Key staff members of Future Publishing discuss the gaming industry at a special press roundtable at The Golden Joystick Awards.

Several key staff members of Future Publishing gathered at The Golden Joystick Awards to discuss the gaming industry, the awards and much more. The panel was hosted by BBC Radio 1Xtar's Treble Tee and included the following:

• James Binns - Head of Edge International and PC gaming.
• John Houlihan - Editor-in-Chief, CVG.co.uk
• Neil Long - Editor-in-Chief of Future's Nintendo portfolio
• Jon Hicks - Editor, Official Xbox 360 Magazine
• Tim Clark - Editor-in-Chief, Official PlayStation Magazine.

The first thing discussed at the panel was the fact that they are trying to get Gamesmaster back on television although it appears to still be in the planning stages. Moving on from this host Treble Tee asked the panel why gaming, unlike other media such as films, gets less attention in the mainstream media. The roundtable suggested it could be due to generational differences but noted that the culture is changing and a lot more people are now playing games.

The panel then moved on to discussing what makes The Golden Joystick Awards special and the biggest factor was the fact they are voted for by the public all over the world. One panel member did state that "while it is predictable in as much as big games win, small developers do also do well for themselves" as it is debated that popular games usually win as they're the only games the mass public are aware of. There was a lot of consideration put into ensuring the categories provided a level playing field this year and that is why there has been a lot of changes.

A large aspect of the panel discussion was focused on "mainstream" against "hardcore" gamers and how this plays a role in the development of their various magazines. Nintendo were given credit for helping push the mainstream gaming sector ahead and it was debated whether "hardcore" and "mainstream" gamers could ever be equally represented.

The panel stated that they frequently conduct research to find out exactly who is reading their magazines and target their content to that. They noted that online has really opened up gaming to the public and they are trying to filter out into different markets and gave the example of a 'Girl's Gamer' column in Sugar magazine. It was suggested that as the industry itself grows so will the coverage to mirror this.

The discussion then turned to the public (mis)perceptions about gaming and talked about how the recent revoking of tax breaks highlights how politicians are out of touch and uninformed, particularly given how much of a big industry it is. This discussion then continued to address common issues such as parents buying games for their children that are not suitable for their age range and then the press expressing concerns. The panel all seemed to be concerned with improving knowledge, particularly now that gaming has entertained into the mainstream more and more.

Asked how they draw a line between "hardcore" and "mainstream" gamers, and if in fact they should, they suggested in their research they conclude that "hardcore" gamers are people who see gaming as a principle hobby, play for 20 hours a week and buy 2 or 3 games a month.

Finally the panel were asked about publishers beginning to charge for an online second hand code and stated that they understood both the publisher's need to make money and the consumer's chagrin. One member suggested that you can still play the game second hand without a hugely compromised experience. They also noted that games are now much cheaper and offer better value for money due to elongated online life.

We would like to thank everyone on the panel, the host and the audience members who all provided an interesting discussion about the gaming industry as it stands at present.