Hyper (magazine)

Infobox Magazine
title = Hyper


image_size = 245px
image_caption = The cover of "Hyper", issue 149 (March 2006)
editor = Daniel Wilks
editor_title = Editor
frequency = Monthly
circulation = 17,000
category =
company = Next Media Pty Ltd
publisher = Next Publishing Pty Ltd
firstdate = October 1993
country = Flag|Australia
language = English
website = [http://www.hyper.com.au/ Hyper Magazine Forums]
issn = 1320-7458

"Hyper" is a multi-platform Australian video game magazine. Australia's longest running gaming magazine, it has been in publication since 1993, and was released the same month as the better known UK magazine "Edge". Hyper used to Feature Sega CD Demo Discs from hyper's Debut in October 1993 till the Sega cd's discontinuation in 1996.

Issues 85 to 94 of "Hyper" featured a cover disc, containing demos of PC games and video footage of console videogames, which was very popular with its readersVerify source|date=August 2007 and provided material for a long running joke, regarding the creator of the CDs, Amos Hong.

In addition to coverage of all current major video game systems and game releases, "Hyper" also covers anime, DVD movies, arcade and classic games, and features in-depth interviews with industry professionals and articles on game-related content such as computer hardware and video game music. "Hyper" is notable for its quirky sense of humour, sometimes hilarious screenshot captions (many of which are related to popular lines from TV show "The Simpsons"), regular artistic revisions and the rapport that the staff attempt to build with the readers. This extends to a number of running in-jokes. However, when former editor Cam Shea invented a large number of in-jokes after his instatement, many long-time readers felt dissatisfied, culminating in several letters of complaint in issue 138. These elements were toned down after that issue, and the current iteration is once more tasteful to the magazine's readers. Its also noteworthy to add that in issue 181, Hyper changed its scoring system that has been in place for fifteen years from a score out of one hundred to a more solid score out of ten.

"Hyper"'s sister magazines being the PC game-oriented "PC PowerPlay" and "Nintendo Gamer", also published by Next Media.

Current contributors

Kosta Andreadis, Alexander Gambotto-Burke, Dylan Burns, Seamus Byrne, Ed Dawson, Eleanor Eiffe, Tim Henderson, Tim Levy, Bryce McDonough, Mikolai, Daniel Staines, Christopher Taylor, Paul Taylor, Patrick Kolan, Stephen Farelly, Benjamin "Yahtzee" Croshaw, James 'Jickle' O'Connor and Matthew 'PrattP' Williams.

taff

The current posts of editor, deputy editor and art director are held by Daniel Wilks, Darren Wells and Malcolm Campbell respectively.

In February 2007, Editor Cam Shea left "Hyper" to work at IGN as one of their IGN AU journalists. [http://au.games.ign.com/articles/752/752158p1.html IGN: Cam Shea Joins IGN AU ] ]

Forums

The website hosts a public internet forum that serve as a link between editors and readers of the magazine. The forum is divided up into 3 main sections. Hyperactive, which consists of magazine feedback and serves as the main link between the forum community and the magazine staff; General, which consists of random discussion, an eBay-style Auction Hut, and is the section of the forum which receives the most traffic; and Gaming, which contains all discussion relating to video games and gaming.

The forum has just over 450 active members and over 800 000 posts, not including previous posts which have been deleted due to site upgrading. It was created in 1996 and began as a site where readers could go and find information uploaded by writers, readers and visitors regarding cheats, opinions and up to date news. As of late the Hyperactive forums have lost popularity due to continued clashes between the users and those enforcing the desires of Next management often ending in unreasonable decisions by the staff.

A secondary forum was established in 2004 as part of a website known as doesmannerism.com, which was constructed as part of a feature article about website creation. The name originated from one of the many Shea-created Hyper in-jokes, the "mannerism" (hands are held palm-up at elbow-height; mainly used to convey confusion, disrespect or a comedic disdain for something). At the peak of doesmannerism.com's popularity, a feud developed between the Hyper forums and doesmannerism forums: many Hyper members believed doesmannerism to be nothing more than a pitiful black hole of spam populated by juvenile high schoolers, while doesmannerism members believed that the Hyper forums were too intimidating for new users, and were intent on creating a welcoming alternative. There were several occasions when Hyper members spammed the doesmannerism forums for their own entertainment, believing that their posts would go unnoticed or ignored. This, of course, was not the case, and only served to increase the mutual dislike between the two groups of members. The doesmannerism website has since been taken down, with the former domain now released. Ironically, this caused some members of doesmannerism to make the transition to the Hyper forums; many of these members are currently still active. The forum still however exists, albeit under the name of "Doesmannerism 3.0" and is currently being hosted, run and operated by members of the original forum.

In mid-2008, another secondary forum was established at MightyJustice, as a result of continuing clashes between the Hyper community and the involvement of Next Media management within the community. With several members feeling that the only benefit of Next being involved in the community (hosting the website) was far outweighed by all the negative effects, the new community was established for members of Hyper to escape the increasingly iron-fisted rule of the original community.

ee also

*Next Media
*"PC PowerPlay"

References

External links

* [http://www.next.com.au/magheaders/hyper.html Next Media page]
* [http://www.hyper.com.au Hyperactive: "Hyper"'s Website]
* [http://www.hyper.com.au Hyperactive Forums]