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A quality read… MarkUp or GMTech?

I noticed a few days back that one of the increasingly-at-each-others-throats magazines dedicated to GameMaker was billing itself as A quality read” following the creation of a new WordPress site which looks suspiciously similar to the earlier website redesign of their rival.

Regardless of quality or otherwise, I know that the readership of this blog tend to be MarkUp supporters, I think it is marvellous that GameMaker does have two dedicated magazines both of which have been running for 6 months plus. The fact that the two of them have been able to co-exist for so long suggests that they are in demand and people like what is being produced.

Although there is a lot of rivalry between the two magazines, if you look a little deeper the magazines are targeted towards different audiences. GMTech is aimed at the gamer, whereas MarkUp is aimed at the developer. The technical articles in GMTech are limited, whereas the game reviews in MarkUp have received criticism.

Neither magazines release circulation figures publicly, which certainly would prove interesting if ever released, but I’d hazard a guess that before the YoYoGames endorsement the magazines had similar readership numbers.

Page count seems to be a brewing battle, but in my opinion this is just plain stupid. Give me quality of quantity any day. This is especially mad considering GMTech’s recent 46-page issue released “After a few months”, whereas MarkUp have produced one issue a month for the past half year.

What do you think?

25 Comments

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  1. Not to go against someone or something, but when it was stated the magazines’ audience (the developer or the gamer), I disagree.
    I was asked for joining their team (GMTech) as a writer, when most people here know that I prefer coding rather then gaming.
    Also, endorsment with YYG isn’t of much importance to me.
    Also remember the more powerfull you are, the larger mistakes you *will* make.
    As to Tuntis, you should really start your own magazine, including a better way of making games playable in browsers without using ActiveX.
    Only, problem is most of your capabilities shown so far is poor criticism, nothing much usefull.

  2. That is true. Can’t say more than that.

    Its interesting though that you want to see things less in depth, while a couple of people at eo said they liked it but wanted it more in depth 😛 I guess we have to concentrate on only one type of people.

  3. E is before G in the alphabet…..
    YoYoGames posting on the GMC?, this is meant to be a serious blog, outrageous suggestions and potential accusations like that will not be tolerated
    mwahaha

  4. gamez, I didn’t quote it.. I just used quotes.. dunno why 🙁 “So you are saying that no other magazine will get on there, ” is the only line I really quoted

  5. “So you are saying that no other magazine will get on there, ”

    Never said that. I said that they wouldn’t accept “just another magazine” (I was talking about the initial time), which means “they don’t accept average magazines, only good ones”.. its an.. expression.

  6. To the contrary, I don’t feel like this blog heats up the battle.. As a matter of fact, it gets more heated when outside of this blog. Notice the eo blog where I got maybe a little bit too pissed off [to clarify, I wasn’t saying you were immature, but rather that I choose not make a big deal out of a couple of offensive sentences].

    On the EO blog, I also made it clear how the process of being endorsed was made. I never said that MarkUp is better than GMTech because of the endorsement, I just want to make it clear that they would not have accepted just another magazine as gamez might’ve implied.

    Do I think MarkUp is abetter magazine than GMTech.. heck I do, but I created it, that’s how I’m supposed to feel, and I know gamez feel the same way about GMTech. As for the comments I’ve heard about both magazines, I still can’t decide myself whose better in their point of view.

    As for MarkUp getting more exposure.. I’m still not so sure about that. I do suspect we do have a higher readership when it comes to GM users in general, because of the YoYo Endorsement. But when compared to the GMC audience, I don’t think the endorsement has done much. I guess its disappointing sometimes, but at the same time reassuring that we’re not getting more comments only because we got endorsed, and rather for our content.

  7. seriously…..this blog just seems to heat the “battle” some more.

    blogs are for flaming, gtfo

    They’re not fighting, they’re being as mature as 14-year old people capable of making their own e-magazines can be!

  8. Thanks for the long response gamez!

    Perhaps the fact that MarkUp had the initiative to enter discussions with YoYoGames means that they should be allowed to consider themselves as better?

    I’m sure you are right about the varying circulation, but on an average number downloads per issue so far I expect there will be some difference. I can’t say which way, but I know exposure on the YYG website increased MarkUps circulation dramatically.

    With reference to the slogan “A quality read” – my point here was why this. But you have cleared this up now.

    As for the circulations, perhaps something could be done about releasing public figures in the future – I see your point about people thinking they may have been faked – maybe some independent method could be found to track circulations of both magazines?

    Other than that I think I agree with everything you have said.

    BlaXun
    ” e-penis comparing” 😀

    “this blog just seems to heat the “battle” some more.”
    I don’t know about that, but yes, It probably happens.

  9. Well, I actually prefer articles that dont go to much into depth.

    Well, ya, this has been said before:

    MarkUp has more scripting and examples n such…and thats what I am not “really” interested in.

    With GMTech I get a global view about different themes and a not “too strict” presentation style of the magazine.

    I prefer GMTech, but as I sad, MarkUp aims more for professionality..or, lets say it like this:

    Both magazines try to be as professional as possible, but MarkUp is superior in that area…but, I prefer a magazine with (in my opinion) good articles above a magazine that has (for me) no interesting articles and shows too mcuh scripts n such.

    and, I dont want to heat up the battle, I just want to publish my individual thinking here 😉

  10. BlaXun – what content actually intrests you, i thought that MarkUp was a nice read, a few things i skipped, through and a few I actually read [like you do with magazines]

  11. omg….hmmm…..
    All I want it the next issue of the GM-Tech magazine.

    MarkUp recently released a new issue.
    It was very professional, but unfortuently didnt have any content that could catch my interest.

  12. Debate? ok, well Go Me! Go Me! – anyway is that going to be the slogan from now on Phil, because that sounds great – however what are the chances of my name going first… guess not – anyway come people, I thought this was a calm blog, no need for any debates

    Anyone for a quick game of guess when YoYo games will post an annoucement on the GMC?

    Whos in

  13. I understand what your saying now, about any magazine – also where did you quote that last line from – sorry, I don’t remeber where I typed it

  14. I don’t think any of those sentences where offensive, all I send was that we didnt ask therefore were not on the site, and I also said that will be one of the reasons why you got onto the site. Anyway…

    So you are saying that no other magazine will get on there, ok then, and about this better, thing ofcourse I am going to think my magazine is better than yours as you do – there is nothing wrong with that, but the yoyogames thing, it feels some of you make it seem that becoming endorsed makes you better, nothing to do with your content, or time-frame – I am saying that because you got endorsed – sometimes some of you feel that – that endorsement makes you better.

  15. OKay, I posted the above reply before seeing yours… np about the reply, I have not made alot of posts on forums or blogs, so it was great to strectch my fingers… anyway…

    Well I think I might aswell say it, Markup spoke with YoYo and they agreed about the link, I don’t think you could say that they can say there slightly better, unless we (GMTech) also asked, and we were turned down – then I feel they have the right to think and say that there better.

    I am glad I cleared up the slogan bit.

    Well I shall think about posting figures in public in the future, like I said above by taking screenshots, but right now I don’t think theres much point in it.

    And I am glad to see that my comment, was nice and calm, and hopefully this could lead to both magazines getting along, and it will be thanks to you.

    Also thanks for giving us a little section – I look forward to making any comments in there that you may have.

  16. I am calm, and Eyas should be aswell, I have not bad mouthed any, so there shouldn’t be any promblems at all on this blog post.

  17. Damn, kids, stop the e-penis comparing…

    I (the reader) just want somethin to read thats interesting.

    I dont care about the number of pages.
    So, come on, dont loose your sympathy by “battling” with rivaling magazines…

    seriously…..this blog just seems to heat the “battle” some more.

  18. Hey, I now make post here now and again – I sometimes feel that Markup seem to think that their endorsement, means they are somehow better – when in true fact, they are only there because they were the only ones to of asked, as for readership numbers, I don’ think that has any bearing on the endorsement of Markup, since we (GMTech) never ask any staff at YoYo about become endorsed, I am sure if we are to compare figures, we may be ahead on some issues, and they may also be ahead on some issues – depending on the content that is in that Issue. Some members say for example ‘I only downloaded the issue, to find out how to sell my game’ so that is maybe what gives the edge on downloads, I have no idea how many downloads Markup gets, or how regularly an issue is downloaded, in the future I may go public with the download figures, but not right now.

    The slogan ‘A quality read’, was placed there by me sometime ago, and is in no way saying that Markup is not a quality read, its referring to GMTech being good – in my eyes, notice how I said good and not great, also the slogan was thought of when the site was created, just out the blue, and I am still trying to think up new ones — as for the site designs, or system used, gamemakertech.info was started up back in Feb, I got together a free template and set it up at a site, gmjab and rup13 (both staff members) said that we should upgrade the site to something better, I spent some time and decided that WP for the way forward, the site was finally finished to be frank, I didn’t check out Markup’s website link until a few issue in for them

    It has been noted many times that Markup go more for the development while GMTech are for the gamers, and I don’t dispute that at all, the fact that we are both different, gives the GMC and other boards a chance to read both magazines.

    I was planning to release download figures, by taking a screenshots of both mirrors (box.net, and savefile) and then adding them together, however I thought it was best not to, to avoid any arguments about faking results or such.

    Now about Page Count, Markup may be in a battle with us to get higher pages, but we are not in a battle with them to get higher pages, if the content reach up to 50pages, then that’s what we post, the fact that GMTech has a lot of different things to read, rather than a small number of large things may mount to why it takes longer to put together and sometimes why it has more pages.

    And there, maybe the longest comment on your site for sometime, but I think I got everything.

    And please, please, do take the slogan that was thought up while setting the settings of the site in a different, light to it just being made up like a snap. Thanks for reading.

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