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Digital Subscriptions to Paper Gaming Magazines - Worth It?

Posted by simoniker on from the virtual-paper dept.

Thanks to GamersWithJobs for its review of digital subscriptions to notable videogame magazines such as EGM or CGW, running down the advantages ("No need to store it at home and you really can't lose it because you can download the magazine as necessary. Unless your wife manages to trash the entire Internet, digital magazines are pretty hard to throw away"), and disadvantages ("No CD/DVD that comes in many magazines these days... Some users will find the need to zoom and scroll as they read a hassle") of the Zinio Reader based digital formats, although for the Baghdad-based reviewer of these digital subscriptions, "getting content otherwise not available in Iraq is a big plus."

3 of 52 comments (clear)

  1. Good Idea by netfool · · Score: 5, Insightful
    The article forgot a couple PROs:
    - Your 3 year old won't bring it behind the couch/secret-fortress-of-magazine-destruction-and- general-place-for-hiding-your-stuff and tear your magazine up when he's alone in the living room.
    - Your 3 year old won't spill his milk on the article about Half-Life 2 and have it drench every page under it (though, I guess he could spill milk on the computer and cause it to explode somehow, but that hasn't happened yet so I'll mark this a PRO).

    It's a great idea, I'm all for it. The use of searchable text is invaluable to me, I tend to go through magazines backwards for some odd reason and never look at the table of contents except as a last resort.

    --
    Left 4 Dead Gaming Group - http://www.l4dgg.com
  2. Paper by stereo_Barryo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Paper is easier on the eyes over a period of time ( higher res than screens ) and can be held in a more comfortable position for a long time. Score one for old-tech!

  3. Paper is still cheaper by superultra · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I somehow received a free Zinio subscription to EGM, and as far as digital reading software goes it's quite well designed. It's intuitive, streamlined, clean, and clear. You can tell Zinio has attempted to replicate the reading process digitally with its turning pages and fold out ads. I was impressed.

    That said, when a subscription to the Zinio/digital EGM costs $19.99 and you can easily find a four year paper subscription for under $5, why bother with the hassle? If I subscribe to the magazine, why can't I pay a few dollars more and get access to the digital version as well?

    I remember reading an interview with the suits at NetFlicks in Wired a year or two ago. They said it was still cheaper, and practically faster, to snail-mail data on CDs to someone than to provide it over the net. Zinio's pricing proves this hasn't changed.

    I suppose the only advantage to Zinio is not having magazines pile up somewhere. Of course, I have yet to find a game magazine that's worth keeping anyway. They're so filled with hyperbolic previews, barely edited junior high level writing, and gratituous screenshots that they're not worth the hard drive space to save them on.