When looking at game magazines, under the "contact us" page, I mostly find the email for the editor in chief. This doesn't seem like the right person to give neews about a game. Shouldn't it be someone under this person? If so, where can I find the right people?

I've also seen online web forms instead of giving email addresses. This doesn't seem like the right place either.

Places I've tried:
Family Friendly Gaming
Cartridge Magazine
Gamasutra
Game Informer
IGN Entertainment

These companies get tons of submissions. Emails are easily ignored and deleted. So you made a press release.

The question the editors are asking is: Why should anyone care?

Who are you? Why should they care that kk1496 gave them a press release? Is there anything actually newsworthy about it?

If the announcement or press release won't help them get eyeballs, then you need to provide another reason for them to publish it.

Finally, business contacts for marketing and b2b contacts still frequently begin with a telephone, not an email.

Here's how I generally go about it:

*Wait until a big event is over (say, PAX, or GDC) and then wait a few weeks (let's say 2 or 3).

The reasoning here is that press writers generally have their hands full during these events and have 2-3 weeks of content they'll be able to followup on in the weeks after, but soon thereafter, this will dry out and they will be on the lookout for something fresh no one else is covering (and that's a good time to be at the top of their email inbox because they don't have the time to start from the bottom: they need it NOW).

*Spot your writers.

Most articles are signed by someone. They may not leave their emails directly at the top or bottom, but they certainly have twitter accounts and other blogs (a number of them freelance for various mags anyway). Read their articles. Find a few of them that article write about stuff that is related to what you are doing. Read back into their articles and make sure this is a trend, not a one-of. Once you know these guys could be genuinely interested in your articles, then it's time to talk to them.

*Make sure you have something to say

You're probably looking for coverage. They need a reason to cover you. A story. You, as a developer, are interested in the game itself, they are not. They can like the game, but their job is to sell a story, not a game (otherwise, they'd be ads, which they are not). So give them something to go on. Why did you start this game? What's different about you/your team than any other (and I'm not talking about your game here, but how your team operates, where you guys are coming from).

There's been a big blast around this very simple premice: These guys want to make a game, but they don't know anything about games (bam, that's a story).

It is absolutely pointless to send them a communiqué that says: "This game will be awesome because... [Insert random list of buzz words]."

In general, treat them with respect, not as tools, and you may yet see the light.

When you are ready and everything, something my friends do with their marketing is hit up a tweet to the person. It's a bit more eye-catching as a plus.

When you are ready and everything, something my friends do with their marketing is hit up a tweet to the person. It's a bit more eye-catching as a plus.

Careful though. Tweeting someone you hardly know could have the opposite effect sometimes...

I thought tweeting strangers that was pretty much the core of twitter?

People don't really have 13.8k followers in real life, do they?

(Well, maybe if you're Putin)