The Summer House
As The Lounge is becoming full (464+ comments) and summer is pretty much here, I think we should move conversation outside into the sunshine. Hence, The Summer House. Feel free to talk about anything, as before…
No More Magazines
After reading several articles today about the demise of magazines as a medium for Games, I’ve decided to come to a decision on my usage of magazines, as a whole.
Bit-tech’s Joe Martin wrote Games magazines on their way out, which prompted me to scour my RSS feeds for similar articles. Sure enough, Digg picked up a story about the Games For Windows magazine ceasing print and going 100% online (which you can read more about from the Editor himself).
It’s something I’ve wondered for a while now - how much longer will the magazine last in this digital era? The internet has become one of (if not) the most popular sources of news and articles for many people. I spend far longer these days reading through RSS feeds and various technology news sites to get my fix of information.
However, at this point in time, the demise of magazines might only be limited to a few genres:
- Computers and Technology
- Auto
- Games
- Pornography
I had to throw the last one in there, to enhance the debate!
Let’s start with Computers and Technology - I’ve purchased Custom PC since issue one (with a year as a subscriber) and have noticed their online presence has evolved substantially over the past 12 months, with a site re-design and new features, including staff and community blogs. I’m only guessing here, but surely the growth of their site is due to a drop in magazine sales - or at least a realisation that the internet is becoming the dominant medium. And the reason for this? How many times, in the past few years, have you read a news piece within a magazine, that you’ve not already heard about online?
Auto - perhaps not as obvious as the others here, but Simon made a very good point yesterday, whilst reading this month’s copy of Top Gear magazine - it’s full of adverts. Sure, advertisements have been a staple part of a magazine’s diet, but they now far outweigh articles. Again, this could be due to the rise of the internet and the decline of monthly readers. The Top Gear website is full of great content too, including video clips of previous episodes - which suggests they’re ensuring that if the magazine does go, it will still be left with a great site for its readers.
Games - the genre that kick-started this article. Gamers want news on future releases as soon as possible. They want demos as quick as possible and they may want video clips too. All of this is possible with a magazine, but can be delivered instantly over the internet, especially with the rise of online connectivity with games consoles. Take Grand Theft Auto IV as an example - I (and some of you) have been religiously following the updates from Rockstar’s official site, to keep me occupied on the run-up to release. With previous GTA’s, there were official sites, but none as content rich as the latest. And yet, I’ve not purchased a single Games magazine to read about it all.
Pornography - I guess there will always be a market for the magazines, as many American truckers don’t have internet access en-route. But many would argue - why pay for it when it’s available online for free? The internet’s growth and popularity is often said to be due to pornography.
Don’t forget, I’m only speculating here - though I see magazines being a very niche medium within 5 years. Anneka pointed out that she would still continue to read ‘Pick Me Up‘ held in her hands, rather then viewed on the internet. But, I don’t see many people reading about the latest games or technology in a magazine.
Will we see many more Games magazines switch to solely online delivery? Will there be an influx of magazine journalists to the internet, as Joe mentions?
To do my bit, I’ve decided to completely give up on magazines. Don’t take this the wrong way though - I’m trying to speed up the decline of magazines, just end my addiction with them. I’ve purchased copies of Top Gear, Max Power, Fast Car, PC Pro, Custom PC, Official [console] magazine, MBUK, .NET along with many others over the years. The content of all of these hasn’t suffered, in terms of quality - just quantity.
Whilst browsing the aforementioned sites for these magazines, I’ve noticed that Future Publishing have amalgamated their bike magazines into the one site. According to an old article (2001), they briefly suspended some of their sites, whilst cut backs took place. This suggests that magazines have been forced to re-consider their operations for a good few years now, with the rise of the internet.
From this day forward (14th April 2008), I plan to:
- Never purchase another magazine
- Rely solely on the internet for news and articles
- Save money by completing 1.
- Read books to fill the void that would have previously required a magazine
The last point (4.) is the most important, as I have a growing collection of books that friends and family (and I) have purchased for me recently. There’s 3 or so Bill Bryson books, a few autobiographies (Richard Hammond, Chris Moyles’ 2nd) and a handful of Jeremy Clarkson’s to get through. If I carry on with the magazine reading, I’ll end up never getting the time to sit down and read the books.
Currently, I purchase around 4 magazines a month, all of which are around the £4.99 mark. That equates to £259.48 a year! If I don’t buy another magazine, but instead read one of the many books I have lying around, I could better spend the money on something useful, that I’d read about online. Any time I would normally grab a magazine to occupy me (bed time, train journey, sofa, holiday), I’ll reach for the paperback. Besides, books tend to be a lot cheaper word-per-£ these days, compared to a magazine.
The few magazines that I still have lying around will make their way to the recycling bin - including the issues I’ve kept for nostalgia, like a 1996 edition of AutoCar, which unveils the McLaren F1; or a 1999 edition of Top Gear, with an article on the R34 Skyline.
Lastly, if I stop buying magazines I’ll be doing my bit for the environment - after all, I’ve probably read through a forest in the past 10 years.
Let me know if you still read magazines; if you’ve never read them; or if you’ll never stop reading them…
Sold the Skyline
Tonight is another milestone in Matt’s life…
The Nissan Skyline R32 GTS-T that I’ve owned for the past 9 months has been sold tonight. It had been on the AutoTrader website; two Skyline forums; Petrol Heads and I’ve just ended the 2nd eBay auction. I did worry at one stage that I would be stuck with it for life!
The new owner is another Skyline owner, who has a black R32 himself - and my GTS-T was to be his partner’s, as she apparently keeps driving his.
I’ll miss the Skyline and all the fun associated with it:
- 140mph* on the A1 when driving it back after purchasing it
- Ending up sideways around a corner on 2 occasions
- Racing a Vauxhall Astra VXR (they’re quick bastards) @ 120mph* on the A46
- Beating a WRX Impreza from traffic lights
- Watching the fuel gauge drop so quickly
But it allows me to have a mid-life crisis in the future, where I’ll end up buying my next Skyline. Depending on finances at the time - it will either be an R34 GTR Skyline, or the new (well old by then) GTR.
Who knows? Maybe you’ll be reading this blog in a few years time, where I’ll be raving about it?
For those who didn’t see the Skyline in person, there are 90+ pictures on the mini-site I created for this sale. I’ll keep it alive for the foreseeable future.
To all members of the police force reading this, these speeds are completely exaggerated as I’ve never even hit 70mph.
Skyline for Sale
As already mentioned, I’m selling my Nissan Skyline R32 GTS-T.
It is currently advertised on the AutoTrader website; PistonHeads; GT-R forum and Skyline Owners forum.
I’ve also created a mini-site to enhance the sale and provide more information than the character-limited ads allow for.
Focus
As you may have already read - I’m going to be a Dad on 06/07/08 (if Baby sticks to its due date)!
After several weeks of thinking, I’ve finally decided to sell the Nissan Skyline R32 GTS and part exchange the Fiat Punto for a proper family car. Today we visited Evans Halshaw, after seeing what Fiat had to offer. We stumbled across a Ford Focus Zetec 1.8 TDCi 5 door, 56 registered and after much deliberating, we signed a few papers and will be picking it up towards the end of next week. Pictures to follow!
So, that leaves the Skyline. We’re off to get it washed again and take some more photos tomorrow, before advertising it as much as possible and creating a mini-site for the sale.
If anyone is after a rare piece of Japanese cult-classic, then look no further than a Nissan Skyline R32 GTS!