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I spent years looking for a particular letter from an issue of Game Players (possibly from '93-early '95). Since I couldn't remember which issue or magazine it was, I decided to make a blog to post letters from video game maagzines in case anyone else ever had the same problem. When I ran out of magazines I actually owned in print, I turned to sites like these. ^^ Thanks! http://videogamemagazineletters.tumblr.com/

For me its also mainly nostalgia reasons and historical reference. But another thing is simply looking back at these things that I saw as a child, and reframing it from an adult's point of view. For instance, I was absolutely shocked when I read through the first couple of years of Gamepro and learned that it was nothing more than glorified advertisements. They never said a bad word about ANYTHING. There was nothing but praise to be found. And the letters from readers are also extremely interesting to read... those times just seem so much... simpler.

Honestly, for me it's mostly for historical reference. I'm really big into retro games, and when a discussion comes up and someone says something that is not quite how I remember. I like to look back at old magazines for reference. Especially for release date info, as most current sites such as moby games have horribly incorrect release date info. And to look at review scores and general impressions of games at the time in their historical context. So mostly I don't download a lot. It's usually me looking for a parictular issue or set of issuer to find something I'm looking for. Also some mags had great interviews like Next Generation that really put games into historical context, or refute some of the common assumptions I hear thrown around today about some things that supposedly happened in gaming history.

Great post! I agree with much of what you said. My interest in reading through old magazine comes and goes; I'll get the urge to do it, and then I'll go many months without having any desire to do so. When I do get the itch though, my motivation includes the following reasons: It's a nostalgic experience. I have distinct, fond memories of gaming magazines. For example, in an issue of EGM2, they did an in-depth walkthrough of Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals; the only reason I rented the game in the first place was because I wanted to use the guide the magazine provided. Or, similarly, Nintendo Power once featured Breath of Fire 2 in Counselor's Corner; I remember one of the questions being, "what is the best party?", and I was like, "what the heck is a 'party'?" Breath of Fire 2 was one of the first RPG's I played, and again, it was because I read about it in Nintendo Power. It's fun viewing through the lens of hindsight. I love seeing what gaming magazines said about games, being that I now have the benefit of hindsight. It's cool to see games that were hyped up but bombed, or games that received minimal coverage but were awesome. It's a cool reminder about how different the world used to be. It's hard to believe that I used to go into rental stores and pick out games on the basis of box art / two-or-three screenshots on the back of the case. It's also crazy to think that I would buy games based solely on a positive recommendation from GamePro or EGM. Today, you have dozens (if not hundreds) of professional/fan reviews at your disposal. Further, tips/tricks/walkthroughs in magazines used to be invaluable. Nowadays, all of that is available virtually instantaneously through a search engine.

Many reasons. Nostalgia Having lived through video gaming's rise in popularity, there's something about video game magazines that really take me back. The gaming press was my Internet back then. Curiosity There are so many magazines I've never heard of - especially those from other countries. It's great being able to try out stuff I've never read before. Convenience It's far easier to pull up a digital file on a PC or tablet than digging a physical copy out of my magazine collection. Preservation Let's face it, physical magazines won't last forever. Digitizing and disseminating mag scans helps preserve them for future generations, in the same way digitizing other forms of media allows for greater permanence. Cost and Availability Some magazines are difficult to find, and when they are found, they're often very expensive. Many magazine publishers are out of business or don't offer back issues for sale. History Video game magazines ARE video game history. Modern magazines may offer retro coverage, but always with the bias of hindsight. The gaming mags of the day reflected the attitudes and mindset of the day. They're essentially time capsules. Assistance I'll still reference an issue of Tips & Tricks when working on a particular game.