What Do You Think About Gaming Mags?

Hi All,

I think gaming mags have way too much fluff.
It wouldn't kill publishers to add more cheats and weed out some of the most asinine material.In all fairness,I do like the mags that are devoted to quasi game guides and codes.

The prices are ridiculous.
The stupid thing is,the people who are complaining about the mags being too expensive,are the same wingnuts that turn around and buy 'em anyway!Of course
the prices are firm.Too many consumers bitch about the prices,yet do nothing. :

A couple of years ago, I was buying Electronic Gaming Magazines like crazy and it only cost 5 bucks a month. I stoped because I needed to save money (which i did and got my DS lite). Last year, I bought a GameStop members card for 20 bucks and also got a year subscribtion for Game Informer for free. It was fun while it lasted but now I get my info on IGN, The Tanooki, GameTrailers, ect.....

I really don't purchase game magazines anymore. It has been literally years since I picked up one. It might be because I am so absorbed in retro gaming. I do have some old mags that I pull out occasionally. I'm talking like 10 years ago in age. I may seem like totally weird to you because I live so totally in the past. I had this mag out today trying to get some idea of the next Gameboy game I will look for to purchase. I only have a select few mags that I have saved over the years and wishing that I had saved more.


Really the game magazines are just not what they use to be. The last great game magazine, IMO, was Game Fan. I sure miss that one.

I think it's pointless to buy mags since you can find everything in them on the internet, and usually before the magazine even comes out.

I used to collect them but I've had most of them recycled. Save some trees, people. :lol

I like the convenience of carrying around a magazine and having the pictures at the ready.

Science magazines are still selling strong even though you can read them online. I ordered one (subscription $195) because I like the convenience of having it to read whenever and whereever I am without the hassle of reading off a computer screen since I get so fatigued looking at a computer screen.

Similarily if there were a gaming magazine that I liked that was available (like EGM) I would still so totally get it because of the nice pictures and some of the exclusive features that are not available online. There is just something about having the version in your hand.

Of course it is the mindset in the first post that is responsible for the dragging down of the newspaper industry. Sure it cost money to get a newspaper and it may have been a bit less of a wait to read news at the here and now on the internet but the convenience of having something tangible in your hand to read without having to search and such cant be beat by looking at a screen.

I dont know who is complaining about paying 4-8 Dollars a month for a Magazine (when the subscription is only $19.99/29.99 per year) for "glossy pages in color"! If you wanted cheats or guide why not just buy a Prima/BradyGames guide?

Reader Mail, Fan Art, little tiny features about purchasing guides, detailed reviews with pictures, the whole enchilada was all great. I miss the days of magazines and I still go in and read the Playstation Magazine.

No way in heck will I ever get rid of my old gaming mags! Maybe the newer ones, but my ones from the SNES/PSX/N64 days you will have to pry them from my hands. Looking back on those old mags reminds me of how awesome the industry once was. But as far as newer mags, meh. They got so mainstream and dumbed down I couldn't really take them seriously anymore. In a way, I feel that game magazines started to encourage the lack of creativity in the industry by focusing so much only on the big, mainstream titles. But I guess it's all about the all mighty $$$.

x2 said:

No way in heck will I ever get rid of my old gaming mags! Maybe the newer ones, but my ones from the SNES/PSX/N64 days you will have to pry them from my hands. Looking back on those old mags reminds me of how awesome the industry once was. But as far as newer mags, meh. They got so mainstream and dumbed down I couldn't really take them seriously anymore. In a way, I feel that game magazines started to encourage the lack of creativity in the industry by focusing so much only on the big, mainstream titles. But I guess it's all about the all mighty $$$.

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Aaaagh!! I'm so jealous of you. :lol
And I totally agree, those were some good days.

Hehe thanks. A few of my buddies have tried to get my collection off me before. I've turned down some pretty good trades for them!

Mai Valentine said:

I think it's pointless to buy mags since you can find everything in them on the internet, and usually before the magazine even comes out.

I used to collect them but I've had most of them recycled. Save some trees, people. :lol

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Save some trees? Screw the grandkids! I'm cold now!

HA HA HA HA! !

Only thing that I did with my old magazines was sell them off, they are worth a buttload now. Old gamepro's, game player's, EGM, and ESPECIALLY Nintendo Powers from the early 90's! I had Nintendo Power since Feb of 1992. Saved every issue up until November of 1996. I stopped there, started subscribing to EGM around October 1996 until Late 1999.

Profit wise, I made over $250 from those issues.

Meh, no amount of money could buy my old mag's. They are priceless to me.

They sure do make prolonged bathroom visits a little more entertaining. As for the price, I only get Game Informer at $15 a year...plus the discount card through Gamestop...definitely not a bad price by any means. But yeah, I get most of my news from the internet.

Internet is better and faster for big info, but some magazines get some really nice exclusives.

I buy most games anymore used, so the discount card pays for itself after a few visits.

Well I didn't recycle all of my old magazines.

Like I kept the Nintendo Power that I got at E3. And there's some other stuff.

I haven't finished going through them, but the ones I have recycled are more recent ones, and not the older stuff.

Also, I will always keep my collection of GMR because that was the best gaming mag ever.