Great interview with Jeff Green and the State of Gaming Mags and the Internets

[Zoglog]

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/73404-Game-Magazines-Have-Sucked-for-Forever-GFWs-Jeff-Green-on-the-Future-of-Print-Media

Some suggest, in this digital age of instant information, print media for videogames has been obsolete for years and is only just now finding out. Others suggest print media can still be relevant, as long as it adapts to a changing reality of game journalism. And still others see traditional outlets as the only true professional game reporters on the block.

But, as the game magazine business and its consumers continue to figure out just where magazines belong in the digital age, the bloodletting has been brutal. Where some outlets have been forced to close, others have adapted to survive. The Escapist recently spoke with Jeff Green, Editor-In-Chief of Games For Windows Magazine (previously Computer Gaming World) about his thoughts on staying relevant and the current state of videogame magazines and videogame reporting.

[Roufuss]

Print media is *far* from irrevalant.

Game Informer gets exclusives every single issue that nobody else, print or internet, picks up on, until after they go to print.

Maybe EGM / Gamepro / whatever else is worthless, but every issue of GI has like 2 or 3 big name scoops in it.

[LiK]

jeff green's a cool guy, i talk to him at 1up and on Live sometimes. he's like one of the boys.

[Zoglog]

jeff green's a cool guy, i talk to him at 1up and on Live sometimes. he's like one of the boys.

he really is a great guy and has some great perspective. All the GFW guys are great actually and they have an awesome podcast, probably the best one out there.

[VanillaGorilla]

Wow, Seattle Sonics draft pick Jeff Green sure knows a lot about videogames.

[Puffa469]

print media will never be irrelavant. Sometimes I just dont feel like dragging my laptop into the bathroom ya know?

[Apossum]

Print media is *far* from irrevalant.

Game Informer gets exclusives every single issue that nobody else, print or internet, picks up on, until after they go to print.

Maybe EGM / Gamepro / whatever else is worthless, but every issue of GI has like 2 or 3 big name scoops in it.


agreed. I was going to post that GI is really the exception. they really put out high quality stuff every issue.

[Kaijufan]

Games for Windows has Tom vs Bruce, easily my favorite monthly articles in any game magazine (or online). It's the first thing I read when I get my copy of GfW. Game magazines really need more articles like Tom vs Bruce.

[whitereflection]

Game Informer gets exclusives every single issue that nobody else, print or internet, picks up on, until after they go to print.


Maybe that's because GI is the biggest game magazine around, and the second closest (EGM) doesn't even get half the circulation.

I'm not knocking it. It's probably my favorite outlet for that very reason.

[jer7583]

Well, Game Informer does have the whole GameStop crutch to go on for subscriptions. I think their magazine is hit or miss. I do like the larger format, though. Overall EGM has better reviews and features, and Game Informer tends to get good exclusives now and then, but overall is fairly shallow.

[Apossum]

Maybe that's because GI is the biggest game magazine around, and the second closest (EGM) doesn't even get half the circulation.

I'm not knocking it. It's probably my favorite outlet for that very reason.


that's definitely the reason. they've got money and they can guarantee a large portion of the gaming public will read about the games they cover.
on top of that, I like how they do a lot of good insider interviews and industry op eds/theory columns as well. shows that they don't treat their readers like a bag of ADD monkeys who latch on to any "controversial" stories like the rest do. when I browse through an EGM, I feel like I'm 11 years old again....only the mag isn't 300 pages long like it used to be :(

[akilshohen]

Isn't GI owned by Gamestop?

[InuFaye]

Game Informer is garbage, i hardly ever agree with their reviews, and they normally have some of the shittiest cover stories also. For example they just gave spider man 3 for 360/ps3 an 8.5. That game everywhere else recived 5's and 6's they only did that to try and push sales of the damn game. EGM/GFW easily tops those guys any day of the week. The only reason that they have the circulation that high is because you get the shitty thing when you order a game informer card. If you had to order it seperetly, it would have died along time ago.

[crazytalkx]

that's definitely the reason. they've got money and they can guarantee a large portion of the gaming public will read about the games they cover.
on top of that, I like how they do a lot of good insider interviews and industry op eds/theory columns as well. shows that they don't treat their readers like a bag of ADD monkeys who latch on to any "controversial" stories like the rest do. when I browse through an EGM, I feel like I'm 11 years old again....only the mag isn't 300 pages long like it used to be :(

Second'd! I used to LOVE EGM but it tops at around 110 pages now with half of those pages being ads. Not to mention the various shitty articles, that future of gaming one was pure crap. The only bash I have against Game Informer is that some of the review scores do seem a bit higher for certain games.

they normally have some of the shittiest cover stories also.

You're kidding right?! Fallout 3, Bioshock, Rock Band, and GTA VI are all shitty cover stories!?

[Cleaner7]

Game Informer is garbage, i hardly ever agree with their reviews, and they normally have some of the shittiest cover stories also. For example they just gave spider man 3 for 360/ps3 an 8.5. That game everywhere else recived 5's and 6's they only did that to try and push sales of the damn game. EGM/GFW easily tops those guys any day of the week. The only reason that they have the circulation that high is because you get the shitty thing when you order a game informer card. If you had to order it seperetly, it would have died along time ago.

QFT

Perfectly stated. Their reviews are so unreliable. Looks like they do it to keep the publishers happy and to get them content.

[Apossum]

Second'd! I used to LOVE EGM but it tops at around 110 pages now with half of those pages being ads. Not to mention the various shitty articles, that future of gaming one was pure crap. The only bash I have against Game Informer is that some of the review scores do seem a bit higher for certain games.



You're kidding right?! Fallout 3, Bioshock, Rock Band, and GTA VI are all shitty cover stories!?


I agree their reviews are high. I definitely don't read them for reviews any way. those are just fun to thumb through.

The Fallout 3 story was particularly awesome. some people just angry when one outlet reviews one game unfavorably one time and they decide that it discredits EVERYTHING the mag/site does. go to gamefaqs any time any game gets a review for examples. :lol:

[InuFaye]

You can quote some of those cover stories as being awesome, but i can think of alot of crappy ones, mortal kombat:deadly alliance, superman returns, enter the matrix, fantastic four, and countless other ones i cant even think of. They only put the mainstream stuff on the cover most of the time. And most of the mainstream stuff tends to be crap

[Apossum]

You can quote some of those cover stories as being awesome, but i can think of alot of crappy ones, mortal kombat:deadly alliance, superman returns, enter the matrix, fantastic four, and countless other ones i cant even think of. They only put the mainstream stuff on the cover most of the time. And most of the mainstream stuff tends to be crap


yeah, they should put random crap that nobody has ever heard of on the cover. that'll really move copies.

[Rei no Otaku]

I enjoy random crap!

[gokou36]

I love how Jeff Green had the balls to stood up to MS and say Windows Live sucks.

[InuFaye]

yeah, they should put random crap that nobody has ever heard of on the cover. that'll really move copies.

They dont have to worry about moving copies, you get the damn thing when you get the card.