Game Informer edited by Andy McNamara (magazine)


(2014, August). Game Informer, (256), 1-100.

Genre: Videogames, Reviews

Reading level/ interest age: 16+

Plot summary:

The August issue of Game Informer begins, as always, with feedback from the last issue’s articles and announces the winner of the month’s fan art contest. Next, this issue has a very lengthy discussion over E3 Expo’s 2014 content and doles out low grades for the industry’s largest producers of games. The Indie genre appears to be on the rise and readers can pour over art and details of the new game Battleborn. The vast majority of this issue is dedicated to reviews of the top fifty games E3 introduced. A wrap-up contains reviews of several games, not covered at E3, that were released in August. 

Game Informer is the go-to magazine for gamers interested in learning about new releases. The reviews are numerous, extensive, and well-detailed. Game Informer draws a large age range from teens to older adults and is marketed rather well. Most people encounter this magazine in the store Game Stop as the chain offers a free subscription to customers who sign up for their rewards program. Game Informer is published monthly and is a rather large-sized magazine containing many colorful pages and lots of artwork.

Reader’s annotation:

Keep up with the hottest new videogame releases, reviews, consoles, and more.

Information about the author:

“One of the original game journalists, Andy McNamara started his career in 1991 writing reviews of NHL Hockey and Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis in the magazine's premiere issue. Named editor-in-chief in 1994, McNamara turned the quarterly newsletter into the number one monthly video game publication in the world, with over 7.6 Million subscribers and counting. From the humble days of running the ASCII version of Star Trek on a workplace server to years of joyously exploring Atari 2600, ColecoVision, and Intellivision games during the golden age of video games, Andy immersed himself in pixilated adventures right up to the industry crash of 1983.

"Between '83 and '85 video games fell off the face of the Earth, but Andy rekindled his love of interactive entertainment when the Nintendo Entertainment System launched the modern era of video games with classics like The Legend of Zelda and Metroid. Andy still attributes Metroid as the reason he is involved with video games today. One of the longest standing editors and journalists in the industry, sharing his passion for games with gamers around the world is the reason Andy gets out of bed in the morning. Sure, it's around noon, but those are gamer hours” (GameInformer.com, 2014).

Curriculum ties: N/A

Booktalking ideas:

1.       What could Game Informer do to improve its layout and content?
2.       Does the magazine appeal to the female crowd? Why or why not?

Critical evaluation:

Game Informer is a very widely recognized magazine in the gaming world. As there are few chain stores that sell videogames exclusively, Game Stop is the perfect marketing device for this periodical. Most subscribers to the magazine are signed up as a bonus for becoming a Game Stop rewards member. The only other way a person can receive this magazine is through the Game Informer website as the issues contain no pull-outs for mail in subscription. 

This magazine has many vivid and artfully designed articles that catch the reader’s eye. Reviews are well written and highly respected. The magazine is also large and easy to spot because the covers are also visually appealing and free of text or advertisements. The magazine itself has very few ads which is most likely due to all of the reviews. Game Informer has no need to advertise as all of the games contained within are pretty much advertisements themselves which entice players to buy, download, or rent.

Challenge issues:

·         Promotion of violent games
·         Foul language

Defensive Maneuvers:

·         Have the library’s collection development policy memorized and on hand in case a situation arises.
·         Keep positive reviews on hand to refer to or hand out when needed.
·         If the book has won any awards, mention them to the patron and briefly explain the award.
·         Listen to the patron and practice good customer service skills when communicating. Let the customer know where or if he/she can escalate his/her complaint.
·         When necessary, cite sections of the ALA’s Library Bill of Rights or refer to the ALA's Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials.

Why included:

Game Informer draws a large age range of readers interested in learning more about videogames. It is widely recognized in the gamer community and well respected. This magazine could help reluctant readers as it is of a subject they could have great interest in and contains many visually appealing articles.

Reference:

GameInformer.com. (2014). Andy McNamara. Retrieved August 29, 2014 from
http://www.gameinformer.com/p/staff.aspx

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