Whether this is the way things actually work doesn't bother me very much (though if you want to say, I'll see what I can do with the information), but I'm more concerned about deadlines etc. How long before the magazine is sent to the presses are they going to want to have the text from the writers? How long before the magazine arrives in mailboxes and stores will the darn thing be sent to the presses.
(Basically, I want to see how much the character can push the deadline for one article, since him not being able to finish it was due to events WAY out of his control, and he's really anal about finishing a game before he writes his final review. He can work on it before that, sure, but he won't finish the review or set a score until he's seen those credits rolling. This and the fact that he has a rather snarky writing style have him as something of the readers' pet, so he's not going to lose his job over one missed deadline, but having the review pushed to the next issue is going to make ends not meet as well on his part.)
This is in regards to a monthly/bimonthly magazine along the line of SuperPLAY or Animerica or what have you. The typical glossy magazine with reviews and previews from upcoming games/movies/whatever, along with some con reports and interviews.
I write about strange things.
-Alexandra