Well, you gotta give Editor-in-Chief Dan “Shoe” Hsu some credit for stirring up a pot lately, with his editorials inElectronic Gaming Monthly. Though you got to wonder if he’s really going to bring theEGMship down by trying to be so transparent, and so hardlined with his point of view.
What happened to theEGMof old, when it was so much more lively, and less “cyni-jaded”? Which, BTW, is a new word I’m using in Scrabble, deftly combining “cynical” and “jaded.”
I’m like a samurai with my tongue. More after the jump.
Seems Shoe wantsEGMto be all about writing for the people, which I guess means churning out a magazine about 25% the size it use to be. Umm, here’s a reality check: EVERYONE, includingEGM, is all about generating hype for their business. Hype drives sales. And hype, by the nature of hyping, is all about crossing the line every now and then.
IfEGMwas all about hard hitting journalistic integrity, then it wouldn’t have such articles as Seanbaby’s features. Nor would it claim on its cover that its “The No. 1 Videogame Magazine.” (Surely this can’t be based on sales, sinceGame Informerreally dominates here.) Nor would they create 12 variant covers for their latest issue. Slight overkill on the forced collectible there, don’t ya think?
My point is, having greater journalistic integrity is really peachy keen, but don’t forget to entertain us, OK? Maybe it’s just me, but I feel likeEGMsorta left the “let’s have fun” mantra somewhere back in time. I hope to dear God they don’t go under, because the magazine is getting thinner than Jenna Jameson on crack. I sure do miss the oldEGMwhen it was just about fun and games.
So here’s my petition: If you wantEGMto bring it back old school style, then give me a “Hell Yah!”—-Dr. Boa may sound like someone who starred in some porn with Dirk Diggler, but his true passion is interactive entertainment. He’s notched +15 years in the gaming industry from QA to launching several big hits, so he’s got a healthy perspective on what goes on from the flipside. It’s amazing he’s not a jaded cynic yet. He’s finally glad to see more drug filled parties with playboy bunnies and B level celebs like all other entertainment fields. Yes, gaming has finally made it.
