What I Don't Want to See in the New EGM

by Joe Atienza , COMMUNITY WRITER

Saturday, January 02, 2010

Tags: bitmob, EGM, Area 5, Electronic Gaming Monthly, Magazines

The Internet is a constantly evolving medium, and I think everyone is still trying to figure out how to make the most out of it. Print, however, has been around since the first Bible rolled off the press (like, 10 zillion B.C. or something), so everyone's got an idea of what works and doesn't work in a magazine. The new Electronic Gaming Monthly shouldn't have:

Reviews

News

Hints, guides, or cheats

Everything is NOW, NOW, NOW! on the Internet. That makes any kind of 'breaking news' or 'exclusive review' almost non-existent for a magazine. If it's in print, it has probably already been online for days. So, where does that leave the brand-new Electronic Gaming Monthly?

I think the magazine should focus on the gaming lifestyle rather than the business. I've always enjoyed reading the interviews with the developers, like the 'Afterthoughts' segment of EGM. Let me read about how Street Fighter IV fans are getting ready for the latest tourney, or what developers and publishers think of the potty mouths on Xbox Live. Don't give me the latest NPD numbers, show me the gamer that paid the money which fuels those numbers.

Also, while I appreciate the idea of combining print and internet, I disliked how, in the old Electronic Gaming Monthly, some articles pointed you to 1UP.com. My thoughts were always, "I've already read what I wanted to; I'm not going to bother going to a computer, punch in the web address, find the story, and read the continuation. If they wanted me to go to the website to read this article, they should just post the whole thing online instead of having me pay a subscription to read only part of it."

In short, I want a reason to stuff a paper magazine in my bag as I catch a ride on the BART. Why should I flip through real pages when I can pull out my phone and read while on my lunch break? I don't mean to criticize anyone or Steve Harris' latest endeavor, especially since the public hasn't yet seen what it is he's trying to do. I just don't want the same old magazine. I do trust the talent behind this project, and I will still pick up the very first issue once it's released. I wish nothing but the best for the new Electronic Gaming Monthly team.

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Comments (20)

Brett Bates

January 02, 2010

I could count on my hand the number of times I've actually sought out "more info" from a magazine's Web site. You've got a good point, Joe.

But I still think there is room for reviews and news -- but only if you go in-depth. Look at a multiplayer component the month after a game's release. Examine the implications of a new merger. Use that extra time to your advantage to deliver thought-provoking stuff the minute-to-minute blogs can't match.

One last thing: Welcome to Bitmob, Joe! Since you're in the Bay Area, you'll have to come out to our next meet-up.

Allistair Everett

January 02, 2010

What I want to see: reviews and articles from Bitmob users published. How awesome would that be? We could all be video game journalists and still live in our parents' basement. 2010 is truly here!

Pete

January 02, 2010

I have to disagree with you Joe. I always liked EGM's reviews. I agreed with them and trusted them more than 1up's reviews.

It would be cool to see Bitmober's reviews and articles and such.

David Matos

January 02, 2010

I agree with you Joe. None of the typical (well maybe a little bit). I would love if the new EGM focused more on features about the gaming industry and gaming culture. Long, thoughtful interviews with developers and publishers on not only their plans, but their influences and their personal and professional philosophies when it comes to games.

I would also like the idea of features about the culture, like SF tourneys but I would only really enjoy this if it branched out from the typical Nor-Cal/So-Cal communities of gaming.

I would also love to see the new EGM be a bit tougher if it does do reviews. I remember back in the N64 and PS1 days, getting a 8/10 score was a real achievement. Not so much these days. this is more a personal request though based on how other gaming media outlets have done their reviews in recent years.

Jason Wilson

January 02, 2010

@Pete For a long time, the reviews in EGM and 1UP were the same....

Joe Atienza

January 02, 2010

@Pete I also appreciated EGM's reviews, but they just aren't that timely considering the limitations of print. Steve Harris is re-branding EGM the magazine as part of a trifecta, if you will, of products. EGM's online counterpart, EGMNOW, or even the digital mag version, EGM[i], could, and should, have reviews. I would like the online components to have all the traditional sections of a magazine (reviews, tips, previews, etc), while the magazine was a little more focused.

@Allistair Everett That would be interesting, especially when you look at the kind of articles being published here every day. These are the kinds of stories I'd probably enjoy reading if I picked up a physical magazine.

Joe Atienza

January 02, 2010

@Brett Bates That's the kind of stuff I want to see in EGM. For example, I wouldn't want to buy the latest issue for a review of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, but what I would enjoy reading are the staff writers' and editors' comparisons of their favorite loadouts for multiplayer.

I recently had a pretty good discussion with a friend of mine where we talked about which perks we liked in combination with which weapons and kill/deathstreaks.

And I know EGM has traditionally been console-centric, but how about some PC love? How about an interview with the top South Korean and American Starcraft players, in conjunction with the launch of Starcraft 2? Or, and this is something I haven't yet seen or read about, the comparisons between PC gaming on a Mac and PC gaming on a gaming PC?

Brian Shirk

January 02, 2010

I'd love to see more interviews as well, but I really want to see reviews return. I know a number of people on the Internet think that video game reviews are outdated, but I completely disagree. I think we've seen an increase in amateurish reviews over the years, but I still think there's a place for quality reviews that cover games in enough detail that enable people to make an informed decision.

William Figueroa

January 03, 2010

Very bold ideas.

But it could work.

Brett Bates

January 03, 2010

@Joe: Your MW2 perk conversation with your friend sounds like a good start for a Bitmob article. What do you say? :)

Dan "Shoe" Hsu

January 03, 2010

You mean you don't want to wait a month to read old tricks, tips, and codes for games? ;)

I still remember when I axed the Tricks of the Trade section in EGM. It was such a traditional standby in EGM for so long, that felt weird. But we knew it wasn't a helpful section for readers anymore in today's Internet age....

Michael Lenoch

January 03, 2010

I'd imagine this precisely like the direction John Davison said he was intending to take GamePro on last week's Listen Up! episode.

In other words, to evolve the medium.

Tom Heistuman

January 06, 2010

Personally, I would love to see more straight up articles. Y'know, the way a GQ or Sports Illustrated does. More actual writing because those were my favorite parts of old EGM. Maybe have the EIC editorial be three times longer and longer reviews of shorter lists of games. Or instead of standard reviews having the editors discuss the new releases they liked best and why.

Ian Culver

January 06, 2010

I agree with most of the points here. However, I always enjoyed EGM's reviews even though I could get them online earlier. Mostly I think because there were a decent amount of people who's opinion I respected at EGM. Dan and Demian come to mind.

Erik Jordan Sugay

January 06, 2010

I remember in one issue of EGM, due to some review limitations Konami put in place for MGS4, a few of the editors/reviewers held a roundtable discussion about the game instead. That gave me a clearer look at how they were approaching the game, what they liked about it, how they felt about it. If this approach was allowed to evolve into, say, a well-thought-out and in-depth civil argument, then multiple differing perspectives could be provided (anything that one reviewer might have missed about the game could be pointed out by another). I liked the old 3-man reviews specifically for that possible reviewer disparity, but there was little interaction between the reviewers.

Rather than traditional reviews in the magazine, I would prefer if the new EGM took that discussional approach and applied that to most of the games they wanted to highlight. It's not really a feature that's time-sensitive (a plus for print outlets), and frankly, I think it would be a high-quality, professional version of what we amateurs do in the comments sections of every website ever: argue.

Cassandra Brabon

January 06, 2010

You bring forth some great insight on the next printed venture of gaming, Joe, and I really appreciate it.

One thing I would like to put out there about community involvement: If Bitmob is going to cover gaming culture (tournaments, etc.), I would really appreciate it if it were to cover more than just the gaming culture inside California. I know lots of you are from the Bay area, but there are many more gaming communities, talents and gaming journalists outside of that area.

If you need help covering events in other regions/states, use the talent of Bitmobers that reside in those areas.

If you truly want to create a larger gaming community, you should utilize the talents that aren't within your physical reach. It'll take some time to coordinate schedules, but I think it would really be worth it if everyone could pull together and do it.

Mike Hanus

January 06, 2010

I agree with the OP. My favorite gaming magazine of all time was Computer Gaming World, because it spent so much time on lifestyle articles, editorials, and Tom vs. Bruce. These are all sort of things I would pay for in a magazine...the cheat codes and reviews I can get online.

Spencer Gregory

January 07, 2010

I personally like having topical, "as up to date as it can be," elements to a magazine. I view monthly magazines like yearbooks, except on a shorter scale. If I pick up an EGM from March of 2001, I want to know what was new back then, what was interesting, and what was exciting. It's fun to look back, but it's only possible if the present is recorded periodically.

The internet is a different thing. Pretty much everything is archived and ready at our fingertips, but that's almost too immediate and compartmentalized for me. What I like about an old magazine is its ability to capture the mood or environment of a certain time, whether it be as specific as a week, month, season, or year. Internet can't do that as well. It's something to remember about the slow print beast.

Tom Heistuman

January 07, 2010

What Spencer said!

Joe Atienza

January 10, 2010

@Spencer Gregory

I agree that print has the ability to capture 'the moment' better than the web, which seems to be more archival in nature. But, what I'd like to see the new EGM continue to do is those yearly issues that come out around December/January (I remember when they used to do the EGM Buyer's Guide, which was a stand-alone issue, then over the past two years did a 'Holiday 200X' issue).

They could act more like yearbooks, recounting the year's biggest events and headlines from the gaming industry and culture. Maybe have interviews with industry people as well as regular gamers about what they thought was significant or a trend they'd like to see continue.

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