Sumptuous video game magazine A Profound Waste of Time is back on sale for a limited time, with a Kickstarter reprint of the first two issues.
OK, look. We don’t normally cover Kickstarter projects on Thumbsticks. We tend to steer away from them generally because – after seeing so many go so badly – shining a light on them feels like inviting people to gamble on something. Which we don’t like.
That being said, if the product already exists, and the Kickstarter is just covering the costs of producing it again? This, we can work with. This we can bend the rules for.
Without further ado, we’re pleased to announce that A Profound Waste of Time: The Reprint has been funded on Kickstarter. At the time of writing it’s over 150% of its funding target and it still has almost four weeks still to run. And it’s mostly (a few backer rewards aside) reprinting something that already exists. That’s already nailed on, then.
https://twitter.com/APWOTmag/status/1438549936421941252?s=20
What is A Profound Waste of Time? It’s a unique video game magazine with an emphasis on blending thoughtful critique and behind-the-scenes insights with beautiful design and an amazing, almost sculptural approach to a magazine spread.
It is the sort of thing we like to do, but in magazine form, really. (And we’re not jealous of it at all. Honestly.)
Trouble is, the initial run of A Profound Waste of Time was very limited, and you could no longer track one down for love nor money. When the second issue came out and was even bigger – but just as beautiful – as the first, people understandably wanted to get their hands on the first issue, to start a collection. Then the second issue sold out, as well.
After much pleading from the fans, graphic designer Caspian Whistler – creative director and editor-in-chief of A Profound Waste of Time – put together the reprint project on Kickstarter and… well, you already know how that went. (It’s gone up a few hundred quid since we wrote that paragraph up there.)
“I’m absolutely delighted that people seem to be resonating with the magazine so much,” Caspian told Thumbsticks via email. “This project has been a real labour of love for me since I started it as a little student zine, and it’s immensely gratifying to see what it’s grown into, that there is such an audience for it and that people love it as much as they do.
“Everyone who contributed to this mag did it with a huge amount of heart and effort, so I’m just really happy that more people are going to get the chance to see their work. APWOT’s aim is to be a celebration of the potential of games as a medium and the people who make them, and hopefully, that’s clear to everyone who sees it.”
You can pick up all four magazines – there are two standard editions, and two special editions with fancy covers – on Kickstarter for the next 27 days or so. There are also additional bits and pieces (like pin badges) included as backer rewards. (It is a Kickstarter, after all.)
Here’s to the continued success of A Profound Waste of Time, a brilliant video game magazine.
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