33 years is a long time. When thinking about saying goodbye to Game Informer, I felt that a few days of consideration were warranted to get my thoughts in order. I'm glad I waited. The outpouring of affection, support, and appreciation the team has received in recent days is humbling. It has reminded me how much this long-running magazine has meant to so many.

From the outside, it might seem strange that a gaming magazine would warrant such nostalgia and fondness. However, for millions of gamers over the years, Game Informer was a portal into their favorite hobby. Many of us grew up with those glossy covers arriving monthly in our mailboxes, selling the dream of what was next in gaming. It was one place where a love of gaming was celebrated without pretense or undue snark, where humor could coexist with thoughtful critique, and players could have each game enriched through a deeper understanding of how they were created and who created them.

Since GameStop unceremoniously shuttered Game Informer last week, I was waiting for a proper send-off. Thankfully, the final Editor-in-Chief, Matt Miller, gave us a small piece of the goodbye the publication actually deserved.

Memories have flooded in about Game Informer. The iconic covers were never to be missed: The Cover Reveal was an event. I love this story Geoff Keighley shared about Rockstar buying a cover wrap, just to take over the page. Their cover stories were so prolific, even stories about fake ones could draw attention.

I still have my stack of GI issues in a tote. I have extremely fond memories of the God of War III cover, Skyward Sword, and, of course, The Last of Us.1 2 I'll never forget the in-depth look at Rainbow 6: Patriots, a game we never got due to a cancellation.

Game Informer was a titan. I will miss getting their issues in the mail.

Thank you Game Informer. Play well. Be well.

Footnotes

  1. Gosh, even in looking up links/covers for this article, I am angered by GameStop removing the site and the Twitter account. Of course all the first results are for Game Informer itself. What a terrible thing GameStop has done. ↩

  2. Sorry for the slightly narrow scans. Photos didn't do these covers justice and my scanner is just a smidge too narrow for GI covers. ↩