GRcade

I did some digging and there's are plenty of printing options for reasonable prices. I'm probably leaning towards a smaller, A5 design at maybe 32 pages, all-colour.

But... realisation of the workload is setting in. It'd be quite a task to create and, realistically, I should devote that time to getting into real work rather than putting the energy into such a sideline. I like the idea and I think there is potential in it, but I'm not certain that this is the right moment to spend time on it.

jawafour wrote:I did some digging and there's are plenty of printing options for reasonable prices. I'm probably leaning towards a smaller, A5 design at maybe 32 pages, all-colour.

But... realisation of the workload is setting in. It'd be quite a task to create and, realistically, I should devote that time to getting into real work rather than putting the energy into such a sideline. I like the idea and I think there is potential in it, but I'm not certain that this is the right moment to spend time on it.

strawberry float real work. Geek it out home boy.

jawafour wrote:I did some digging and there's are plenty of printing options for reasonable prices. I'm probably leaning towards a smaller, A5 design at maybe 32 pages, all-colour.

But... realisation of the workload is setting in. It'd be quite a task to create and, realistically, I should devote that time to getting into real work rather than putting the energy into such a sideline. I like the idea and I think there is potential in it, but I'm not certain that this is the right moment to spend time on it.

A great idea Jawa, but just a warning (as someone who does this sort of thing day in day out) that it's a LOT of work, even just as a fan level project. You need to make sure it's made properly (so InDesign for the bulk of the layout, Photoshop ONLY for editing the images). You'll need someone to decided on the look and feel, set up the style sheets properly, someone to proof it and so on. What you think might take a week or so could end up taking months. Saying that, I'll happily help out if you do go ahead with it.

Maybe it could be a print only thing for a while, and set up a threshold of copies needed to make a print run viable. So say you need to wait until 30 people buy in. After that, maybe it could be a free download or something.

Ad7 wrote:A great idea Jawa, but just a warning (as someone who does this sort of thing day in day out) that it's a LOT of work, even just as a fan level project...

Thanks, man - yeah, it is the time commitment that is deterring me from actually doing this. Back in the early 2000s I produced around a dozen issues of a mini-mag (each circa twenty pages) at work and I spent a ton of time on each one; the layout and formatting does take a lot of work to make the pages attractive. I *like* that kind of work but I really need to put that sorta effort into getting my ass into a job rather than making a gaming mag... however much I may want to. Never say never but, upon reflection, I don't think now is the right time.

if you ever did want to do it jawa id be more than happy to help

Get Pell to be Editor.

jawafour wrote:Hmmn... it seems that there could be some appetite for a "special", one-off GRcade mag. Of course, we could feature some SONM aspects in it, too.

We actually had a really well put together digital fanzine on (S)ONM, you can check out all four issues here (although having a look the link to issue one seems to be broken now).

Direct link to the final issue

OrangeRakoon wrote:We actually had a really well put together digital fanzine on (S)ONM...

That looked like a fun mag, Orange - thanks for sharing. With tech today it's amazing how folk can put together a pretty pro-looking magazine .

Just Photoshop innit m8

Added a poll to the thread following the cull of GamesMaster and GamesTM.

I occasionally grab Retro Gamer.

I didn't even know (S)ONM had a digital fanzine but I was kind of the black sheep there anyways so not surprised I missed it, I just hung out in the retro section like a troll under a bridge.

In the last 10 years I've bought 2 Retro Gamers. That's it. Might even extend to the last 15 years.

kerr9000 wrote:I occasionally grab Retro Gamer.

I didn't even know (S)ONM had a digital fanzine but I was kind of the black sheep there anyways so not surprised I missed it, I just hung out in the retro section like a troll under a bridge.

It was a GAAW thing, (S)ONM definitely had it's own sub-forum communities. I was always a GAAW and a FG&Qs man at heart

I subscribe to OPM and pickup most issues of Retro Gamer.

In the period from 1984 through 2010 I used to buy tons of gaming mags. *Literally* tons. Now I skim a few gaming websites every day. It's cool to be "up to date" but not really as much fun.

jawafour wrote:I subscribe to OPM and pickup most issues of Retro Gamer.

In the period from 1984 through 2010 I used to buy tons of gaming mags. *Literally* tons. Now I skim a few gaming websites every day. It's cool to be "up to date" but not really as much fun.

I used to love seeing new game unveils standing in the newsagent, especially after E3 where every issue would have a huge blowout with tonnes of screenshots.

NickSCFC wrote:I used to love seeing new game unveils standing in the newsagent, especially after E3 where every issue would have a huge blowout with tonnes of screenshots.

Yeah, they were great . To be fair, OPM and OXM do still do excellent E3 blow-out editions, usually with lots of previews in the main mag plus a seperate photo-based mag. They make for a terrific, and positive, read.

jawafour wrote:

NickSCFC wrote:I used to love seeing new game unveils standing in the newsagent, especially after E3 where every issue would have a huge blowout with tonnes of screenshots.

Yeah, they were great . To be fair, OPM and OXM do still do excellent E3 blow-out editions, usually with lots of previews in the main mag plus a seperate photo-based mag. They make for a terrific, and positive, read.

It doesn't feel the same though, by the time they're out you've watched the conference's, seen all the trailers, and seen all the opinions.

Don't get me wrong, the internet is great and I wouldn't go back, but in the 90s seeing things like this was magic.

I remember selling my Saturn to get a PlayStation in early 1998, then one day I'm in he newsagents and BAM! Sega Dreamcast unveiled, screenshots of Sonic Adventure, Soupcalibur, Sega Rally 2, Virtua Fighter 3, amazing!

This thread has made me realise that I haven't bought a gaming magazine in probably 10 years now.

I've never been particularly aligned with any magazine. In the late 90s until sometime in the 00s I was a fairly regular purchaser of EDGE, probably picking up something like an issue every 2-3 months, but that's the closest I came to "following" a magazine.

There is something undeniably comforting about reading a physical magazine, but I just don't have the time for it these days.

For many years, I regularly 'took' both EDGE and Games™ (from the first editions, in both cases). Around a year and a half ago I canceled them both after a lot of thought and consideration. This was for a couple of reasons:

1. The internet. I get most of my gaming news via YouTube these days.

2. In the case of EDGE, I'm afraid it gradually became obvious to me, after certain political events in 2016, that EDGE was increasingly preoccupied with promoting its progressive values. Nothing wrong with that; EDGE can do whatever it wants. I gave away my entire EDGE collection about a year ago. I miss the fantastic graphic design, not so much the editorializing.