Computer Gaming World

Computer Gaming World (CGW) was an American computer game magazine that was published between 1981 and 2006.<ref name="TechCrunch 2015"/><ref name ="CGW 286"/><ref name="Ziff Davis 2006"/> One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 1993. It expanded greatly through the 1990s and became one of the largest dedicated video game magazines, reaching around 500 pages by 1997.

In the early 2000s its circulation was about 300,000, only slightly behind the market leader PC Gamer. But, like most magazines of the era, the rapid move of its advertising revenue to internet properties led to a decline in revenue. In 2006, Ziff announced it would be refocused as Games for Windows, before moving it to solely online format, and then shutting down completely later the same year.

History

In 1979, Russell Sipe left the Southern Baptist Convention ministry. A fan of computer games, he realized in Spring, 1981 that no magazine was dedicated to computer games. Although Sipe had no publishing experience, he formed Golden Empire Publications in June and found investors. He chose the name Computer Gaming World (CGW) instead of alternatives such as Computer Games or Kilobaud Warrior because he hoped that the magazine would both review games and serve as a trade publication for the industry. The first issue appeared in November, about the same as rivals Electronic Games and Softline<ref name="sipe198808">Template:Cite magazine</ref> (Sipe's religious background led to "Psalm 9:1–2" appearing in each issue. His successor as editor, Johnny L. Wilson,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> was an evangelical Christian minister).<ref name="sipe198808"/><ref name="cgw198705">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="wilson19900708">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

File:Computer Gaming World issue 1.1.pdf

The first issues of Computer Gaming World were published from Anaheim, California, and sold for $2.75 individually or $11 for a year's subscription of six issues.<ref name="SG" /> These early bimonthly issues<ref name="sipe198808"/> were typically 40–50 pages in length, written in a newsletter style, including submissions by game designers such as Joel Billings (SSI), Dan Bunten (Ozark Software), and Chris Crawford.Template:Citation needed Also, early covers were not always directly related to the magazine's contents, but rather featured work by artist Tim Finkas.Template:Citation needed In January/February 1986 CGW increased its publication cycle to nine times a year.<ref name="sipe198808"/>

CGW survived the video game crash of 1983, which badly hurt the market; by summer 1985 it was the only survivor of 18 color magazines covering computer games in 1983.<ref name="sipe198808"/> In autumn 1987 CGW introduced a quarterly newsletter called Computer Game Forum (CGF), which was published during the off-months of CGW. The newsletter never became popular; only two issues were published before it was cancelled. Some of CGF's content became part of CGW, which became a monthly.Template:R

Russell Sipe and Suzanne Sipe in 1982 at the West Coast Computer Faire

The magazine went through significant expansion starting in 1991, with page counts reaching 196 pages by its 100th issue, in November 1992. During that same year, Johnny Wilson (who started as a contributor in 1983), became editor-in-chief, although Sipe remained as publisher. In 1993, Sipe sold the magazine to Ziff Davis<ref name="NYT 2003">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="sipe199310">Template:Cite magazine</ref>—by then the magazine was so thick that a reader reported that the December issue's bulk slowed a thief who had stolen a shopping bag containing it<ref name="corbin199402">Template:Cite magazine</ref>—but continued on as publisher until 1995. The magazine kept growing through the 1990s, with the December 1997 issue weighing in at 500 pages. In January 1999,<ref name=swap>Template:Cite web</ref> Wilson left the magazine and George Jones became editor-in-chief,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> at a time when print magazines were struggling with the growing popularity of the Internet.<ref name="NYT 2005"/> Jones had been the editor-in-chief of CNET Gamecenter, and had before that been a staffer at CGW between 1994 and 1996.<ref name=swap /> He was replaced by Jeff Green in the summer of 2001.<ref name="NYT 2005"/><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

On August 2, 2006, Ziff Davis and Microsoft jointly announced that CGW would be replaced with Games for Windows: The Official Magazine.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Ziff Davis 2006"/> The new magazine replaced CGW as part of Microsoft's Games for Windows initiative. In their press release, Ziff Davis indicated that much of CGW's core content and the entire staff will be transferred to the new magazine.<ref name="Ziff Davis 2006"/> Because of these announcements, Ziff Davis' actions appeared more on the order of a rebranding of CGW, rather than an actual cancellation. The final CGW-labeled issue was November 2006, for a total of 268 published editions.<ref name="CGW 286" />

On April 8, 2008, 1UP Network announced the print edition of Games for Windows: The Official Magazine had ceased, and that all content would be moved online.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Simultaneously with the release of the final CGW issue, Ziff Davis announced the availability of the CGW Archive, which features complete copies of the first 100 issues of CGW, as well as the two CGF issues, for a total of 7438 pages covering 11 years of gaming. The archive was created by Stephane Racle, of the Computer Gaming World Museum, and is available in PDF format. Every issue was processed through optical character recognition, which enabled the creation of a 3+ million word master index. Although Ziff Davis has taken its CGW Archive site offline, the magazines can be downloaded from the Computer Gaming World Museum.<ref>Computer Gaming World Museum Template:Webarchive</ref>

Circulation

According to MDS, CGW had a circulation slightly above 300,000 as of 2006.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Awards and acclaim

Bruce F. Webster reviewed the first issue of Computer Gaming World in The Space Gamer No. 48. Webster commented that "I strongly recommend this magazine to computer gamers, and just one reason alone will (in my opinion) suffice: You can now start getting from just one publication the information that you've been having to dig out of three or four or five (or six...). Get it."<ref name="SG">Template:Cite journal</ref>

Page 6 reviewed Computer Gaming World and stated: "Quite apart from being an interesting read, you will get more out of your existing games and will have a much better idea of what to buy as your next piece of software. No other computer magazine that I can think of will give you reviews of such depth."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In 1988, CGW won the Origins Award for Best Professional Adventure Gaming Magazine of 1987.<ref name="originsawards">Template:Cite web</ref>

The New York Times repeatedly praised CGW, placing it as one of the premier computer game publications of its time.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1997 the newspaper called it "the leading computer game magazine",<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1999 "the bible of computer game purists",<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and in 2005 "one of the top computer game magazines".<ref name="NYT 2005">Template:Cite news</ref>

PC Gaming World

Ziff Davis also published a sister magazine to Computer Gaming World, entitled PC Gaming World, in the United Kingdom.<ref name=sister1>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name=vnu1>Template:Cite press release</ref> It was the region's third-largest computer game magazine by August 2000.<ref name=golem>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1998, journalist Stuart Campbell described PC Gaming World as a publication with a predominantly American bent, thanks to its "sober, serious, text-heavy style". He considered it to be out of step with the British game audience.<ref name=stuart1>Template:Cite web</ref> Campbell later called the magazine an "oddity" that was "clearly aimed primarily at a 40-something audience and beyond", in comparison to more youthful rivals such as PC Gamer UK and PC Zone.<ref name=stuart2>Template:Cite web</ref>

In July 2000, Ziff Davis sold its publishing arm in Europe to Verenigde Nederlandse Uitgeverijen (VNU), including three magazines in Germany, three in France and four in the United Kingdom.<ref name=register /> PC Gaming World migrated with these publications.<ref name=register /><ref name=prweek>Template:Cite web</ref> At the time, The Register reported that VNU saw PC Gaming World as a poor match for its business model, which left the magazine's future uncertain.<ref name=register>Template:Cite web</ref> The publisher sold PC Gaming World to Computec Media a month after the purchase,<ref name=golem /> citing its lack of synergy with VNU's existing brand.<ref name=guardian>Template:Cite web</ref> This transition was set to be completed in October 2000.<ref name=golem />

According to Template:Ill, Computec planned to fold PC Gaming World together with its own PC Gameplay magazine,<ref name=golem /> which it launched in 2000. PC Gaming World had closed by the first half of 2001; Computec moved the publication's subscribers to PC Gameplay, which nevertheless struggled to grow its base.<ref name=abc>Template:Cite web</ref> The company "relaunched" PC Gameplay as PC Gaming World in 2003,<ref name=relaunch>Template:Cite web</ref> but did not release the new publication's subscriber count through the Audit Bureau of Circulations during the first half of that year. Writing for GamesIndustry.biz, Kristan Reed noted that this decision was "never a healthy sign".<ref name=abc2>Template:Cite web</ref> Computec sold its entire British game magazine branch to competitor Future Publishing in late 2003.<ref name=sold>Template:Cite web</ref>

References

<references> <ref name="Ziff Davis 2006">Template:Cite web</ref>

<ref name ="CGW 286">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

<ref name="TechCrunch 2015">Template:Cite news</ref> </references>

External links

• Template:Webarchive
• The Computer Gaming World Museum, a preservation project
• Template:Webarchive
• Archived Computer Gaming World Magazines on the Internet Archive