10 Video Game Traditions That Are Dead And Buried

During the era, it was a sure-fire sign that you were serious about video games if, when you weren’t playing them, you were reading about them. Monthly magazines were, for the most part, our only access to news, previews and reviews. This was the place you came to find out whether Spyro the Dragon was getting a sequel or how the Sega Dreamcast was going to change the industry forever.

For the people that worked on these many magazines, be they officially licensed publications or third-party, they were pioneers and lived in a totally different world to the press of today. Given a month to create a magazine and make it the best it could be, rather than be able to react to breaking news like today.

Content, placement, real estate on the page and visual design were everything. These weren’t the daily papers, these were, at the best of times, their own source of entertainment. In fact, that was one reason to buy and keep games mags: the wealth of brilliant and memorable covers and advertising that only occurred in these places.

Gaming magazines aren’t completely gone, with respected brands like Edge and PC Gamer continuing to carry the flag. However, these quite rightfully now gear more towards collectors and nostalgia rather than try to compete with the information supergiant that is the world wide web.