What is Digg?83 Comments
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+54im too lazy to bring my laptop into my bath room, so i guess, there are a place for magazines in my life
- kylesellers, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12Well, the level of credibility and authority commanded by these magazines has dropped dramatically. They run reviews for games that don't come out for months, they refuse to take a stance and give a straight answer (PS3 or Xbox 360?), and their editorials feel like they're being targeted at a younger and younger demographic.
Nintendo Power is still just a blatant hype machine, but once you accept it as that, it really does have a good deal of quality (highly biased) content. - dunezone, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9The bathroom argument is the best, who doesn't like walking into the bathroom and opening up a magazine to read. And like hell am I bringing my notebook into there, I already got most of my attention focused on something else, I don't want to be bothered digging through a website or using a touchpad/mouse.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9I love my gaming magazines.
- twooranges, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7http://www.notoneanswer.com/Bathroom-Sign-Istanbul.gif
- LogicBomB, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Quite frankly I stopped buying game magazines when I could flip through the entire magazine and average all the scores to 75-80 out of 100. Hate to break it to the editors and writers but not every big budget game deserves to get over 70.
Also, how many times have you seen this:
Pro: item 1
Pro: item 2
Con: item 1
Con: item 2
Con: item 3
Con: item 4
Con: item 5
Total: 79 - "overall a great game with some minor problems that don't distract from gameplay".
*****. If a game is a 45, give it a ***** 45. - walkingman1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Nice article and cool to see something from a gamers POV instead of a big media theorist type, but his info on journalists in print versus web is out of date, I suspect. He mentions Edge in the article (which is a good mag I agree) and I know for a fact one ex-editor of Edge works on www.pocketgamer.co.uk, which is hardly a big site, so presumably loads of other, bigger, internet sites have ex-print writers on them too.
Maybe print is sub-edited to a higher standard? I think paper looks more attractive than a web page too, and subconsciously that probably makes many people (including me) think a printed article is better written. Sounds dumb, but isn't it true? Compare a page of a glossy mag to some blinking, flashing, comment strewn web page. The point is they're different horses for different courses... - gallagherFTW, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6"much like literacy replaced the need for PSM?" LOL
- wirelessnobody1, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5this is something that is affecting all media-- not just gaming. the wall street journal has announced they will go all online soon. print medium is a thing of the past. still, your spin on the gaming industry is interesting, but not a unique problem to modern journalism.
- misologist, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Walkingman, you're right to mention I glossed over ex-print guys working on sites. There is a convergence and eventually I wouldn't be surprised if most magazines fold and every talented print guy works online only. The majority of medium to large blogs, though, as well as most of the content on the major sites, is written by people who haven't worked on game mags. I have no numbers so feel free to call me on this. For what it's worth, it is a fact that ZD pays significantly less for online articles than print ones. That seems to indicate that at least they believe their higher quality work is going into their magazines.
- spyrochaete, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Pocket-sized, bathroom-friendly eReaders/tablets will be the death of the print industry.
- staticneuron, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4The issue I see, is that finding your new over the internet is cheaper and faster. Not to mention if you hold a certain point of view there will always be a site that shares your take on a news article. I think digg is the biggest example of this new age in "news" proliferation.
- MeatBiProduct, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I see digg as the all-time high of internet misinformation and miscommunication paired with biased and unthrottled fanboyism and/or bleeding heart syndrome for anything and everything.
- bernlin2000, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4I don't think print will ever go away, unless they can make a laptop as portable and light as a newspaper. Printed media survive because they're easily accessible: you don't have to login to your account, it's just there to read.
- twylight, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Yes - simply because my laptop burns the tops of my legs when I take a *****.
- Lumiras, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I think that gaming magazines stand more threat of demise than other categories of magazines.
Gamers want to learn about new games in the following forms: demos>videos>pictures>text descriptions. Magazines (as of now) can only provide the two of these methods, therefore they are severely lacking the content a website can provide. With other magazines, things can have a bit more breathing room - kylesellers, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I just hope GamePro goes away ASAP. And their obnoxious, advertisement laden, popup loving website. And their stupid editor avatars like Vicious Sid and Sushi X.
- AshTR, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4I hate internet media for game info. I love being able to pick up a magazine (like in the bathroom) and read about some new games or something instead of trying to look up some info on IGN and take about 5 minutes doing it.
Simple answer...Yes. - BritishGolgo13, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I used to be a Game Informer subscriber since 1994 and PSM subscriber since 2000. Last year I chose not to renew my subscriptions for the reason that it's a waste of money when I can just read Digg and other gaming sites for any news I'm interested in. While having an annual subscription doesn't put a dent in my wallet, it can be used for more important things like filling up the car with gas, college classes, or WoW.
- walkingman1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Yep misologist, you're surely right in terms of numbers. It's an interesting one -- I suspect while all online will eventually dominate, gaming is a special case. It's hard to think of another field where quite so many people are prepared to write for free about a subject. Music perhaps? (And look at the success of MySpace, versus the music magazines, etc). Also, the tens of thousands of gaming web sites surely pull down the overall ad rate, which makes it harder for websites to pay the money the big mags did with their captive audiences.
The truth is, gamers probably don't care too much for great writing, compared to say speediness or witty comment or community or whatever. I'm not making a value call on it, just saying that's how it probably is. After all, it was only a couple of years ago we were seeing lots of articles about 'New Games Journalism' et al, and whether it could 'improve' games mags... - omatsei, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Nintendo Power is hardly representative of gaming magazines as a whole. Neither is Gamepro, by the way. The most reputable ones, in my mind, are PC Gamer, Electronic Gaming Monthly, PSM, Game Informer (not too sure about this one, but it's a decent read), and (even though it's "official") Official Xbox Magazine.
If these all went strictly online with no print at all, what would I read on the Porcelain Throne? - miggz06, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Im reading Nintendo Power...I do love gaming magazines, but somtimes i find it more convenient to just go on the web and read articles then only getting a monthly issue of a magazine, no matter how good a magazine. Also, usually within a week, you can read that same magazine on the web somewhere.
- jeromey11, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2i have been turned off from magazines ever since pc gamer started just sending me magazines, i was fine with that until about after 3 issues they sent me a bill. i just ignored it since i never signed up for it in the first place figuring they will just stop sending me issues. they sent me 3 more issues and a letter saying they will be taking me to small claims if i didn't pay the bill for the year subscription. i was only 14 years old at the time and luckily my dads attorney was able to straighten it out. im sure other people have had problems with pc gamer there a big scam i hate that magazine!
- kal-el, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2look at game informer and psm and opm
these magazines tend to only hype up a game (and a console they believe is better then the rest) and never give you a honest opinion about a game anymore its best to find it on the web and read articles and save yourself $5
- rumata, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2speaking of PC Gamer, I've got to say that the quality of that particular issue has totally gone down the tubes. I used to subscribe to it a few years back, then cancelled, but recently started getting it again due to some free promotion thing. I was amazed at how much worse it has gotten. The thing is just peppered with advertisments to the point where it looks like an advertising mag with some gaming content thrown in (instead of vice versa). Compares extremely poorly to issues like Game Informer, IMHO. As for internet publications, to me both have their place, defined (for me) primarily by when I access them. I can't read mags at work, so internet is my best friend; conversely, I don't have internet during my morning/evening commute, so a paper mag comes in really handy to pass those hours on the subway. Overall they both work together nicely to give me more overall gaming goodness :)
- patks, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2informal conversations have led me to believe that print media definitely does still have a role. people still have an attachment (possibly psychological) to having the physical magazine in their hands. the answer is probably something like what is suggested in this article. they just have to shift their niche a little and provide what online resources would have trouble providing.
- baxtermaddux, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2i was unaware that so many people need to read something when droping off the kids. it never takes me any longer than 2 minutes to get in and out
- DreadPirateWes, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Good thing you added the quotes to "news". Some of the stuff on here recently barely qualifies :D
- Homunculiheaded, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2One thing that seperates gaming magazines from the WSJ as far as the tranistion to an electronic medium goes is the heavy use of images. Art, architecture and design journals tend to make a slower transition to an electronic format mostly becuase the screen is not always the best way to display high quailty images (although it does have advantages to print such as the ability to zoom, photos still look nicer on paper). However since the ideal resolution for any screen shot happens to be a computer screen (not to mention the impossiblity of video in a print publication) it seems that an electronic environment is much more suitable for a gaming magazine.
That and I don't even remember the last time I was remotely interested in purchasing a gaming magazine as opposed to simply looking it up online. - wideawakewesley, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Aww f*ck it, I'll confess. My laptop comes with me when I go to the bathroom. Magazines really aren't needed.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I canceled my subscription to OXM after they hyped and hyped and hyped Brute Force as being the next Halo for over a year. You don't need to wait for our review, it's going to be awesome! There's $50 down the drain.
As a member of the industry, I feel it's important to keep up on trends and to see what kinds of games are coming out for all the systems, even if I don't own those systems. However, increasingly, I don't see the need for a paper format anymore. It's come to the point that I don't get a subscription unless its free. - violentvinyl, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"Compare a page of a glossy mag to some blinking, flashing, comment strewn web page."
Interesting point, consider how they generate their revenue. The ads in a magazine are considerably less obtrusive than they are on a website. But they can afford to be (for now). Magazines aren't reliant on you clicking their ads, they don't even care if you see them, they've already been paid for, and so has the magazine.
"I believe print is going the way of the dinosaur, but that doesn't mean I won't miss it."
It will be around until there's a suitable replacement. Theres just too many instances where a magazine is more convenient than a laptop (bathroom, buses, trains, airplanes, waiting rooms, etc.). - misologist, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Mirror until the site loads:
http://72.14.209.104/search?hs=sUq&hl=en&lr=&c2coff=1&q=cache%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fvideolamer.com%2Findex.php%2F1491&btnG=Search - ernasty10050, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Same here. I prefer having it all in the magazine format, right in front of my face, in my control with the flip of a page.
- Wekko, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2More and more exclusives go to websites nowadays. Especially as long as this trend of online media taking over printed media continues.
I think the biggest advantage of the web is the actuality. Gaming websites that are successful almost always have a up-to-date news section. Magazines should not focus on news, but more on in-depth articles. I almost never read complete game reviews online. I just read the first couple of lines and the conclusion. That's all I need to know. When I want to read a full review I rather pick a magazine and sit back and relax while reading it. Also in-depth interviews and other articles are much more welcome in magazines then on websites. The web should be complementary to magazines, not a replacement. Magazines can make some extra money by going online with a actuality-driven website. This goes for all the traditional media IMHO. - MeatBiProduct, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2EGM and GFW will never die. I buy subscriptions for 4 years at a time and know a lot of others that do the same. There is nothing like reading a magazine. It's pages aren't animated with ad's and you don't get ***** popping up in your face when you flip pages.
As long as there is a bathroom, game consoles, and nerds - there will always be gaming magazines. I'm sure the ones that can't get their ***** straight or they are two 'sponsored' by 'special interest' parties will go under.
See "Offical Console Magazine" if you want to know whats going to fail.
also vengan - not everyone ***** rabbit pellets like yourself. don't comment to gamers about their diets. i like taking long ***** cause its relaxing and time to myself. there i said it for all the bathroom nerds out there. - spyrochaete, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Lumiras, very insightful analysis. A static media for journalism isn't the best way to report on an animated and interactive product. I long for the day that PC Gamer TV exists - the journalistic integrity and excellent writing of PC Gamer magazine coupled with animated examples of what they're reviewing.
- Bokista, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I definitely have a psychological attachment to my game magazines. I continue to collect all the Nintendo Powers because there's something satisfying about having them all displayed across the shelves of my room. The problem with collecting digital objects is that there's no good means of non-digital exhibition. Perhaps this will change as the general consensus on the display of material shifts from material to immaterial, but for now there's something to be said about physical objects. Just go read John Berger's Ways of Seeing if you want to know the history of display.
- Philbert, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1i had a conversation recently about whether books would ever be completely replaced with electronic forms of literature and It really came down to the fact that physical texts like books and magazines don't require electricity. No battery to run down or plug to find an outlet for and no need to worry aboiut it getting wet in the rain either. There's also the cost factor. I could buy one book or even borrow one from the library and read it over and over again without any additional charges.
- dep01, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Maybe they should start putting porn in to video game magazines. :) I'd buy more, then.
- spyrochaete, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1A few months ago I would have argued unwaveringly in support of gaming magazines. I've loved PC Gamer magazine for over a decade and I've really grown attached to the writers and editors.
Unfortunately, since becoming a subscriber I've had all kinds of trouble getting issues mailed to me correctly. Some issues would come weeks late, arriving a day or two before the next one. Some issues would arrive damaged or some pages might be smeared with ink. Lately, some issues do not arrive at all and by the time I arrange for compensation I'm already aware of all the news and reviews of interest.
I much prefer reading paper to my monitor, but not when faced with such frustrating inconveniences. I'm not renewing my subscription. - Miktar, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1For countries such as mine, the Internet is hardly a threat to our bustling Magazine industry. Even the magazine I work for, one of two of the only video-game magazines in the country, is not worried about the Internet taking our readers just yet.
Main reason: At least a good 60% of our population, does not have internet. Those that do, 90% are still on 56k modems.
Sure, in Broadband-centric countries such as the US and UK, Magazines have to compete with the more up-to-the-minute-dime-a-dozen opinions of the Intarwebs, but the rest of the planet is still happily flipping pages, and will continue to do so for at least a good 20 years. - gamechic, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Someone give me a link about WSJ going online 100%? Want more info.
- socalrob, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Quoting Kal El
"these magazines tend to only hype up a game (and a console they believe is better then the rest) and never give you a honest opinion about a game anymore its best to find it on the web and read articles and save yourself $5"
This is true. I subscribe to PSM magazine. I am not renewing my subscription after it goes out in a couple of months. While I like the magazine, what I have noticed is that they do like Kal El stated and hype up a game. What he didn't mention is that they will Hype the game in their tests, then when the game comes out, review it 1 month after it comes out and give it a lousy review. Now if the game is good when it comes out it gets an instant review the month it is released. I'm beginning to believe that these publishers or writers are given kick-backs of some sort to hype up a lousy game and hold off on their review if it really sucks. - grumbel, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I don't think it matters much that it is a 'physical thing', what matters is that you can carry it where you want and read it their, while the internet happens to be only available on your computer. This is however changing and the internet is making its way into lots of devices. If I want to browse the web from my couch, I can just switch on the Wii, if I want to read an article in the garden, I can use the PSP. Printed media has still an advantage in resolution, 300dpi on a 14 inch paper is still a lot better then 150dpi on a 4 inch screen and trying reading a LCD screen in bright sunlight isn't a good idea either. I don't think there is much need for a physical print out left once we have better portable displays available, it will surly take a while till people got fully used to it, but after that printed media should be pretty much dead.
- Wytefang, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Gaming magazines certainly understand that their chief competition comes from the Internet. Whoever wrote that article may not be entirely up-to-date with modern gaming magazines - if they think that these mags aren't aware of the huge impact that the internet has had on instant-news reporting.
That being said, there will ALWAYS be a market for a hand-held magazine that you can page through at your leisure in a comfortable environment (or anywhere - magazines are, of course, extremely portable). Furthermore, gaming magazine quite frequently have deeper, better-written articles than the vast majority of gaming websites and they often get scoops that aren't available to gaming websites. In all honesty their news does tend to lag behind the lightning-fast internet but alternatively their news and information is frequently more accurate and less prone to speculation and innuendo as well since they have the benefit of time to clarify inaccurate information.
Full disclosure - I'm a freelance game journalist for a major PC gaming magazine but I think that my opinions are still (hopefully) just as valid in regards to this topic. - Bytor, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I used to buy tons of magazines, gaming, computers, popular science, cars, bikes, home theater/stereo, etc...
Now I buy maybe one a year if I know I am going to be in a waiting room or something. That is it. All mags are dead to me.
So far the number 1 reason for keeping them in this thread seems to be for bathroom reading material. WTF? I never understood this. I do my buisness in well under 5 minutes and that includes flushing, washing hands etc... No time to read in there. Maybe the magazine crowd needs to eat more fiber.
I wouldn't want to be in the print magazine business. - Spongebobxxx, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I'd think gaming magazines companies should thrive right now. They have alot of stuff to write about with all the new systems out and the amount of systems have never been more plentiful that I can remember. One thing I like about magazines is the fact you can take them anywhere and read them when you want, its not quite as easy to do that with your laptop and then try to get the net when you need it, plus mags don't need to be plugged in or recharged either. Video game magazines publishers come and go faster than video game publisher do, but that doesn't mean there are any fewer of them today than say 5 or even 10 years ago, infact I'd double down that its the opposite.
- DreadPirateWes, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I have to admit that I let my Xbox Magazine subscription expire...the content is ok but I was really in it just for the demos. Sometimes a demo on XBL is held up for a mag exclusive but usually it's only for a week.
- rowlodge, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1i get two free bimonthly mags but flip through it not reading but one or two short articles then throw away.
read alot in magazine stores that are free to look at and never buy them because they provide seating and coffee for free also, nice...(Hastings) -
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