Editor's Note: e-volution

[Russ Pitts]

e-volution

We hope this fourth anniversary issue will be one you'll enjoy for years to come, and to help you do so, we're offering it as a one-time commemorative PDF download [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/content/issue_pdf.php]. Enjoy!


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[headshotcatcher]

Whoa that was quite the read. Well worth it though, never thought you had started lowly once as well

 

[Zombie_Fish]

I agree with what you have said about it being never a better time to be a gamer than now. The video games industry is always changing and evolving, yet as well as all the advanced new stuff, we also still have the classic consoles which we can buy. Stuff like the N64, the PSOne (I've still got mine) and the Game Boy handheld consoles. It's due to the sheer amount of choice now that the industry is better than ever.

It's interesting reading that to see how much The Escapist has changed. Whilst I'm fairly new(ish) to the site, reading that has shown how much this place has changed over four years, including (as you said) the most popular review series in the world, several new video series, people joining, people leaving and some brilliant columns.

Quite a lengthy note but definately worth the read!

EDIT: Also, love the PDF format, and am currently reding the articles from it instead. It's a nice break from the standard structure to the articles. Also looks impressive.

 

[Ophiuchus]

Lovely. I'll give it a fuller read later on this evening when I've got a bit more time, but it's great to see a throwback to the old days when I was but a mere lurker.

Also, it's nice to see another Rob Zacny piece, given he's the author of my favourite Escapist article ever [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_201/6056-Goodbye-Cruel-World].

 

[Russ Pitts]

Man, the guy got to interview Steve Jackson in one of his early articles. Not sure if you really can classify that as lowly.

I'd almost forgotten about that interview. He is quite the character.

 

[Macar]

not sure if this is the place to comment on the isue as a whole- but I find the pdf format very engaging. Not only is it omgprittie, somehow it also engages me to read more of it in full. I think the usual webpage format somehow stimulates my internet-low-attention-span self, whereas the more print-like look makes me more patient!

So far this is a great isue, kudos to all.

 

[Nordstrom]

I very much love the pdf. Some of the borders of the pictures were not transparent in Mac OS X's Preview, but it looks absolutely beautiful on my PC. Lots of nostalgia for the old days. Cheers!

 

[LordBag]

Love the .PDF issues! How I miss them so. I hope that could be an option for all future issues too. I can have the PDF in full screen mode on one monitor and still pretend like I'm actually doing some work on the other...brilliant!

Great issue on the whole too!

 

[Lost In The Void]

I do love this PDF format you guys should continue to present them in this way.

This brings me to the "Memory Lane" Article by Leigh Alexander. Unlike the people described in the magazine I, was a 90's kid, but yet, I can relate to those beautiful imaginative times when my friends and I would be sword fighting, or trying some messed up move from Mortal Kombat. It was spontaneous, violent, and yet mindless children fun. It was the same as playing Cowboys and Indians. I've heard this game be called racist, but yet it was one of the most cherished times I had with my friends as a young child. My video game reenactments got the same kinds of responses like how it was too violent, and those damned vijagames are destroying the young child's mind. It should have been a preview of what I have to deal with today, but it didn't matter what people thought back then, I was still lost in imagination.

This brings me back to my original thought. Parents, Politicians, Lawyers,[PPL] and such have claimed that videogames are the damnation of our society, but yet, as a kid, video games stimulated my imagination as much as any book could. I was making believe, and creating my own worlds, and isn't that what the PPL really want? Kids using their imagination? This almost becomes a self righteous quest for them now, rather than just "doing it for the children" With games spawning books, movies, fan fiction, and more, games have become more than just media; they are a culture no matter what people may think, and this was all caused by some kids mimicing Mortal Kombat, or wishing, and pretending Poke'mon were real. Creativity id what created video games, and maintained them as a culture.

This can be shown by Brenda Brathwaite's daughter working on creating a Ratchet, and Clank platforming level, made out of cushions, for her sister to try. It always comes back to the same thing over and over again, it was the same for every gamer generation since the 80's. Gaming has created imaginative worlds, and creativity. The sooner that the PPL realize this, the sooner people can really understand gaming as a cultural force, and stop making such general accusations against them

 

[sharp_as_a_cork]

Great PDF! It brings back memories of the first year...*sniff*.

Seriously, though- Can we get all of the issues in PDF? Even not prettied-up like this, as it's a lot of work for you guys? I'm currently five issues beghind on the articles as my rime to read occurs wheere I don't have internet access.

 

[Same River New Water]

Outstanding issue! I can see why the PDF format might not be viable, but it's what first made me love this site, waaaaay back in the early days. That and the quality of the articles, of course.

Russ, your article on post-apocalyptic settings prompted me to buy all three Fallout games.