PC gamer US

[jrob8604]

Is the PC gamer issue of Halflife 2 out on newstands yet? I was thinking about checking, but i dont want to waste my time.

 

[ACROW_LEFT]

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[Harryz]

Yeah, I think it is.

 

[House]

Just got mine in the mail yesterday.

 

[flangongle]

saw it at Barnes Noble today. Opened plastic. Read it. Good god, computer magazine writing is such piss poor quality. And why does PC Gamer make a review of something a cover story? Who else does that? Rolling Stone? Premiere? New York Times Review of Books? No no and no.

 

[House]

Because it is the most anticipated game of the century and any news (especially reviews) is cover material. Actually, after reading it. The entire issue is nothing but game reviews.

 

[spitcodfry]

saw it at Barnes Noble today. Opened plastic. Read it. Good god, computer magazine writing is such piss poor quality. And why does PC Gamer make a review of something a cover story? Who else does that? Rolling Stone? Premiere? New York Times Review of Books? No no and no.

LOL maybe because it's a GAME magazine! And it is NOT the NY Times Review of Books, Premiere, OR Rolling Stone. Apples to oranges my friend. Besides what else would be more noteworthy on the cover? "Gabe's bowel movements resemble the late Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Plus a review of Half-Life 2!"

 

[flangongle]

I don't think that just because it's a game magazine it's okay to have bad writing. Is the latest sci-fi film reviewed in the NY Times or Premiere somehow "loftier" than HL2?

 

[kaellinn18]

I don't think that just because it's a game magazine it's okay to have bad writing. Is the latest sci-fi film reviewed in the NY Times or Premiere somehow "loftier" than HL2?

I don't think they have bad writing at all. Could you give an example of this bad writing please?

 

[flangongle]

What? Then I'd have to buy the damn thing. I read most of each issue in the store. Anyone have an article typed out? Just look at it compared to other publications I mentioned. To be more specific, the writing is very simplistic and lacks ideas. It's very hard to tell one author from the next--it all reads the same.

 

[kaellinn18]

Well, there are only a handful of writers to begin with. Personally, I can see the difference in the writing quite clearly. The recently retired William Trotter was quite a standout in terms of style and tone. His replacement seems to be equally so. I'm not sure exactly what you're expecting. All of those major worldwide publications you mentioned have tons of writers. Of course it's going to be easier to see a difference. As for style, that's purely a matter of preference. It's like comparing John Grisham to John Keats.

 

[PvtRyan]

What? Then I'd have to buy the damn thing. I read most of each issue in the store. Anyone have an article typed out? Just look at it compared to other publications I mentioned. To be more specific, the writing is very simplistic and lacks ideas. It's very hard to tell one author from the next--it all reads the same.

Time for PC Gamer to hire Shakespeare (all you need for that is a shovel...)?

 

[flangongle]

Well, there are only a handful of writers to begin with. Personally, I can see the difference in the writing quite clearly. The recently retired William Trotter was quite a standout in terms of style and tone. His replacement seems to be equally so. I'm not sure exactly what you're expecting. All of those major worldwide publications you mentioned have tons of writers. Of course it's going to be easier to see a difference. As for style, that's purely a matter of preference. It's like comparing John Grisham to John Keats.

Not really sure what you mean here, but I don't know what comparing PC Gamer to a movie magazine has anything to do with comparing Grisham to Keats, a great poet to an adequate novelist...

 

[Edge]

LOL maybe because it's a GAME magazine! And it is NOT the NY Times Review of Books, Premiere, OR Rolling Stone. Apples to oranges my friend. Besides what else would be more noteworthy on the cover? "Gabe's bowel movements resemble the late Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Plus a review of Half-Life 2!"

You are that fat kid that got to goto VALVe last year right?

 

[Asuka]

Havnt got mine yet. Errr ugh~!

 

[trantjd]

You are that fat kid that got to goto VALVe last year right?

What the hell does this add to the conversation??? There's really no need for you to be an ass for absolutely no reason here!

I think that Spitcodfry made a good point there. The first reviews of HL2 are big news. PCGamer stands to sell a lot more issues due to the fact that they have one of the earliest reviews available here in the states. It's not like it's a little blurb review. It's actually a fair chunk of the magazine and bigger than most of the other articles in that issue, if not all of them.

If Rolling Stone having a review of some new album would sell issues, then you can be sure that they'll put it on the cover. In fact, I seem to remember Rolling Stone doing a bit of advertising when they had one of the first reviews for Star Wars Episode 1.

 

[Edge]

What the hell does this add to the conversation??? There's really no need for you to be an ass for absolutely no reason here!

Wasn't being an ass... he has made remarks about Gabe in the past and I just remembered he was the fat kid that got to goto VALVe last year and I think he is ungrateful.

 

[vorinoch]

flangongle:

When PC Gamer becomes as prestigious and widely read as The New Yorker, then maybe we'll see Pulitzer winners writing for it. In the meantime, stop bitching. You're reading it for quick summaries and opinions, not in depth theses on the nature of humanity as expressed through computer games. PCGamer is supplying a demand for approachable, simple information on games that people probably have been doing independent research on for awhile anyway.

Your objection is inherently snobbish.

 

[L337_Assasain]

flangongle...It's a game magazine, not a newspaper, they don't have to be creative in their writing, just truthful, and informative...and as for it not being front page news...i say again, it's a game magazine...and they put the reviews on the cover that are new, and that everyone is waiting for, they report the news about the games everyone wants, not who died this week in a tragic car accident...
BTW: I like using periods...........................

 

[flangongle]

flangongle:

When PC Gamer becomes as prestigious and widely read as The New Yorker, then maybe we'll see Pulitzer winners writing for it. In the meantime, stop bitching. You're reading it for quick summaries and opinions, not in depth theses on the nature of humanity as expressed through computer games. PCGamer is supplying a demand for approachable, simple information on games that people probably have been doing independent research on for awhile anyway.

Your objection is inherently snobbish.

Know what I think? I think you're talking out your ass about things you know nothing about: Who reads the New Yorker, who reads PC Gamer, how many read each, what "research" people who read PC GAMER has done if any, what PC gamer's editorial mission is, if there is one, and what I am reading PC Gamer for. I could be wrong, and maybe you do. But don't tell me what I'm reading it for, dumbass. Why is it snobbish to say that PC Gamer has shit writing? So what? All I said is that it would be nice to see some quality writing in there.

 

[flangongle]

flangongle...It's a game magazine, not a newspaper, they don't have to be creative in their writing, just truthful, and informative...and as for it not being front page news...i say again, it's a game magazine...and they put the reviews on the cover that are new, and that everyone is waiting for, they report the news about the games everyone wants, not who died this week in a tragic car accident...
BTW: I like using periods...........................

Neither is Rolling Stone, or Premiere, my two previous examples. I said nothing about what the content should be, only what the quality of that content is.

Maybe this will shut me up...quick age poll.

 

[kaellinn18]

Not really sure what you mean here, but I don't know what comparing PC Gamer to a movie magazine has anything to do with comparing Grisham to Keats, a great poet to an adequate novelist...

That was exactly my point. As someone a little higher up pointed out, you're not going to see pulitzer winning writers at a PC gaming mag. Right now, the New Yorker and the New York Times aren't in the same league as PC Gamer.

 

[trantjd]

Wasn't being an ass... he has made remarks about Gabe in the past and I just remembered he was the fat kid that got to goto VALVe last year and I think he is ungrateful.

Fair enough...thanks for the clarification! :cheers: I don't think he was necessarily being disrespectful to Gabe in that post you replied to rather than just giving a somewhat off color example of a different possible headline. I agree that he could have had a better headline! :E

 

[flangongle]

That was exactly my point. As someone a little higher up pointed out, you're not going to see pulitzer winning writers at a PC gaming mag. Right now, the New Yorker and the New York Times aren't in the same league as PC Gamer.

Okay, let's try this again. No one will tell me why PC Gamer can't have better writing. I don't think Premier or Rolling Stone have pulitzer winners in them, either, but the writing sure is better. PC Game should be in the same league as Premiere or Rolling Stone or even EW. But as long as it's writing remains mediocre, it won't be.

 

[trantjd]

Okay, let's try this again. No one will tell me why PC Gamer can't have better writing. I don't think Premier or Rolling Stone have pulitzer winners in them, either, but the writing sure is better. PC Game should be in the same league as Premiere or Rolling Stone or even EW. But as long as it's writing remains mediocre, it won't be.

I'm guessing that every single reporter/reviewer at those other magazines (even EW) has a degree from a reputable journalism school. PC Gamer on the other hand probably has it's fair share of the same, but a lot of writers there could have just had a history in game design, or worked their way up from sites specializing in gaming until they became well known and worth hiring at PC Gamer.

On a side note, the readers of PC Gamer as a whole are probably a lot less critical of writing style than readers of the other magazines that you mentioned (those other magazines review many books as well as more visual forms of entertainment). PC Gamer's readers are, on the other hand going to be very critical of somebody who doesn't understand gaming and the concerns of gamers. If given a writer who has a great journalistic resume versus one who might not write as well, but understands the ins and outs of the gaming industry, I for one hope they choose the second candidate.

Good writing just isn't as critical for a gaming magazine as it is for other magazines. Until gaming itself becomes a lot more mainstream, these magazines will have to make those sorts of decisions.

EDIT: for the poll - I'm 24.

 

[vorinoch]

Know what I think? I think you're talking out your ass about things you know nothing about: Who reads the New Yorker, who reads PC Gamer, how many read each, what "research" people who read PC GAMER has done if any, what PC gamer's editorial mission is, if there is one, and what I am reading PC Gamer for. I could be wrong, and maybe you do. But don't tell me what I'm reading it for, dumbass. Why is it snobbish to say that PC Gamer has shit writing? So what? All I said is that it would be nice to see some quality writing in there.

Eh, fair enough. In response to your age poll, I'm 21. (Though the significance of that number is something I'm a little unsure of.)

I'm not sure about the readership levels of The New Yorker or PCGamer. I'd look it up but it's not relevant. The point that I was attempting to make is that PC Gamer fills a market, and The New Yorker and book review magazines fill another. Not to criticize the gaming market, but I'd bet that the average literacy and intelligence (and thus, their pickiness in terms of writing quality) of people who subscribe to book review magazines is higher than the gaming market. (Although that in turn is probably exponentially higher than the Cosmo market)

Why can't PC Gamer have better writing? (And I'm not sure about the veracity of this complaint, at the very least I'd suggest that PC Gamer has the best writing of any gaming magazine I know of.) I suppose I'd ask what you mean by bad writing. If you mean that it's simple, not particularly in-depth, etc., I'd say that that's just what the magazine is intended to be and that's why I buy it: for quick impressions and opinions on games I've been looking at. If you mean that they have bad grammar, or their opinions are childish, or their taste is bad, then I would largely disagree. I would point out, though, that a writer for The New Yorker most likely makes more money than one who works for a gaming mag. If a gaming magazine comes out that has a huge reader base and a lot of money to work with, it can probably afford to hire better writers. (And yes, now I am talking out of my ass, however I think it makes sense.)

 

[flangongle]

Eh, fair enough. In response to your age poll, I'm 21. (Though the significance of that number is something I'm a little unsure of.)

I'm not sure about the readership levels of The New Yorker or PCGamer. I'd look it up but it's not relevant. The point that I was attempting to make is that PC Gamer fills a market, and The New Yorker and book review magazines fill another. Not to criticize the gaming market, but I'd bet that the average literacy and intelligence (and thus, their pickiness in terms of writing quality) of people who subscribe to book review magazines is higher than the gaming market. (Although that in turn is probably exponentially higher than the Cosmo market)

Why can't PC Gamer have better writing? (And I'm not sure about the veracity of this complaint, at the very least I'd suggest that PC Gamer has the best writing of any gaming magazine I know of.) I suppose I'd ask what you mean by bad writing. If you mean that it's simple, not particularly in-depth, etc., I'd say that that's just what the magazine is intended to be and that's why I buy it: for quick impressions and opinions on games I've been looking at. If you mean that they have bad grammar, or their opinions are childish, or their taste is bad, then I would largely disagree. I would point out, though, that a writer for The New Yorker most likely makes more money than one who works for a gaming mag. If a gaming magazine comes out that has a huge reader base and a lot of money to work with, it can probably afford to hire better writers. (And yes, now I am talking out of my ass, however I think it makes sense.)

When I talk out of my ass it stinks...I call it a fart!

The poll is just my curiosity because I'm curious about the age of PC Gamer readers. Me, I'm 33.

 

[vorinoch]

Man, once I was talking out of my ass, and it lasted for about ten seconds. Things like that can empty public bathrooms pretty fast.

I'm guessin' the average age for PCG is somewhere in the 20s... Junger folks probably use the internet more.

 

[trantjd]

I'm guessin' the average age for PCG is somewhere in the 20s... Junger folks probably use the internet more.

I'm guessing you're correct. As the average age of gamers rises, it will be interesting to see if the depth and maturity of the writing in game magazines starts to rise also.

 

[flangongle]

Why is the average age of gamers increasing? Cause we're getting old!

 

[vorinoch]

Is it a bad sign when I see 13-year-olds anticipating HL2, and I think "You guys don't know how bad we had it! Back in my day, we didn't have no stinkin' physics engines, and if we could get one we'd have to walk six miles through the snow to get it!"

And then of course the guys here a few years older than me will pull out their Intellivisions or something...

 

[CptStern]

Is it a bad sign when I see 13-year-olds anticipating HL2, and I think "You guys don't know how bad we had it! Back in my day, we didn't have no stinkin' physics engines, and if we could get one we'd have to walk six miles through the snow to get it!"

And then of course the guys here a few years older than me will pull out their Intellivisions or something...

bah! intellivison ...that's not old school ...Ti-99 ...that's old school

 

[flangongle]

Shit, I had Pong/squash in 1977! Now THAT was an engine. My first PC game was haunted house on the RadioShak TRS-80! That's old school!

 

[kaellinn18]

Maybe this will shut me up...quick age poll.

I'm 24.