Comments on: Paper games magazines are dead http://www.bruceongames.com/2007/08/27/paper-games-magazines-are-dead/ A veteran's view on marketing games Fri, 23 Sep 2011 19:01:38 +0000 hourly 1 By: Peer Lawther http://www.bruceongames.com/2007/08/27/paper-games-magazines-are-dead/comment-page-1/#comment-59 Peer Lawther Tue, 28 Aug 2007 10:41:49 +0000 http://www.bruceongames.com/2007/08/27/paper-games-magazines-are-dead/#comment-59 "We had newsletters, forums, competitions, microsites for every game and so on. It was dynamic and exciting." And as Codies' web editor I hope it still is ;-) As a sidenote, we as an industry lag behind other media providers in using third party web (2.0) tools effectively to promote video games, but it's something I know we at Codemasters actively look to use and abuse for getting our own message out there, whether it's Youtube, Flickr, blogs, Myspace etc etc. So with all these tools available there's less need for magazines if you as a company can talk straight to the consumer without going through the middleman of the press. “We had newsletters, forums, competitions, microsites for every game and so on. It was dynamic and exciting.”

And as Codies’ web editor I hope it still is ;-)

As a sidenote, we as an industry lag behind other media providers in using third party web (2.0) tools effectively to promote video games, but it’s something I know we at Codemasters actively look to use and abuse for getting our own message out there, whether it’s Youtube, Flickr, blogs, Myspace etc etc.

So with all these tools available there’s less need for magazines if you as a company can talk straight to the consumer without going through the middleman of the press.

]]> By: chris h http://www.bruceongames.com/2007/08/27/paper-games-magazines-are-dead/comment-page-1/#comment-57 chris h Mon, 27 Aug 2007 16:28:55 +0000 http://www.bruceongames.com/2007/08/27/paper-games-magazines-are-dead/#comment-57 I hope there will always be a place for print media in the games industry. But print will have to transform it's content and purpose. No one honestly needs game magazines for reviews and previews anymore thanks to the immediacy of the web. But magazines can manage to stay relevant by offering a more academic, reflective and in-depth take on their subject. I think Edge in particular is one publication that already does a great job of offering an experience that's impossible on the web, and they don't skimp on the design and materials for the magazine, creating a wonderfully tactile and beautiful object to hold and pour over. I may be out of the ordinary, but I am more than happy to get the freshest news from the web while still reading print for a broader, more thoughtful viewpoint. I think print will always have a place, albeit a smaller more refined place, in the market. I hope there will always be a place for print media in the games industry. But print will have to transform it’s content and purpose.

No one honestly needs game magazines for reviews and previews anymore thanks to the immediacy of the web. But magazines can manage to stay relevant by offering a more academic, reflective and in-depth take on their subject. I think Edge in particular is one publication that already does a great job of offering an experience that’s impossible on the web, and they don’t skimp on the design and materials for the magazine, creating a wonderfully tactile and beautiful object to hold and pour over.

I may be out of the ordinary, but I am more than happy to get the freshest news from the web while still reading print for a broader, more thoughtful viewpoint. I think print will always have a place, albeit a smaller more refined place, in the market.

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