Computer Gaming World is Dead, Long Live 'Games for Windows'

[fitbabits]

Gamasutra (http://www.gamasutra.com) is reporting that Ziff Davis has ceased publication of Computer Gaming World after many, many years of devoted PC gaming! Oh, but they're publishing a new magazine in its place called Games For Windows, so it's not all bad!

Check out the full article here (http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=10323).

The Ziff Davis Game Group, which produces consumer game site 1UP and Electronic Gaming Monthly and Official PlayStation Magazine in North America, has announced that it is shutting down its US print magazine Computer Gaming World and replacing it with an officially Microsoft-branded 'Games For Windows' magazine and website.

As part of the agreement, Ziff Davis will serve as the independent editorial voice for Microsoft’s Games for Windows initiative, and will launch this new magazine called Games for Windows: the Official Magazine and a companion website on group's the 1UP Network. Microsoft will drive traffic to the magazine and network, as well as help promote the new magazine, which will launch in the fall.
Wow! CGW has been there since the beginning of PC gaming, has it not?

[Last of the Red Hot Mamas]

Jeff Green is over at Qt3 insisting it's just a branding thing and the content won't change. We'll see. On the plus side, this shows that MS is actually somewhat paying attention to PC gaming again.

[TalkingOctopus]

I've been a subscriber since the early 90s, and I've found the last few years of CGW to be abysmal. I was going to cancel after my current subscription ran out anyway. I think the internet has replaced the need for gaming magazines like CGW.

[michaelwhite]

CGW is the toilet paper of computer gaming magazines.

[F3nyx]

They should have just called it "Gaming Vista" -- that way, at least there's an alternative meaning, one that doesn't scream "I'm a magazine-length Microsoft ad!"

[fitbabits]

CGW is the toilet paper of computer gaming magazines.
I think you meant PLAY.

[goc_sin]

It will be sad to see it go after all these years.

[Animated X]

I think you meant PLAY.

What is so horrible about play? As I mentioned in the last thread you were play bashing, they are often slightly skewed in their scoring, among other things, but are they really worse than Gamepro, or Nintendo Power?

[*Legion*]

What is so horrible about play? As I mentioned in the last thread you were play bashing, they are often slightly skewed in their scoring, among other things, but are they really worse than Gamepro, or Nintendo Power?

No, they're not.

[AniAko]

That's funny, I just cancelled my subscription to Computer Gaming world

[Animated X]

I was just going to subscribe to the CGW podcasts....and they go and get cancelled on me.

[Montolio]

I've been getting CGW for free since I registered my copy of Half-Life 2 way back when. I haven't really been getting anything at all from it. F3nyx's comment above is damn funny.

[GrinR]

Gaming for Windows?

WHAT THE FUCK SHIT IS THAT?

http://img432.imageshack.us/img432/5824/dataownage2yg5.gif

[Savok]

What a horrible name

[Montolio]

I was just going to subscribe to the CGW podcasts....and they go and get cancelled on me.Maybe they'll finally cut that stupid Jeff Green commercial spot in the 1UP podcast.

[eeje13]

I hope they cover MineSweeper!

[F3nyx]

I hope they cover MineSweeper!:mad: Hey now, Space Cadet Pinball is pretty damn fun

[EvilBob46]

CGW is the toilet paper of computer gaming magazines.

Funny, considering PC Gamer has also become complete shit in the last few years.

[Citizen Philip]

Print magazines for PC gaming is like getting clay envelopes for written correspondence.

[shnastybiznastic]

Dang, I was hoping that Microsoft's increased focus on consoles would help to make Macs and Linux a better gaming platform.

[BloodPack]

Print magazines for PC gaming is like getting clay envelopes for written correspondence.
I just switched from PC gamer to CGW in the last few months since I realized how stupid PC gamer has become.

[OldBrownShoe]

CGW is great toilet readin' so I hope it doesn't change much, though the name does make me cringe. I always get a kick out of Tom vs. Bruce though.

[XenonCJ]

I Know! Let's Band Together And Create Our Own On-line Gaming Magizine!!!! With Like Forums And Stuff!!!

[dr_wily]

damn i just finished the latest mag of CGW..

free sub from somewhere but ive always liked them

not too sure about the scoreless reviews, but they always place like 4 other sites/mags on the review ala gamerankings to compare.

This months feature on sam and max was awesome

and tom vs bruce is always a must read.

the only thing i hated was scorched earth.. last column was always over my head, it tried way too hard.

interesting to see what comes in the mail the next couple of months and what the editors have to say.

[michaelwhite]

Funny, considering PC Gamer has also become complete shit in the last few years.

Hey, we all need toilet paper.

[F3nyx]

Hey, we all need toilet paper.It's like a Sears catalog for the modern gamer.

[Demo_Boy]

Are we actually going to be asked to pay for an entertainment magazine that is full time patsy reviews of MS first party games?

[buzzfunk]

IMO, PC gamer is the toilet paper mag. CGW isnt really too bad and its a shame. But with a lot of the mags costing $10, i think i will pass on em new name or not.

[michaelwhite]

I agree, CGW was more informative but PC Gamer has fluff.

[Tharsis]

CGW is great toilet readin' so I hope it doesn't change much, though the name does make me cringe. I always get a kick out of Tom vs. Bruce though.
Tom and Bruce might be the only GOOD reason to read CGW err..GFW. That article is always good for a laugh!!

[neutronbeam]

Oh crap. Constant editorial redesigns, stopping the CD with each issue, recent comments from Editor Jeff Green in interviews -- hard for it to make money with diminishing subscriptions. PC Gamer really was leading the field and hurting CGW.

[Wasson_]

Game Informer is the only worth while mag IMHO.

[Acidpoptart]

Game Informer is the only worth while mag IMHO.

Its funny you would say that... I hate that the most haha. Its funny to see what people love and hate... One man's toilet paper is another man's favorite magazine. Whenever I look at GameInformer, I think of when they gave Star Wars Galaxies a 9.5... 2 months before release.

[bait]

CGW has been around since 1981 - 25 YEARS.

They used to be a great magazine that I looked forward to receiving and would read cover to cover as soon as it arrived.

That changed sometime in the mid 90s for me but I'm not sure if the magazine got worse or the whole industry in general got dumbed down. Probably both. The magazine these days is *nothing* compared to it's prime (but then again, neither is PC gaming).

I started reading it sometime in the late 80s/early 90s. It was more a hobbyist's newsletter kind of thing back then.

Here's a website that covers the glory days:
http://cgw.vintagegaming.org/

[Bishop]

This is SAD news indeed, I really enjoyed that magazine.

[Draft]

The entire concept of gaming magazines was made redundant once everyone got on-line, and the effect is more pronounced with PC gaming (because if you PC game, you have a PC, and you have the internet, and do I have to go on?)

I'm surprised these two rags lasted as long as they did, especially because neither one ever bothered to actually respond to on-line game coverage. Exclusive preview? Give me a fucking break, I read about that shit a month ago on GAF. Exclusive review? I'll see scans before the mag gets on the trucks, let alone newstands.

About the only possible thing any mag could offer over a website is editorial content. Use that money to hire good writers to write good articles, instead of getting a super Xclusive preview of DOOM DIABLO II: Episode 2.

You evolve, or you die. Gaming mags have yet to evolve, and so one by one they starve out and become footnotes. They have no one to blame but themselves.

[captainstrombosis]

You evolve, or you die. Gaming mags have yet to evolve, and so one by one they starve out and become footnotes. They have no one to blame but themselves.

What are you talking about?! They evolved to $10 a copy with no exclusive content!

[Wasson_]

they gave Star Wars Galaxies a 9.5... 2 months before release.

I suppose I would say that "you can't win them all", but yeah... that is pretty bad, lol.

But by and large they are trustworthy and non-bias and have pretty cool features / articles.

[aversion2k]

I found the CGW and PCGamer have both turned into small expencive pamphlets full of ad's

[DoubleUranium]

I haven't read a print magazine since Next Generation. Why bother paying for physical media that has news you read online 3 months ago?

[RevGored]

I'm not surprised by this. Magazines are dinosaurs since the advent of the internet gaming site. My only complaint is that CGW is being canned, while PC Gamer is still up. Interesting sidenote - I picked up my first PC Gamers in years due to the fact that Rob "99.4% review" Smith isn't there anymore shitting it up, and Vederman is EIC. It's still a pretty so-so mag, but at least every review doesn't point you to the till with money in hand and drool running down your face because 'THIS GAME DEFINE/REDEFINES THIS GENRE'

[michaelwhite]

I rather enjoyed Smith but Vederman does make a better chief. Smith is doing something with X-Box now though isn't he?

[michaelwhite]

Game Informer is the only worth while mag IMHO.

Wasn't that the magazine that was included in other magazines for free? Sort of like the KFC coupons in the sunday paper?

[fitbabits]

I rather enjoyed Smith but Vederman does make a better chief. Smith is doing something with X-Box now though isn't he?
Funny story about Rob Smith:

He reviewed one of the Champ Man games years ago and, in the footnote at the end, he asked any of the PC Gamer readers to email him if we knew where to get it in the US as it didn't have a US distributor (this was before SEGA bought Sports Interactive). Anyway, I wrote him that I had bought it from the official US Soccer League website and sent him the link, price, etc. He wrote me back and said thanks and that he would mention it in the next issue. Well, the next issue arrived and right there was the exact contents of the email I sent him - except he said that he found it himself after some exhaustive searching for his dear readers. I was so fucking narked that I almost wrote him back to challenge him to a fight. Fucking wanker.

[chirz]

Speaking of high class gaming magazines, who remembers PC Accelerator??

[aversion2k]

Speaking of high class gaming magazines, who remembers PC Accelerator??

Haha, yes. I have about 5 of them

[dragntyr]

Speaking of high class gaming magazines, who remembers PC Accelerator??

I do, PC Accelerator was the greatest (although a little sexist) game magazine ever created! I died a little inside when they stop publishing.

[neutronbeam]

The glory days at CGW -- See here;

http://www.justadventure.com/articles/JohnnyWilson/JohnnyWilsonPart2.shtm

[J Arcane]

I think some of the commentary in this thread is giving way too much credit to the online gaming news sources.

Sure sometimes you get stuff a fair deal sooner than print, but there's also shit tons of horridly written articles, blatant rumor mongering, sensationalism, and a total disregard for the concept of unbiased media.

Take the recent changes with E3. Kotaku and NextGen.biz (god I hate that they stole the name of what was once a far better name than they deserve) were screaming OMFG! CANCELLED! before there was actually anything more than an anonymous rumor.

Sometimes we even get the same rumors reposted month after month, even after they've long since been officially debunked.

Most of the so-called "journalism" in online media right now just amounts to copy-and-pasted links passed from one blog to the next.

Following the feeds on Gametab these days is more about watching a comedy of errors than any attempt to get much real gaming info or news.

The advantage of a print medium is that the amoutn of time involved in getting out a monthly magazine means more time spent making sure the story is actually right when it goes to print. Yes, it's slow, but there is potential there for a lot more oversight and editorial scruples than what passes for such on your average blog.

Of course, then there's mags like GamePro. No medium is perfect.

Plus, I like those CDs. It's nice getting a sweet new demo without having to deal with wonderign if Fileplanet is actually gonna give me the file, or just a big fat empty .zip. And CGW in particular was really cool sometimes about tossing in full, free games, like the time they gave away Ultima Underworld.

[Kefkataran]

Eep, hope this doesn't change the mag much... worriesome name.

[RevGored]

Speaking of high class gaming magazines, who remembers PC Accelerator??

Whoever doesn't remember PCXL doesn't really have a background in PC gaming, to be quite honest.

[michaelwhite]

I used to have a stack of PC Accelerators. Great frap material.

[GrinR]

For those PC Accelerator fans out there:

Read my interview (http://arstechnica.com/etc/games/2000/gars-06102000-2.html) about it.

It was a great gig, and it warms my heart to hear that people enjoyed it.

[dr_wily]

CGW evolved.. they are part of the 1up network, and they always mention shit like "read more on 1up" (for better or worse).

plus this while print vs online is bullshit.. people have been dooming and glooming newspapers for years and they still are doing quite well on the stock market.

I take my mags and read them on the MAX ride to work.. if you have a laptop on the fucking bus then you are a loser. I fucking hate those guys.

[Magnanimous Gnome]

Damn, this really is a shitty name.

Poor PC Gamer...I used to love that mag back when the PC was king. Then the last gen of consoles game out and you could tell that the mag writers were scared or at least insecure. They started bashing the consoles in every issue while inflating the score of many overhyped PC titles. The final straw was the Doom 3 review. After that I cancelled my subscription and haven't looked back. Reading the magazine at that point was like reading OXM.

[Kefkataran]

Mag, you know this is about CGW and not PCGamer, right? ;p

But I agree about PC Gamer's writing quality generally declining quite a bit in the last few years.

[Magnanimous Gnome]

Mag, you know this is about CGW and not PCGamer, right? ;p

But I agree about PC Gamer's writing quality generally declining quite a bit in the last few years.


Hehe, yeah, I guess I got off on a bit of a tangent there. I wanted to appear to be at least somewhat on topic, hence my first comment. ;)

[Kefkataran]

Actually, reading some reviews in PC Gamer recently (especially their Prey review) gave me a lot of hope about my ability to break into the games journalism industry -- I know I can write above that level.

[Magnanimous Gnome]

Actually, reading some reviews in PC Gamer recently (especially their Prey review) gave me a lot of hope about my ability to break into the games journalism industry -- I know I can write above that level.


It would be nice to work as a games journalist. Good luck!

[Kefkataran]

Thanks, Magnanimous. :) You know, Game Informer's run out of the Twin Cities. ;)

[Magnanimous Gnome]

Thanks, Magnanimous. :) You know, Game Informer's run out of the Twin Cities. ;)


Really?

I am looking for a job... :)

[Kefkataran]

Look 'em up, my man! I'm hoping to intern there for a while in a couple years. Fingers crossed.

[dr_wily]

you know you can take this to another thread called "gaming journalism and me" or something.

I would like to stop getting email updates on this thread. :P

[Kefkataran]

Here's another one just for you (and my post count).

[Magnanimous Gnome]

Oh, I want in on the fun!!!!

I personally turned off e-mail notification long ago. Getting dozens of e-mails from EA every day isn't very appealing to me. :p