How We Learn About Games has Changed: Printing Press to Digital World
We've gone digital, completely digital.
Think about the last game you heard about. What was it? How did you hear about it? What made you want to play it?
Most of you probably answered in a similar manner. You saw it online either from a content creator, the developer, or digital media.
Please answer in the comments, share about the games you play.
What Game Was it?
An upcoming AAA, big budget backed hit the masses will play.
Or.
An indie title by a solo dev, small team, or new developer a few content creators play at first then the domino effect takes hold.
How Did You Hear About it?
More than likely, you said the internet. But more specifically, a streamer or creator you follow. Perhaps a podcast like MinnMax.
Fewer may say traditional media such as magazines including Game Informer, Debug, or Patch Magazine. Welcome back GI *waves*
What Made You Play it?
It may have been seeing someone play it online, the trailer, or reading Substacker blogs like Sey over at Good Game Lobby, Margot at Margot Plays, Alex Antra, and Sean Berry. (Is substacker a word?)
Traditional Media
Ask these questions about 20 to 30 years ago and the answer would be rather different. Subscriptions to magazines and print publications covering the latest and future games were popular. Just before the internet really caught on with websites devoted to gaming, Game Informer, Nintendo Power, and Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) were some of the few ways to consume gaming news.
In addition to print media, physical games were the standard. The only way to get a copy of a game you wanted was to put on proper clothes, head outside, and stand in line at Walmart, GameStop, or Best Buy. If you really wanted a game, you would chug a lot of Mountain Dew, get a sugar high, and wait in line outside the aforementioned stores to pick up a copy at midnight. Bonus points if you brought chairs, a table, a tv, and console to play games while waiting. *Pours Dew out for the good times*
Think back to the last time you went to a midnight release? Mine was November 22, 2013 with the release of the Xbox One.
With magazines, you would read about a game a few months or weeks before its release. Journalists or media members would prepare their stories in advance to publish them for readers to build hype. They would work with PR companies to attend media events, previews, and get games early to review them. The role of the PR agency was to raise awareness for games using print media as a way to get people to buy the games they were promoting. “It was all about generating this coverage so people could go visit Walmart, GameStop, or Best Buy,” says Sandbox Strategies co-founder Corey Wade in an interview with gameindustry.biz.
With physical media, it was difficult to judge analytics. Publications knew how many subscribers they had, but a PR company wasn’t able to track how many people actually went and purchased the game. “It was like, ‘Look at this article in this magazine, trust me, people are loving this’. But nobody could measure anything,” remarked Wade. Tracking how well a game was potentially doing came down to how many pre-orders it received.
Today, those concepts are fading away and are replaced with instant tracking, Steam Wish Lists, and views on YouTube, blogs, or Substacks.
Digital Media
While physical magazines continue circulation today, the gaming industry has shifted to being largely digital. If you want a game, you’ll buy a digital copy, or even a physical box with a digital download for whatever system you have. Nintendo has physical cartridges for Nintendo Switch 2, but many aren’t event the game, just a key you download online for the system using the cartridge as if it had the full game on it. There are still physical games available, but they are rare.
Learning about a game today is much quicker than it was in the days of print publications. Now, you’ll learn about a game as soon as a developer or PR company announces it via social media. It may take a few weeks or even days to see gameplay from it. Soon, you’ll see your favorite creator playing it, talking about it, or covering a press release.
“We’re seeing the rise of blogs that are coming from people who were formerly in games [media] and who are now embarking into more independent journalism,”
The landscape has changed for not only how gamers learn about games, but PR agencies get the word out about them. With the rise of influencers and content creators, developers and PR teams could get the word out faster, but it was a new medium and that needed a new approach. “Working with traditional media, there were rules, right? There’s a code that journalists work by. There’s embargoes and there’s NDAs. And this was new to people who were just streaming from their bedroom. There were no rules,” said Valerie Norton president at Sandbox Strategies.
Content creators and streamers who are truly passionate about games can be a good thing for developers. They can offer devs and PR teams a wider and more diverse reach with larger audiences at a faster rate.
“We’re seeing the rise of blogs that are coming from people who were formerly in games [media] and who are now embarking into more independent journalism,” said Norton. It’s blogs like Substack, alongside digital media like YouTube where viewers are getting their news. Though, please do be careful from who you get your gaming, and news in general from. Always make sure it is a reliable and factual source. Fact checking is the responsibility of a true journalist and writer. There is a lot of false reporting on in the world, so please do tread lightly.
I’m a fan of both mediums. I remember getting Game Informer in the early days before the internet caught hold. I collected Nintendo Power magazines and read monthly about the latest and greatest games out and to be released. When GI relaunched last year, I subscribed as quickly as I could to the physical magazine and enjoy reading every page.
As technology has adapted, so has gaming and how we learn about games. From physical magazines to the age of the internet, we now learn about the latest thing within seconds. No matter how you consume gaming news, the one thing that has remained the same is they have stories worth being talked about.
Citations
Packwood, L. (2025, November 26). Gaffe prevention, GameStop, and Big Game Hunter: Sandbox Strategies reflects on two decades in PR. GamesIndustry.biz. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/gaffe-prevention-gamestop-and-big-game-hunter-sandbox-strategies-reflects-on-two-decades-in-pr