Why I stopped reading Retro Gamer

[thevulture]

Back in the day, Loved likes of Zzap 64 and Zero, to name but 2 magazines.I never read any of the adventure or strategic games coverage, they just were`nt my bag at the time, but there was always a wealth of content that did appeal to me and i understood there was a large auidance out there that this catered for.Skip forward to today....and similar situation with RG.Said it before and i`ll say it again, 1 key area RG manages to get 'Right' every issue is the balance.Even when a cover featured game or series 'warns'me theres going to be big feature on something i`ve no interest in, i know there will be stacks that will be of interest. As for the magazine changing? By god i hope so, for anything to survive and entertain here, it has to evolve otherwise it becomes a stagnant affair and interest is lost.Sorry to see you go Jimbo, respect your choices here, but for me?RG is still head n shoulders above anything else i read these days.If that changes? i`ll be sure to shout out.

[Miketendo]

As with any magazine, there's always going to be some spots that people don't like, but I love the magazine and have now for years

[CraigGrannell]

@hydr0x: Six billion 'Speaking Common Sense, So Well Done, Sir' points. I totally agree, and Darran (and now Stuart) has a nightmare trying to balance this stuff (and opinions are always in flux).

@thevulture: Good point. I never read the strategy section of Zzap!64 either, but, crucially, even my young self never hated it being there. I just got on and read the bits I did like. In fact, that's the case for every mag. I can't think of any I read cover to cover. Perhaps people have more expectation from RG, but it's priced pretty competitively, despite its niche nature.

As for the magazine changing? By god i hope so, for anything to survive and entertain here, it has to evolve otherwise it becomes a stagnant affair and interest is lost.

Well, that, too. If Retro Gamer was still like it was in issue one, it'd be pretty worrying. The mag has to keep evolving and trying new things. Some will work and others won't, but at least it's always been a mag where the editor has does his best to take on board all comments and, where possible, act on them.

[Edwards80]

Nostalgia probably draws a lot of people in but it's not something that will keep them reading long term. There is only so much Amstrad stuff that I can read before I lose interest or someone slaps me with some rubber keys.

I love the fact it covers a broader range than just 8 bits or just consoles from year X to year Y. A good example would be the Axelay issue. Shooters are my favourite genre but as I never had a SNES and because it looked a bit "gimmicky" I never bothered to try it. Picked it up soon after reading and loved it.

For every person you lose due them getting their nostalgia fix and getting bored, you will keep a few more reading out of genuine interest in all things retro gaming and discovering things they missed.

[ismellicecream]

I'll tell you what pisses me off - jazz mags with articles about stuff.

[Mire Mare]

My 10 peneth.... I've found the last few issues, before 81, of less interest to me personally but they've still been worth buying. I've had less free time to read them which is a contributing factor to my opinion but even if I just read through the regular sections and columns RG is worth getting. There have always been articles that I've skimmed over in magazines for whatever reason. RG has been/still is the only mag where, given the time, I read it cover to cover.

I've said before that RG is the only mag I subscribe to and it's also the only mag I get every month. It does the retro job for me and keeps me 'in the know' enough with homebrew and current retro/modern releases.

Hmmm... this is about 'Why I continue to read RG' not 'Why I stopped reading Retro Gamer' but still.. .. .. Issue 82, in front of me right now, is another varied issue even with the Mario love-in. And I love the Mario love-in! You really should be checking it out Jimbo_too. Either that or get 81 on back issue.

[WildWillyWilson]

Some issues interest me more than others but I'll always buy the magazine as I'm just grateful that something like it exists for us geeks.

Long live RG.

[ncf1]

As above, I'm just so grateful a mag like RG exists, and really is an excellently produced magazine to boot and i'm not just saying that. The magazines we have here, in Australia, I have to say are rubbish in comparison and so I think perhaps people should really be a bit more grateful and perhaps just skip the bits they don't like because nostalgia is something people tend to hold as precious and dare you burst their bubble so to speak, look out! lol.

[SirClive]

Got to say, and no disrespect to Live or Imagine, I am astounded that it has got to issue 82. In the recent climate for print mags it is a fantastic achievement for a pretty niche magazine. I just hope there is a party for the launch of issue 100 so we can all celebrate together

[Bub&Bob]

I just hope there is a party for the launch of issue 100 so we can all celebrate together

Probably the best bit of feedback ever - Sod an advent calendar/100 different/fluffy toy cover or whatever.....THAT would be the best way to celebrate 100

[Gabe]

BUT what i dont get is when people flick through and think 'nah nothing for me this month' and dont buy it. I mean firstly its not exactly expensive is it for a subscription ? Yeah there might be a month or two where i think 'hmmm nothing takes my fancy' but then i'll give it a go and i'm surprised. OR if i read it and still think 'nah nothing for me' its just the way it goes. The next month there might be a corking issue for myself. BUT as i subscribe and help keep the mag going i know there'll be some good content for me often. The people who think 'nah dont want it this month', if we all thought like that the mag would probably stop if one month sales were so poor. Over the 13 issues i get a year i know 85% or so i'll really like.

And I don't get people like you who think like this. Why should somebody buy something that doesn't interest them at that given moment in time? Believe it or not, some people do other things than read RG every month. And as for those who talk about 'supporting the mag', do all the issues Jimbo bought not count? Does he have to support it in perpetuality?

[rossi46]

I love the idea of Retro Gamer.

Some issues I can read in a single sitting, some take much longer, but never is there nothing for me to read within the pages.The fact that we have a magazine dedicated to old games and the anecdotal history of the creators of such, is something that never gets tiresome to this incredibly fickle Sega fan. The reality is that it really wouldn't matter to anyone whether or not you or I bought the current issue. Sure, I'm not too keen on the homebrew stuff or the ipod/iPhone games, but it's all good. We have a retro games mag and I for one am chuffed.

More power to the RG.

(and more Saturn stuff, please......)

[ncf1]

I stopped reading Retro Gamer because I got to the last page.

[ipmarks]

I think that Retro Gamer does a good job of balancing each issue. Sometimes it goes in directions I don't like - I was never a fan of iPhone coverage in the magazine, and am still not, even though I now own one - but that is generally the way with magazines I think. Nobody is going to like every issue or every article, why would they. I myself will probably continue to buy Retro Gamer as long as it is still published, as I have a real curiosity for games of the past, especially ones I've never heard of... but I can see Jimbo's point of view if he no longer finds the magazine interesting then there really is not any point in him buying it. Nobody needs to buy a magazine they don't want to read. I don't buy fishing or knitting magazines, because I don't go fishing or do knitting, so I probably wouldn't be impressed with their coverage.

However one person losing interest does not mean that a wholesale change is required to the way the magazine is written. I don't always like every article in Retro Gamer, and some issues interest me less than others, but I don't want it to change.

[Bub&Bob]

I stopped reading Retro Gamer because I got to the last page.

Fool - if you turn it upside down and then put it against a mirror then you can enjoy it again......(im sure that's b*lloxs, but hey!!)