Do you read gaming magazines or stay online?

lokiju · Post by **lokiju** » Wed Dec 15, 2004 1:16 pm

I admit that gaming magazines can be great for future purchase excitement, but the information you get is usually 2 months old. I can't believe that in this broadband age we still have the patience to read magazines with outdated info. The only reason I would read a gaming magazine is on a trip where you can't get access to the internet. All of the info you want/need is on the net. Plus it's cheaper to read online, although some sites do require modest fees to join (and there are many freebie magazine offers out there).

So how many players read magazines these days

Greggy_D · Post by **Greggy_D** » Wed Dec 15, 2004 1:22 pm

I subscribe to all 3 major PC rags. My subscriptions are good until 2011, or something of that nature.

The One reason I get them: Something to read on the shitter.

Dirt · Post by **Dirt** » Wed Dec 15, 2004 1:28 pm

I flip through them if I'm just browsing at B&N or Borders. The articles are no better than what you can find online, but the pictures are prettier.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Wed Dec 15, 2004 2:02 pm

I haven't read a paper magazine since Computer Games stop sending me a comp subscription (I used to write for them).

I do get a digital version of CGW, but I only look at that when I'm killing time at the airport or need to reference a specific article for some reason.

I bet I haven't bought a copy of PC Gamer in over a decade, although I've read individual articles that people have sent me now and again (I know several of their writers).

Lassr · Post by **Lassr** » Wed Dec 15, 2004 2:14 pm

I still read PC Gamer & CGW. Mostly as just reading material for when I have no access to my computers.

Giles Habibula · Post by **Giles Habibula** » Wed Dec 15, 2004 2:23 pm

I subscribe to all 3 and read them all. Mostly at work or on the sofa when I don't feel like turning on the PC.

When the PCs on, I'm all over that too.

Head · Post by **Head** » Wed Dec 15, 2004 2:26 pm

Well, my work place just reciently blocked everything but OO. So now I'll be getting my gaming news from PC Gamer and Computer Gaming World more than before. -- and also from the OO forum.

~Head

Ralph-Wiggum · Post by **Ralph-Wiggum** » Wed Dec 15, 2004 2:27 pm

I get a whole bunch of gaming magazines. CGW, EMG, Gamespot (

), etc. But only because I don't pay for them. Through all those free magazine deals, I have subscriptions to more magazines than I have time to read.

Huw the Poo · Post by **Huw the Poo** » Wed Dec 15, 2004 3:45 pm

Greggy_D wrote: The One reason I get them: Something to read on the shitter.

You're not alone.

Rich in KCK · Post by **Rich in KCK** » Wed Dec 15, 2004 4:05 pm

I read the CGM but leave the reviews and previews for last. I go straight for Tom Chick's editorial on the back page and then read the rest of them followed by the letters then the hardware then the Now Playing section and then into the section on mods. Most of the news ticker parts I've already read on the net and the previews are for games so far off that it limits my joy of reading about them. As for the reviews I only really like reading them if it is for a game I've played already to see if I agree with them or not. For real game reviews I just pay more attention to our gaming forums here.

I'd still buy the magazine if all it had were the 5-6 editorials in it.

Jow · Post by **Jow** » Wed Dec 15, 2004 5:06 pm

Had a subscription to Computer Gaming World years ago but let it lapse due to the treasure trove of stuff available online (not to mention time-sensitive material in the mags is always way dated compared to what's available online).

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Wed Dec 15, 2004 5:25 pm

I don't read the magazines.

moss_icon · Post by **moss_icon** » Wed Dec 15, 2004 5:35 pm

i read retro gamer for 6 issues, but it was too expensive and should have stayed bi-monthly. i have no interest in games magazines any more, this forum provides me more than enough information about new games.

Freezer-TPF- · Post by **Freezer-TPF-** » Wed Dec 15, 2004 5:53 pm

I get a few from free subscriptions, and I usually flip through them in the john or before going to sleep. It is also nice sometimes just to sit on the couch and flip through a real magazine instead of staring at a computer screen.

I should start throwing out my older mags though. I have kept almost all of them, thinking "I may want to look back at a review or strategy/tip section when I finally get/play game X," but the reality is that I could just find review/strategy information online more quickly and without taking valuable shelf/floor space in my apartment. I'll add that to my growing "War on Clutter" project list.

Azhure · Post by **Azhure** » Wed Dec 15, 2004 5:53 pm

When I was on dialup I used to occasionally pick up a print magazine mainly to get the attached demo disc when something interested me. Since I've had dsl I've stopped doing that and doubt I will ever buy one again.

philosophist · Post by **philosophist** » Wed Dec 15, 2004 7:24 pm

I really enjoy the editorials in the back of Computer Games Magazine. Since this content is not available online (I would pay for it), I don't mind subscribing. Besides, I like a good read for the can.

I also subscribe to another magazine that targets the gaming niche, Maximum PC. Although I'm 30+ and officially "over the hill", I really appreciate their carefree, almost sophomoric, sense of humor. It's everything PC Gamer wishes it could be. I tried Computer Power User, but the magazine, while timely and technically deep, is just too dry for my taste.

Darrell999 · Post by **Darrell999** » Wed Dec 15, 2004 8:40 pm

Like one of the previous posters, the reason I subscribe to two of the magazines is for something to look at while I'm on the throne.

I gave up on Computer Gaming World last year, however, because so much of the writing seems geared toward 13-year-olds. It's just embarrassing to read. By far the best mag is Computer Games, except that they have the lame "Now Playing" section in the back to make their wimpy size seem a bit more respectable.

Other than those, I peruse the pc gaming sites daily. I like Adrenaline Vault the best, because of the clean format.

Greggy_D · Post by **Greggy_D** » Wed Dec 15, 2004 10:27 pm

Darrell999 wrote:I gave up on Computer Gaming World last year, however, because so much of the writing seems geared toward 13-year-olds. It's just embarrassing to read.

Don't forget to classify PC Gamer in that category too. No wait.......I think they're shooting for 8 year olds.

disarm · Post by **disarm** » Wed Dec 15, 2004 10:39 pm

i stopped my subscription to PCGamer a couple years ago for several reasons. first, their writing has deteriorated dramatically and it's nowhere near the magazine it used to be. add to that the uselessness of demo discs thanks to broadband, and the fact that you can almost always get more current info online, and paying for a magazine subscription just didn't make sense anymore. i'll still pick up an issue in the store on occassion if there's something interesting though. the last one i picked up was the CGW from about a year ago when they gave away a DVD with Thief 2, DeusEx, and a couple other full games.

Faldarian · Post by **Faldarian** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 3:08 am

I get a couple because my wife picks them up when our kids have fundraisers for this and that, and I do enjoy getting them.

I pretty much rely on Blues News for gaming stuff like I have for past umpteen years, but I need to do something away from computers... so, I read magazines about them. I'm obsessed I think :p

bluefugue · Post by **bluefugue** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 5:52 am

I kind of feel like I should support the mags but I don't want to pay for subscriptions. I'm too much of a tightwad. My last subscription lapsed sometime around 01/02. Since then I buy the very occasional issue* but get 90% of my gaming info online, and an increasingly large percentage of that not from official sites, but from a few forums like this one.

Too bad in a way. I have a fond memory of videogame mags, going way back to the original Electronic Games which I'd breathlessly peruse for Colecovision screenshots and such over 20 years ago. On up through Commodore Magazine, .INFO magazine, Amazing Computing, and then CGW starting around '89/'90.

*of course, if one buys more than just a few "occasional issues" each year one might as well just subscribe, given the high price of buying them off the rack

RookieCAF · Post by **RookieCAF** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 9:04 am

I get em if I can find free offers. I currently get CGW (Freebie) , Computer Games (Freebie) and EGM (Freebie). I will pick up the occasional PC Gamer and usually grab MaxPC..

lokiju · Post by **lokiju** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 10:40 am

I get Maximum PC right now as well. That's actually part of the reason I started this thread. I have found that I'd rather find the info through google than store magazines and hope to figure out which one had the info that I needed. Plus, magazines can get quite heavy in storage!

Captain Caveman · Post by **Captain Caveman** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 10:41 pm

Ralph-Wiggum wrote:I get a whole bunch of gaming magazines. CGW, EMG, Gamespot ( ), etc. But only because I don't pay for them. Through all those free magazine deals, I have subscriptions to more magazines than I have time to read.

You mean Gamepro.

And someone, PLEASE tell Ralph to stop getting these free magazine subscriptions. Our house now recieves Maxim and all its off-shoots (FHM, Blender, etc)., Spin, Computer Shopper, some other PC hardware magazine, Hollywood Insider, 4 or 5 gaming mags, TV guide, some photography magazine, USA today (5 days a week), and Esquire (the one halfway decent mag we receive.) It's a mess.

jonsauce · Post by **jonsauce** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 12:21 am

I subscribe to all 3 major PC rags. My subscriptions are good until 2011, or something of that nature.

The One reason I get them: Something to read on the shitter.

I second that. It's all I read on the shitter.

Beer Goggles · Post by **Beer Goggles** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 11:35 am

I still subscribe to the major three computer gaming mags. Nothing better to read on the toilet, at lunch or when you are stuck somewhere wiating.

hitbyambulance · Post by **hitbyambulance** » Tue Dec 21, 2004 9:58 pm

i no longer pay for my Computer Games and CGW subscriptions, thanks to the free offers all over the net... doesn't really matter, since i now bike instead of bus to work, and i have no real time to read them anyways - when i do read, i'm trying to work on finishing 'real' books. i also have a subscription to Game Developer (free). i gave up on my PC Gamer subscription last year.

HOWEVER, i would *totally pay for Retro Gamer *if it were cheaper. just can't shell out $11 per issue.... that magazine brings back what gaming magazines used to be like! ...ok, i'm a nostalgic, in this regard.....

Atalante · Post by **Atalante** » Wed Dec 22, 2004 8:00 am

Hell, I don't even read other sites for my gaming info. I used to head over to blues every other day, but all the good stuff is going to get posted here anyway...

qp · Post by qp » Wed Dec 22, 2004 9:28 am

Nearly a year now and I haven't purchased any sort of magazine! The internet provides more than enough info - now I just need a WiFi enabled PDA to read it on the can though.

Meghan · Post by **Meghan** » Thu Dec 30, 2004 9:20 pm

my Computer Games magazine is up for renewal. I was getting it for free (I forget why) and was thinking of renewing because I've got it bad for Trevor. CGM used to do a thing where the CD version of the mag had extra features and reviews which were left out of the non-cd thing. I haven't thought about it since I was getting it free but now I'm wondering - do they still do that? IS there content on the demo version that's not on the plain version?

I should probably look around and see if I can't get it free again ...

Vinda-Lou · Post by **Vinda-Lou** » Fri Dec 31, 2004 12:03 am

Meghan wrote:my Computer Games magazine is up for renewal. I was getting it for free (I forget why) and was thinking of renewing because I've got it bad for Trevor. CGM used to do a thing where the CD version of the mag had extra features and reviews which were left out of the non-cd thing. I haven't thought about it since I was getting it free but now I'm wondering - do they still do that? IS there content on the demo version that's not on the plain version?

I should probably look around and see if I can't get it free again ...

I can't even find a version with cds in it lately. I also got a free subscription, but when it ran out I noticed that every store carries only cd-free versions. So I assume that the magazine is the same with or without the cds.

Rich in KCK · Post by **Rich in KCK** » Fri Dec 31, 2004 1:33 am

I couldn't find it (CGM) free but I did find a place where I could renew for $5 if I can ever find it again I'll post it.

Greggy_D · Post by **Greggy_D** » Fri Dec 31, 2004 2:26 am

magazinevalues.com

They have CGM, PC Gamer, and Maximum PC for 5 bucks each.

I've ordered from them numerous times over the past 3 years and have never had a problem.