Critical Approaches: LO2

Joseph Headford

PlayStation Magazine – UK is the official Sony PlayStation available within the United Kingdom. It is a hub of reviews news and advertisements in relation to the PlayStation platform. On the official Facebook page the magazine is toted as being the “foremost authority on PlayStation…”The magazine was originally launched as a weekly issue in November 1995 under the name ‘Official PlayStation Magazine’ to coincide with the release the PlayStation console. The very first copy of the magazine sold over 37,000 issues and instantly was a hit amongst the niche gaming community.

The audience Predominately the audience for PlayStation Magazine is Male at a dominating 91%. Additionally on average the average age for a reader is 35.The magazine exploits this through its coverage of mature and even violent game topics as well as the more family friendly ones available. This variation is refreshing and helps to appeal to all genres allowing more people to enjoy the magazine. As for the average age of the audience. This is clearly evidenced by the strong us of text. Pages are mostly equal in there use of text and imagery. Additionally the language used is expressive and complex which would appeal to this age group.

52% of readers have a socio-economic status of ABC1 and have an average annual income of £44,784 showing that the magazine is popular amongst those of a higher income and greater level of education. This is reflected in the language used in articles throughout the magazine. The use of expressive and articulate was clearly intended to be read by those with an education equal to this.

PlayStation Magazine has a somewhat busy front cover advertising articles as well as product reviews and special features such as inside looks and occasionally special offers that can be redeemed following the acquisition of the magazine.

Notably each issue of the magazine has a different colour scheme and cover image in theme with a recent release of interesting or breaking news within the gaming community.The mast head however, ‘PlayStation Official Magazine – UK’, always stays the same and only changes colour in accordance to the article or theme that stands front and centre on the magazine.

This particular issue is advertising the recently released game ‘Resident Evil: VII’ and has an alternative collectable cover to match another release: ‘Watch_Dogs 2’. This collectable feature helps to entice the audience to buy the magazine even more by creating an incentive. This is particularly popular with younger reader and enthusiasts and hobbyists.

The magazine is sold and presented in a cardboard sleeve that protects the magazine as well as any promotional items from damage. This also helps to provide readers with a presentable item allowing them to keep the magazine intact while still collecting the individual covers that are available. Promotional items can include many interesting items. In the issue that I have used as an example included a specifically detailing features of the recently released PS VR and so found inside envelope next to the actual magazine was a set of ‘emoji’ stickers that were intended to be placed on the PS VR system as a humorous feature (seen right alongside the PS VR system as well as the two collectable magazine covers). This kind of promotional item is incredibly common in the magazine as it is used to try and entice readers into purchasing PlayStation products. This feature of the magazine is clearly intended to simply provide mild entertainment for the audience as the writers, editors and the magazine as a whole takes a very light hearted yet professional stand point on the articles that is chooses to run.

The colour scheme as previously mentioned changes with each individual issue of the magazine and is usually chosen in direct relation to the article and game that the particular magazine is focused on that week.

In this issue the colour chosen relates to the game advertised: ‘Resident Evil: VII’ and so follows the suggested idea of a biohazard.

The alternative cover for ‘Watch_Dogs 2’ instead features the colour purple, a complimenting and bright colour synonymous with the franchise.Usually the colour chosen is bright, vibrant and striking in order to grab the attention of the reader and other potential buyers drawing them to the mast head even before picking up the magazine from the shelf.

Mixmag is, as the banner above states, ‘the world’s biggest dance music and clubbing magazine’. This magazine offers a wide range of news, articles and stories based on the dance music and clubbing scenes and artists from around the world.

It was first released in 1983 as a 16 page black and white magazine that covered DJ music, clubbing culture and dance music and artists.This magazine also offers a platform from which upcoming and new artists can promote themselves therefore supporting the next generation of music producers as well as promoting new artists to begin creating and producing their own work. Finally the magazine works to actively advertise and promote upcoming events and celebrations in order to keep this vibrant and constantly changing culture alive.

The Audience

Per week Mixmag has a readership of over 246,000 people from physical product sales and online/app readership of 120,000.

The average age of the readership for this magazine is around 24 and so more appeals to young professionals. The audience is predominantly male as evidenced below in the Mixmag media package found on the official website for the magazine.

The main geodemogrphic for this magazine is the UK as this is where the magazine began its production, however it also has a large audience in The US and France.

The average reader also has a SES of A or B as the magazine is tailored towards those who can afford both the magazine as well as attending events and buying merchandise advertised in the magazine.

The magazine is a simple and striking design with defined yet busy. The use of colour is bold as each individual cover will feature a different artist and so tailor the imagery, layout and colour to that artists style.

As with the PlayStation the Masthead is the only consistent part of magazine design as the rest can change week to week.

The magazine uses glossy pages and comes in a cardboard sleeve to protect the product with a matching cover and back providing extra advertising space. Because of the premium price as well as promotional products that are often included with the magazines such as music download cards and extras.