Wikipedia

GameFan

GameFan(originally known asDiehard GameFan) was a publication started by Tim Lindquist, Greg Off, George Weising, andDave Halversonin September 1992 that provided coverage of domestic andimported video games.[1]It was notable for its extensive use of game screenshots in its page design, contrasting other U.S. publications at the time. The original magazine ceased publishing in December 2000.

GameFan
Volume 7, Issue 12 (December 1999)
Editor
CategoriesGaming,Anime
FrequencyMonthly
First issueOctober 1992
Final issue
Number		December 2000
Volume 8, Issue 12
Company
  • DieHard Gamers Club (1992-1996)
  • Metropolis Media (1996-1998)
  • Shinno Media (1999-2000)
CountryUnited States,Canada
LanguageEnglish
Websitehttp://gamefan(defunct)
ISSN1092-7212

In April 2010, Halverson relaunchedGameFanas a video games and film magazine.[2]However, this relaunch was short-lived and suffered from internal conflicts and low advertising revenue.

History

edit

The idea for the nameGameFancame from the JapaneseSegamagazine calledMegafan.Although it began as an advertising supplement to sell imported video games, primarily from Japan, the small text reviews and descriptions drew attention for a lack of refinement and a sense of passion. Editor profiles featured caricatures drawn by Terry Wolfinger. The anonymized approach allowed certain editors like Dave Halverson to write multiple reviews of the same game under differentpseudonyms.

GameFanwas well known for its extensive coverage of important games and its expansive coverage of emerging interest in anime. Another major feature that separated it from other gaming magazines was the high-quality paper used to print it.GameFan's game screenshots were more colorful and accurate to in-game graphics.

Controversy

edit

In the September 1995 issue ofGameFan,an article was printed that contained several derogatory comments aboutJapanese people(calling them "littleJapbastards ", a racially derogatory term that was used to insult Japanese descendants and Japanese Americans during the years ofWorld War II). The text took the place of one of the paragraphs of one of the sports games reviews. The article discussed aNamcocombat flight simulator,Ace Combat,rather thanCollege Football '96(which was the topic of the article) and was poorly written.[3]

GameFan's official explanation was that a rogue employee had sabotaged the magazine in order to alienate its Japanese audience and fan base. However, later reports indicated that it was actuallyfiller textthat someone had neglected to remove, and the entire incident was an internal joke that accidentally got printed.[4]An apology (dated August 24, 1995) was published inDieHard GameFan's October 1995 issue in both English and Japanese,[5]and a further apology appeared in the November 1995 issue.[6]

The Adventures of Monitaur

edit

The magazine included a comic strip,The Adventures of Monitaur,an anime-derived series. Although the title character Monitaur was only drawn for the strip, the rest of the magazine's staff personae appeared as characters. Monitaur's main storylines were his struggles againstThe Blowmeister,who represented the leadership of rival magazines such asElectronic Gaming Monthly.In 1994,GameFanand two new startups, known as Dark Moon Productions and Dark Moon Comics, entered into an agreement to launch a Monitor comic book series, and at that time discussions were underway to make a full-length animated movie to be produced by Dark Moon Productions Inc and DMP Multi-media, a sister company founded by Andrew Spencer and Gary Tucker.

Golden Megawards

edit

The winners ofGameFan's annualGolden Megawardswere chosen by editors.

edit

GameFan'soriginal editor-in-chief, Dave Halverson, went on to publishGamers' Republic,and thenPlay Magazine(anAmericanvideo-gaming magazine, not to be confused with theEnglishpublication of the same name), consisting mostly of formerGameFanandGamers' Republicstaff members.Gamers' Republichad a run of 35 issues and ceased publication in July 2001 when thedot-com bubbleburst. ThePlayhad a more successful run of 97 issues until the publishing company filed for bankruptcy.

Tim Lindquist, along with several other members of the originalGameFanteam, launched a new magazine,Hardcore Gamer.They also began developing strategy guides as a part of their publishing company, DoubleJump Books (later renamed OnionBat Books). The magazine had a run of 36 issues before it began focusing exclusively on its website.[12]

TheDieHard GameFanname was resurrected by Alex Lucard as a website,Diehard GameFAN,with Halverson's blessing.[13]While the site covers major game releases, the site also reviews indie games, much like the original magazine.

2010 relaunch

edit
GameFan/MovieFan/Destructoid Magazine
EditorDave Halverson
Wesley Ruscher
James Bacon
Brandon Justice
CategoriesGaming,Movies,Comics,Anime,Manga
FrequencyInconsistent
First issueApril 2010
Final issueJuly 2015 (Issue 11)
CompanyPaper Planet LLC
CountryUnited States,Canada
LanguageEnglish
Websitehttp://gamefanmag(defunct)

After the bankruptcy of Fusion Publishing and the closure ofPlay,Dave Halverson began work on a relaunch ofGameFan.The magazine returned to newsstands in April 2010, headed by Halverson and a few key staffers fromPlaywith Rob Duenas serving as the new art director. It was available in both print and digital formats, the latter of which was sold directly throughGameFan'sonline shop.

The first two issues of the relaunchedGameFanfeatured a section titledMovieFan,which covered movies, anime, and comics. The first two-thirds of the magazine was devoted toGameFan,and then readers would have to turn the magazine upside down in order to read theMovieFanmagazine. As of issue 3, theMovieFanportion of the magazine was discontinued, but later issues still featured anime and comic reviews similar toPlay.In its second and final issue,MovieFanconducted one of the last known interviews with the late filmmakerSatoshi Kon.[14]

The first five issues of the magazine were released on a consistent bi-monthly schedule. However, problems occurred with the magazine's development due to issues with advertising revenue, causing the sixth issue to be released in August 2011, eight months after issue 5, and with an entirely new editing team, headed by newcomer James Bacon. Issue 7 was assembled by only three people - editor-in-chief Dave Halverson, art director and graphic designer Rob Duenas, and managing editor James Bacon - and was released in December 2011. Soon thereafter Duenas resigned. The reason for his departure was due to an overwhelming workload; Duenas stated that he worked "20 hours a day for two weeks straight and [he was] still short cover art".[15]Despite the stressful working conditions, Duenas harbored no ill will towards Halverson or the magazine, stating that he would have still been willing to contribute with cover illustrations or provide assistance with layouts. Soon after Duenas' departure, Bacon left for reasons unstated.

A press release was issued on April 18, 2012, highlighting the supposed future ofPaper Planetbrands:GameFanandGirls of Gaming.The company planned on increasing its online presence through app development for mobile devices as well as a newGameFan TVonline channel. None of these plans would come to fruition except the creation of aYouTubechannel. FormerDestructoideditor Wesley Ruscher was named the magazine's new editor-in-chief but resigned shortly after the release of issue 8, stating that it "lacked the necessities to keep food in [his] belly and a roof over [his] head."[16]

As of June 2013,GameFan'sweb presence had been in a mostly inactive state for about a year. Issue 9 was finally made available in February 2013 after missing the holiday 2012 release. This issue was only worked on by two people, Dave Halverson and Greg Orlando. Issues 8 and 9 were only available in a digital format.GameFanwould later go on a two-year hiatus, returning in 2015 with a redesigned magazine and website. In February 2015,GameFansimultaneously released issue 10 digitally and on newsstands. The digital version was freely released onMagzterwith the use of a promotional code. The magazine went through a complete overhaul, simplifying its layouts and design, most likely in order to have the magazines completed on schedule. The size of the print magazine is significantly smaller compared to previous issues. In addition, theGameFanmascot,Monitaur,and logo were redesigned.

On May 6, 2015,GameFanannounced a partnership withDestructoidto help promote theGameFanbrand with collaborations and free subscription offers. The initial plan was to bring back the dual-cover format from the first two issues, but instead of aMovieFanportion, it would be exclusive content created byDestructoidfor the magazine.[17]According toGameFan'sofficialFacebookpage, the deal withDestructoidwould have allowed for the magazine to be released on a monthly schedule.[18]However, the deal withDestructoidresulted in only one issue of theGameFan/Destructoidmagazine ever being released.[citation needed]As of January 2019, there have been no new updates regardingGameFan'soverall status.

References

edit
  1. ^Lindquist, Tim (June 28, 2004)."Onionbat Publishing Message Boards".Archived fromthe originalon 2017-08-27.Retrieved2012-05-10.
  2. ^"Gamefan / Moviefan Magazine".YouTube.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-12-21.Retrieved2015-08-17.
  3. ^Cavalier, Cal.College Football USA '96.DieHard GameFan. Volume 3. Issue 9. No.33. Pg.115. September 1995.
  4. ^"20 Biggest Gaming Controversies".Gamepro. May 5, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon May 9, 2009.RetrievedJuly 26,2012.
  5. ^Halverson, Dave.Editorial Zone.DieHard GameFan. Volume 3. Issue 10. No.34. Pg.4. October 1995.
  6. ^Halverson, Dave.Editorial Zone.DieHard GameFan. Volume 3. Issue 11. No.35. Pg.4. November 1995.
  7. ^GameFan,volume 1, issue 3 (January 1993), pages 70-71
  8. ^GameFan,volume 2, issue 2 (January 1994), pages 54-58 (PDF)
  9. ^GameFan,volume 3, issue 1 (January 1995), pages 68-75 (PDF)
  10. ^GameFan,volume 4, issue 1 (January 1996), pages 104-106
  11. ^GameFan,volume 5, issue 2 (February 1997), pages 34-36
  12. ^Lachel, Cyril (August 4, 2006)."Defunct Games > On Running Feuds > One Hardcore Gamer's Redux".Archivedfrom the original on 2009-02-18.Retrieved2008-08-04.
  13. ^"DIEHARD GAMEFAN 2.0 INTERVIEW".2012-03-25. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-03-25.Retrieved2015-08-17.
  14. ^"Interview: Satoshi Kon «".Archived fromthe originalon 2014-01-27.Retrieved2015-08-17.
  15. ^"Goodbye GameFan. by RobDuenas on DeviantArt".Robduenas.deviantart.Archivedfrom the original on 2016-03-04.Retrieved2015-08-17.
  16. ^@wesleyruscher (2012-09-06)."@Fr0g Boss lacked the necessities to keep food in my belly and a roof over my head"(Tweet) – viaTwitter.
  17. ^"GameFan Magazine & Destructoid Join Forces".Gamefanmag. 2015-05-06. Archived fromthe originalon 2015-07-16.Retrieved2015-08-17.
  18. ^"Timeline Photos - GameFan Magazine".Facebook. Archived fromthe originalon 2022-02-26.Retrieved2015-08-17.
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=GameFan&oldid=1251056859"