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The end of an era ... No more Gaming Magazines?

Gothic Girl | November 13, 2007 | News | Misc 
Are gaming magazines reaching their end? With the internet always having up-to-date gaming news, (sometimes posting news only hours after it was announced), it seems as though gaming magazines might soon become a thing of the past.
Monthly editions are unable to keep up with the fast-pace of the internet, and will sometimes be late with printing out news, or will be reviewing games that have already been reviewed weeks ago on the 'net.
So will gaming magazines soon become obsolete?
With online video game news coming from powerhouses like IGN, 1UP and Gamespot, can old fashioned glossy print media survive? How can once-monthly publications compete with up to the minute news sources, say, for instance Kotaku, and established gaming media updating throughout the day? That's the focus of the New York Times look at print publishers Ziff Davis Media and Future US, both of whom publish not only on paper, but online as well.

With decreasing revenues and circulation rates—PC Gamer is down some 90,000 copies over the past four years—the only way to survive is to adapt. Conscious focus on more in-depth content in magazines and pushing the symbiotic relationship of online and offline media might just keep EGM and other Ziff Davis properties from death's door.

As a longtime fan of print publications, I still subscribe to EGM. I've also recently signed on for the Official Xbox Magazine, Games For Windows and the Official PlayStation Magazine. Despite the flood of online content, there are still worthwhile publications worth reading on a monthly basis, even if the news content they provide is often outdated.
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  • 0 thumbs!
    Dai | November 13, 2007
    Unlikely that they'll be ending anytime soon. With free game demos, printed info, exclusive interviews, and special sections found only in select magazines- I highly doubt the industry will give up the trade. Not to mention that there are plenty of people not using the internet for reviews, previews, and gaming news. With the success of the Wii, potential of the PS3, and highly valued titles on the 360- gaming magazines have a lot to make into written media. Heh...
  • 0 thumbs!
    random_gamer | November 13, 2007
    It's be a shame if gaming magazines went away. I have a subscription to EGM, and I've always found that they have at least a few articles or random things that you just wouldn't see on a site like IGN. The reviews are a bit dated, but they're still interesting to read.
  • 0 thumbs!
    Rinkydink | November 13, 2007
    Such a shame really. I remember when I was a kid, I used to get game magazines religiously, and rarely missed an issue on certain ones. These days, I very rarely get any magazines at all, since the internet provides all that I need to know about the going-ons in the gaming world.

    Magazines were more fun to read too as a whole..
  • 2 thumbs!
    X_MANBEARPIG_X | November 13, 2007
    I still buy at least 2 a month.

    They're easier and more interesting to read, and when I look for news on the internet, I only look at the games I'm already interested in. But when I read a magazine, I read almost every article so usually I get interested in a game from the magazine and will then follow it avidly on the internet.
  • 0 thumbs!
    Gamesta100 | November 14, 2007
    I for one get the Official PS mag every month.I might read reviews on the internet, but I only really care about the mags reviews because 99% of the time I agree with them.

    Also mags don't have morons posting pathetic replies.
  • 0 thumbs!
    Zero and X | November 14, 2007
    Eventually, but not now, its much to soon.
  • 1 thumbs!
    Silver Mirror | November 14, 2007
    Game magazines are indeed a dying breed. I feel within 5 years we'll be lucky if there are even 1 or 2 game magazines still in existence.

    Before I discovered Neoseeker I used to love going through game magazines. I would read a new mag about three times the first day I got it then read it at least 3 more in the next week. But aside from the Internet I've also discovered the library and while the magazines are usually at least a 2 months old I can read them for free
  • 1 thumbs!
    Final Blade | November 14, 2007
    Yeah the game magazines are dying and i suspect in few years it will be gone. I usually didn't get magazines cause the Internet provided all information. This article is so true they can't handle the updated news the Internet get 24/7. Game magazines may not have alot info if they were stick around, perhaps have some info and cheats and stuff. But unfortunately the magazines aren't cheap and thats why i didn't get many of them. While everyone may not have PC's doesn't mean they have money for the magazines and the fact whether the parents even allow the kids to buy them.

    Hate to say this but they are like a dying breed like silver mirror stated and its going die at one point. Hell even if you don't have a PC but have a PS3 or 360 you could browse the internet like a PC. There is all sorts of ways to get gaming info nowadays its advertised like a mofo. Magazines are the thing of the past.

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