and enthusiasm.

Amen to that.

Nothing's topped it since.

[mmcg]

good to see there's some fans of Retro Gamer here
It's kind words like these that keep Stuart and myself going.

You're making an awesome magazine, so keep it up!

[DeathAdder]

Are there any titles in the US that specifically target adult readers? GamePro, Game Informer and EGM all seem like they're written for 13 year-olds to me.

[Skull Commander]

good to see there's some fans of Retro Gamer here
It's kind words like these that keep Stuart and myself going.

Just make sure you keep it up! I can honestly say it's the only mag I suscribe to that I intend to keep the suscription going for when it's renewal time.

[Nick~]

Are there any titles in the US that specifically target adult readers? GamePro, Game Informer and EGM all seem like they're written for 13 year-olds to me.

Throw in Play and you've covered all the major multiplatform magazines in the U.S. They're all abysmal (top prize goes to GamePro, the undisputed ****rag of the industry).

i guess the quality of gaming mags in the usa reflects the typical stupidity of your typical american.

What nonsense. Intelligence is the ability to think quickly and logically, to absorb new ideas and to incorporate them into existing knowledge -- it isn't a matter of selective taste in game magazines.

[MikeRox]

Official UK Dreamcast Magazine and DC-UK were the prime of mags for me, though Super Play was also mint. I remember when I went to the US back in 2000, I couldn't get over how piss poor their gaming magazines were, adverts every other page, printed on toilet paper and very little content to read. Luckily the cover disc was the Seganet 2.0 browser thingy that allowed you to use any ISP for Dreamcast internet so I didn't care about the fact I blew $8 on one of the mags.

[NekoFever]

I bought the official US Dreamcast magazine once, which I assume was published by Future US given how this anecdote plays out, as almost all of the content was just direct from DC-UK but in American English. That narked me off a bit considering it cost me like £8 and I was a regular reader of DC-UK at the time.

[Sketcz]

Seriously. I'm an American, but the enthusiast press here blows. It doesn't matter if they're dedicated or multi-platform -- their interviews suck, their editorials suck, their reviews suck, their tone sucks, and their prose sucks.

Why does American games journalism pale in comparison to British games journalism?

Actually, I'd argue that UK games mags suck in comparison to American mag... Notice how I use the singular.

have you not read PLAY magazine by Dave Halverson? GameFan was the bible for games when I was younger, and it defined how I view the whole medium of games (large screens, awesome obscure coverage, it's awesomeness defies description in human language).

While PLAY isn't quite as visually amazing as GameFan was, it's certainly excellent. Nice prose, where the reviewer gives their opinion and accepts the fact you can't be impartial about coverage. Like that that heather Campbell review, where she spoke about that john Woo game, explaining how she loved it because she was a fan of the source material. Her coverage told me more about the game than EDGE's dry, pseudo-intellectual bull**** ever could.

They also cover cool obscure stuff like Yohsitaka Amano art books, and they cover manga, anime, and other stuff.

Plus, they dedicate their covers to games like Odin Sphere, and Dracula X.

EDGE magazine is crept so far up Sony's ass I'm sure the editor doesn't know what the sun looks like anymore. While GamesTM is run by a mixed bunch, and although there are some dedicated serious gamers on the staff, upper management skews the coverage. I've not been reading since before the redesign, but I didn't like their methods. And Retro Gamer, as much as I love it, is understaffed, underfunded, shat on by management, and is at the mercy of an argumentative, myopic readership with narrow tastes and a great dislike of anything they're not interested in. Too diverse and impossible to please. Darran has an amazing level of patience for... well, everything when it comes to running that mag.

The problem with UK games mags is those who run the show treat everyone else like crap, with low wages, poor conditions, and the kind of psychological abuse which should be illegal, but sadly isn't. Oh, did I mention the pay is ****ing terrible? Yet people still bitch when they recycle press releases. Sorry to say it, but none of those poor guys are paid anywhere near enough to bother putting any effort into their work. I'm surprised any of them are as passionate as they are, and frankly we should all be grateful they bother to put out any mags out at all. Either way, I still wouldn't pay money for the things.

PLAY magazine, on the other hand, at least gives me the illusion of sanity and decent coverage. Even if it is all lies like in the UK, it's less obvious to me.

http://www.playmagazine.com/