Gray Beard Gamer
Growing up a lonely weirdo in 90s Kansas meant living a lot of my life without a community that I really identified with. but when I got the rare chance to hang out with friends that did play games, one of my favorite things to do was read their issues of Nintendo Power or EGM while we took turns playing levels.
As the internet became more prevelant, these magazines held onto power by grabbing exclusives and getting interviews with companies and developers that people on message boards and blogs just couldn't get. And as I started mowing lawns, delivering furniture, and working other odd jobs for extra cash, I started buying my own mags when I wasn't saving up for a specific game. Their reviews, articles, and features determined so much of what I rented or purchased that it's honestly wild to think about a world without them.
But I guess the economics of running a magazine doesn't make sense in 2024... and one of the last hold outs, Game Informer, has finally been killed by their owners at GameStop.
I can't revive the industry or change their fate (obviously), but I can live out one of my childhood dreams of writing for them by making some zines in their style to keep some form of it alive.
And thus, GBG or "Gray Beard Gamer" was born. The dream is to focus on a specific game for each issue and write about different aspects of it as I dive into things like retro games I want to replay, titles I never knew about, and of course the deep dark backlog of unplayed games in my Steam library. If you want to write in, I'll add you to my fan-letter section. If you want to send in high scores, I'll make a little section for it. And if you have games you think I should play, send me their name and I'll see about playing it.
I have no idea what the timeline or regularity will be yet, so check back soon for more details and future issues!