Lamenting the Loss of Video Game Magazines
I miss magazines.
*Cover image originally from this article on Medium
Have you ever had some free time on your hands, gone over to your shelf full of games/Steam library, etc., stared down and couldn’t decide on anything to play? This is an all too common problem in this modern day of streaming services and extremely disposable media. Deciding what to watch on Netflix is harder than it used to be walking the aisles in Blockbuster. But this problem doesn't just apply to entertainment itself. No, it also applies to entertainment news.
Consuming information has dramatically changed in the past 20 years or so, and while in some ways the access to so much information at all times has been a huge improvement over the old days, in others, it has somehow made people less informed. Wading through the sea of near endless headlines plastered all over the internet (interspersed with dozens of ads, scams, and phishing traps, of course) makes it difficult to find any sort of intelligently curated collection of news stories to stay up to date with what’s going on in the world.
That is, unless you’re looking for old news!
Image credit: Video Game History FoundationBefore the internet turned into the bottomless pit of engagement farming and false information it is today, people used to get their news from printed publications like newspapers, or in the case of video games, magazines.
Since this is the world we live in now, let me explain a bit. Back in the before times, every month, multiple outlets would release magazines, sort of like miniature books with lots of pictures on them, full of the latest reviews, previews, cheat codes, and more. Everyone had their own style, and some were unabashedly just straight up propaganda, but because of the nature of the medium, it was a curated experience. Looking through old magazines to find out what was going on in the world of video games in, say, March 1994, is a great time. Just find a magazine from the time period you’re looking for, open it up, and have a look at what was happening.
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The trouble with physical media, especially something as disposable as magazines from the 90s, is that they tend to degrade, or get destroyed over time. There are some excellent preservation efforts out there making sure these magazines aren’t lost to time though, which is great! They’ve been an incredible resource for various research projects I’ve done right here on this site. Truly, video game magazines were a wonderful thing.
Sadly, with the recent closure of Game Informer, pretty much all the big names of old are gone. When I was growing up, there were a handful of magazines that I paid attention to the most, and at the very top of that list was none other than the hallowed pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly.
EGM was an institution that got its start all the way back in 1989 and was a staple of magazine racks for ages. I remember these things being THICK, too. Yes, a lot of that was ads, but there was a ton of coverage in there, as well. I was drawn to this magazine mostly because I tended to agree with a lot of their opinions. They seemed to like most of the same things I did, and it overall really spoke to me.
So, where is it now? As far as I can tell, the final printed issue of EGM was about 10 years ago with issue 264 in 2014. Its original run ended with Issue 236 in January 2009, with issue 237 supposedly finished but never actually printed. Things stayed a little wonky through 2010 when it released quarterly for a bit, but got back on track by the end of the year. The magazine changed hands a number of times, with its original founder Steve Harris eventually reacquiring it. They relaunched physical issues for a while, but wound up turning the brand into an all digital website which seems to be all but defunct now, with only two listed staff members, and the most recent post being from February 2024.
The counterpart to EGM though, was GamePro. This one started way back in April 1989, and ran for a very respectable 26 years. GamePro was a bit more goofy of a magazine, and while I did enjoy it at the time, I much preferred EGM. That said, GamePro left a heck of a legacy. Their annual April Fools issues were legendary (EGM was no slouch in this department either), and their review scale images are still pretty dang iconic to this day.
So where is it now? It appears their final print issue was GamePro Winter Quarterly Issue 1 in Winter 2011, with the last regularly numbered issue being #277 from October that same year. GamePro often featured original artwork on their covers instead of using official key art, which was super cool, and they continued this trend all the way through their final issue. They also tried to live on as a website for a while, but got absorbed into PC World. I don’t think it has any presence left at all.
Next, we had GameFan. This was a bit of an oddball since I could rarely find it around where I lived. And even when I did, there were far fewer copies around than EGM and GamePro. It’s got a pretty wild history that’s been detailed on Hardcore Gaming 101 and Time Extension, which I recommend reading if you haven’t.
The covers had some wacky artwork, usually featuring the magazine’s TV headed mascot, and the contents within always seemed a lot more “underground” if that makes any sense. It was a great magazine, even if it didn’t always have its facts straight (I distinctly remember seeing the title Metroid 64 in one issue and was pretty broken-hearted when it never materialized), but it was probably one of the coolest publications around.
So where is it now? According to Wikipedia, it’s been inactive since January 2019. There have been several attempts to get the magazine back off the ground dating back to 2010 when it was relaunched, and very quickly started missing its deadlines.
Next, there was Game Informer. I honestly don’t have a ton to say about this one. I worked at FuncoLand for a number of years, which was where Game Informer subscriptions came from. As a free thing you got with your Fun Club Card, sure. Good times. But as an actual magazine? Can’t say I’ve ever been much of a fan. When Funco (and everyone else) got bought up by the grotesque monolith that is GameStop, Game Informer stuck around because, again, it was the free thing you got with your discount card! I’m somewhat sad they got shut down because they were one of the last of the big names out there still making print magazines, but I haven’t read it in ages.
The only other big name back in the old days for me was, of course, Nintendo Power. This magazine was a giant, and in its early days was absolutely a propaganda rag. This thing was chock full of praise for a whole lot of mediocre stuff, but in all honesty, who cares? It was such a fun thing to see! Nintendo Power instilled a unique sense of community in its branding. Similar to how it felt watching Nickelodeon back in the 90s. It made me just want to be a part of its world, which was nonstop fun and excitement!
So, where is it now? Nintendo Power was eventually outsourced to Ziff Davis Media, where it became less about Nintendo propaganda and more about just reporting on all thighs Nintendo. By the end of its run, it had become a genuinely great magazine. It had over 2 million subscribers when Nintendo unceremoniously pulled the plug at the end of 2012. That decision always baffled me, since there was still undoubtedly a lot of value in having a physical magazine dedicated to your brand, especially one with 2 million existing subscribers, but what do I know?
They tried to revive it as a podcast a few years ago, but even I stopped listening to that before long. Regardless, Nintendo Power’s legacy is undeniable.
Gaming magazines are effectively a thing of the past now, but it’s not all bad news. Yes, there are a small handful of folks out there doing the work to help keep print media alive. Europe has Edge and Retro Gamer. I’ve never seen Edge, as I’m in the US, but I’ve seen a few issues of Retro Gamer out and about, and it’s a pretty good time. I especially love the bit in the corner of the cover that says “OLD!”
There's currently (as of this writing) a Kickstarter for a fascinating new magazine called Generations that looks to be a sort of catch-all for video game history and preservation. It's a little spicy for folks outside of the UK, but it's also only quarterly, so the cost isn't super frequent. I really hope it gets funded, because the world could certainly use more print media focused on history.
Here in the US, there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot. There was Retro magazine several years back that tried to leverage itself into a video game system that eventually became the Coleco Chameleon, and we all know how that turned out! There are two Nintendo-focused publications out there that aimed to fill the void Nintendo Power left, which is neat. Pure Nintendo Magazine is now 68 issues deep, and it appears to still be going. I haven’t read it in a number of years, but it was pretty good when it started.
Of course, I’m personally biased because I’m a staff writer there, but Nintendo Force is a fantastic magazine. It’s formatted in a similar fashion to how Nintendo Power was when it ended, and feels like a true continuation of what they established. It even comes with posters! Fun!
As for general gaming, not Nintendo exclusive stuff, the pickins seem to be slim. There’s some sort of digital magazine called GameOn that apparently is still going even though their website hasn’t been updated since 2020, but I’ve never read it before so I don't have any input on it. Seems neat though!
So, what do you think about the world of video game magazines? Do you miss the old days of curated news, even if it only showed up once a month? Are there any great classic magazines I missed, or current running magazines I should know about? Let me know!
