Word Play: The Evolution of Game Journalism

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Game Informer, now among the top 30 largest magazines in America with a circulation of over 2 million, has been the most successful magazine when it comes to adjusting to the rise of the Internet.

"We have been very tactical about arranging for stories that you cannot get on the Internet. The Internet has changed things, but it has changed things for the better. I think that the Internet does what the Internet does and the magazines do what the magazines do," says McNamara who is about to begin his 18th year with Game Informer.

But game magazines are not the only magazines threatened by the Internet. The entire print world is still learning to adjust. As more and more advertising dollars go online, even bellwether publications like U.S. News and World Report, Business Week and Time Magazine are losing pages. The newspaper business is in turmoil.

The next evolution in game journalism may well see all but the very biggest game magazines go extinct. It is not yet clear what impact Xbox Live and the Wii Network will have on games coverage in the future.

How game journalism will emerge from these new challenges remains to be seen, but the evolution continues. Because as long as there are games, there will be folks who want to hear about them.