The Denver Post just published a story about the reconsidering of a policy that allowed inmates to play violent video games.
I've come to know quite a bit about the free time of prisoners, based mostly as my former editorial position at a popular porn magazine. We got tons of letter from prison -- as many, if not more than were recieved from free citizens. Soldiers, prisoners and the insane made up the majority of our correspondence.
These guys in jail would write letters to specific girls (thinking that the copy and names we supplied next to the pictures was real). They'd also respond to articles published years earlier because the old back issue was the only thing they could get their hands on.
So here's my question:
Do video game magazines get much mail from prison?
I don't recall ever seeing printed letters that made reference to the writer's incarceration in any of the magazines I've subscribed to or read.
My friend Raina, the publisher of the 'zine 1Up, told me once that she got regular correspondance from a prisoner who was a huge video game fan. In his particular situation, he didn't have access to games, so he spent his time thinking about them, trying to remember every level, enemy and story point. He'd been in jail for a while, so his intimate knowledge of games stopped in the '90s, but he kept up on the current state of magazines to the point that he'd even mailed away for her relatively obscure zine.
Any of you guys out there involved with game publications or websites care to comment on this?
How about developers, designers and publishers? Do they get fan mail from prison?
I'd love to hear any stories you have.
I've come to know quite a bit about the free time of prisoners, based mostly as my former editorial position at a popular porn magazine. We got tons of letter from prison -- as many, if not more than were recieved from free citizens. Soldiers, prisoners and the insane made up the majority of our correspondence.
These guys in jail would write letters to specific girls (thinking that the copy and names we supplied next to the pictures was real). They'd also respond to articles published years earlier because the old back issue was the only thing they could get their hands on.
So here's my question:
Do video game magazines get much mail from prison?
I don't recall ever seeing printed letters that made reference to the writer's incarceration in any of the magazines I've subscribed to or read.
My friend Raina, the publisher of the 'zine 1Up, told me once that she got regular correspondance from a prisoner who was a huge video game fan. In his particular situation, he didn't have access to games, so he spent his time thinking about them, trying to remember every level, enemy and story point. He'd been in jail for a while, so his intimate knowledge of games stopped in the '90s, but he kept up on the current state of magazines to the point that he'd even mailed away for her relatively obscure zine.
Any of you guys out there involved with game publications or websites care to comment on this?
How about developers, designers and publishers? Do they get fan mail from prison?
I'd love to hear any stories you have.
