Why Do You Read EDGE?
I recently discovered a thread on the new Edge forum which asked as to why people read Edge. Here are my opinions as to why I DON’T read Edge. Please note: these are my opinions, and do not in any way represent the views and opinions of gamers everywhere.
I started reading Edge magazine around issue #6 (or was it #9? Either way, I guess I’m a “lifer”). But I gave up on it a few years ago, because as much as I wanted to stick with the magazine (out of some sheer mis-placed sense of loyalty), its arrogance in continuing to promote “videogame culture” just took the fun out of it for me. Also, towards the end, I just found the magazine’s feature articles and columns to be really boring. Even Steven Poole couldn’t reignite my interest when he returned as a column writer.
Thank God for Games TM, a multiformat magazine that does a better job of conveying the enthusiasm one should feel toward the medium. Its features are always informative (much like the Edge of yore), and are always really fun to read.
Reading Edge in comparison is like watching a really old couple who’ve decided to stick together, even thought the passion that they once had for each other died a long time ago. For me, Edge now represents a creatively stifled brand that has little meaning and significance within an increasingly fragmented marketplace (even though Tony Mott et al continue to peddle it as being the one-size-fits-all “videogame bible” – which in itself is the height of misguided arrogance).
Edge’s recent redesign is also testament to an editorial philosophy that harks back to a time when the internet didn’t exist. And in an age when the web offers a two-way dialogue, so that a news article eventually comes to represent an ever-changing organism that is constantly evolving, Edge continues to stand by its firm stance in only purporting to offer a one-way stream of dialogue.
Judging by what Rllmukforum gets up to, I get the impression that most gamers are lazy, incredibly stupid and have nothing meaningful to say… and although I honestly believe that each and everyone of us has the ability to carve out a successful name for ourselves in the gaming industry, not everyone of us has the desire. It’s for this reason that I understand (yet lament) Edge’s insistence in taking away the “Online/Offline” component in its magazine. To some people, there just seems to be no reason as to why anyone would wish to interact with the magazine now, especially as one isn’t going to be rewarded for their efforts.
But even when the “Online/Offline” section was included in the magazine, this slice of editorial was hardly renowned for highlighting intelligent gaming discussion amongst Edge’s forum users. Many of their printed comments were throwaway and childish, and didn’t give any impression at all of any industrious long-form articles or intelligent gaming discussions materializing from the forum. In this regard therefore, Edge can certainly be accused of not only dumbing down its intended audience, but also for promoting a culture which comes to view videogames as anything other than a mature pursuit.
There used to be a time when Edge’s ability to meet the needs and demands of the “mature” gamer was such that its lofty status within the industry was fully deserved. The magazine was the unequivocal bastion and leader in the videogames magazine market for a long time and fulfilled this crucial service with much aplomb and public fanfare. Compare its authoritative heyday to where it now resides, and one realizes that Edge has replaced its assured confidence for misplaced arrogance. The magazine and brand is so out of touch with “mature” gaming interests now, and seems far more interested in pleasing the demands of corporate shareholders.
Even today, Edge continues to argue that its editorial tone is unmarred by financial and economic pressures, and yet its senior editorial team resigned (mass exodus) in 2003, followed by its online editorial staff walking out in 2009. To me, that doesn’t spell confidence in a magazine that continues to perpetually straddle the fine line between creative and commercial interests – and let’s not even talk about the £5 cover price.
With Gamepro (a longstanding American gaming magazine) having recently ceased operations, its only a matter of time before Edge has to also make the decision of where it wants to go next. Its redesign smacks of a desire for the magazine to recapture former glories, but the redesign also reeks of Edge’s nostalgic nod towards its former status, when gaming magazines enjoyed a far more mainstream place within the industry. Bob Dylon once sang “the times, they are a changin”, and I don’t think Edge has done enough in recent times to evolve with the changing needs of the marketplace. And with everyone now going online to consume their media content, it baffles me as to why the Edge website continues to look like a glorified blog.
With websites (like Eurogamer) having stolen much of Edge’s thunder in recent years, I do wonder as to when it’ll be before Edge wakes up to its own predicament and embraces the myriad of exciting opportunities as presented via the internet. And if everyone is going online, how long will it be before the “videogame bible” follows suit and joins the rest of us who left the print world (in its present incarnation) long ago…
Only time will tell. But one thing I can tell you though is “The future is almost here”.
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Interesting views.
I’ve never particularly liked EDGE, throughout its history. Whilst I recognised it’s stature, and got the odd issue, and enjoyed the odd feature, I always described it as having its head up its arse, or being full of itself. It was mainly the seriousness coupled with the overly technical reviews that put me off – although I recognised it was a great place to go for features.
Despite your preference for GamesTM, EDGE officially became the best selling videogames magazine in the UK last year – verified by the last round of ABCs. Of course, it actually sold on average 2,000 less copies, or thereabouts, – total circulation for 2010 was 28,051.
I can’t recall the website stats – but during a train conversation James Binns thought the loss of 2,000 print readers, yet a gain of 100,000-odd [again, can't remember exact figures mentioned here] website visitors was a fair cop.
Interestingly – EDGE has *always* lurked around the 28-31k mark its entire life. Could it be business as usual in the EDGE offices? Or will 2011 figures – released in Feb – show a further decline?
The fact you wrote so much about the mag demonstrates it means something to you – and you care about its direction. Do you still buy the occasional issue, just to see how it’s doing? Are a lot of people doing the same?
The argument you make for online innovation is an interesting one – especially with the rise of digital titles on tablet. Will we see these brands embrace the web moreso? Go the route of the App Store? Or both!?
I hate reading PDF page turners in a browser window – but my sister recently showed me her iPad, and I had no problem flicking through EGMi via their dedicated app. It was akin to crashing out on my bed as a teenager with the latest mags – really quite readable, despite the lack of humour on offer, ^_^.
I actually feel however, there’s a bit of an overkill on mature gaming titles these days. As well as EDGE, we have Kill Screen, and now also Continue Mag – a free preview is over at: http://www.continuemag.com/ Although neither KillScreen nor Continue do the kind of business EDGE does, I’d love to see a mag that doesn’t take itself so seriously, has lots of pictures and box-outs, and not just columns of long form text. >_<. I'm too lazy to read that much dammit! Incidentally, if you've read my comment this far, =), well done – have a lollipop!
Megaton was a nice effort for the 7-10 year olds – but a bit below my reading level! Lol! And the next issue has been delayed, so I'm wondering if the plug might have been pulled?
My argument therefore, is that there should be more than GamesMaster for the teenage audience. I bought GM recently, ^_^, and it was s**********t! Heh. ^_^ Happy New Year!
you owe me a lollipop
do i honestly care about the magazine, or what it represents? do i honestly care about a “videogame bible” that is past its sell by date, or a magazine that purports to championing “videogame culture” when most “gamers” (as evidenced by what occurs on certain forums) happen to appropriate a mob-mentality, are stupid, and aren’t prepared to better themselves.
i couldn’t care less as to whether edge sells more copies than its contemporaries. when edge first started out, it wasn’t the biggest selling magazine on the market. and games tm isn’t the biggest selling magazine on the market today – which probably goes to show why the editorial content within its pages is more “pure” and isn’t sullied by what happens to be popular or hip at the moment. i guess i’m “not down with the kids”. and nor do i pretend to be.
speaking of kids, i just pimped my website on the edge forum, and had a few people heckle at my efforts. i’m sure their childish behavior will be adequately rewarded, when their presence is approved and their comments are printed in the magazine. so much for offering constructive criticism…
but then again, the fault also lies with the edge editorial team who act as moderators, and who have instilled the present value system on their forum.
i’m not sure if edge will delete my post. i encroached on their website, and am at odds with what their target audience gets up to, so i’m not sure if they’ll view my comments as being “interesting”. in any case, the good thing about having one’s own blog/website is that it’s your own little island, and you don’t have to worry about engaging in popularity contests that are devoid of merit or talent.
let the universe decide as to what is “cool”…
i think i have something meaningful to say (regardless of what edge thinks), and although i am aware that this may be at odds with edge’s editorial stance, as the magazine has to cave in (and be a slave) to commercial and audience pressures, i’m not going to let them dictate to me as to whether what i say is “interesting” or not. i am just going to re-post my reply from their forum here. saves a lot of aggro in the process.
Incidentally, if you’ve read my comment this far, =), well done – have a lollipop!
You may not be down with the kids – but magazines should listen to their readers if they’re to appeal to them. I’m not excusing publishers trying to be hip, so much as suggesting there’s good reason to pursue unsullied “pure” content you speak of.
“speaking of kids, i just pimped my website on the edge forum, and had a few people heckle at my efforts.”
–> Isn’t that the way of the internet?
I used to pimp my website too…. XD…then I took an arrow to the knee!
Yay! ^_^ I got my lollipop back! =S Eww… you’ve already licked it, =P. You can keep it!
The EDGE forum excerpt was a little hard to follow as I wasn’t sure at first if it was all you, or this crayon guy… I think now just the top quote was him, and the rest you… good Theodore quote, although I reject the idea of failure – failure as an end point at least. I like what Moshi Monster’s creator Michael Acton Smith preaches about getting past this culture of failure in the UK, where if you don’t succeed at first, you give up. Again, quoting his Edinburgh Interactive 2010 presentation – “It’s okay to fail, as long as you fail quickly” [ Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IYejpUmAVI ]
You do sound a bit bitter in your rant though.
If you *do* want to stick your neck out – try bitmob.com – the best reader stuff ends up on the homepage!
magazines are essentially glorified hubs for writer activity. and if a writer is to be considered as an artist, then it doesn’t make sense for them to compromise their ideals in order to gain greater material success.
any corporation, business (or magazine) is essentially the sum of the people contained within. edge is no different. and whilst the name remains, i highly doubt that the majority of the people who were involved with the magazine in its early years still have (or want) anything to do with the magazine.
you only end up attracting the kind of people that share the same ideals and values as you do. edge is no different in this regard, as the magazine and its target audience are one and the same.
i guess all the people that really mattered in edge’s history have either quit or have “moved on” (however surreptitiously that may have been).
this may sound as if i am tarring everyone with the same brush (and maybe i am), but all the people that are involved with edge now have one eye on circulation figures, and the other on their bank balance.
edge to me is no different that a slightly more high-brow version of opm. and if what you say about its circulation is true (although i find it hard to believe), no wonder it has the highest circulation figure out of all the gaming magazines… the magazine “sold out” years ago and has been looking towards a more mainstream editorial for some time now.
i wouldn’t say i’m bitter. i just find it hard to understand as to why accomplishments on (certain parts of) the internet often go unnoticed by those who have very little desire to advance themselves, or even talk about their own accomplishments. after all, isn’t that how respect is earned? what have most gamers done to earn respect and prestige in the gaming community? i’d have thought the first thing you’d have done if you accomplished anything gaming related would be to head on over to the internet and shout about it on these very forums…
oh: about the bit about pandering to your audience. i didn’t write a substantial amount on edge because i thought there might be someone out there who will be interested in reading what i have to say. i wrote it because edge is a magazine that i was really passionate about for the longest time.
i guess you kept on reading my “column” because my passion saw you through. can the same be argued for edge, where you read every issue cover to cover each month, or do you find yourself putting the magazine back on the rack after a few pages?
i flick through the magazine each month… but i never buy it. there just isn’t enough (passion) in there to hold my interest and to warrant me spending £5 on it.
rant over. and now, i’m off to bed.
Yeah, I sensed your passion.
I’ve met – is it Alex Wiltshire(!?) a few times at Develop [2007-2008], so I wouldn’t slag him off. I remember talking about a Mirror’s Edge feature he’d written – fast forwards a few years and he’s Editor, =O…! [Actually - just looked that up to be sure, as I don't read EDGE regularly, and it looks like he's Online Editor - I dunno about the print version]
I’m actually splashing out £5 these days on Monocle magazine [ http://www.monocle.com ]. I was broke for ages, and couldn’t buy any mags, =/, so as soon as I got an income, I bought with abandon, ^_^. I only ever bought two issues of GamesTM ages back, but never bought subsequent issues, as I hadn’t finished them as it was – I used to feel GamesTM contained too much, about too much…too much to read, and too wide a focus, but since I haven’t even flicked through a copy for a few years now, those criticisms may no longer be valid, I dunno.
I wouldn’t call EDGE mainstream though. It’s only become the best selling multi-format Games magazine as GamesMaster has taken a horrendous nose-dive. I should add – it’s not the best selling games mag, just the best selling multi-format games mag – my bad! I can’t remember what the best selling games mag is – I’d guess Official Xbox 360 [60,859 ABC for 2010].
tony mott is the editor (in chief). and he has been around forever…
i too met alex wiltshire at develop conference. i was somewhat surprised to see him take a back seat at the event, as i would have thought that he would have been chairing a few conferences and developer talks…
i think it would be good if the online aspect of edge started featuring podcasts and video programs (such as featurettes and reviews). you learn so much more about the editorial staff and their personality that way – and it kind of ensures that edge ceases to be an impersonal publication.
besides, i don’t like reading text on the internet. which is why i would condone video reviews and podcasts. this also means that those who suffer from learning difficulties and who are dyslexic can also participate…
nowadays, i’m much more inclined to spend £5 on videogames. having said that though, this month’s edge was a (subjectively) better issue than games tm, i only thought that was the case because it had more features that i was interested in.
i’m still loyal to games tm, and have been ever since rick porter took over on editorial duties… that guy has really turned the magazine around from being a edge-pretender, to occupying it’s very throne (in my eyes).
edge may be the best selling multi-format magazine, but it’s still missed a trick when one considers that the next battleground is being fought in the online arena, and there are so many (multi-format) websites out there kicking edge’s arse right now…
Indeed.
Props to Rick Porter though – I got a lot of respect for him. Got to meet him at the GMAs once too, and he offered to help with my mag idea, =P.
Alex did chair a conference the year I was there – with Jeff Minter on the panel(!)
I picked up RetroGamer recently – loads of stuff that interests me in it, ^_^, lol. Maybe when I moan about mags, I’m just being an old g*t, and I should stick to retro mags, ^_^.
The next battleground could well be tablets…who’ll win that one?
The thing I like about Rick Porter (and the Eurogamer team) is that he’s not afraid of disclosing how he got to where he is, and what it takes to run a successful media enterprise. It’s what makes people like him gurus within the industry, as they are constantly sharing their expertise so as to help others.
“The more you give, the more you get back.”
Compare this with Edge, and all I ever got from Alex Wiltshire (and the Edge team) was “I can’t discuss that. It’s a trade secret”. What? Letting me know how many words are contained within a column each month? That’s just really basic stuff.
Edge really do create a “us vs them” mentality, which isn’t how it should be. Besides, they only ever really hire from within their ranks, and working for them is akin to getting on in forums. You’ve got to know all the right people, and pass their shit-detector test.
It’s funny how Ian Evendan referred to Re-Play as “my personal project”. I would think Edge is more of a “personal project” now, considering that everyone is getting laid off at Future, and that the magazine is a closed system of sorts, that has a very xenophobic view towards outsiders…
I too picked up Retro Gamer recently. It was either that or Games TM. But the content within Retro Gamer stood out just a little but more as it had features on FF7 and Radiant Silvergun. Still, it’s nice to know that (inadvertently speaking) Rick Porter still got some of my money.
Retro Gamer still miss a trick though. They should concentrate on really nailing down the exclusives, as I think the magazine isn’t as technical as it could be. Maybe they don’t understand just how fortunate they are to occupy their editorial niche…
That’s another thing. If the people over at Edge weren’t so uptight and snidey in their views towards the rest of the industry, and towards newcomers, then I’d be slightly more inclined to pick the magazine up. As it is, I think Edge’s ethos is shrouded in hypocrisy.
The next battle may indeed be on tablets…
How’s your magazine idea coming along? Gotten any further with it?
I’m still doing layout design on the business plan – I’ve been stuck at this stage all year, which is a bit silly. I’ve managed to start every page bar 1, but currently have 33 pages about 80-90% done, that I have to go over and finish off. Hoping to be done with that at the end of Jan.
Next stage will be working on elevator pitches, and a simple 5-10 slides, that communicate the idea quickly enough to gain initial interest.
Would like to get a team together at some point too.
Incidentally, EDGE might be a tad mysterious – and from the sounds of your experience inaccessible – but I was pleasantly surprised to see the CEO of Future Publishing’s email address at the end of an article of his in InPublishing magazine’s Sept-October issue, outlining Future’s Digital Strategy – http://www.inpublishing.co.uk/kb/articles/tablet_expansion_defines_the_future_digital_philosophy.aspx
remind me: what is your magazine about again? i know that it is a multi-format magazine, but who will it be aimed at (i assume it will be the same people who read games master, but slightly older. am i correct)?
what sort of paper will it be printed on, and what will the average pagination be per issue? what is the publishing frequency going to be
who will the principle writer be? and what sort of editorial team do you have in mind?
do you have a publishing company in mind, or will you be looking to self-publish?
have you looked at alternative publishing methods – such as tablet or online market – and are you looking to get a website in place?
when can we expect to see your magazine on newsagent shelves?
Probably aiming for Secondary School and College ages (10-19). But accessible to others too.
Paper, Pagination, irrelevant atm.
Business Plan scenario portrays a monthly magazine – but sections discuss the pros and cons of a weekly magazine.
No principle writer in mind atm. A reminder though that the intention is to publish user-generated content.
Editorial team anticipated would be an Editor, Layout Designer, and two Sub-Editors that can also double as in-house writers as needed.
When I mentioned looking to get a team together, am immediately thinking about how I’m gonna raise funding, moreso than who’s gonna write stuff, atm.
Looking to build a company, since the business is more vertically integrated, with distribution and events planned in-house. It’s not really a magazine idea you can take to a publisher. But I’ll show the finished business plan around to some places, and see what they say.
There are some quotes from Bauer Media, EGM, GamesIndustry.biz, and Future staff in there – I’ll likely circulate it to people from those companies that helped with research.
Tablet research is lacking.
Online has been looked at.
A website is part of the business plan.
Magazine will launch, 8 to 13 months after investment, depending on whether investment occurs by September or March, in any given year – any physical mag launch anticipated in October.
I can be drawn on specifics – but it feels premature to talk of them. Until serious traction is made with investors, or some other way of getting this off the ground – it’s just pie in the sky ideas, much like you could discuss everything you want Prankser101, or Re-play, to be.