RIP CGW Part Deux: RIP GFW
I have already said my goodbyes to Computer Gaming World when they switched over to Games For Windows magazine. And now GFW is shutting down their print magazine, to go purely to online content.

That didn't last long, did it?

Games For Windows, Signifying Nothing
I guess it was too much to expect that somehow Microsoft would really support their "official" magazine. I guess it's pretty clear by now that Gabe Newell was right - the "Games For Windows" initiative was nothing more than a marketing campaign to try and convince gamers to downgrade to Vista.

Microsoft wants to sell more XBoxes - that's where they are getting their gaming money. So far, they haven't figured out a way to force game publishers to pay them $7 - $10 per copy sold on Windows, like they can on XBox (I don't know the actual number, I'm guessing), so I guess their priorities are at least understandable.

And quite frankly, what I used to be able to read in Computer Gaming World back in its early 90's heyday I can now find (and better!) at Rock, Paper, Shotgun, Scorpia's Gaming Lair, Sexy Videogameland (even if she does favor those console games), Play This Thing!, The Escapist Magazine, and... yes, even 1Up. And other review sites.

Doom and Gloom?
So is this a harbinger of the doom of PC gaming, the doom of print gaming mags, both, or neither?

Honestly, I think it's "a little of both," if you append the phrases with the words, "as we knew it."

PC gaming has changed. This struck home to me as I was looking at the March issue of Games For Windows, and saw their "Ultimate Gaming Rig" feature. For PCs that cost more than I paid for my car. And it occurred to me that it didn't matter that you could set up a PC that is four times as powerful as the XBox 360 anymore. The kind of player who used to care about those things is... uh... off playing games on his XBox 360. Seriously. Sure, there are some hardcore gamers still doing the LAN deathmatch thing on their hotrod computers, but that's becoming a niche as surely as those of us who love flight simulators and adventure games and RPGs with lovely stats.

But the difference between a "bleeding edge" PC and a plain ol' vanilla PC with a decent video card is nothing like the difference we had 15 years ago. I suspect that part of the push to go to High Definition on the newer consoles was simply because it is too hard to tell the difference in graphics quality on older TV systems. We've started running into the law of diminishing returns on graphics and the need for raw processing power for the kinds of games we're doing. Not that we wouldn't love more of both... but each successive year is not giving us nearly the bang for the buck it used to, when a 2-year-old game looked embarrassingly obsolete.

But PC gaming is still the place to be. I mean, yeah, I love my XBox 360, and my PS2, and I even love my aging Dreamcast. And my day job depends upon console sales, so yeah - I want them to do well. :) But I'm a PC gamer at heart, and there's some great stuff happening here, and the consoles are still playing catch-up.

And as far as print magazines - I gotta admit I have paid less and less attention to the magazines now that so much is available online. When I'm reading for pleasure, I prefer pages. When I'm reading for information, I find online (with nifty links 'n stuff!) to be at least equal, if not preferable. And I have to admit, the magazines have a tough time competing with online when their focus is on news and reviews. I believe print magazines need to rely upon more time-independent information, but in the rapidly changing world of videogames that's a tall order.

Anyway, here's Jeff Green's breaking of the news to the public:

Jeff Green Talks about shutting down Games For Windows Magazine (Formerly Computer Gaming World)

(The news has been everywhere, but Scorpia tipped me off... Hmm... CGW's slide into suck-dom and subsequent rise to mediocrity began right about the time they gave her the boot. Coincidence...?)

Labels: Biz, retro

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