Checkpoint Magazine is the first, fully interactive video game magazine focusing on the impact of gaming on society and culture.
A Brief History
Checkpoint Magazine has been in the making for some time. It was back in 2012, not long after Tamer Asfahani launched ArabicGamers, that the concept for a new type of newsletter was forming. At the time there were no interactive magazines. Newsletters were junk-like affairs that landed in your inbox or junk mail folder never to be seen by the recipient. With his love for innovation and creating new ways to interact with content and engage his audience, Asfahani started searching for a truly interactive newsletter. He came across a system that allowed him to do everything he wanted and more. It was now a matter of building a world class contributor base respected within the games industry. Asfahani had already been discussing the idea with industry legend and veteran journalist, Steve Boxer. Having seen the potential of the magazine, Boxer was just as excited… and so started the formation of Checkpoint Magazine.
Bringing on-board the visionary designer Paul Elmes, the team got straight down to the design and feel. The idea was to create a magazine that was unrivalled, exciting and; most important of all, relevant. Not only was it important for the magazine to look and feel great, but it had to have interactivity and it had to be intelligent, thought-provoking and rooted in true journalism. Gaming needed to be celebrated, but also to be held accountable. So Checkpoint’s remit was to do just that. Explore the benefits, influences and impact on society; good or bad.
Since launching, Checkpoint Magazine has attracted some of the best writers in the industry in the world. The team’s regular contributors; Nick Cowen, Lee Abrahams, Lucy Orr, are among the most celebrated voices in the industry and their articles are always supported with video, audio or animations to help illustrate their points. Furthermore the themes of the magazine has held true to its remit. Checkpoint has tackled issues like the importance of women in gaming, the changing face of gaming with regards to the new globalisation model, how developers have a responsibility to re-tell history, the way in which space simulators have helped space exploration; the list goes on. Checkpoint Magazine has proved it’s not scared of asking the hard questions. And pushing for answers.
Recently Checkpoint has started delivering for the next generation. Working in partnerships with schools, a new magazine has been formed aimed at children between the ages of six and 12. By allowing kids to explore their love of games and working with teachers to create engaging and accessible lesson plans, Checkpoint Kids challenges its audience to use games to help with literacy, numeracy and creativity. Not only does the children’s work appear in the magazine (written, drawn, voiced or video – with the relevant permission of course), but it helps parents feel confident that screen time is being used wisely and as a tool for learning.
This is driven by Chris Winson-Longley, a veteran and celebrated teacher.
Chris has spent over 25 years in classrooms and has been Manager of Literacy and Numeracy, Manager of Opening Minds and 2nd in English. He has also taught adult ed and is a Leading English teacher having worked with the CfBT on both literacy and the promotion of Manga in schools.
Chris has been the architect for the new pedagogical direction of Checkpoint Learning which has been delivered in schools and is evidenced by Brunel University and backed by the UN SDGs.
Not only has Checkpoint Kids magazine done well, but there is now a free podcast for children – The Checkpoint Kids Bedtime Stories. Written by Asfahani, and voiced by some of the best voice talent around, these tales set in video game worlds invite children to explore games and characters they may already know as protagonists. Calming, soothing and beautifully crafted, these will help your children fall asleep as they are taken on magical and ethereal journeys through games and time.
As Checkpoint grows, so does the ambition of the team. Volume 2 of the magazine has been made free of charge for all, we’ve created a documentary podcast too for those that want to listen to the long from documentaries that are embedded in the magazine through your podcast provider too without having to download the magazine.
So if you’re one of those people that loves being on the cutting edge of gaming, politics and discourse, this is certainly the magazine for you.