Well, I have to take back a few things I have said recently about the relevance of print mags. I applaud CG’s new direction and think it’s about time someone realized that not all gamers are adolescents who only laugh at toilet jokes and only pay attention to ads with huge breasts.
I’m so tired of some marketer whose last gaming experience was Galaga at a bar in college trying to sell me the latest greatest in your face extreme sorts games where all the characters, even the men have 38DD breasts.
I guess you folks weren’t reading the magazine before, because it really hasn’t changed in the last five years. It’s always been a cut above and has never focused on boobs or leet speak. It’s got basically the same writers as it always had.
I guess all Bauman had to do was say it’s more serious (twice…Serious Fun was the tagline over two years ago), and people believe him. Who knew?
Yeah, I am with you Long. I think it is more of a re-statemnt of their focus rather than a shift. It’s always been a cut above, IMO, where intelligent content is concerned. Maybe some vampiress on the cover to sell Newstand copies, but that is the most I have seen.
Dammit I still want it to be called Computer Games Strategy Plus. Who’s with? Email writing campaign starts tomorrow.
You are probably right, however an explicit statement never hurts. I am sure the XTREME ads will continue and so will the large breasts, but at least we know where the editorial stance is.
No offense, but aren’t you the guys who put out this ad?[/quote]
Dagnabbit! “Guest” beat me to it – that was the first thing I thought when I saw DaveC’s message.
I would have had the cajones to sign my name to the post, though. :)
I think CGM has had solid, more mature content since Bauman came back as Editor in Chief (or whatever his offical title is). I can’t remember his predecessor’s name but the magazine was definiately lacking in the leadership department. A team is only as good as its leader. :)
-DavidCPA
On a serious note, there have been a couple more alluring ads that have appeared in gaming ads recently (Everquest: Planes of Power maybe?). I’m waiting to see mainstream, non-gaming/PC ads appear in a gaming magazine. The bawls ads don’t count.
I find myself staring at the ad for one of those racing games. The one with the girl with the checkered panties? I just stare and stare, which is odd because I usually don’t obsess over such things. I have REAL porn, and my wife doesn’t care.
And that can’t be true. There should have been no discernable change, because even when Steve had his year-o’-freelancin’-at-home, I had him doing all the real work behind the scenes while I sat back in my office smoking cigars, counting the payola dollars, and enjoying the services of all those fine prostitutes Eidos and Gathering of Developers kept sending over. “Sones! Another Montechristo #2. Chop chop!”
No offense, but aren’t you the guys who put out this ad?[/quote]
Not my doing, you can ask the marketing departments about that stuff. Also, just because my company does something doesn’t mean I agree with it and vice versa. We have our own minds and we speak them.
Not my doing, you can ask the marketing departments about that stuff. Also, just because my company does something doesn’t mean I agree with it and vice versa. We have our own minds and we speak them.[/quote]
So were you talking about one of your coworkers in particular in your original message, then? :-)
We don’t use that tagline anymore. But anyway, people are sort of inferring an editorial change where none was expressed. As you’ve said, that has always been our editorial direction. The change was in the look and feel of the magazine, and a couple other tweaks here and there (Henry Jenkins/Kurt Squire column for example). It was an effort to make the magazine LOOK like what the words have represented for a few years now.
As for attributing the direction change to Steve’s return as EIC: it actually as more to do with our former publisher leaving, which it just so happens was right after Denny took his current job and left us. :( There were always quite a few things we wanted to do with the mag that we weren’t able to until he left.
I miss PCXL. Sure they had a focus on boobs but if a game or a piece of hardware really sucked, they said it really sucked. However they weren’t above gushing on something that was good.
CGM is ok. Lately though I tend to flip to the Sausage Factory and read the rest later when I’m bored.
Rob, I’m with you on PCXL. They actually had a pretty good sense of humor even if it was a bit lowbrow at times.
I turn further back in CGM. I start with the three fingered salute on page 100. Question for CGM guys: How hard is it to hit exactly 100 pages each issue?
I miss PCXL. Sure they had a focus on boobs but if a game or a piece of hardware really sucked, they said it really sucked. However they weren’t above gushing on something that was good.
Isn’t this just the SOP for most sites and mags? I’m mean isn’t the main complaint about many reviewers is that they can’t move beyond “It Sux!!!” or “It Roxs!!!”
