As all of you should probably know by now, the Official PlayStation Magazine has closed its doors for good and it appears that most of the staff members have been let go. To me, this news comes with a bittersweet taste. On one side, I am sad to see people lose their jobs. However, on the other side, I can't but help to feel a sense of pride in knowing that PSM is still going strong.
Since the first issue of PSM, I knew that we had something special and that this was a magazine that was going to be able to weather whatever competition and market conditions were thrown at it. The staff has always been comprised of hardcore gamers, but here's the difference... We also knew and cared about the casual crowd. We weren't snobbish or felt that we were above anyone else and I'd like to think that we understood what gamers wanted to read about. It wasn't about just getting whatever exclusive we could find that month or writing about unnecessary gadgets, movies releases or interviewing celebrities that don't provide any actual or useful information about games. It was about covering stuff that you guys told us you wanted to find out more about. It was about games, pure and simple, and only the things that directly related to the enjoyment or celebration of games. Who cares that a staff member of That 70's Show owns a PS2? How does that provide any sort of relevant information to that person who just forked over $5 in the hopes of getting as much gaming value as possible? We fought about this a lot over the years, but always agreed (in the end) that unless something provided valuable and interesting information about specific games, it was a waste of space to include it. This was a philosophy that I feel we did a rather good job in following. Sure, every so often, something got the better of us, but I think those times were rare and far between.
I enjoyed the many years I was at PSM, helping it to grow and adapt to the constant changes in this industry and to the overall age increase of its readers. We were confident that the fans of the magazine would stick with it through thick and thin because they enjoyed, not only the information we provided, but also the way in which we provided it. We loved what we did and I'm glad to hear that came across in the pages. Through it all, we were just a group of guys who loved to play games and wanted to share that excitement with everyone else. It never really felt like a job because we so enjoyed coming into the office in the morning and sharing what gaming adventures we had the night before.
As the years passed, I never could quite see what OPM was trying to achieve. They kept going back and forth between a dedication to provide useful and direct information to gamers and a seemingly strange desire to head off in obtuse directions and be more "Hollywood." I also feel that the demo disc, while a great idea, could have been so much more. I'm certainly not putting down anyone who worked on the discs, as you could tell they put a lot of sweat and tears into getting it out each month. I just feel it could have had more personality and integrated more seamlessly with the magazine and website in order to provide the ultimate, one-stop shop for all PlayStation-related information.
In the end, I am sad that OPM is gone because it feels like the end of an era and that a major change is coming over this industry. With the advent of Blu-ray support in the PS3, I assume that the per-issue cost for the magazine and an included Blu-ray demo disc would have been quite high. This is further compounded by the existence of the PlayStation Store which would probably take the steam out of any possible demo exclusives for the magazine. This is an issue that Future's very own Official Xbox Magazine is going through, but it appears they are weathering that storm quite well, at least for now.
To all the OPM folks, I wish you the best of luck for the future. There are a lot of people who will miss your monthly contributions to the newsstands. I'm sure most of you will find other ways to share your thoughts, opinions and experiences with the rest of us and we look forward to that. Just don't stray too far away from this small pond, ok? You may come back to discover that it's all dried up.
I sometimes reflect on what it would have been like if we had gotten the official PlayStation license, but maybe that would have pushed us down the same path that you all were forced to walk. No one can say, right? Regardless, the future of gaming is now and it's impossible to see where this industry is heading. Maybe the future of all games magazines are in peril as more and more people find their information on the internet. I certainly don't envy Chris Slate's position as the EIC of PSM. He has a lot to think about and an unsure future to pilot PSM through. Obviously, I hope they are able to rise above it all and always remain one of the last ones standing.
