It’s ironic that the very job I do—writing for online publications—killed technology magazines over the last ten years or so. Circulation started to drop when you could get pretty much the same content, instantly, and for free as long as you can put up with a little advertising to pay the bills—thanks for that, by the way!
However, out of the blue I found that one of my favorite video game magazines over here in South Africa when I was growing up, had decided to start printing paper magazines again—and I bought them! So here’s a rare chance for me to relive what it’s like to buy a gaming magazine in 2025!
My Favorite Gaming Magazines Went All-Digital Years Ago
I used to buy all sorts of computer and gaming magazines over the years. I only really got regular internet access after I left high-school, so my main source of information came in magazine form. There were imported or localized international magazines like PC Format which had most of the same stuff as the UK version, but letters and a few other bits and pieces specific to my country—South Africa.
Then there was the entirely home-grown New Age Gaming more commonly known as NAG. Like the other magazines I bought every month, NAG saw the writing on the wall, and transitioned to a blog, since the alternative was to shut down completely.
One very nice gesture the site made was to upload a magazine archive, which is sadly incomplete, but still has a ton of issues, and you can read them all for nothing. I have literally none of my magazines from over the years, because it never occurred to me to save or collect them. I’d keep them around for a few months, and they’d get so worn that I would throw them away eventually. You really never appreciate something until it’s gone!
I Still Read Them Online, but It’s Not the Same
You can bet I’ve downloaded and preserved my own copies of these old NAG magazine scans, and with my trusty 12.9-inch iPad Pro reading them is easy and comfortable. I also regularly raid the Internet Archives for its various vaults of old gaming magazines. I also still buy digital magazines on platforms like Zinio, despite having internet access like everyone else.
However, reading a magazine digitally just isn’t quite the same as reading one on a screen. It feels like you’re looking at the real thing through glass, and there’s something to be said for the smell, look and feel of paper. For one thing, as good as screens have become, they still don’t have the contrast, color, and texture of high-end magazine prints.
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Now, They Make Seasonal Print Editions
Getting back to NAG, I was perusing the site as I do occasionally, and noticed that the site was selling paper magazines again. Not reprints of old issues (though I would be down for that), but honest-to-goodness new issues coming out in our current year. It feels very strange to see a game like Assassin’s Creed Shadows on the cover of a paper magazine. It honestly feels like I’m in a parallel universe where gaming magazines somehow survived the web-pocalypse for paper publishers.
Apple iPad Pro 13 (2024)
Now, they aren’t bringing out monthly issues or anything like that. Instead, there are a few issues each year, and you can even buy them in bundles for a discount. So I ordered all the issues I’d missed (three) and soon they arrived in the mail, as real actual magazines.
Paging through these magazines is quite a trip, it instantly takes me 20 years back to lounging on the couch and reading about video game stuff.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
- Released
- March 20, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Quebec
- Publisher(s)
- Ubisoft
- Engine
- AnvilNext
- Franchise
- Assassin’s Creed
No clickbait, I paid for my ticket at the door, so there’s no need to bait me into reading every article.
And the layouts, one of the biggest things I miss after we went to websites as our primary way to read articles is the art of desktop publishing It means that reading isn’t just about the words on the page, it’s about the aesthetics of the writing too, which is honestly one of the big reasons I buy more physical books these days.
These Magazines Won’t Be Going in the Trash
The other big difference from these new paper magazines is that they aren’t as cheaply printed as they used to be a decade ago. Sure, current printing technology has probably moved on, but the quality of the paper, the sturdiness of the spine, and the quality of the printing itself is much better than I remember.
So these lovely magazines are going on my bookshelf along with other printed materials I plan to collect and keep long-terms. I won’t be making the mistake of throwing my magazines away again!
