Stores no longer seem to carry video game magazines. [Archive]

VG_Maniac

01-25-2010, 07:33 PM

At least for the most part they don't. I occasionally still see Nintendo Power and Official Playstation Magazine...but that's it. I never see Game Informer, Electronic Gaming Monthly, GamePro, etc. All the stores around where I live that used to carry all kinds of gaming magazines, now carry none of them. Have all those magazines gone under or something? I heard awhile back that EGM stopped publishing their magazine, but started making it again. I know the internet is all you need nowadays, but I still like to buy gaming mags.

Baloo

01-25-2010, 07:44 PM

Game Informer is owned by Gamestop, and they really just sell the subscription and the one issue they have with the Edge Card now. I don't think they're really going for the single sales bit.

EGM I know went under and then came back. No idea about GamePro though.

scooterb23

01-25-2010, 08:01 PM

Gamepro's still around (cue the ZOMG GAMEPRO SUZZORZZZ crowd). Let's not let the fact it's survived 21 years get in the way. I'd guess that the store you buy your magazines at just don't sell enough copies for them to keep stocking them.

Around here, most places carry Gamepro, the Official Mags, and usually 1 or 2 of the import mags (for $15 a pop).

VG_Maniac

01-25-2010, 08:33 PM

I'd guess that the store you buy your magazines at just don't sell enough copies for them to keep stocking them.

I'm talking about all the stores around where I live - Wal-Mart, Target, Fred Myer, Best Buy, Safeway, Albertsons, etc. None of them carry any video game related magazines except for the occasional issue of Nintendo Power and the Official Playstation Magazine. They used to carry all the major gaming magazines...but have stopped just within the last year or two.

All those stores I've mentioned still carry a crap-load of PC related magazines though.

tubeway

01-25-2010, 08:50 PM

I've noticed this as well.

And next to where the game mags should be, there's literally a dozen different digital photography and photoshop magazines. Wheee.

Kid Fenris

01-25-2010, 10:05 PM

I'm talking about all the stores around where I live - Wal-Mart, Target, Fred Myer, Best Buy, Safeway, Albertsons, etc. None of them carry any video game related magazines except for the occasional issue of Nintendo Power and the Official Playstation Magazine. They used to carry all the major gaming magazines...but have stopped just within the last year or two.

That's because the major gaming magazines now consist of GamePro, Nintendo Power, the Official Xbox Magazine, and PlayStation: The Official Magazine. There's also Play, but that's always been slightly more fringe than the other magazines. And, as someone pointed out above, Game Informer is exclusive to GameStop channels.

Many magazines have folded in the past year or so. There simply isn't much left for department stores to stock.

phreakindee

01-26-2010, 01:04 AM

Department stores, grocery stores, convenience stores, liquor stores whatever... none of them really sell gaming mags anymore around here, haven't for the past 5 years. If I ever need a fix, I go to a bookstore - Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Waldenbooks etc. Each of them usually carry around 10 USA mags and 3-5 Euro mags. I only buy the Euro ones anyways since they honestly seem to have simply better production values and are less biased/more free, so that's why I go to said locations.

FireAce86

01-26-2010, 01:09 AM

Yeah, I've notice this as well. There are several game stores by my house. Years ago, they were filled with game magazines, now, I bearly see any. I think it has to do with the fact that some of these magazines are using the internet more often. Heck, we're communicating online via the world wide web. Freaky!

Flippy8490

01-26-2010, 08:48 AM

I used to be able to find GamePro all the time in my local K-Mart/Target, but now I have to go to Borders or Barnes and Noble to pick them up. I guess it really isn't a bad thing, because the bookstores sell more diverse magazines anyways.

Robocop2

01-26-2010, 10:28 AM

I've noticed the same thing.
I used to be able to find GamePro, EGM(back before they went away and came back), OXM, and PSM at a few places but now it seems the only thing even slightly gaming related I see is a PC gaming mag and occasionally OXM.

WCP

01-26-2010, 04:22 PM

CelticJobber

01-26-2010, 06:20 PM

I haven't bought or subscribed to GamePro since the early 90's, but I might actually subscribe to that soon because John Davison has taken over as the head guy there. He was the head guy at EGM for awhile. I've heard him on the old 1upYours podcasts, and I think he's going to make GamePro a decent mag before too long. Only thing is, by the time I subscribe to it, watch GamePro go out of business or something....

I just got the newest issue of GamePro, its got some really good articles and seems to be alot better now that John Davison has taken over as EIC.

And for those talking about EGM, it hasn't officially came back yet. I think the first new issue of rhe re-launched EGM is due out in March of this year.

The 1 2 P

01-26-2010, 07:04 PM

I also noticed that there aren't many game magazines on newstand racks but thats mainly because they don't sell as much as they use to. Most people either use the internet or they subscribe. I have four video game magazine subscriptions and I might add the Official Playstation Magazine soon, along with EGM.

mnbren05

01-26-2010, 11:34 PM

I usually only find xbox mag at walmart and sometimes I'll see GamePro, XBox Mag, psm at Borders. I really think that magazines are on their way out. I wouldn't be surprised if in the next 10-15 years magazines went electronic and cut physical distribution.

ScottK

01-27-2010, 04:05 PM

I usually find what I need at Walgreens.

tubeway

01-27-2010, 05:19 PM

It is sad to see mags appear to be on the way out, especially since it's such a part of video gaming culture and there are so many fond memories related to checking out the newest issues on a rack for gaming information.

As long as mags stay in circulation, though, I won't be too upset if I can't find them at stores. I mean, buying magazines at stores is a ripoff anyways. For the price of 3-4 issues you can just get a whole year's worth of issues.

eskobar

01-27-2010, 05:53 PM

In Mexico there are quite a few videogame stores and none have any magazzine for sale ... but we have plenty of magazzine booths :D

For american magazzine i usually find them in HASTINGs, even PLAY mag. I travel at least every month to McAllen, TX :D

lagartija_nick

01-27-2010, 08:48 PM

The sad truth of the matter is there are only a handful of US game magazines anymore. Of the few that exist most are not worth your money.

Play may be the best of what is left. Though their views tend to be out of step with the rest of the industry at least I believe that they are only telling me their own truths about how they feel about games and their views are not dictated by a corporation or scoring a major cover. I could be wrong however.

I cannot take Game informer seriously being backed by Gamestop. Remember when they scored Paper Mario low not because they did not like it, they did like it, but because they felt their audience would not like it. To even admit to this is shameful.

My local Barnes and Nobles has more British Magazines than US ones. And the British magazines are really much better than the US mags. Too bad they are outdated and way to expensive by they time they reach the US.

I am excited for the new EGM though, hopefully it will turn out to be something special.

darkslime

01-27-2010, 09:00 PM

I hate Play. All the writers are stuck up assholes who try too hard to be different.

lagartija_nick

01-27-2010, 09:24 PM

I hate Play. All the writers are stuck up assholes who try too hard to be different.

You could be right, its a matter of perception.

However most game mags are in step with each other in terms of reviews. Pretty much if you read one opinion in one mag its going to be the same in others.

Its refreshing to see a wildly different point of view. I don't put faith in reviews anyway, its all subjective and only you and you alone can decide what is fantastic and what stinks.

lazyhoboguy

01-29-2010, 01:38 AM

I went into a borders yesterday to look for retro gamer magazine. They did have video game magazines. They were in the section called "Men's Interests" and were grouped together with the mountains of porno magazines lol.

buzz_n64

01-29-2010, 02:28 AM

I used to read Next-Gen all the time until they disappeared. Then I subscribed to EGM, but after my subscription ran out, I found the internet even better. Magazines are a dying breed as more info is obtainable on the internet, and people are able to access it easier by iphone, netbooks, and ereaders.

hbkprm

01-29-2010, 11:47 AM

thanks to play i discoved this rap artist called pato pooh and this song called follow me

mnbren05

01-30-2010, 03:47 PM

Never been a fan of Play it was always Meh at best. I used to love Game Informer but when I saw how badly they fucked up the layout and the new "magazine look" I had enough. My subscription ran out this past month and I must say I could careless. I can only assume this is the attitude of gamer's in general today. Shitty writing, bad layouts, horrible designs, and subpar reviews mixed in with more and more ads every month. GI can stick it up their GameStop owned butts if they think I'm going to shell out money for that hot trash.

mezrabad

01-30-2010, 03:57 PM

Play sure is purty, but I found it was more of a Geek Media mag than a gaming magazine. I like anime, manga and movies too, but I don't buy a gaming magazine to read about them. I used to really enjoy PC Gamer (US) but haven't read that for years. I think I stopped when they experimented for a few issues making it look more like a men's magazine than a game magazine, i.e. cute pictures of scantily clad babes. I don't mind seeing them, but again, if I wanted them, I'd just buy FHM or Maxim.

Anyway, back on topic: My local grocery store, H.E.B also stopped carrying any gaming mags about a year ago. I guess there were too many people browsing them instead of buying them. Anyway, good to know that it's not just something I noticed and was annoyed by.

Balloon Fight

01-31-2010, 07:18 AM

Just head over to the nearest Barnes and Noble or Borders. At least near me they have literally every game magazine in print including a bunch of UK only mags.

segagamer

03-14-2010, 05:03 PM

Does anyone know what has happened to Play Magazine? I just went thru and organized all my gaming magazines, and have noticed that I have not received any new issues since the January 2010 issue. Their website seems to be down, and I had to email their customer service when I called their hotline. Wonder if they are going out of business...

kupomogli

03-14-2010, 05:50 PM

Kid Fenris

03-14-2010, 06:55 PM

The 1 2 P

03-14-2010, 07:18 PM

josekortez

03-14-2010, 07:23 PM

Play died over a month ago.

http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2010/02/column_game_mag_weaseling_comi.php#more

The only thing worth reading in it was Nick Des Barres' Japan Report. After a while, I got tired of reading the same Dave Halverson essays lamenting the deaths of 2D and platformers. Good magazine a few years ago, though.

slapdash

03-14-2010, 07:47 PM

Ah, hadn't noticed Play's passing... Oy. Suppose I won't be seeing a refund for remaining issues then, will I?

Nintega Grafx-16

03-14-2010, 07:53 PM

Why read a gaming mag when you can easily get gaming news on teh interwebs? All these gaming magazine companies are going bankrupt for a reason.

portnoyd

03-14-2010, 08:01 PM

The only thing worth reading in it was Nick Des Barres' Japan Report.

Lulz, NICK ROX is still out there writing? Jesus.

As the above poster said, print is dying rapidly. Games being more linked into the interwebs than say, running magazine, means they are more apt to have their media move to online only.

YoshiM

03-15-2010, 09:46 AM

Play kicked the bucket? I've been busy catching up with my backlog of magazines (old and new) and haven't noticed. Suck.

Why read a gaming mag when you can easily get gaming news on teh interwebs? All these gaming magazine companies are going bankrupt for a reason.

For me, I've got a few reasons. The obvious one is that the magazine is 100% portable and requires no electricity or internet connection to be read. I can take one into the bathroom with me, toss a few in a bag to read later, etc.

Another reason is that I can always reference the material I have at any time, barring some disaster that destroys my mags. Web sites and online data come and go. Look at Play Magazine's site: down for "maintenance". Who's to say whatever info it had would be restored? Or how about happypuppy.com? They used to be a great site for finding info on PC games and demos. Now it just says "it works", as if the site was just recreated. Heck, I had my own web site that had reviews and such of games made with Click Team products back on Xoom.com. Long gone. Point of the matter is that just because it's on the Internet doesn't mean the info is going to be available forever.

Thirdly is an issue of comfort. I sit in front of a PC for 8+ hours a day. At times the last thing I want to do is sit down in front of another one to read the latest gaming info. Like a good book, a magazine is just easier to read. Kinda fits into reason #1.

Lastly the work of a magazine is typically more "edited" than that of a web page and information can be somewhat sporadic depending on the topic. It's more hectic trying to cough up info for daily news, which means the content may not be the greatest. With a monthly magazine, the content has a chance to be more refined. But that's just me and probably subjective.

Lady Jaye

03-15-2010, 10:04 AM

Why read a gaming mag when you can easily get gaming news on teh interwebs? All these gaming magazine companies are going bankrupt for a reason.

Well, if you're looking for game reviews and news, yes, the Internet killed the mags. A videogame magazine today must offer in-depth articles, interviews, retrospectives to be interesting.

My current favorite magazine is actually a bi-monthly mook (magazine+book) published in France. It's called IG Magazine and it offers exactly that -- in-depth articles rather than mere reviews. It's well-written, has a very nice layout and because it's a smaller format, it's easier to carry. It may cost me $15 an issue, but that's for 250 pages of ad-free content. And they're about half-modern, half-retro, so there's something for everyone.

http://www.ig-magazine.com/fr (in French only)

InboRenge

03-15-2010, 12:28 PM

Why read a gaming mag when you can easily get gaming news on teh interwebs? All these gaming magazine companies are going bankrupt for a reason.

Using that argument, why buy physical copies of retro games when you can just buy them on the Wii VC? There is something magical about being able to hold a game/magazine in your hands. Many of us "old timers" (Jesus, I'm only 23) have wonderful memories of anticipating EGM/Gamepro/Whatever, they were the only sources of game info, and it was amazing not knowing what you were gonna get.

segagamer

03-15-2010, 04:23 PM

I have contacted Play's customer service to see if I can get my refund on the balance of my subscription...

As for the new EGM and GameFan, has anyone seen them on the newstands yet? Both appear to be slated for this month's launch.

Therealqtip

03-15-2010, 05:30 PM

Does tips & tricks still exist? I liked that magazine.

brykasch

03-15-2010, 08:43 PM

If you want game magazines, barnes and noble are your best bet to get your fix. GamesTM is the only one I get, with an occasional nintendo power here and there. Game Informer I do get as well but only because of the discount card, but has improved itself quite a bit since the redesign.

slapdash

03-16-2010, 12:29 AM

Tips & Tricks does exist, sort of. It's no longer available by subscription if I remember correctly, and it's only quarterly, plus most of the staff is gone, so it's not quite as interesting as it used to be. And hmm, I'm not sure when I got an issue of it, so it's possible my sub finally ran out...

The 1 2 P

03-16-2010, 02:17 AM

I have contacted Play's customer service to see if I can get my refund on the balance of my subscription

I did too. They have yet to email me back. I'll give them a few days before I try again.

Does tips & tricks still exist? I liked that magazine.

Yeah but they only release it in "code book" form, which subscribers use to get once or twice during their yearly subscriptions. And as the previous poster stated, it only comes out quarterly.

Wraith Storm

03-16-2010, 04:03 PM

Ah, hadn't noticed Play's passing... Oy. Suppose I won't be seeing a refund for remaining issues then, will I?

Is there any confirmation or source on this? I have been buying Play off store shelves for the past 3 years and FINALLY subscribed last month. If they died the month I decided to subscribe and I lost my money I'm gonna be pissed.

I tried to access their website but it says that its under maintenance.

Therealqtip

03-16-2010, 05:19 PM

Yeah but they only release it in "code book" form, which subscribers use to get once or twice during their yearly subscriptions. And as the previous poster stated, it only comes out quarterly.

Hm, that's kinda depressing thats like part of my childhood gone. :(((

CelticJobber

03-17-2010, 03:42 AM

Is PSM still around? It's an unnofficial Playstation Magazine. I used to read theirs a long time ago, thought they were the best in my opinion. I know they were also around early PS3 but never read anything after mid PS2.

Sorta. They turned into Playstation: The Official Magazine, 2 or 3 years ago. Most of the old staff is gone now, and a couple of former PSM editors write for Nintendo Power (which is by the same publisher).

slapdash

03-17-2010, 10:59 PM

Correction on T&T; it's published 8 times a year, not 4.

segagamer

04-13-2010, 09:18 PM

Anyone seen or bought the new EGM that was supposedly available near the end of March? I have been to Barnes & Nobles and Borders and neither one has it on their magazine shelves.

The 1 2 P

04-13-2010, 09:34 PM

Anyone seen or bought the new EGM that was supposedly available near the end of March? I have been to Barnes & Nobles and Borders and neither one has it on their magazine shelves.

I haven't seen it yet but they just charged my credit card for the payment I made last month so I'm guessing that the newest issue will be hitting very soon.