By Casey Lynn
Contributing Writer, [GAS]
I have nothing against half-naked women, really. In fact, I am a half-clothed woman on a daily basis (I consider this a glass half-empty/half-full sort of thing – you are “half clothed” if you are getting dressed after a shower, but “half naked” if there are cameras). And I definitely don’t have anything against Maxim; I’ve flipped through an issue or ten over the years, and I would probably even pick it up instead of Cosmo if they were next to each other on a coffee table. But stories like “The 100 Hottest Women in the World” and “The Drinking Man’s Guide to Summer” don’t really hit my demographic any more than “25 Hottest Guys of Summer” or “A Meal That Will Mesmerize Him” hit the typical male (FYI: all real headlines from the current Maxim and Cosmopolitan). And yes, I realize that it isn’t Playboy, but I still never thought I’d see Olivia Wilde in thigh-high leather (page 27 of the June issue, but I for one prefer Eliza Dushku in lace on the previous page).
So imagine my surprise when I returned from vacation and found that I had become a Maxim subscriber. My neighbor gave me a bit of a funny look when I pulled Jennifer Love Hewitt in her underwear out of my mailbox, but on the bright side, one of the headline stories was “The Ultimate Geek Movie Guide.”
Electronic Gaming Monthly recently ceased publication (though apparently there are plans to bring it back in, appropriately, electronic form). According to the helpful “Welcome to Maxim!” note on the cover of my magazine, the balance of my paid subscription will be fulfilled with Maxim. Note that this isn’t so much a complaint on my part as a sigh of inconvenience; I could get a pro-rated refund by sending my name and address to the company (but my subscription is nearly up anyway so it’s not really worth the trouble). I’m simply amused that somehow gaming magazine = men’s magazine. I wonder how much of EGM‘s subscriber base was actually female (or men who couldn’t care less about Olivia Wilde in leather)?
Whereas I will concede that there is certainly some overlap in the audience for EGM and Maxim, I’m at a bit of a loss as to how the latter is any kind of replacement for the former. Unless forgoing critical, insightful game reviews and exclusive previews is okay so long as the one game review in 200 words or less is accompanied by a photograph of Moon Bloodgood’s cleavage (pictured above.)
And interestingly, the reason I even subscribed to EGM was that I originally had a subscription to Playstation Magazine (that I believe came free with a GameStop membership back in the day?), and when that magazine closed, my subscription was switched to EGM, and as I rather liked it, I renewed. However, as lovely as I find Jennifer Love Hewitt, and appreciate stories about geeky movies, I don’t think I can muster up enough enthusiasm to renew this one. I guess I’ll just start getting my game reviews for free online like everyone else. Though if anyone has suggestions for another gaming magazine I should subscribe to, do let me know – nudity optional.