Electronic Games (the Grandaddy Of All Game Magazines)

[Joseph4587]

Hello Everyone,

I have been a memeber of this site for quite a while, but finally decided to participate and share one of my gaming magazine memories and remind some of us here why do this. For those of you old enough to remember the original golden age of video games in the late 70s / early 80s, the first magazine dedicated to video games was called Electronic Games, which was managed and written by 3 main people: Arnie Katz, Bill Kunkel and Joyce Worley. Some of my most vivid early gaming memories involved going to the local candy store on the week I knew it would come out and literally grabbed it right from the box as soon as it arrived. I would rush home and read each issue from cover to cover and then read it again. I especially liked the CES issues where all the new games would be previewed. They always made the trade shows look like the absolute coolest place to be if you were a gamer, Well, fast forward to 1994 (I am 23 at this point). I was working for Funcoland in NY and I thought I had the dream job since I could now go to the CES show in Chicago. Well, I went with my copy of Electronic Games #1 in tow (which I had purchased a few years earlier for $100, an unheard of amount at the time since there was no market for old game magazines in the late 80s), hoping to meet Katz, Kunkel, and Worley. I brought it to Chicago, but while I knew they were there covering it, I never saw them. Anyway, as I was getting ready to leave the hotel I was staying in, I stepped out of the elevator and lo and behold, they were right in front of me waiting to check out. I was floored. They were at the same hotel in Chicago I was at and didnt even know it (go figure). I introduced myself and asked Arnie if he was who I thought he was and he said yes. A few minutes later, I got to meet Bill and Joyce and proceeded to talk to them all for about 5 minutes about the show and gaming in general in what could best be described as a very surreal moment for me. We discussed Mortal Kombat II, the X-Band and Nintendo's upcoming games. They were genuinely happy and surprised when I showed them a copy of the magazine and asked them to sign it. They said they hadn’t seen it in years. After they signed it, they had to go, so I thanked them for being such important parts my gaming life growing up and what a pleasure it was to meet them. - THE END -

So, to all those people who spend the hours that could easily be dedicated to other pursuits, toiling away bringing back fond memories of our gaming past, I say thank you. You are appreciated.

- JOSEPH (aka Vince4587)

[JoNJoN]

Wasn't there a magazine that ran in the mid 90's during the 32/64 bit era also called Electronic Games? It only ran for a few issues and was published by the same people as EGM. Pretty cool story BTW.

[Joseph4587]

Wasn't there a magazine that ran in the mid 90's during the 32/64 bit era also called Electronic Games? It only ran for a few issues and was published by the same people as EGM. Pretty cool story BTW.

The short answer is: yes there was. For more info, see below from www.magweasel.com

History

The original Electronic Games fizzled out in 1985, but the three people largely behind it -- Arnie Katz, Bill Kunkel, and Katz's wife Joyce Worley -- still wrote about video games long afterwards. Although their most notable work was in VideoGames and Computer Entertainment, they also wrote content for Electronic Gaming Monthly and a wealth of computer magazines.

The idea to resurrect Electronic Games had been in their minds for a while, but it received a jump start when Kunkel ran into EGM publisher Steve Harris during a Consumer Electronics Show. Harris hooked up with Katz soon afterward, and eventually a scheme was set up where the trio would provide editorial content for the magazine while Sendai headquarters in Lombard, IL would handle the book's design. (The Decker Publications name was established simply to differentiate Electronic Games' finances from the rest of Sendai's.)

Layout

The original idea behind the new Electronic Games, as outlined by Arnie Katz in his first editorial, was to provide comprehensive game coverage to a more adult audience than Sendai's other magazines at the time. In practice, this meant that Electronic Games looked quite a bit like VG&CE and the old EG -- large, text-heavy preview features, a great deal of industry-insider interviews (even putting Sega head Tom Kalenske on the cover at one point), and coverage on non-traditional topics like fanzines. Reviews were also text-heavy and similar in style to VG&CE, with only small screenshots accompanying each game.

The magazine is notable for being the fourth title with a Game Doctor column (the others being VG&CE, EGM, and the first Electronic Games), as well as introducing The Kunkel Report, a monthly commentary on the industry that is still updated online at Digital Press.

Although each issue of EG was well written, the design was frequently haphazard (the magazine changed art directors several times), and the title had trouble finding a very large, steady audience. This situation continued until 1995, when the EG deal ended and the magazine was renamed Fusion and brought entirely in-house, although Katz and Worley remained on as contributing editors.

I hope that helps.

- JOSEPH (aka Vince4587)

[meppi]

Great story.

But wouldn't the grandaddy of game magazines be CVG?

[Crazylightsaber]

Hello Everyone,

I have been a memeber of this site for quite a while, but finally decided to participate and share one of my gaming magazine memories and remind some of us here why do this. For those of you old enough to remember the original golden age of video games in the late 70s / early 80s, the first magazine dedicated to video games was called Electronic Games, which was managed and written by 3 main people: Arnie Katz, Bill Kunkel and Joyce Worley. Some of my most vivid early gaming memories involved going to the local candy store on the week I knew it would come out and literally grabbed it right from the box as soon as it arrived. I would rush home and read each issue from cover to cover and then read it again. I especially liked the CES issues where all the new games would be previewed. They always made the trade shows look like the absolute coolest place to be if you were a gamer, Well, fast forward to 1994 (I am 23 at this point). I was working for Funcoland in NY and I thought I had the dream job since I could now go to the CES show in Chicago. Well, I went with my copy of Electronic Games #1 in tow (which I had purchased a few years earlier for $100, an unheard of amount at the time since there was no market for old game magazines in the late 80s), hoping to meet Katz, Kunkel, and Worley. I brought it to Chicago, but while I knew they were there covering it, I never saw them. Anyway, as I was getting ready to leave the hotel I was staying in, I stepped out of the elevator and lo and behold, they were right in front of me waiting to check out. I was floored. They were at the same hotel in Chicago I was at and didnt even know it (go figure). I introduced myself and asked Arnie if he was who I thought he was and he said yes. A few minutes later, I got to meet Bill and Joyce and proceeded to talk to them all for about 5 minutes about the show and gaming in general in what could best be described as a very surreal moment for me. We discussed Mortal Kombat II, the X-Band and Nintendo's upcoming games. They were genuinely happy and surprised when I showed them a copy of the magazine and asked them to sign it. They said they hadn’t seen it in years. After they signed it, they had to go, so I thanked them for being such important parts my gaming life growing up and what a pleasure it was to meet them. - THE END -

So, to all those people who spend the hours that could easily be dedicated to other pursuits, toiling away bringing back fond memories of our gaming past, I say thank you. You are appreciated.

- JOSEPH (aka Vince4587)

That is awesome! Glad you could tell us all about it!

[nintendoman]

Great story.

But wouldn't the grandaddy of game magazines be CVG?

(US) Electronic Games first issue was Winter 1981

(US) Computer Gaming World first issue was November 1981

(UK) C&VG first issue was also November 1981

thing is, EG was console gaming oriented, CGW and C&VG were first and foremost computer (gaming) magazines, and C&VG even had type-ins.

Edited October 21, 2008 by nintendoman

[nintendoman]

here's my little collection of EG, but I do have one revamped issue from the early 90s.

Did you know that Joe Santulli of Digital Press contributed to the new EG?