Pixel Bison - a new gaming magazine

This, gentle reader, is Pixel Bison. Written and published by Andrew McMaster, Pixel Bison is a new monthly magazine that aims to cover the vibrant Indie games scene, with a dash of AAA and retro gaming for good measure.

You may be wondering why bother, as hadn't magazines died a death because of the Internet??? Well, no, not quite. True, we're nowhere near the heady days of Amiga Format boasting sales of 200k a month plus, but there are still some gaming and gaming related magazines out there: Edge, Wireframe and Retrogamer spring to mind. Even the niche hobby of historical wargaming supports three titles, so there is a demand for paper based mags. And it is a niche that Pixel Gamer is aiming for, with the aforementioned focus on Indie gaming. You won't find this in any newsagents though, only on the Pixel Bison website, where the first issue can be purchased now and subscriptions are available.

An A5 publication, there are 44 pages including front and back covers and only a modicum of advertising. At a cost of £4.99 plus postage, this isn't a cheap publication, but then the quality that money buys is evident as soon as you pick it up. The cover is glossy and thick, high grade paper has been used for the pages and everything has a sheen. Money was not skimped on the publishing, nor, incidentally, on the binding. This has been printed as a keeper, not something you'd put into the recycling when finished with. If you prefer a digital only copy, then that will set you back £3.00.

I won't list the contents - you see what's in the mag from the excellent cover. Inside, the articles are well written and informative, photographs and screen shots are superb and space isn't wasted, which is always a nice thing to see. The interviews are varied and noteworthy in the stories they tell, and I am really looking forward to the continuing interviews with former Lionhead staff. In addition, the style used for the previews and reviews is straight forward and personable, demonstrating the author's enjoyment of his task. I have no complaints at all about the content.

In fact, I have no complaints about the magazine. It is something new and a bit different, and I hope it long continues. Indeed, I have purchased a six month subscription (list price £37.99 including postage. 12 months is £69.99). True, mainstream magazines are cheaper, but they don't offer what Pixel Bison does, so I'm happy to pay up.

If you have an interest is videogames then this is a publication I urge you to check out, as having finished the first issue, I highly recommend it.