This post has not been edited by the GamesBeat staff. Opinions by GamesBeat community writers do not necessarily reflect those of the staff.
There used to be a time when finding out the game on the cover of a magazine meant something. It was an endorsement of the importance of the title, and it also set the tone of the issue. Sure, not every game that got picked to be highlighted on a cover deserved it, but that didn't prevent me from feeling a sense of anticipation about getting my magazine in the mail each month. Would it be something I was desperately awaiting new information about, or would it be a month where I could care less about the cover story and just jump into the previews and reviews?
Now, instead of anticipating what game will end up fronting my favorite magazines (and I subscribe to a lot), I end up feeling a sense of trepidation at what lame property will have bought a “cover advertisement” on my new issues.
While magazine publishing no longer the moneymaker that it once was, I can understand publishers considering cover advertisements a necessary evil. But is it worth the damage to their credibility?
I wonder if magazine editors and publishers even stop to think these days about what message a cover advertisement sends to their readers. Do they think that it gives anyone more confidence that their coverage will be impartial?
I hate to cast aspersions and doubt on an industry I love, but I have found my sense of trust with the video-game coverage I take in is lessening at a disturbing rate. It seems that as the breadth of what is available on my game consoles grows, the the quality of coverage on these titles has dwindled. This sense of a decline in quality only grows when, in the course of one month, every video-game magazine I receive has a cover ad for Red Dead Redemption.
Instead of accepting money for ads on magazine covers, couldn’t publishers and editors spend more time thinking up new tactics to broaden the scope of their readership?
I don’t think that cover advertisements set the right tone for any publication. To me, they shout, “Hey, our magazine has sold out. Give us a read, but you've been warned: We will sell anything game publishers will give us money for.”
What do you think?