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Games Entertainment

The Escapist Magazine Launches 61

Posted by Zonk from the escape' dept.
A new online gaming mag has launched with an impressive array of contributors. Entitled The Escapist, the magazine appears to be going for gamer culture and commentary, as opposed to specific product information. Jennifer Buckendorff goes into what it means to be a gamer in Gamer Like Me, Kieron Gillen comments on the scapegoating of the games industry in Culture Wargames, and Tycho Brahe talks acceptance in The Mainstream is Coming! The Mainstream is Coming!. From Buckendorff's article: "Am I a gamer? I review video games for various sources, including a major metropolitan newspaper. In May, I made the rounds of E3 for ten hours a day. I have a carefully selected games library, and my adoration of GTA dates back to the London expansion pack, when I used a double-decker bus to evil ends. I grew up in the arcades, standing on tiptoes to feed quarters into the slots. I give game recommendations to friends and acquaintances as if I were reading their tea leaves. But, in the opinion of some, I am not a gamer."
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The Escapist Magazine Launches More

The Escapist Magazine Launches

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  • It was a pretty good journal under its previous moniker, "Mom's Basement Monthly".
  • It got slash-dotted before someone made a comment...

    That's gotta be one hell of a time record.

    • Could it have something to do with the fact that the previous /.-games article linked an article from this online magazine over 2 hours before this one announced that the magazine exists?
      1. Slashdot already linked to it earlier today.
      2. No, not a record. That's the way it happens every time. The number of link clicks from an article posting is determined by height on the page, so it begins almost instantaneously. Certainly faster than the minimum 20 seconds for someone to type "frist psto" and wait for /. to let them post.
      3. It may have been lagging before /. linked to it. It's full of excellent articles written by a few very popular writers.
  • In a certain way, she has a very good point. Who actually deemed the term "gamer" should apply to the most arguably elite gamers? Another thing to consider is that she may be jealous and is attempting to become one of the elite by citing other sources of her "hardcoreness".
    • Considering yourself a "gamer" was a niche in an allready niche culture. Gaming was/is one of the relams that socially disconnected youth had an outlet and culture that they had slwoly developed over the years.

      As the industry of gaming has grown more people are entering this culture and pushing the one tight community of "gamer" into the lime light of normal society.

      This in turn makes the social outcasts that consider themsel.ves gamer need to find this niche intside the now sociallity acceptable realm o
      • In US, gaming used to be a niche... not anymore since it now racks in more money than Hollywood.

        • Re:Gamer Like Me (Score:4, Informative)

          by shoptroll ( 544006 ) on Tuesday July 12, 2005 @05:17PM (#13047324)
          In US, gaming used to be a niche... not anymore since it now racks in more money than Hollywood.

          you forgot to add the little legal text:

          *based on box-office sales

          Hollywood still trounces the games industry when you factor in vhs/dvd sales, rentals and broadcast rights. Not to mention licensed materials (games, soundtracks, posters, shirts, toys, etc.)

          • Hollywood still trounces the games industry when you factor in ... games

            Aren't you double-dipping?

            • Doesn't that assumes that licensed games have more weight than heavy hitters like Halo 2, Half-Life 2, GTA, etc. The only big selling movie-licensed games I can think of are Riddick and Enter the Matrix.

              Besides licensed materials only get a little kickback to the owners of the rights I think. The majority of the money comes in through the distribution of the movies themselves.

              • The only big selling movie-licensed games I can think of are Riddick and Enter the Matrix.

                Do you already forget Goldeneye 007 (for Nintendo 64)?

                • should've said "recently"... my bad. Well, don't forget that EtM was multi-platform, and I'm fairly sure Riddick was on most consoles and PC, giving them a larger audience than 007 at the time.
  • Hmm... seems the editors missed a frontpage article:

    The Contrarian [escapistmagazine.com]

    Nintendo's hardware is doomed. The Game Boy? Drowning. Gamecube? Buried. Revolution? Dead on arrival. Sony and Microsoft have begun the process of cleaning their clock, and there's just a bit of dust on the minute hand still left to go.

    I don't agree with the article, of course.

    • I agree with him in one way. As far as being a mainstream mega-game console manufacturer in the North American gaming market... Nintendo is dead. As far as a niche market manufacturer/developer, they are as strong as ever. Nintendo is now to Sony/Microsoft what independant movie makers/publishers are to the big movie houses. This isn't a bad thing though. Nintendo makes money and stays in business, and as long as there are the "real gamers" out there to support them we will keep getting the quality and wel
    • If they can't even bother to call it Nintendo DS and instead call it Game Boy DS, then I don't know how much merit there is in that article.

  • The assimilation (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Iriel ( 810009 ) on Tuesday July 12, 2005 @03:10PM (#13045416) Homepage
    While I love Tycho's article about video games becoming mainstream, I wanted to clarify my points on the issue.

    It was a dark day for me, when in junior high or high school, I was talking with my fellow outcasts (and I'm not kidding, we were geeks/nerds/freaks/whatever at the school) about FFVII and some average looking girl whose skin showed signs a blush of health said "Yeah I play that game. It's awesome, but I hate how you have to walk around and talk to people"

    Clouds gathered in the sky that day. A girl actually talked to us that wasn't one of us already, and then we find out that the masses have caught wind of our hidden trove of joy.

    And they misunderstood it in every way.

    Since that day of reckoning, I drew further into a realm of actual RPGs (and not just Diablo clones (though some can be quite fun)) and strategy. This makes it easy to pick out the average gamer from the those of us that would have been the only gamers years ago because I tell them PC is my favorite system. If they reply with nothing more than an inquisitive look, then I know where their loyalties lie.

    In the real world, it's really not that much different for me for the fact that I don't play most of the mainstream games. About the most mainstream thing I have is Guild Wars and I don't even own a console. While I make no claim of being uber gamer or geek supreme, my way of telling the pop-gamers from not is usually a matter of genre. But that's only because of my preference.

    Everyone has become more digital in some way in the last decade whether geek or not. It's weird to talk with people about a game when we have nothing else in common sometimes, but I think we'll just have to deal with losing some of our safe haven.

    • Re:The assimilation (Score:4, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 12, 2005 @03:47PM (#13046003)
      It was a dark day for me, when in junior high or high school, I was talking with my fellow outcasts (and I'm not kidding, we were geeks/nerds/freaks/whatever at the school) about FFVII and some average looking girl whose skin showed signs a blush of health said "Yeah I play that game. It's awesome, but I hate how you have to walk around and talk to people"

      Has the internet taught you nothing? That wasn't really a girl, it was a 45 year old fat guy from Florida. Case in point: would a girl really hate the part of a game where you walk around and talk to people?
    • Welcome to the goddamn party, man...I've been through this with my music (punk) and my hobbies (skateboarding and tagging) before, and it's no fun at all.

      But see, heres the rub...with all of these things - games, punk, thrashing, etc - we've been there before, and we'll go there again in a few years time. Games garnered favor in the 80s, and then faded into obscurity, only to be resurrected again every now and then (granted, certainly not the multi-billion dollar industry that it is now), only to be banis

      • Re:The assimilation (Score:5, Insightful)

        by Golias ( 176380 ) on Tuesday July 12, 2005 @04:39PM (#13046832)
        I've been through this with my music (punk) and my hobbies (skateboarding and tagging) before, and it's no fun at all.

        Poser.

        The Sex Pistols and Ramones did not suddenly stop being cool just because Hot Topic started selling black fishnets and plaid to 14-year old girls who listen to Greenday on their iPods.

        Punk rock, to the (very) limited extent that it was ever cool at all, was cool because it embraced the idea of not giving a fuck what other people thought of you. If you were embarrased that valley girls were now aping the style which you so were aping first, you completely missed the entire point. It sounds to me like are every bit a phoney as the members of Offspring which you are so quick to dismiss.

        You want to be a true punk? A true non-conformist? Go downtown with a boom-box and listen to Britney Spears in a public square. Not her new simi-sexy "Toxic" stuff... her old "Hit me baby" crap that everybody is fucking sick to death of. Crank it up. Sing along. Dance to it. Naked.

        Then you will be truly worthy of the awe and adulation of your co-workers at Starbucks. You can show off the inexplicable tatoos of Heinz Ketuchup bottles and Teletubbies which you got ON YOUR FACE while in jail for lewd behavior.

        Until you are ready to go that far to break the mold and be a real bat-shit loco non-conformist, shut the fuck up and accept the fact that you are no better (or worse) than those kids at the mall who you seem to think are ruining it all for you.
        • The Ramones stopped being cool when Blitzkrieg Bop became a commercial anthem for cell phones and pepsi cans. Kinda like when I heard Led Zeplin music in the background of a Cadilac commercial.
        • Thanks, I was trying to figure out how to be 'true punx'...I'm glad that you've shown me the path. I guess I'll need to liquidate my collection of 7s and throw out all of the shirts and junk that I bought at legitimate shows...anyone wanna buy 200 something 7s and about 70 concert shirts (assorted colors, all ranging from Youth Large to Adult Medium)? Best offer gets to help me buy a boombox and Britney Spears albums.

  • Comment removed (Score:4, Insightful)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Tuesday July 12, 2005 @03:22PM (#13045593)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • I think you're spot on.

      I know 'gamers' that have grown up and barely play any games now (and would also consider myself one), but they still plug away a few hours a week in WoW. These are the same dread-lords from the '97 UO era, transitioned to EQ and/or AC, played DAoC and then moved onto SB before coming to rest in whatever gaming limbo they currently reside. They/we have been around and appreciate the history of gaming (at least online).

      When you have some kid that just picks up WoW after playing Diabl
      • These are the same dread-lords from the '97 UO era

        1997 is an "era" now?

        Shit, I feel old. When I was a young gamer, "on line" meant you had a good, secure seal on your accoustic coupler, allowing you to enjoy an "RPG-by-mail" type game at the breakneck pace of your 300 baud connection to your favorite local BBS.

        Now get off my lawn, you damn kids!
    • I agree, the author was clearly a gamer. I consider myself to be a hardcore gamer, but I play fewer and fewer games these days. It's not got anything to do with me losing interest in games but my desire not to play the same old dull sequels being churned out.

      I liken this to what happens with movie critics. Most movie critics have seen so many films that when they have to review yet another "big summer blockbuster" they are so tired with the cliches and reused plots that they hate the film. When these same

      • Re:definition of gamer (Score:3, Interesting)

        by Grab ( 126025 )
        A good movie critic can go and see a blockbuster and still say whether it's good for its genre. The main thing a critic is looking for is a plot. And that's what most movie-goers are looking for too.

        Consider recent superhero films - the two X-Men and Spiderman films, for instance. Both feature well-constructed plots and good acting - plus the explosions and fights that you expect in a blockbuster. And they did very well by the critics. Matrix 2 and Matrix 3 though were panned by the critics, bcos they
    • where the three (or is it four?) warp whistles are in SMB3

      Three, one through the white platform in 1-3, one in the first mini-castle by flying above the door to the boss, and one with the fireball hammer brothers in the overworld in world 2, behind the rock.

      I might be a gamer. I always warped around world 5 once I learned how, so I don't remember. Maybe that costs me the gamer cred from remember the whistles without looking it up.

      A non gamer would go to gamefaqs [gamefaqs.com] or something. Kids these days, no respec

    • I wouldn't require a sense of history before you could consider yourself a gamer. To be a gamer you just have to enjoy games as a significant part of your life. Anything beyond that is mere elitism, like the music snobs in your analogy.

      At what point are you not considered a gamer? Am I somehow not a gamer because I've never heard of the original Doom (which I did, gotta heart IDKFA), but I thoroughly enjoyed Doom 3 and Half Life 2 (which I didn't, because I've never played them)? What if I'm only 13 an
  • pwn'd!

    w00t, w00t~!

    /corpsehump
  • I consider myself a gamer, and yes I play a lot of video games. But it's such a narrow definition of gamer. To be certain there is a broad spectrum of games out there, only a small fraction are based in the electronic realm. Card games, from spades to MtG, constitue as large of a player base as electronic gaming if not larger. They provide the same sort of competition that comes from a honed skill set bent on defeating an opponent. Sports are games as well. While they require more physical skill than ment

  • Nintendo: Doomed? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Tom Courtenay ( 638139 ) on Tuesday July 12, 2005 @04:41PM (#13046867)
    Talk about a flamebait title

    I found this article to be particularly insightful. The writer sets out several examples of innovation on the part of both Nintendo and the competition. He/She then clearly illustrates how the vast majority of innovations in videogaming aren't assimilated into the canon of game development/interface.

    Like a lot of slashdotters, I grew up with a NES & SMS in the house. I'm coming at this from the perspective of someone who wants this company to succeed. Check [tinyurl.com] it out, it's not like I don't own a few Nintendo systems & games.

    The author hits the nail on the head though. Nintendo seems far too concerned with distancing themselves from their competitors and not nearly focussed enough on developing appealing content. I agree 100% that the company may not survive in its current state beyond the next generation. Now please, before anybody responds with Japanese sales numbers understand that I want Nintendo to do well. But that market is not what it used to be with respect to dominating the videogame market. I've read interviews with industry execs talking about reviving the ailing industry in Japan. Like it or not, the North American market is clearly the battlefield upon which the big N needs to wage war. I don't see them doing this.

    Nintendogs. Yes yes, I know. It's a huge hit in Japan. Does anybody honestly believe that that type of success can succeed in this (NA) market? I may be wrong, but I certainly don't. I'm someone that follows the gaming scene pretty closely, and all I know about it is that it appears to be a Tamagochi in dog's clothing. The mass market which gobbles up the Halos, Maddens & GTAs (all fine games) will likely not be interested.

    The majority of games I've played on the DS offer little more than brief diversions. I'm sure that there are some titles that provide a deep and rich experience but the system hasn't even been marketed to profile that. Most people I've talked to (granted, it's not something I bring up at dinner parties) find the entire thing a little offputting. Chances are excellent that I'll get one eventually, but I'm more of a completist than your broadly-drawn NBA Street fan.

    Third party support for the Gamecube has dropped to a frighteningly small pool of developers. When you're a hardware/software company that releases 3 or 4 big titles a year, you had better foster important ties to your third parties otherwise your userbase will be left wanting.

    Coming from someone who owned both Samba Di Amigo maracas and a Virtua Boy, Nintendo seriously needs to reconsider its position in the market. We're all aware of the huge cash reserves it has, and we're all aware of the worldwide edge the GCN apparently has on the Xbox. They currently rule entire handheld industry & have maintained that stranglehold through excellent software and rock solid hardware. The new direction of "pure innovation" however, is going to destroy the company.
    • Nintendogs. Yes yes, I know. It's a huge hit in Japan. Does anybody honestly believe that that type of success can succeed in this (NA) market?

      Who cares? As long as Japanese games keep coming out, I'm fine. I'm a snob, I know, but honestly, if American game makers fell off the face of the Earth tomorrow, I'd lament the loss of Retro studios and go about playing Fire Emblem. Even with an ailing Japanese economy, for cultural and economic reasons, Japanese game developers care about a Japanese audience.
      • As long as Japanese games keep coming out, I'm fine.
        I'm no economist, but I imagine that a shrinking North American userbase would drive up the costs of the Japanese titles. Is this wrong?

        Furthermore, you don't seem to know crap about Nintendogs. Almost every import review of the game (certainly everyone I read) says the game is amazing. Famitsu gave it a great score and that means something.

        Your tone aside, I too have read the reviews of the Nintendogs import. Yes, it's been heavily praised by sev

  • I Liked it, but... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by theclam159 ( 833616 ) on Tuesday July 12, 2005 @04:57PM (#13047086)
    I think that the "Nintendo is Dying!" rant is wrong. Here's why:

    -The Gamecube was the only console of its generation to be profitable. Every PS2 and Xbox that was made cost Sony and Microsoft money.
    -The DS is beating the PSP in sales in Japan. I believe that it's winning in the US, but I can't find any hard data.
    -The Revolution will almost certainly be the only profitable console of its generation.
    -Microsoft's Xbox division is in the red by several billion dollars. Nintendo has only slightly less profit than Sony does, even though Sony has significantly more sales and market share.
    -The Gamecube is only slightly behind the Xbox for US sales, but is solidly in second place in the world.

    If you want to compare them to Sega, then you should take note of the large disparities in profit on console sales and in general between the two companies. If anyone is going to pull out of the console hardware business, I see it being Microsoft.

    • Had this same feeling reading through it. Some of the writing was really good, this one was just a glorified MB rant. And calling it "The Contrarian" was laughable... "Nintendo is about to die" is one of the urban legends gamers like to repeat to themselves the most, in all defiance of facts. Nintendo posted record profits this quarter; they aren't going anywhere.

  • Ugh (Score:3, Interesting)

    by GMFTatsujin ( 239569 ) on Tuesday July 12, 2005 @05:36PM (#13047576) Homepage
    Trying to read that site is making my eyeballs bleed. Gamers they may be, but the super-hip graphics and layout (not to mention TEENY PRINT) are not apparently the work of a web designer who intends the site to be read on a regular basis. Nice prototype, but bad execution.

    Otherwise, the articles are hip and make for a decent read. There is obviously an editor involved, ensure some level of quality above blog. It'd be a great publication if I didn't need a zoom function and glare-reducing polorized lenses on my retina.
  • I can't fully agree with the guy, but I must concede some of his points. Namely, the ones concerning the GameBoy Micro and developer interests. The Micro really seems like an ill placed idea as there are already two Gameboys that do almost exactly the same thing out there (not to mention the DS), and developers are most interested in porting their title and not worrying about other features.

    The author's argument, that Nintendo will fail in hardware, seems plausible, even if I don't agree with it. The odd t

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