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As the Internet becomes increasingly pervasive, the print media is dying a slow, painful death. Brandon's article is a love letter to the bygone video-game magazine.
I recently came across an issue of Nintendo Power from December 1998. Star Wars: Rogue Squadron graced the cover. Apparently, my mother was cleaning out the basement and recycling my old mags. A tear dripped down my left cheek. I realized how much I've missed my monthly subscription magazines.
The old gaming periodicals had so much meaning...so much hard work behind them. I was upset that they'd left my life.
Everything can be found online. Things change. In the words of Electronic Gaming Monthly, "The only constant is change." But it hurts me to say this: Print is a dying breed. Sure, some (I should say few) of these mags are still around, but my agony is palpable.
The target audience has a specific niche. I'm one of them. Many people still enjoy receiving a newspaper at their doorsteps. To this day, I always prefer to have the content on paper...holding it in the palm of my hands. You can collect old print issues, and they make fine shelf decorations. They're part of what makes your room so vibrant. What keeps print alive?
The new generation (the "kids") is accustomed to fast technology; the whippersnappers are used to reading from phone screens and monitors. I didn't grow up with the same privileges, and I didn't let the Net sway me. GameFAQs and other sites tempted me, but I remained loyal to strategy books and my monthly subscriptions. The smell of new magazines...turning quickly to the letter section to see if your snail mail made it into the issue...those sensations are relics of the past.
I'm not here to bitch and complain. It's much easier to get your name out there nowadays and have conversations with people -- especially celebrities and mentors -- via social networking. In the old days, paper booklets were a magical component of my life. I ran down to the end of my driveway each day hoping to find a new mag sitting in my mailbox. Those experiences won't be here much longer.
I hope that print remains on life support until I pass from this world. I want to continue my collection of magazines and make that shelf even bigger. In case you're wondering, I retrieved the rest of my basement collection. The mags smell like the underground floor, but they won't be leaving my side. Thank you, print. Your end is nigh. Maybe not now...but nothing lasts forever.
How do you feel about print media? Do you still like reading magazines, or do you prefer the Net? I'd like to hear your thoughts.
Thanks to Yamilia Avendano from Twinfinite for giving me this idea in our short Twitter conversation. And thanks to Professor Thomas Proietti for giving me an assignment that dealt with this topic.
You can follow them here: @yellowyami @tpmedia
