Missing Magazine: Game Player's PC Entertainment

[marktrade]

Not to be confused with regular old PC Entertainment, Game Player's PC Entertainment was published bi-monthly in the time between Game Player's PC Strategy Guide and PC Gamer, from 1992 to mid 1994.

 

I haven't confirmed yet exactly when the first issue was and when the last one was. The earliest one I have is the Mar/Apr issue in 1992. It contains a correction for an earlier issue of Game Player's PC Strategy Guide, and given the tendency for magazines to make major name changes at the beginning of the year, I'm led to believe the first issue was Jan/Feb 1992.

 

The online catalog for the Strong Museum of Play contains issues from 1993 and 1994, the latest of which is Mar/Apr 1994. Since the first issue of PC Gamer is dated May/Jun and it replaced Game Player's PC Entertainment, I think it's a safe assumption that that was indeed the last issue.

 

I know Retromags needs confirmed data, but as a working theory I'm going to say there were 14 issues published bi-monthly from Jan/Feb 1992 to Mar/Apr 1994. Until then I'll use this thread to post scans and updates.

Issues scanned so far:

https://archive.org/details/GPPCEVol5No2

https://archive.org/details/GPPCEVol5No3

https://archive.org/details/GPPCEVol5No4

https://archive.org/details/GPPCEVol5No5

https://archive.org/details/GPPCEVol5No6

Edited November 3, 2016 by marktrade

[kitsunebi]

I say we roll with your theory until it can be proven otherwise.

It's kind of annoying that this problem keeps popping up. These things are periodicals. Sometimes the publisher gives them issue numbers, sometimes just dates. I don't see the problem with an issue being listed as July 1998 or whatever if that's what's printed on the cover. Or the volume and issue number, if that's the way the magazine was actually labeled. If we can account for every single issue, then it certainly doesn't hurt anything to impose artificial issue numbers upon mags that never actually had them, but if a bit of uncertainty about whether "July 1998 Vol3 Issue 11" was the 34th issue published or the 35th is keeping it from being listed at all, well... that seems a little silly to me. But that's just my 2 cents.

[marktrade]

Here is the scan of my earliest issue of Game Player's PC Entertainment.

https://archive.org/details/GPPCEVol5No2

I have five more!

[kitsunebi]

I had that one!

In case you're wondering, yes, I'm gonna post that every time (well, every time it's true.) But you know what, even if I had all 5 of the others you've got, I couldn't be happier to see them again. These issues you've been scanning lately were the very first things I looked for (in vain) when I first discovered this site as an anonymous lurker like 6-7 years ago. THANK YOU!

[miketheratguy]

Wow, I downloaded Darklands for the first time ever only JUST last night. And a Monkey Island 2 preview? Nice.

I can't relate to the majority of the content of this magazine since I didn't have a PC as a kid. Still, there's a lot of interesting stuff on display here and the magazine has a really clean, organized, layout that I really like. Very classy.

[kitsunebi]

Video game magazines are usually fun to flip through, checking out the screenshots and the occasional article or review that catches your eye. PC game magazines, particularly slightly later mags such as PC Gamer (and Computer Gaming World once it stepped up its game to compete with PC Gamer), are great to just READ and usually had the kind of in depth reviews that video games have only ever received online. It's less evident in these earlier magazines (this IS Game Player's, after all), but the level of journalism was a step higher, since a large portion of PC gamers were adults, and they wrote to that audience. I hadn't really thought about it before, but you're right - that sensibility probably also carries over to the aesthetics of the design and layout, as well.

Edited March 17, 2016 by kitsunebi77

[miketheratguy]

I think so. The magazine just looks so clean and tidy, much easier on the eyes than some of the garish EGM stuff that I'm so used to. As you said, it looks like something that would be fun just to browse through. Thanks Mark!

[KiwiArcader]

Personally, I think it's very similar in layout and style to the early to middle age Computer Gaming World issues, which may be why I like them, and now, this thanks to marktrade and his wonderfully diverse magazine collection

[TheRedEye]

Hello,

This publication went under a ton of titles, the earliest one I have is v1 #2 from 1988 called "The Game Player's Guide to MS-DOS Computer Games." Much like their Nintendo publication it changed a lot, and has titles like "Game Player's PC Strategy Guide" and "Game Player's PC Buyers Guide" too.

[kitsunebi]

Hello,

This publication went under a ton of titles, the earliest one I have is v1 #2 from 1988 called "The Game Player's Guide to MS-DOS Computer Games." Much like their Nintendo publication it changed a lot, and has titles like "Game Player's PC Strategy Guide" and "Game Player's PC Buyers Guide" too.

Gotta catch 'em all!

Pretty sure I've never seen those earliest issues from vol.1. Hopefully someone out there acquires them/donates them. Dunno how often they pop up on eBay but I suspect pretty rarely.

[miketheratguy]

Personally, I think it's very similar in layout and style to the early to middle age Computer Gaming World issues

I'm wondering if the clean layouts of the PC-centric mags have something to do with the customer base. Back in the day it seemed that PC gaming was a hobby enjoyed mostly by older players whereas stuff like EGM was read by predominantly console gamers who traditionally skewed younger. The aesthetic of old computer magazines appeared to be - from what I've seen - more "mature".

[kitsunebi]

... a large portion of PC gamers were adults, and they wrote to that audience. I hadn't really thought about it before, but you're right - that sensibility probably also carries over to the aesthetics of the design and layout, as well.

I'm wondering if the clean layouts of the PC-centric mags have something to do with the customer base. Back in the day it seemed that PC gaming was a hobby enjoyed mostly by older players whereas stuff like EGM was read by predominantly console gamers who traditionally skewed younger. The aesthetic of old computer magazines appeared to be - from what I've seen - more "mature".

You know what? You might be on to something there...

[miketheratguy]

You know what? You might be on to something there...

Lol well I wouldn't know, I didn't read PC mags when I was a kid. It would make sense though.

[kitsunebi]

How hilarious it would have been to see the people responsible for designing Gamepro try to create a magazine out the very serious and adult-oriented content from any of the first 10 years worth of issues of Computer Gaming World...complete with a shitty Francis Mao cartoony airbrushed monstrosity of a cover depicting some hardcore wargame like Kampfgruppe (1985's Game of the Year!!).

[Areala]

How hilarious it would have been to see the people responsible for designing Gamepro try to create a magazine out the very serious and adult-oriented content from any of the first 10 years worth of issues of Computer Gaming World...complete with a shitty Francis Mao cartoony airbrushed monstrosity of a cover depicting some hardcore wargame like Kampfgruppe (1985's Game of the Year!!).

While I love reading it (and indexing it), the first, like, five years of that magazine's existence could conceivably be called "Computer Wargaming World" and you'd be 100% accurate.

Francis Mao does historical battleground work...that's almost nightmarish.

*huggles*

Areala

[kitsunebi]

I'm sort of in love with the complete absurdity of this idea now. This is what Computer Gamepro would have looked like in my mind:

[Areala]

*ROFL!*

*huggles*

Areala

[marktrade]

Next issue is done!

https://archive.org/details/GPPCEVol5No3

[kitsunebi]

HOT DAMN! I HAD THAT ONE! (I told you)

Yeah, I remember this one well (hell, I remember all of them well). That Dark Queen of Krynn ad followed immediately by the Leather Goddesses of Phobos II ad was...special to me at that age. Lots of excellent games covered in this one, as well.

As always, THANK YOU!!

Edited March 21, 2016 by kitsunebi77

[marktrade]

I saw that double page ad and remembering this thread thought whoa "mature" is right.

[KiwiArcader]

These are awesome little mags.

[miketheratguy]

How hilarious it would have been to see the people responsible for designing Gamepro try to create a magazine out the very serious and adult-oriented content from any of the first 10 years worth of issues of Computer Gaming World...complete with a shitty Francis Mao cartoony airbrushed monstrosity of a cover depicting some hardcore wargame like Kampfgruppe (1985's Game of the Year!!).

You made that name up.

And yes, it WOULD have been funny. If it was a war game then Mao's artwork would have looked something like this piece of shit. Francis Mao sucks so hard.

Needs more airbrushing.

[kitsunebi]

You made that name up.

And yes, it WOULD have been funny. If it was a war game then Mao's artwork would have looked something like this piece of shit. Francis Mao sucks so hard.

Well of course it would look like that. That art was stolen from the original Kampfgruppe box art, after all:

[aloram]

Marktrade, when will the issues be available for download on Retromags?

[marktrade]

Marktrade, when will the issues be available for download on Retromags?

Usually the curators wait until we have a verified complete listing of all the issues released under a certain title before even making database entries. It's a long project, but hopefully someday.

It the meantime, if you're downloading from my archive.org page, be sure to click on "Comic Book RAR" in the download options. That will download the original file I put together so you can read it offline.