As PONG was gaining prominence and a generation of proto-hackers was learning their trade, a variety of enthusiast magazines and newsletters sprouted around the growing computing hobby. Some mags, like Creative Computing and Byte focused on general computing. While some, like COMPUTE! focused on a specific platform.

Computer games in the 70's were strictly the domain of amateur hobbyists. This was because there were simply not enough computers out there to make selling games commercially viable. Computing magazines offered a great medium for game programmers to showcase their work, often by reprinting the game's entire code, line by line. As the years went on and computer games turned into a real business, these computing magazines would feature games more prominently.

Home video games would become a prominent part of late 70's electronics magazines like TV and Home Video. Although the emerging home video game scene garnered a lot of attention, the products themselves were still treated like curiosities. Typical video game articles of the time focused mainly on tech specs and company bios, with familiar modern topics like game reviews, previews, and strategy guides mostly nonexistent. This was understandable, as the home video game scene consisted mainly of PONG clones, not exactly the most exciting thing to write or read about.

As the home and arcade game scene became more diverse and exciting, the first magazines and newsletters dedicated solely to the industry began to emerge. A notable publication that covered the early arcade scene was Play Meter Magazine, which debuted in 1974. Play Meter, which is still published today, covered the coin-op industry, but not home video games. The first two magazines to specifically cover video games debuted in 1981, Computer and Video games in the UK, and Electronic Games in the US. The early 80's explosion of the gaming business brought with it many new periodicals.

Most important platforms even had their own official newsletters/magazines. Many of these were little more than fancy advertising catalogs. A few, like the official Odyssey² publication, Odyssey Adventure, and Atari Age, resembled a real magazine, complete with letters, contests, and previews. Even third party software companies like Activision got into the act, releasing their own newsletters.

When the video game market collapsed in 1983, it took almost every industry related magazine with it. As PC games stepped up to fill the void, computer magazines re-emerged. PCs and PC games were now becoming common enough to merit their own dedicated periodicals like Computer Gaming World, which had started in 1981.

TV-based video game consoles rose from the dead in 1985, thanks to Nintendo and the NES. Magazines were slow to follow, leaving company newsletters to pick up the slack. In 1988, Nintendo converted their small newsletter into a full blown magazine called Nintendo Power. Sega countered with Sega Visions, which wouldn't last long, and NEC released TurboForce, which existed only to push the TurboDuo.

As it became clear that home video games were here to stay, gaming magazines started to return. Electronic Gaming Monthly and GamePro both debuted in 1989, and would both see 20 years of continuous publication. The 90's would see another explosion in magazines, with dozens of publications phasing in and out of existance. Notable titles appearing in the 90's include Game Informer, started in 1991, GameFan, which became popular with the hardcore and import crowd, and Next Generation, known for their superior writing style. Platform specific magazines and official company publications also thrived, perhaps the most notable being the Official Playstation Magazine.

As we entered the new millennium, game magazines were still going strong. However, the rapid growth of the internet would quickly begin to threaten their existence. Many younger consumers eagerly embraced the instant access to information and the interactive aspect of online video game coverage. Aspiring journalists found it much easier to practice their trade on the growing number of "web blogs" and smaller niche websites. Companies found that it was much more cost effective to run a gaming website instead of an often prohibitively expensive print magazine.

While lesser magazines began to fold under the weight of shrinking readerships, the larger magazines found new ways to survive. Some, mostly platform specific official mags, began to offer content rich disks, full of demos and bonus content. Others partnered with giant retail establishments like GameStop and EB, with free subscriptions often offered to those who signed up for a retail loyalty membership.

Unfortunately, the rise of fast broadband internet connections and large multimedia websites made demo discs obsolete. Multiple mergers and consolidations in the video game retail business left only a couple outlets for magazines to partner with. The death blow came when advertisers started abandoning the print medium, finding it much cheaper and more efficient to advertise online. (The only major magazine seemingly unaffected is Famitsu, perhaps aided by a weekly print run, allowing them to stay on top of the rapid news cycles of the information age.)

Today, the once thriving gameing magazine business has been reduced to a dead wasteland. GamePro, Game Informer, and a handful of niche titles like Retro Gamer still exist, but for how long? Although this is hailed as progress by many, we can't help but shed a few tears for the poor magazine business. Many of us remember excitingly ripping open the newest issue of Nintendo Power or EGM, and seeing a full color world of new and exciting games.

The next tiime you browse your favorite website for up to the minute breaking news, or check GameFAQs for a quick hint, take a moment to remember the way things were. Pour out a 40 of your favorite malted beverage in memory of the carefree days of Next Generation, Electronic Games, and Atari Age. (But not TurboForce, because nobody likes Johnny Turbo.)