Interview: Rupert Loman, director of operations at Eurogamer.net

We`ve been talking to Rupert Loman from Eurogamer.net about such topics as the future of PC games, history of Eurogamer, survival of paper gaming magazines, free internet content and much more.

Victim: Rupert Loman, age 19

director of operations at Eurogamer.

Doupě: First of all could you please introduce the history of your magazine to our readers?

Rupert Loman: Eurogamer was founded in 1999 and acts as a place to find out about all the latest games for all platforms and in all genres.

Doupě: Who founded Eurogamer? At the beginning, was it just a one man`s hobby or was it a brand new project of some established company?

R.L.: Eurogamer was founded by my brother (Nick) and I. When we started we had one editor working on the site, and we now have 3 full time staff plus freelancers. Alongside the consumer games site, Eurogamer also publishes a website for people who work in the games industry (www.gamesindustry.biz).

Doupě: Your name "Eurogamer" evokes a feeling your magazine is mainly focused on European players, is it right? Why is it?

R.L.: We are indeed focussed towards the European market (the name is a giveaway!), although we have readers from across the world. The attitudes of gamers over here is slightly different and we try to provide insightful and intelligent articles that Europeans appreciate. We try not to fall into the trap of covering just one console or type of game. We also spell our words in the correct way (colour instead of color, etc!)...

Doupě: Did you ever imagined your magazine will become one of the largest and most famous on the internet and actually in the whole world? What does it mean for you?

R.L.: We obviously hoped it would be successful, but the way it has taken off over the last 6-12 months has been amazing. It`s particularly nice to see other people talking about your website, or even walking into a cybercafe and seeing someone reading the site!

Doupě: Could you give us now some personal info? What`s the latest game you play night by night?

R.L: Right now I am addicted to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City! I absolutely love it. We get sent a lot of games and it takes a lot for a game to really hook me in like this!

Doupě: Where`s the biggest difficulty while creating new content for every day, every new "issue" of Eurogamer?

R.L.: It`s not difficult at all! We are lucky to be working in such a cool industry. If there was one thing though, I would say because there are so many games out there, I think it is a challenge to remain enthusiastic when so many of them aren`t particularly good or don`t offer anything new.

Doupě: How much time do you devote to your magazine? Doesn`t it bound your other hobbies?

R.L.: I live the site 24/7 and of course it gets in the way of my "real life", but it is good fun!

Doupě: Although gaming industry grows rapidly, online gaming magazines do not profit very well in last years. Where`s the problem? Is there a solution in paying for content (like GameSpot)?

R.L.: Content on the internet has been available for free for so long that it is expected to be free forever. A lot of readers don`t understand that the business behind the sites must pay for the content somehow. Charging a subscription for access to the content is one model, but we aren`t going down that route.

We are instead working to bring in enough advertising to sustain the site so that the content remains free - and it is going well so far. We also have complementary services lined up (such as the Eurogamer shop) to help pay the bills whilst keeping the content free to the user.

Doupě: Be a visionary for a while - where do you see the future of computer games? Is there a place for PC games? (In other words, won`t consoles take up all the fun?)

R.L.: There is a place for PC games, although consoles are the future. It is still a very different experience playing a console game on your TV to playing a multiplayer PC game at your desk and both will continue to exist for the forseeable future. However, because games are becoming such big business, it is important for the console manufacturers to have exclusive content - so the big titles will be console-exclusives (or at least be released first on consoles).

Doupě: Will classic paper gaming magazines survive in the hard competition of online gaming magazines?

R.L.: Yes - although there are too many games magazines in the UK at the moment. There are probably 30 or 40 published every month. The market will consolidate fairly soon with the weaker magazines being shut down or merged into the successful titles.

Doupě: And now it`s time for my final question... What kind of beer do you like to drink?

R.L.: Almost any lager will do... Grolsch, Stella, Becks... etc... :)

Váš názor Další článek: Recenze - Hooligans: Storm over Europe CZ

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