We recently chatted to Martin Mathers, deputy editor of Official Nintendo Magazine, to see what life was like in the magazines, in the current environment of uncertainty. Mr Mathers started out in the games industry as a presenter for Games World, where he earned the title Megabyte Millionaire and had recurring roles in seminal games TV show GamesMaster. His experience in print media is wide, with a CV boasting positions at CUBE, gamesTM, X360, nRevolution and NOM, which he edits with Chandra Noir, a fellow member of the original CUBE team. He is not, in fact, a millionaire.

Hello, Martin. Could you explain who you are for our visitors, and give us a brief outline on your career?

I'm Martin Mathers and I've been working in the games industry in various roles for over a decade now (which makes me feel really old). Mainly, I've worked in games magazines and have managed to go from being a lowly staff writer all the way up to the position of Editor... and then back down to Dep Ed to work on the Official Nintendo Mag. Less stress, more writing.

As deputy editor of ONM, what are your main roles?

Writing, obviously, but also supporting the Editor, Chandra Nair, when it comes to keeping the mag schedule running smoothly and motivating the troops to get work done. Oh, and going on the odd press trip when the occasion calls for it... that's always important too.

Something tells me that those "press trips" aren't as boring as they sound.. ONM's reputation isn't too positive amongst Nintendo fans, how do you and the rest of the staff feel about this? Or do you aim at the casual market?

I'm not really sure what you mean by this - as far as I can tell, the many thousands of people who frequent our forums are massive Nintendo fans and they love the mag. If you mean the dedicated hardcore... well, I count myself as one of those and I love the mag to bits too. I wouldn't work on it if I didn't, would I?

As 'Mr Mathers' on GamesMaster. And yes, this is exactly what life as a games journo is like.

How much longer do you think magazines can be successful when the internet is becoming a much more common way for people to get their information?

It depends, because the onus now lies on magazine creators (like us) to innovate and offer content you can't get on the web. Yes, you can get up-to-the-minute news and videos online but, to be quite honest, genuinely well-written content and interesting features are fairly few and far between, especially once you get off the beaten tracks of the more 'proven' websites. It's here that mags have to push the boundaries, to offer people things that can't be found elsewhere. Plus, you can't read the internet on the toilet... well, not unless you've got a laptop or a portable potty. And even then, it's pretty uncomfortable.

Before working with ONM you were the editor of nRevolution, which had a fresh start a few months after CUBE ended, how difficult was it starting a magazine out like this?

All magazines are difficult to get going, no matter what the subject matter is. Designing the whole thing well takes time, getting quality writers on board takes time, working out what's actually going to go in from a feature/page furniture perspective takes time... but it's also fun. Ultimately, you have to be happy with the finished product, but when you are it's that much more gratifying.

What are the main differences between working for an official magazine, and an unofficial one?

I know a hell of a lot more secret things that you don't know.

I suppose you can't tell us...nah, you probably can't. What are the chances of a demo disk getting bundled with ONM in the future?

Not my department, I'm afraid... sorry.

Is there anything in particular that made you come back to Nintendo publications after working for X360 Magazine?

With nRev, I kind of got forced into it... with ONM, it was pure choice. I've always been a fan of Nintendo, but with age comes experience and I've got an appreciation for gaming across all formats. Still, working with Nintendo has always been much more fun...

What do you mean by "kind of got forced" into working for nRev?

At the time, I was working on X360 and getting on with it when the bosses pitched to me working on the new Nintendo mag instead. Obviously, I had to make my mind up (I was quite comfortable doing what I was doing, regardless of personal leanings towards platform holders) but before I could do it properly - I ended up having several conversations with peeps at Nintendo about whether they thought it a good idea, for instance - I basically ended up being told that I should probably say yes because it had already been decided I was going to do it. That's not to say I wouldn't have done it, because it's most likely I would have.

After your simultaneous Virtua Cop shenanigans for TV Show GamesMaster, how do you feel about the prospect of lightgun-type games getting resurrected on the Wii?

Pleased as punch... games like Ghost Squad and Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles are going to rock the collective socks off.

And will you be having dual-remote action with any of them?

RE:UC has two player, so I don't see why not...

NOM: officially better than it used to be. Remember when they gave South Park 64 90 per cent?

What future Wii game do you most fear having to write a review for?

Not sure... I actually quite enjoy putting myself down for the rubbish ones, although I think it's earned me a reputation for hating everything.

So, Megabyte Millionaire (or do you prefer Mr Mathers?) What is it like presenting on a TV show about video games? Do you think that more of these shows should be made?

That depends on the format - right now, GamerTV pretty much has it right on their new internet channel, esport.tv, because it can be broadcast almost as soon as they record it so as to make it up-to-date. Otherwise, you end up running way behind everyone and whereas mags can make up for that with other more interesting content, TV isn't quite the same. As for shows like GamesMaster and Games World though... well, I think they belong in the history books under 'fun while they lasted'.

Do you have any tips for budding journalists?

• Qualifications aren't everything, but they do make a difference. Bournemouth Uni has a great Journalism degree...
• If you're going to want to write about games, make sure you can actually write - just because you're 'quite good at Street Fighter', doesn't mean people will enjoy reading stuff you've written about it.
• Writing for a website is great experience but, again, it's best to make sure you can string a sentence together before you do it. Internet sites are often unsubbed or, at best, staffed by people who aren't qualified to sub well, meaning lazy or just plain bad writing comes across as just that: lazy or bad.
• Most importantly (because I've read so many bad reviews from people asking for work experience): fancy-pants new wave or gonzo-style journalism only works if you can do it and do it well. If you're going to open your review of, say, a boxing game with an opening paragraph that starts with 'Ding ding! And the fighters come out of their corners...' before giving me a blow-by-blow account of the first round, without even mentioning the game you're reviewing... well, chances are I've already closed the window and gone back to reading UK Resistance because you bored me to tears. Sorry.

And finally: What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

What do you mean... an African or a European swallow?

So you've seen that film. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us.

N-Europe would like to thank Martin for taking time to talk to us, and all the best for the future. And the gonzo journalism bit? Believe me, he's not wrong.