Growing up, one of the most exciting days of any given month was when I received that month’s Game Informer magazine in the mailbox. For years, I had every single issue. I adored the covers, the stories, the interviews — all of it. Unfortunately, most of them were given or thrown away. The pitfalls of ignorant youth. So, when I came across A Profound Waste of Time, created by Caspian Whistler, my ears perked up immediately. (Before we go any further, check out the A Profound Waste of Time website here!)
“A Profound Waste of Time is an award-winning independent magazine that celebrates games as an art form. Each issue plays host to a rich variety of voices from inside and outside the videogame industry, interwoven with stunning bespoke imagery from leading illustrators and artists. Editorially discerning and beautifully designed, the magazine serves to celebrate gaming culture and discussion,” the official website states.
Reading that, then looking through the catalog at the beautiful covers, I almost teared up. A Profound Waste of Time made me feel that special something I felt back when I’d get that fresh plastic-wrapped Game Informer issue. It’s a crowdfunded effort, which seems to easily hit its goal every time without breaking a sweat! You can tell Caspian loves and respects this endlessly beautiful, flawlessly chaotic medium. And A Profound Waste of Time wholeheartedly deserves all the recognition and praise for his efforts. (He even has his own cool website!)
‘a profound waste of time’ is everything modern games journalism isn’t
I’m about to over-share again and potentially get myself in trouble, but, hey. The world of modern games journalism has “costs” associated with it. You gotta hit the trends, you gotta write for maximum “Search Potential” and other SEO gains. When relevant news pops up, you have to stop what you’re doing and pivot to it — hoping to at least be one of the first vultures to dine on the potential traffic. That’s the sacrifice of being in the space when Google is king. I’m glad lovers of video games chose A Profound Waste of Time.
Hell, if it weren’t for the fact that I learned about this today, I’d buy every single special edition of every issue released so far. But, I’m tragically late, and my brain demands to have everything in a collection I desperately want to dive into. (Issue 3 is sold out as of this writing, and that makes me sad.) But, for all you lovers of the good ol’ days of classic games journalism far away from the clutches of the algorithm? You can find issues of A Profound Waste of Time here. And if you happen to see this, Caspian? Keep on going, brother. Don’t stop. Games journalism needs your vision.
The post ‘A Profound Waste of Time’ Is So Goddamn Cool, and It Brings Me Back to the Glory Days of Print Games Journalism appeared first on VICE.
