PC Gamer [magazine]

PC Gamer [magazine]

Publisher: Future US
Issues: 13 issues / year
Language: English
ASIN: B005ZH6U1Q

Plot Summary:
PC Gamer magazine focuses on giving their audience tips and advice about how to master computer games to their best ability. In the layouts of the magazine there are reviews on new games, articles about games, strategies, tips, and graphics that allow the most adventurous gamer to feel that they are learning what they need to know. The magazine sometimes contains a demo disk for readers to see for themselves about the game and they are encouraged to visit the podcasts that supplement the magazine on their website (listed below). A fun fact about the rating system in this magazine is that no game has received higher than a 98% rating.

Critical Evaluation:
This magazine is full of really good reviews by people that play the games and conduct the podcasts. It is extremely gamer friendly, but if you are a new gamer or unfamiliar with games in general this is not the magazine for you. The language that they use is very "gamer" and can tend to get technical and can lose someone that is not aware of what video games entail. The graphics in this magazine are wonderful- they are colorful and look just like the video games themselves, which is important in order to win the gaming community over. The magazine does feature graphics that are mature (see magazine at the top of the page) and can be offensive to some... but these are the games that are popular, and the magazine does not censor the games that they feature in order to maintain unbiased for their gaming community.

Reader's Annotation:
PC Gamer magazine is the top computer gaming magazine that offers news on the newest games, tips for playing, reviews on games, and the latest strategies to help you become the best gamer you can be.

Websites to Look Into:
http://www.pcgamer.com

Similar Magazines:
"Wired"
"GamePro"

Booktalking Ideas:
Displaying games that the library has or similar games that are featured in the magazine
Creating a bookmark with gaming tips for popular games that the magazine displays

Genre:
Gaming

Interest Age:
16+

Challenge Issues:
Games featured in the magazine that are violent
I can see that this might be a challenge issue when you are providing information on a game that features violence and obscenities. I combat this with the fact that all the games featured are not violent and the magazine focuses on teaching strategies for playing the games and reviews on the games. While the magazine does advertize for games, they do not censor the games that they display, but they they do make sure that the rating for the game is included in the description.

Why this Magazine?
I wanted to include a good gaming magazine because I know that they are popular with young adults, and I thought that computer games might be the best because computer games are offered at the library and can be accessed without a game play console.