Comments on: Better Accelerate Than Never?

By: Girls Just Want To Have Dungeon Runs | It burns when I PVP! | MMORPGs

Girls Just Want To Have Dungeon Runs | It burns when I PVP! | MMORPGs — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:20:07 +0000

[...] Better Accelerate Than Never? [...]

By: Y3k-Bug

Y3k-Bug — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 02:52:14 +0000

For what its worth, NextGen (or more formally, Next Generation magazine) was an excellent read.

By: Dorian Cornelius Jasper

Dorian Cornelius Jasper — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:13:45 +0000

Your old article made me sad. I usually don’t comment on old articles, but…

I clicked the last link in the article, and then immediately thought: “Wait. I have that issue. I used to read this magazine.” And then became sad when I realized I couldn’t find it.

Thus, your old article made me sad. About a girlie rag. I would have tried to be wittier here, or at least meaner, but I’m still sad. You meanies.

By: Gap Gen

Gap Gen — Fri, 16 May 2008 10:49:22 +0000

This is a bit late, but did Kropotkin write ‘Conquest of Bread’ or ‘Conquest of Beard’? Because either works.

By: Sparky

Sparky — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 02:26:22 +0000

If this really were about PCXLs “use of sex” and covering those really important “sex-related issues” (which has already been done by non-”lad” mags like CGM anyway) where are the half-naked hot guys? Where are the Frag Dudes? The photos of snug banana hammocks with Space Invaders printed in strategic places? Oh – wait, there aren’t any. Because it’s about selling magazines by using pictures of hot chicks. To straight…”lads”. Be honest.

David St. Hubbins: They said the album cover is a bit sexist.
Nigel Tufnel: Well, so what? What’s wrong with being sexy?
David St. Hubbins: Sexist, Nigel.

By: Reason

Reason — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 21:57:18 +0000

Hmm. I read your lead again and realized that you were sort of trying on this argument for size, Kieron, so please don’t take what I’ve said as a real stab.

I guess I just see the “unabashed pandering but then getting kind of defensive about it” behavior as part of a larger pattern in which the lowest common denominator sinks not because of human nature (ie What People Actually Want) and more because certain key people have a low opinion of their audience… as if to say, “Here, you Neanderthals like tits don’t you? Here’s some on the cover. Don’t act like you don’t want it.”

The tricky thing is that they can always throw a charge of elitism back in the face of anyone who raises an eyebrow. When really, if I’m the media and I give people nothing but lowbrow / crap and tell them that crap is all they want, that’s the ultimate form of judgmental elitism. It’s all tangled up in a hateful sort of justification logic. Society can do better.

By: Reason

Reason — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 21:38:53 +0000

The “gamers are puritanical” angle is just apologism in the guise of counter-elitism. I don’t buy it.

I just look at stuff like the Frag Dolls and fail to see how it’s having a net positive impact on game culture. Yes, they’re not wearing bikinis and being paraded around like pieces of meat, but if you look past the marketing message (and make no mistake, they are a marketing instrument for Ubi) they are still very much on display for the benefit of guy gamers. Anyone who tells you they’re building bridges is trying to sell you copies of Splinter Cell in a frustratingly disingenuous way.

I’m all for an eyes-wide-open look at all the sex-related issues in games and game culture, but there’s way too much fratboy defensiveness surrounding crap like this. You like ogling girls, that’s fine, so do most of us – but don’t act like some envelope is being pushed. Growing up means actually being honest about your appetites.

from the comments on this over at GameSetWatch:

“Finally, someone is reaching 16-year-old boy gamers. They have no media outlets to call their own and are sadly neglected in their favorite format, print.”

By: Alan Au

Alan Au — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 20:03:33 +0000

Why oh why couldn’t they have resurrected Computer Games Magazine instead?

By: Kieron Gillen

Kieron Gillen — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 04:20:30 +0000

Quick response, in passing…

Andrew Farell: I always recall a speech I saw James Brown do Re: Loaded, where he noted that – despite what it became – when he was in charge, only 50% of the covers were actually women. So, yeah, I go along with the early-Loaded=Culturally interesting magazine hypothesis.

By: Andrew Mayer

Andrew Mayer — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 18:25:04 +0000

It’s an interesting idea, but I have the same questions now that I had back then:
Who is the audience for this?

Are articles about sex and video games better than articles about sex or video games?

I also remember thinking that the lad-rag boys have lots of magazines to choose from, and the gamers have lots of magazines to choose from. If you want a little of both why not buy two magazines?

From the looks of that cover none of these questions have been answered.

By: Andrew Farrell

Andrew Farrell — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 09:49:00 +0000

How are you on the “Loaded was actually great back when it had features like ‘Today, we attempted to organise a piss-up in a brewery’” theory?

By: NightShade

NightShade — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 08:48:31 +0000

Wikipedia:
“Every night, the staffs of PC Gamer and PCXL would challenge each other to massive team on team Rainbow Six battles. The PCXL staff rarely won a single match.”

Considering how poorly the PCG guys were whenever I played or saw them playing someone (not any of you guys I believe, but if it was then no offence ;)) then they must be really bad gamers.