Tuesday 24 September 2019

Falling back in love with Print Magazines

The sound of the letterbox flapping and that satisfying plop as the packet lands on your doormat evokes a strange emotional reaction in me. I get childishly excited because a parcel delivery usually means 'goodies' in the form of books, models or other hobby related items. But the sound of a magazine being delivered is somehow unique and I had forgotten how much I missed it. I switched to digital subscriptions a few years ago, mainly because it was the cheaper option, I tended to hoard old issues and didn't really have anywhere to store them. However I soon discovered that I spend so much time online - reading blogs, updating social media and all the other distractions the Internet offers - that reading my digital magazines often got overlooked. In short, I got distracted by clickbait and ended up missing the important stuff!

Digital information, especially when presented on a screen, tends to get skimmed across more quickly (it's not called 'surfing' for nothing). That's not necessarily a criticism of the Internet but a natural evolution of utility that lends itself to fast information presented in small parcels. I doubt if I'm alone when I say that I am more inclined to read something in-depth when it is in a printed format. Don't get me wrong, I still think digital magazines are a great way to access hobby content but I was increasingly aware that I felt wistfully nostalgic about 'the good old days' when I bought paper magazines. So earlier this year I changed my subscriptions back to physical copies and have been enjoying the arrival of my printed magazines ever since... along with that satisfying plop when they land on the doormat.

I have a confession to make - I rarely read a magazine cover to cover. Not every article tickles my interest and I usually spend as much time absorbed in the adverts of new products as I do reading the features. But going back to physical magazines has definitely increased the amount I am reading compared to when I had digital copies. I have found myself dipping into their pages more often, and having a physical copy lying around not only reminds me to read it but it also successfully guilt's me into engaging with something I have spent good money on. Put the tablet down Lee it's saying, stop scrolling and pick me up!

  

As for the storage of back issues, I still haven't got space to keep more than a few months worth of magazines. However, I can't bring myself to throw them in the bin (sacrilege!) so what to do with them? If I find a particular article or scenario interesting I'll scan it so I can keep a copy and then I send the magazine on to a second life. In the past, I have given them to fellow gamers but most of my circle of friends already have their own copies filling shelves and storage boxes. My favoured method of disposal now is to donate my magazines to people or places that wouldn't normally buy them. I'll deposit a few copies in the waiting room at the doctor's surgery, at the dentist or the hospital and in the staff lunchroom at work. You never know, some bored patient or college may pick up a copy which could spark a new interest in the hobby.  I have even occasionally left a copy on the train, with the nebulous hope that some weary commuter would find it more interesting than a copy of the Evening Standard or the Metro.

My inspiration for this method of disposal comes from an experience I had at the hospital many years ago when I faced a very long wait in the Accident and Emergency department with a sick child and nothing to read. I poked desperately through a pile of awful magazines (all about fashion and celebrities... ugh!) hoping to find something of interest, and to my delight came across a copy of a military history magazine called After the Battle. Not only was it very interesting, helping to relieve the boredom, but I enjoyed it so much I ended up subscribing. So maybe leaving your used wargaming magazines will not only help some desperate individual pass the time it may even bring someone into the hobby (or indeed, back into the hobby).  Stranger things have happened. 

27 comments:

  1. I wish Lone Warrior was still a print publication - as you observed, skimming becomes the order of the day, rather than pouring over each article the way I did before they switched to PDF only.

    I love the idea of leaving a magazine here and there for others to find. Depending on where you are, your local library system might also be glad to take them as a donation. It's unlikely they would add them to their collection unless it meets their collection development needs, but they often sell donated materials to raise money to purchase material.

    Cheers!

    - John

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    1. I like the library idea, I'll have to look at that.

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  2. My thoughts align fairly closely with yours, however, we seem to be in a minority - it seems to be fashionable to give the wargaming printed media a good kicking these days? I haven't moved on to scanning yet so I have a folder of cuttings from (at least) 30+ years of various wargames publications.

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    1. I've flip flopped myself, having digital magazines for a few years now. I like the idea of keeping them and not having to worry about space but I did notice a trend for me to read less of their content (some issues barely got a look at). Too many distractions when I have my tablet in hand, and none of them truly worth the time they take.

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  3. I love the idea of seeding the hobby with random magazines, but I'm such a packrat, I can't imagine leaving them behind ;)

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    1. I would never have done it myself had it not been for my experience at Hospital all those years ago.

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    1. Not every issue will have something of interest, especially if you have a very focused period of interest. But as I said I enjoy the adverts almost as much as the articles so I'm always happy.

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  5. You have a great idea! I started my lifelong love of comic books in a Hospital waiting room many years ago.

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    1. My eldest daughter had quite bad Asthma as a child and we have spent literally hundreds of hours in A&E over the years. Due to the nature of an Asthma attack we were rarely 'prepared' for hours sat in the waiting room and this was long before I owned a smart phone. So the only option was make conversation with a child that could barely breath or read the magazines left for visitors.

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  6. I should really move over to digital mags, but much prefer the paper version. ANd like every other gamer, I have stacks and stacks of old mags gathering dust in boxes in the loft!!

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    1. I used to have stacks lying around "in case I need to refer to them" which I never did. Now scanning the odd article does that job and my Magazines get a hopefully productive second life.

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  7. While I do buy the occasional pdf magazine, like you, I prefer the paper copy.

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    1. I originally went digital because I always have a screen of one type or another near me. But as I said the nature of the internet - fast scrolling click-bait - I just didn't linger long enough to absorb anything.

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  8. I prefer paper over digital every time. However, I no longer find anything of real interest in the magazines; the articles are too light weight for me and i much prefer Blogs that I follow that tend to have more depth about them. For a 'newbie' to the hobby, I imagine they work well, but for an old gamer like myself, they don't.

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    1. I rarely find the scenarios or potted histories useful (I have books for that) but I always enjoy the editorials, comment pieces and, as previously mentioned, the adverts. I'm an avid reader of blogs and I find the magazines offer something that they generally don't.

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  9. Being a total Ludditte I love print on paper. What can be better than climbing into bed to read the magazines. I have foundf it a great way to relax not that I need much encouragement. The troubles of today seem reflected in peoples lack of in depth knowledge on anything, I attribute this to surfing.

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    1. I'm generally a tech lover and am always eager to embrace 'new' innovations. I've been buying pdf products for years and I thought that switching to digital magazines would be a good idea, but in the end it just didn't work out. I'm reading more than ever now.

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  10. BTW, the Irony of moaning about the distractions of the internet while commenting on my own blog has not eluded me. I'm a big fan of social media (for the most part) and I love developing tech and new ideas, but that doesn't mean every new development is the right one. This is one example where I've given digital a try and decided the traditional method is better for me. That doesn't mean its best for everyone, and I'm glad there are choices available to readers that didn't exist before. Anything to keep our treasured periodicals going strong into the future.

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  11. There is a certain something to the tactile feel of reading hardcopy. Plus the smell of a new mag :-)

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    1. Yeh, that's something I'd forgotten. The sensory experience is more closely linked to the emotional response we have than we realise. My daughter gave me a strange look when she saw me sniffing my magazine as it came out the cellophane wrapping!

      We are strange creatures! (Us humans, not just wargamers that is)

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    2. I too sniff all new rules, books and board games, ‘tis a habit not to be......er.......sniffed at :-)

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  12. I think I am hard wired into picking the mags up at Smiths and the ‘paper experience’ is good.

    My old copies get re-cycled into cutting mats, yes I know, weep! But I play loads of boardgames, which have counters that need cutting out, so they are ideal for that sort of thing.

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    1. Way back in the mists of time (when I predominantly a Roleplayer) I subscribed to Dragon magazine and would often cut out articles I wanted to keep. Nowadays I scan articles to keep them, but subscription in any form is a good thing. The demise of Dragon magazine was a sad day and in no small part due to falling readership and the challenge from digital mediums.

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  13. Mostly a waste of times leaving mags on trains as they get cleaned at each terminal. Unless it is a long journey. In coffee shops? Perhaps in a library near the hobby section?

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  14. Like you I enjoy the physical attraction of reading a paper magazine rather than an electronic version.

    I suggest it a bit archaic, but it is one of my guilty pleasures to hold and read apaper magazine.

    Keep up the great work.

    Tony

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