Game Developer's self-improvement goals for 2013. Every year I make a few New Year's Resolutions; last year I resolved to wake up by 8 a.m. every day and start flossing my teeth. (Pearl, our publisher, will be more than happy to tell you how the first one worked out.) But I'm going to walk you through a few planned improvements we're making to Game Developer in 2013, in the hope that you, dear readers, will keep me a bit more accountable than my dentist does.
By Patrick Miller
-this article was originally published in the January issue of Game Developer
New look, same book
First: Welcome to the new Game Developer magazine!
You've already noticed the first big step we've taken: Game Developer has a new look! Magazine redesigns are usually a big, time-consuming endeavor that takes several months of mock-ups and approvals, but we didn't have time for that, so we just told Art Director Joseph Mitch to redesign the magazine and he said "Okay."
We were all sad to see the ripped-from-Thrasher grungy look go, but this new, clean look should be a little bit easier on your eyes when you're digging into our latest postmortem (especially if you're reading on a tablet). I'm excited to see what you all think about it, so tweet your feedback to me at @gamedevmag.
In addition to the new design, we've also upgraded our magazine's binding from the saddle-stitched binding to what's called perfect binding, which is mostly neat because now we get a spiffy book spine (handy for those of you collecting the print versions). It's the small things, you know?
Improved digital version
Our digital edition has come a long way since its release about a year ago, and the iOS app in particular has seen a few major under-the-hood improvements; not only has the resolution been bumped up to make the magazine more readable (especially on Retina displays), but there is also a new just text-and-images reader mode (similar to Instapaper or Readability) that makes it possible to actually read the articles on a smartphone or other smaller-than-a-tablet device.
And yes, I say "smartphone or other device" instead of "iPhone" because our Android app is finally coming along! We're still trying to figure out our specific launch plans (and, in fact, it might be out by the time you read this), but rest assured that all of you who told me on Twitter that you wouldn't be resubscribing until we were on Android can rejoin the flock very soon (that means you, @SnakeEaterITA).
GamaDeveloper Magasutra
This year, we're going to try to play more nicely with our sister site Gamasutra. That means you'll start seeing the occasional Gamasutra feature show up in GD Mag (in our new section called Cross-Platform), and vice versa. We love doing print/digital magazines, but we want to make some of our excellent content freely available for a wider audience to read and discuss, and for Gamasutra, it'll be a neat opportunity to give some love to some of their longer-form articles that might get missed in your daily RSS sweep. (Fun fact: The Google description for Gamasutra calls it the "free online version of Game Developer magazine," so tease Gamasutra Editor-in-Chief Kris Graft about that when you see him at GDC 2013.)
2012 was a big year for us and we're looking forward to making 2013 even better. Hope you enjoy the magazine!
New look, same book
First: Welcome to the new Game Developer magazine!
You've already noticed the first big step we've taken: Game Developer has a new look! Magazine redesigns are usually a big, time-consuming endeavor that takes several months of mock-ups and approvals, but we didn't have time for that, so we just told Art Director Joseph Mitch to redesign the magazine and he said "Okay."
We were all sad to see the ripped-from-Thrasher grungy look go, but this new, clean look should be a little bit easier on your eyes when you're digging into our latest postmortem (especially if you're reading on a tablet). I'm excited to see what you all think about it, so tweet your feedback to me at @gamedevmag.
In addition to the new design, we've also upgraded our magazine's binding from the saddle-stitched binding to what's called perfect binding, which is mostly neat because now we get a spiffy book spine (handy for those of you collecting the print versions). It's the small things, you know?
Improved digital version
Our digital edition has come a long way since its release about a year ago, and the iOS app in particular has seen a few major under-the-hood improvements; not only has the resolution been bumped up to make the magazine more readable (especially on Retina displays), but there is also a new just text-and-images reader mode (similar to Instapaper or Readability) that makes it possible to actually read the articles on a smartphone or other smaller-than-a-tablet device.
And yes, I say "smartphone or other device" instead of "iPhone" because our Android app is finally coming along! We're still trying to figure out our specific launch plans (and, in fact, it might be out by the time you read this), but rest assured that all of you who told me on Twitter that you wouldn't be resubscribing until we were on Android can rejoin the flock very soon (that means you, @SnakeEaterITA).
GamaDeveloper Magasutra
This year, we're going to try to play more nicely with our sister site Gamasutra. That means you'll start seeing the occasional Gamasutra feature show up in GD Mag (in our new section called Cross-Platform), and vice versa. We love doing print/digital magazines, but we want to make some of our excellent content freely available for a wider audience to read and discuss, and for Gamasutra, it'll be a neat opportunity to give some love to some of their longer-form articles that might get missed in your daily RSS sweep. (Fun fact: The Google description for Gamasutra calls it the "free online version of Game Developer magazine," so tease Gamasutra Editor-in-Chief Kris Graft about that when you see him at GDC 2013.)
2012 was a big year for us and we're looking forward to making 2013 even better. Hope you enjoy the magazine!
