Game Informer
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| Game Informer | |
|---|---|
 Game Informer's cover for the June 2006 issue. |
|
| Executive Editor | Andrew Reiner |
| Categories | |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| First Issue | |
| Company | Gamestop Corp. |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| Website | www.gameinformer.com |
| ISSN | unknown |
Game Informer (often abbreviated to GI) is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. Formed in August 1991,[1] the magazine has nearly 1.68 million subscribers, making it the highest circulation video game magazine,[2] and as of the first half of 2006, the magazine ranks 31st amongst all magazines in the United States for number of subscribers.[3]
It is owned and published by GameStop Corp., the parent company of the video game retailer of the same name. Due to this, it is promoted in large part in-store, which has contributed heavily to its large subscription base.[4]
As of April 2007, 168 issues of Game Informer have been published.
Contents |
[edit] History
Game Informer began as a 6-page quarterly Funcoland circular,[1] created with the primary intent of providing a price list for the store's used video games; however, the publishers decided to insert industry news briefs and game reviews into the catalog as well. Over time, the used games catalog and Game Informer publication became separate entities.
For years, Game Informer was published every other month, until moving to a monthly format. Cover games were usually the big title reviewed inside the issue, which were often accompanied by strategy guides done by the editors. Sold primarily at Funcoland stores, subscriptions were accompanied by a discount card that provided a 10% discount off of used game purchases. Sales associates received a $2 commission on every subscription that they sold.
After the purchase of Funcoland by GameStop, Game Informer received a larger budget. The staff used this to redesign the magazine. Physically, it received a firmer binding, using higher paper stock, and increasing the number and size of the pages. Content-wise, nearly everything had changed -- including columns, review sizes (the main/second opinion format over the original three-reviewer formula), and layouts. GameStop also aggressively pursued advertisers and newsstand distributors. The first issue to feature the new format was November 2000, showcasing the then-new PlayStation 2 console on the cover.
Since that time, GameStop set its' sights on increasing the subscription base, meanwhile changing the duration of subscriptions and the format of the discount card several times. In March 2005, the subscription price in store was increased from $9.99 to $14.99, the subscription length went from 10 months to 12 months, and an additional benefit was added -- an extra 10% in store credit for video game trade-ins. The card also gained a name -- the "More Card". (Previously it had simply been referred to as the "GameStop card" or "Game Informer card". At the time, the price increase was attributed to the rising prices of fossil fuels which are used in the printing and distribution of the magazine. Most recently the card's name has changed to the "Edge Card" (which was adopted from EB Games' discount card after it merged with GameStop in October 2005), and the magazine and card are featured prominently at both GameStop and EB Games retail locations. Selling the magazine subscription to customers is a large part of the GameStop culture, and stores are measured and ranked on subscription sales.
Since Gamestop bought out FuncoLand, Game Informer subscriptions no longer work on a commission basis as they did previously. All store employees are required to maintain a specific amount of subscriptions in order to continue employment with the company, which drives the numbers the magazine obtains. This also causes criticism as to the number of individuals who actually read the circulations as opposed to people who were simply sold the product. The affiliation with the huge retailer has led to Game Informer achieving the highest circulation of any video game publication. Andrew Hsu of competing magazine EGMsaid "Anyone who walks into a GameStop is a possible GI reader".[4]The large subscription base has allowed Game Informer's editorial staff valuable leverage to help them secure world-exclusive cover stories and features over competition with a smaller reader base.
According to research, the average Game Informer subscriber is 24 years old and earns $63,100 annually.[4]
[edit] GI Staff
There have been many different members on the GI team (handles are in parenthesis):
- Andy McNamara (The Game Dandy, Game Hombre): 1991-Present
- Andrew Reiner (The Raging Gamer): 1994-Present
- Matt Helgeson (The Original Gamer): 1999-Present
- Matthew Kato (The Gaming Katana): 2001-Present
- Paul Anderson (The Pro Player, Game Professor): 1992-2001
- Elizabeth Olson (Editor-In-Chief... no handle?): 1991-1994
- Rick Petzoldt (The Video Ranger): 1991-1995
- Marianne Morgan (The Game Master): 1991
- Ed Martinez (The Video Wizard): 1991
- Erik Reppen (The PC Jedi): 1996-1997, 1999-2001
- Ross Van Der Schaegen (The Rebel Gamer): 1992-1995
- David "Vinnie" Vinyon (The Video Vigilante): 1994-1996
- Ryan McDonald (The Arcade Alchemist): 1995-1997
- Jon Storm (The Greedy Gamer): 1996-1999
- Robert Stoute (The Game Cassanova): 1997-1999
- Paul Bergren (The Game Burrito): 1997-1999
- Lisa Mason (La Game Nikita): 200X-2006
- Beaux Hawkins (The Arcade Assassin): 1998-1999
- The Vidiot (Minister of Destruction): 2000-Present (last appearance: August 2001)
- Jay Fitzloff (The Gonzo Gamer): 1999-March 2002 (Jay's last appearance was in Feb. 2002, but the announcement that he left was in March 2002 - unlike most recent editor departures.)
- Justin Leeper (The Digital Deviant): May 2001-January 2004
- Chet Barber (The Joystick Jockey): March 2002-June 2003
[edit] Reviews
Game Informer reviews games on the Wii, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, Xbox, PC, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, and PlayStation Portable consoles. Older games are given brief reviews in the magazine's Classic GI section (compared with the game's original review score, if one exists). The magazine's staff rate games on a scale of 1 to 10 with quarter point intervals. A score of 1 is considered terrible; 10 is a rare, "outstanding", nearly perfect game; and 7 is average.
Some games have dipped even lower, however, receiving sub-1 scores: Batman: Dark Tomorrow received a 0.75,[5] Shrek: Fairy Tale Freakdown for Game Boy Color got a 0.5,[6] and Xbox launch title Kabuki Warriors scored a 0.5.[7] In the latter review, editor-in-chief Andy McNamara said, "I literally won a match just bashing the controller against my ass." This was confirmed by his fellow editors. One game reviewed for Classic GI -- Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch: Make My Video for Sega CD -- was given a 0.
[edit] Criticism
Game Informer rated Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door for the GameCube a 6.75/10 in its November 2004[8] issue stating that despite being entertaining "the art and combat are killed in their tracks by the game's downright shameful dialogue".[9] This sparked a controversy concerning the grading system. A member of the Game Informer staff named Jeremy Zoss defended the score on the magazine's forum, stating that while they found it well-made, they had to take into account how well a game will appeal to the masses in their score.This message generated even more controversy, causing Jeremy to post a rebuttal to complaints.[10]
[edit] Website
GI Online was originally launched in August 1996, and featured daily news updates as well as humorous articles. The magazine editors updated it as a labor of love, with what little spare time they had. Justin Leeper and Matthew Kato were hired on in November 1999 as full-time web editors. As part of the GameStop purchase of the magazine, the site was closed around January 2001.[11] Both Leeper and Kato were eventually placed on the editorial staff of the magazine.
GI Online was revived in September 2003, with a full redesign and many additional features, such as a review database, frequent news updates, and exclusive "Unlimited" content for subscribers. It was managed by Billy Berghammer, former creator of PlanetGameCube.com.
The GI Online message boards, a staple of the website since the redesign in 2003, has enjoyed moderate success, averaging roughly 100 users online at any given time. Many editors of the magazine have been known to interact with the community at times as well. The boards feature separate sections for each major console company (Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft), PC gaming, a General Gaming and Classic Gaming sections as well as Reader Reviews, Ask GI (where one can communicate directly with the magazine's staff), an off-topic section which includes the "Social Thread", in which forum members talk about inane things or whatever is on their minds, and a recently added "Game Informer Online Suggestion Box", where readers can suggest additions or subtractions from the site.
[edit] References
- ^ a b "10 Years of Game Informer" (August 2001). Game Informer, p. 42. "In August of 1991, Funcoland began publishing a six-page circular to be handed out free in all of its retail locations."
- ^ Game Informer Magazine on Worldata.com.
- ^ Top 100 magazines by paid subscriptions.
- ^ a b c Vargas, Jose Antonio (April 2005). A Magazine Whose Lineup Is Always in Play. Washington Post. Retrieved on March 22, 2007.
- ^ Batman: Dark Tomorrow review on GameInformer.com.
- ^ Shrek Fairy Tale Freakdown review on GameInformer.com.
- ^ Kabuki Warriors review on GameInformer.com.
- ^ Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
- ^ Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
- ^ Game Informer and the horrible, no good, really bad review..
- ^ "On the Web" (August 2001). Game Informer, p. 49. "Sadly, this ill-fated site was to last little more that [sic] a year, as gameinformer.com would fall prey to the massive meltdown of the Internet economy in February [of 2001]."
