Type Video game magazine Owner(s) Sinan Akkol Editor Serpil Ulutürk | Format Paper magazine Publisher Seti Publishing Founded September 2007 | |
Oyungezer is the fastest growing gaming magazine in Turkey. The editorial staff is considered to be somewhat pioneers in Turkey, and their squad consists of some of the most successful gaming editors in Turkish video gaming journalism. This is evidenced when they have prepared a six page long preview for Diablo III and put it in the cover page before their peers in Turkey and the world.
Contents
History
Oyungezer, despite being relatively new in the video gaming world of Turkey, consist of names familiar to Turkish gamers. The masterminds behind the arguably most well-known video game magazine in Turkey; LEVEL, left the magazine after Doğan Burda Publications' takeover of Vogel Burda, the parent company of LEVEL and Chip. The editors, after spending a month in recluse, announced the launch of the Oyungezer website and subsequently, the forums. The website got thousands of hits the first day, and the announcement for the first issue came soon after. Issue #1 was released in November 2007 and it sold roughly 7000 copies, which is a record for a first time issue of a gaming magazine.
Sections
Oyungezer has five distinctive sections separated by content. First of these, immediately following the Index is the preview section, entitled 360 drc (360 degrees), edited by Furkan Faruk Akıncı. The review section, which used to be divided into Console, PC and Online inner sections until the October issue is now blended into a singular entity with Online retaining its autonomy in the form of the Log-In section, focuses on the major new releases of the month. Following the review section, a strategy guide edited (and most of the time, prepared) by Güven brothers picks a game from that month and offers various tips and information. Afterward, the Ekran Dışı (Out of the Screen) segment follows up. Unique to gaming magazines worldwide, this part, edited by Damla Pınar Gök, reviews non-gaming entertainment products released recently. Featuring mostly book, album and movie reviews, this segment is also the host of reader mails, editor columns and famed editor Göktuğ Yüksel's personal N.E.M. page. Ekran Dışı is followed by Organize Sanayi (Organized Industry) and Pixel which focus on hardware and retro gaming respectively.
Promotions
Oyungezer include a free DVD which includes 8 gbs of gaming material. They boast a wide range of free demos and trials, giving demos like Hellgate: London and Unreal Tournament 3 before their peers and offering various free trials like Guild Wars: Trilogy. Oyungezer also gives other promotions as well, including e-pins which can be used in Gameforge browser games such as OGame, and various gaming posters. Celebrating their first anniversary, Oyungezer gave Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow as promotion. This has reappeared in other occasions as well, with Psychonauts and Mount & Blade being a few of the games they have offered as promotion.
Review system
In Oyungezer, the minimum score a game can get is 0.0 and the maximum 10.0. The best score the magazine has awarded until now is a 9.9, given to Grand Theft Auto IV by Tuğbek Ölek and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim by Umut Yanık. The previous record was held by Crysis with 9.8, which was awarded to LittleBigPlanet in the November 2008 issue as well. The magazine's lowest scores like 1.0 for The Incredible Hulk and 3.0 for Soldier of Fortune: Payback were all given by Kaan Alkın, who is known for his high standards and Star Wars passion. Also, the massively multiplayer online game A Tale in the Desert received a curious score of "?.? points" for the unmeasurable experience it provides, arising from the game's enormous dependence on its customer base.
Other Ventures
Oyungezer's parent company, SETİ Yapım ve Yayıncılık has broadened its horizons since the inception of the magazine. A sister magazine to Oyungezer, Free-2-Play has been released in 2009, focusing on free-to-play MMORPGs. SETİ Yapım ve Yayıncılık has also undertaken the content management of TTNET Oyun, a digital video game distribution platform created by the leading internet service provider in Turkey. SETİ's other projects, all spearheaded by Oyungezer include The Game, a gaming lobby in Point Hotel Barbaros, METUTECH-ATOM, a video game development center placed inside METU and Electronic Sports League, the leading video game sports league of Europe.