Btw…CVG!?!
Dave Perry was with Paragon, Rapide Publishing, and then Predator Publishing wasn’t he? CVG was EMAP, and I don’t think he ever did anything with EMAP, let alone CVG…

Are CEX and EDGE still pissing you off!?

Ahh…! ^_^ Good read. I heard this was to appear in issue 2 of Re-play at one point, but since that never materialised, I was always wondering what happened to the interview. Great to finally read it!

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.

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?

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

“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?

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?

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…

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].

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.

“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!

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.

[quote=crayon]prankster101′s website wrote:Please note: these are my opinions, and do not in any way represent the views and opinions of gamers everywhere.

Gee thanks.

HAHAHAHAHA.[/quote]
hmmm… not sure what the joke is here. i no longer read edge, and am certainly not telling anyone to stop buying edge. you can choose to agree with me if you wish, or you can carry on buying edge. it’s your choice after all.

maybe you should have looked at one of my other posts when i stated the following:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat” (Theodore Roosevelt).

considering edge magazine’s current form, i doubt they would be interested in printing the column from which you pulled that quote from, or indeed the contents of this thread. which leads me to wonder as to what it is that that one has to do to get their “comments” printed in the magazine.

i know what i’ll do. i’ll just follow the crowd, with its mob menality and baseless popularity contests. i won’t write a column. i won’t make a magazine. i won’t attempt a podcast. i won’t dare to stick my neck out unlike most gamers who’d rather seek shelter in their safe little houses. and maybe then i’ll be “rewarded”, be printed in a “videogame bible” that’s past its sell by date, and find my place alongside all those “cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat” .

isn’t that right, edge? after all, you do epitomize “videogame culture”, don’t you?

Incidentally, if you’ve read my comment this far, =), well done – have a lollipop!

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!

Don’t really know what to say to that then, apart from I guess you’d enjoy watching Undercover Boss on Channel 4, =P.

Some guy also started these really short podcasts, which I thought were a great idea, but again, I listened to the first one, and haven’t made the effort again since, =/, pretty crap of me really. [Update - just checked it up again at http://gni3.net/ and the last one seems to be from April...so I assume it's no longer being made, =P]

Might be an idea to chuck them up on Soundcloud btw, then you can have an embedded player on the site. Or Youtube even – although it’s usually for video, if it’s search engine optimised, you can sometimes get good results. Both Soundcloud and Youtube stuff is easy to share on social networking sites also.

But yeah, like you said – you just wanted to get one up for now.
=).

P.S. If you don’t want your OnLive box, , I’ll happily take it off you, XD…bwoarhaha! *jokes* ^_^

“Dear Prankster101

Please just stop this. If you wish to insult me, then please do go ahead. Just stop pretending to be me.

Thanks

Admin/TheREALPrankster101″

With this episode, I just wanted to get a podcast out there. In future however, I will be taking a more scrutinous approach and will be hoping to turn the podcast into a featurette similar to ‘This American Life’ or even ‘A Life Well Wasted’.

I assure you I’m not a spammer, , and I’m certainly not you Az, XD.

You know, it’s a sure sign of madness when you’re pretending to be other people on the internet, Az.

Oh wait…

I always register on websites with an email address that includes the site’s name – that way I can trace where spam comes from and set up filters if it gets too much.

Anyway, it’s Andrew – you sent me a copy of re-play in the post years ago.