Game Informer is WAY more popular than we think.

@M

@M

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So, just for the hell of it, I felt like looking up what the most popular magazines in America are, and I was stunned to find out that Game Informer ranks fifth on the list and has a larger readership and subscription base than Time, People, Sports Illustrated, Reader's Digest, etc. That's just crazy!

magazine circulation.jpg

If you want to see the longer list (I cut if off at #15) or see what's the most popular in other countries, here's the Wikipedia link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_magazines_by_circulation#United_States
 
@M

@M

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Me. I subscribe to Time, People, Entertainment Weekly, Wired, etc.
 
ChopstickSamurai

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I got a cheap subscription to Wired a couple years ago, and I couldn't believe how thin each issue was. Plus ads probably take up more pages than content. Too bad since it was a great zine years ago.
 
@M

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Ads make up a substantial part of most magazines (I'd say 1/4 of the pages), that's just the nature of the beast as those advertising dollars pay for a lot of the mag's staff and expenses.
 
sylvie

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i was more surprised to see that Cosmopolitan magazine was founded in the 1886
 
@M

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I thought that must have been a typo, but, nope, Wikipedia says that's a fact as well. They started out as a family magazine, then became a literary mag, and, finally, the women's periodical it is today (since 1965).
 
famicommander

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Everybody who signs up for those stupid Gamestop memberships automatically gets GameInformer. Or at least that's how it was when I still went to Gamestop.
 
HDRchampion

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I have Game Informer but i got with Gamestop membership.
 
BanishingFlatsAC

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Game Informer is a popular magazine because the subscription is free with the GameStop Power Up card.
 
Lets Gekiga In

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DecepticonZero said:
Game Informer is a popular magazine because the subscription is free with the GameStop Power Up card.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I think it’s similar as to how Comcast and AT&T boost their numbers by making Internet + TV cheaper than just Internet.
 
SpamYouToDeath

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Lets Gekiga In said:
Yeah, I think it’s similar as to how Comcast and AT&T boost their numbers by making Internet + TV cheaper than just Internet.
Click to expand...

The lowest price that the phone rep can give you is always lower for just Internet service. You have to learn their phone tree.
 
Lets Gekiga In

Lets Gekiga In

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SpamYouToDeath said:
The lowest price that the phone rep can give you is always lower for just Internet service. You have to learn their phone tree.
Click to expand...

I never pay for TV service unless it’s OTT anymore. The ease of dropping it over the Internet is too convenient.
 
GutsDozer

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Game Informer can suck infected ball sacks. So can Gameslob.
 
fake

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Those GI numbers are like saying Wii Sports is the best selling game of all time. It was free in 99%+ of the cases.

Ads are necessary for mags. Publishers break even or lose money on printing and selling at stores and especially on subscriptions. They make all their money on ads.

The industry has taken a huge hit - print at least - but I think they really fucked up and could have used the switch to digital to their advantage. I still subscribe to:
Premiere Guitar
Wired
Juxtapose

And I pick up Sound on Sound at the newsstand occasionally. And I get a handful of stuff like Rolling Stone and Fast Company comp’d but those go straight to the recycling bin.

I agree Wired has really dropped in quality. They used to pack an overwhelming amount of good content into every issue. Now I just earmark a few columns and one of the features.
 
Jibbajaba

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4 out of the top 5 magazines are sent to you for free whether you like it or not if you have a membership to its affiliated organization, so those are kind of bullshit numbers as far as "popularity" is concerned. For instance, I get Costco Connection, but I don't read it. I throw it straight into the paper recycling. How many people would subscribe to Game Informer if it weren't for the GameStop whatever club thing?

I do read magazines, though. I have a few that I buy every month at my local newsstand (Retro Gamer, Mad, and a car mag).
 
Lastblade

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I toss GI whenever I get them. Not that their coverage or review is bad or anything (that I can tell), but in today's social media news blitz, there is really no point. I do like their retrospective on older games or series, those are always interesting reads.

I was about to mention how useless Costco Connection since I also get them for free as part of its membership. Of course it is #3 on the list.
 
sylvie

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is Mad magazine relevant or do u just like it

honest question. i've only owned one issue in my life
 
sylvie

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are you sure? if i go to the store right now and pick up a copy of MAD MAGAZINE am I gonna be blown away by the humor and the gall of the blokes writing it?
 
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