Computer Magazines

                An article by Stefan Herber

One of my first major interests in life after work was my hi-fi.
Ten years ago hi-fi was the most important lifestyle purchase
after homes and cars - in those days there were 8 or 9 magazines
on the market. With time hi-fi, alas, has slipped to 6th or 7th
place in the consumer want list and computers are much higher up
the scale. Some although not all of the computer purchasers will
eventually realize that computer games are not the sole dominion
of children. In time they will turn to the many games magazines on
the market to help guide their purchases. Now in the days of hi-fi
predominance it was clear that certain magazines equated with the
newspaper dailies. Some addressed the market currently occupied by
the Sun, Daily Mirror & Star; others chose to aim their attention
at the Daily Mail & Express readership; a precious few (all I'm
pleased to say still extant - decided that the
Times/FT/Independent side of the market was their niche. Do we
have a similar situation with computer magazines and if so how do
they line up?  Before I go any further, Sue, I hope you'll send
this letter to the various game magazine editors- their comments
will be most appreciated!

I'm not including here magazines that are partially or completely
technical, or those that exist on 500 pages of adverts and 2 pages
of editorial. Those of you out there will know exactly what I
mean.  I'm concentrating on those where software plays a major
part in their content. So, in my humble opinion the following
magazines address the following dailies readership:

Sun/Daily Mirror: PC Zone; Ultimate PC (Now deceased- whether the
replacement is any better we'll see); PC Gamer.

Daily Mail/Express: PC Home; PC Format/Review (effectively now the
same journals although released in two versions to con us twice -
even the cover discs are now identical albeit not in the same
month).


Telegraph/Guardian: PC Gaming World- the only game magazine
vaguely aimed at an adult audience.

FT/Times: Ourselves.

Am I being unfair?

@~Comments please? ... Sue











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