Computer Entertainer
 | |
| Editor | Celeste Dolan |
|---|---|
| Categories | Video game journalism |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Circulation | 10,000 |
| Publisher | Marylou Badeaux |
| First issue | January1982 |
| Final issue | July1990 |
| Company | VTO Inc. |
| Country | United States |
| Based in | Los Angeles, California |
| Language | English |
| ISSN | 0890-2143 |
| OCLC | 14192197 |
Computer Entertainer,also known asThe Video Game Update,was an American video gamenewsletter.Based out of Los Angeles, California and edited by Celeste Dolan, it was published monthly between 1982 and 1990. It regularly featured news and reviews ofcomputerandhome consolesoftware; sales charts; coverage of the annualConsumer Electronics Show;interviews with developers in thevideo game industry;and release dates.
History
[edit]Computer Entertainerwas a newsletter for amail orderretailer called Video Take-Out, which was located inNorth Hollywood, Los Angelesand started as a supplier of blank and pre-recordedVHStapes. The store's general manager, Celeste Dolan, toldBillboardin August 1982 they had begun business two and a half years earlier but that product demand had fluctuated the past year. They chose to begin sales of video games due to its stronger market at the time and for being "a natural extension of selling video tape", even claiming Video Take-Out to be one of the original outlets forAtari.[1]Video Take-Out sent the first issue of its newsletter, originally titledThe Video Game Update,to customers in January 1982 as an information guide for its customers.[2]Dolan was its chief editor alongside Marylou Badeaux, who was also credited as its publisher.[3][4]
The monthly newsletter most prominently featured news and reviews ofcomputerandhome consolesoftware. It survived thevideo game crash of 1983and covered the rise ofindustryjuggernautsNintendoandSegaas well as the introduction ofCD-ROMtechnology.[2]Other features included sales charts, reports of the annualConsumer Electronics Show,interviews with developers, and release dates. Game evaluations could be found in the Critically Speaking sections in every issue. Titles were rated based on gameplay and graphics[2]excepttext adventurewhich were not given graphical scores. While Dolan was the designated review editor,Computer Entertainerlater introduced writer and game designer Jeffrey Stanton as a staff reviewer. An extensive game release schedule was provided each month. The staff would contact game publishers directly to obtain and report accurate information[5]and dates would be regularly updated to reflect cancelations and changes.[2]
Dolan served on the award selection committee alongside other video game journalists for The First Video Games Conference, which was co-sponsored byBillboardand theVideo Marketing Game Letterand held in San Francisco in April 1983.[6]The periodical was permanently renamedComputer Entertainerin April 1984.[2]It was announced in the February 1985 issue that Video Take-Out had partnered withSydney Softwareto exclusively distributeBest of B.C.,a compilation of theColeco AdamgamesB.C.'s Quest for TiresandB.C. II: Grog's Revenge.Just prior to the release in April,Computer Entertainerstated that the companies had halted all future collaborations due to the threat ofpiracyby Adam users and its potentially negative financial impact.[7]
Video Takeout launched its ownbulletin board systemfor southern California called The Hotline in early 1986, which included an online version ofComputer Entertainerand weekly columns byDan Gutman.[8][9][10]Print circulationfor the newsletter reached up to around 10,000 copies by as early as 1987.[4][11][12]According to the April 1987 issue the publisher moved its office toVan Nuys.The business moved again around January 1990 andComputer Entertainercontinued publication until abruptly ending that July with a total of 100 issues, one special edition, and one index.[2]
A 2014 documentary series featuredComputer Entertainerin the collection of gaming historianFrank Cifaldi.He alleged that the newsletter's 1986 review ofSuper Mario Bros.for theNintendo Entertainment Systemwas the first and only English-language review of the game's original release. Websites such asIGNandKotakurecited this claim.[13][14]
References
[edit]- ^Gold, Marcia (August 28, 1982)."Considering Video as a Way of Life".Billboard.Penske Media Corporation.p. VM-10.ISSN0006-2510.
- ^abcdefBackiel, Al (September 1993)."CLASSIC BACKTRACK"(PDF).Classic Systems & Games Monthly.Vol. 2, no. 10. Adkins Publishing. p. 10. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2022-01-20.
- ^Oxbridge Directory of Newsletters.Oxbridge Communications, Inc. 1991. p. 148.ISBN0-917460-32-4.
- ^abThe Standard Periodical Directory(16th ed.). Oxbridge Communications, Inc. 1993. p. 359.ISBN0-917460-44-8.
- ^Kunimune, Robin (January 6, 2021)."Ep. 13: Living Atari's History with Kevin Bunch".Video Game History Foundation.Archived fromthe originalon September 24, 2023.RetrievedDecember 30,2023.
- ^Kleiner, Karen (July–August 1983)."BillboardConference ".Softline.Vol. 2, no. 6.On-Line Systems.p. 45.ISSN0142-7210.
- ^Dolan, Celeste (April 1985)."Time for Some Serious Soul Searching?".Computer Entertainer.Vol. 4, no. 1. VTO Inc. p. 1.ISSN0890-2143.
- ^Infoworldstaff (May 12, 1986)."Bulletin Boards".InfoWorld.Vol. 8, no. 19.International Data Group.p. 31.ISSN0199-6649.
- ^MicroTimesstaff (January 1988)."Bulletin Boards".MicroTimes.No. 39. BAM Publications, Inc. p. 118.
- ^Gufman, Dan (November 1987)."I Didn't Know You Could DoThatWith a Modem! ".Commodore Magazine.Vol. 8, no. 11. Commodore Magazine, Inc. p. 80.
- ^MIMP 1987: Magazine Industry Market Place.R. R. Bowker.1987. p. 85.ISBN978-0-83-522269-3.
- ^Katz, William (1991).Magazines for Young People: Formerly Magazines for School Libraries(2nd ed.).R. R. Bowker.p. 149.ISBN0-8352-3024-4.
- ^Mahardy, Mike (January 30, 2014)."Collector Has First and Only EnglishSuper Mario Bros.Review ".IGN.Archived fromthe originalon November 12, 2023.RetrievedDecember 30,2023.
- ^Kotakustaff (January 31, 2014)."The First And Only English-Language Review OfSuper Mario Bros.".Kotaku.Archived fromthe originalon November 4, 2019.RetrievedDecember 30,2023.