Edge Magazine

[kevincure]

I picked up the new copy of Edge Magazine at Borders today; those of you who remember Next Generation probably know that NextGen and Edge were more or less the same magazine back in the day. In any case, wow. Read Edge and you'll realize how bad the game magazine situation is in the US right now. Their XBOX360 "X05" event coverage actually mentioned that most of the games are poor ports, the Japanese press has been wholly unimpressed by the system, and the graphic quality isn't even much of a step up. Their previews are more than press release filler. The writers seem to be aiming at an audience above the potty-joke phase of their lives.

I know we have this discussion on DP all the time, but why can't a vg magazine targeted at adults succeed in the US? The only thing close to solid these days is escapist (www.escapistmagazine.com), which is online-only, and is solely focused on game culture, not reviews, etc.. I don't understand it.

[Lothars]

I think that kind of magazine would suceed and florish in north america

that would be great it if happened but I doubt anything like that will be released anytime soon.

[tom]

I got 137 issue of Edge, from issue 1 onwards. Great mag, but a few mistakes in there sometimes.

Edge German version is now out in Germany, I'll have to check it out.

[RCM]

I picked up the new copy of Edge Magazine at Borders today; those of you who remember Next Generation probably know that NextGen and Edge were more or less the same magazine back in the day. In any case, wow. Read Edge and you'll realize how bad the game magazine situation is in the US right now. Their XBOX360 "X05" event coverage actually mentioned that most of the games are poor ports, the Japanese press has been wholly unimpressed by the system, and the graphic quality isn't even much of a step up. Their previews are more than press release filler. The writers seem to be aiming at an audience above the potty-joke phase of their lives.

I know we have this discussion on DP all the time, but why can't a vg magazine targeted at adults succeed in the US? The only thing close to solid these days is escapist (www.escapistmagazine.com), which is online-only, and is solely focused on game culture, not reviews, etc.. I don't understand it.

I don't know how successful Play is but it's written for adults and is certainly the best mag currently in production in the states.

I haven't read Edge in years. I've been to the UK a couple times and would pick it up while I was there. It reminded me a lot of NG which isn't a good thing. I'll have to pick up a new issue and see if they've gotten any better.

What's the definition of an adult VG magazine anyway? Generally the gaming public has a flawed view about what is mature or adult. A game is ultra violent so it's adult. A game has sex so it's adult. A games says "fuck" so it's adult.

What qualities would a mag have to exhibit to be adult and why are the American mags not?

[ManciGames]

What's the definition of an adult VG magazine anyway? Generally the gaming public has a flawed view about what is mature or adult. A game is ultra violent so it's adult. A game has sex so it's adult. A games says "fuck" so it's adult.

What qualities would a mag have to exhibit to be adult and why are the American mags not?

I guess the most simple way to say it is to say that an "adult" game mag (or rather, "a game mag aimed at adults") would view the games, the industry, the designers, and the players as something more than a vehicle to make money. It would honor the industry's roots, rather than make fun of them. And it would provide a non-biased opinion.

I would say that no current American magazine meets these three criteria. Play comes the closest, but it's become apparent to me that it is a one man band, and even though I like the musician, I'm getting tired of hearing the same song over and over again.

Despite some folks criticism, like RCM's here, I think the general consensus is that Next Generation / Next Gen was probably the most successful "adult" video game mag we've seen in America, both financially and editorially. But, subs tapered off after a peak around '97 or so, and eventually the mag was canned.

So, then the question is, why did people quite subscribing? There are bunches of theories, but my favorite is that the internet has killed the market for this kind of magazine. The net began to mature to the form we know it now around '98 or '99. At this same time, magazine subs in general began to decline as more and more people got their info in real-time from the net.

So, right now, we've got EGM, Gamepro, Play, and Game Informer. Now, two of these have been around for almost 20 years, one has been around for only 4 years or so, and the other one falls somewhere in between. Guess which ones continue to have reasonable (though lower than in past years) subscription numbers? That's right, the two that have been around for 20 years.

The bottom line is that people are used to EGM and Gamepro, and are not willing to make the monetary or time investment on a large enough scale to support more than the current number of mags out there. Think about it just like the console wars. We can support two biggies and maybe one or two smaller ones. Others come and go.

But, is it possible for a company to come in and dethrone EGM like Sony did Nintendo? Maybe. But it would take a whole lot of money and a hefty sized marketing campaign, neither of which any major publisher is willing to contribute at this time. And with subs on the decline, they probably never will. So, we are left to hope that either EGM or Gamepro one day revamps itself to cater to a more adult market.

Okay, I'm outta here. Happy New Year!

[Mayhem]

The difference is here in the UK (where Edge originates) is that there is no such thing as a subscribed through a shop magazine product, no subsidising, and no ridiculously low cost to buy the issues.

Sure subbing gets you money off, but maybe half price if you are lucky. Nothing like the the 6 issues for $3 that you can get in the US.

Of course despite that, the overall level of writing is still debatable. I think the angle of the argument here is that Edge as a written product is a lot more targetted at the adult reader, in the sense of the language, tone and attitude used within. None of this juvenile bickering, slagging off and "trash talk" used in a number of other publication I could mention.

On the other hand, there's plenty of people who think Edge are stuck up their own arse at times. Which is probably true, there is such a thing as taking it too far imo. And their reluctance to credit reviews with who wrote them means you never can tell how exactly a game might be received and reviewed, because you don't know who played it. Hence the scores are often bemusing at times.

[Joker T]

I got some. Issues 148 and 149. I like the magazine alot but the reviews are a tad rough.

[comrade]

Yeah I was going to pick up the new issue of Edge the other day, until I saw the price tag on that bitch. Almost $10.00? That's a tad much for a magazine. I have trouble paying $7.00 for EGM.

[Gamereviewgod]

I guess the most simple way to say it is to say that an "adult" game mag (or rather, "a game mag aimed at adults") would view the games, the industry, the designers, and the players as something more than a vehicle to make money. It would honor the industry's roots, rather than make fun of them. And it would provide a non-biased opinion.

I think you nailed it, but it also needs to have the writing too. I think a lot of the American mags just find people who know games, not neccesarily those with writing experience. When I read a game magazine article that actually reads like a new story from CNN, a newspaper, or say Time, it's almost always in Edge. I can't think of the last time I read a US mag with something even close to that since they always throw some obscure pop culture reference, cheap joke, or pun at the end. That's not news.

A few months back, they did a piece on Silent Hill. I will stand by that as one of the best pieces of non-news related gaming journalism I've ever read. They failed to credit the author which was a crime, and it was so damned good, I had to send an e-mail to thank them for it. I was hoping for a response just to know who wrote it so I could read more, but it never happened.

It's well worth the $10 a month to get it here in the states (along with GamesTM).

[RCM]

ManciGames said:
I guess the most simple way to say it is to say that an "adult" game mag (or rather, "a game mag aimed at adults") would view the games, the industry, the designers, and the players as something more than a vehicle to make money. It would honor the industry's roots, rather than make fun of them. And it would provide a non-biased opinion.

A magazine can be geared towards kids and still honor gaming.

There's no such thing as being 100% "non-biased." Simply the way we preceive things brings a certain level of bias with us. Being "fair and balanced" is more attainable.

I think a lot of the American mags just find people who know games, not neccesarily those with writing experience.

There are quite a few folks that actually studied journalism that are VG journalists now.

Bill Kunkel was a "regular" journalist before he started writing about games.

When I read a game magazine article that actually reads like a new story from CNN, a newspaper, or say Time, it's almost always in Edge. I can't think of the last time I read a US mag with something even close to that since they always throw some obscure pop culture reference, cheap joke, or pun at the end. That's not news.

Not everything a magazine or website does is news. Some columns like that piece of shits Seanbaby is designed specifically for crappy jokes and pop culture references.

[ManciGames]

A magazine can be geared towards kids and still honor gaming.

Well sure, but what kid is going to read it? That would be like marketing a magazine about the history of cinema to 10 year-olds. There would be a few who would read it, but not enough to sustain readership. Any game mag that takes the past seriously will have to be marketed to adults in order to make it.

There are quite a few folks that actually studied journalism that are VG journalists now.

You wouldn't know it by reading the articles. I know exactly what Gamereviewgod is speaking of. Time Magazine occasionally has decent gaming stories (the most recent being a cover story(!) about the XBOX 360). There is a drastic difference between those stories and most of what you read in gaming mags.

Not everything a magazine or website does is news. Some columns like that piece of shits Seanbaby is designed specifically for crappy jokes and pop culture references.

Agreed. I don't mind some humor in the mags. It just has to be done in the right places. Nobody wants juvenile filler in a 360 cover story, and most adults don't want goofy screen pic captions that scream "Hey, look how cool our mag is!"

[anagrama]

I've got about 40 issues of Edge from around 1998-2002 that I'm willing to sell if anyone wants them?
£1 each, plus postage (bear in mind bulk postage to the US will be pretty damn hefty). PM me if interested.

[backdrifter]

*First post, wooooo*

I treated myself to a year's subscription to EDGE about 6 months ago now. Back in my younger days I always saw it as a tad too straight laced, perhaps lacking a bit of much needed humour.

Now I've had a fair few issues to read I see the error of my ways! By far the best print mag I've read for many a year.