Rawson Law Stovall (born 1972) is the first nationally
syndicated video game journalist
Video game journalism is a branch of journalism concerned with the reporting and discussion of video games, typically based on a core "reveal–preview–review" cycle. With the prevalence and rise of independent media online, online publicati ...
in the United States.
Stovall's first column appeared in the ''
Abilene Reporter-News
''Abilene Reporter-News'' is a daily newspaper based in Abilene, Texas, United States. The newspaper started publishing as the weekly ''Abilene Reporter'', helmed by Charles Edwin Gilbert on June 17, 1881, just three months after Abilene was f ...
'', his local newspaper, in 1982, when he was eleven. He began being distributed by the
Universal Press Syndicate
Universal Press Syndicate (UPS), a subsidiary of Andrews McMeel Universal, was an independent press syndicate. It distributed lifestyle and opinion columns, comic strips and other content. Popular columns include Dear Abby, Ann Coulter, Roger Ebe ...
in April 1983 and by 1984 his column, 'The Vid Kid', appeared in over two dozen newspapers. After being reported on by ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', he was featured on ''
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' was an American late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson on NBC, the third iteration of the ''Tonight Show'' franchise. The show debuted on October 1, 1962, and aired its final episode on May 22, ...
'', was on
Discovery Channel's ''
The New Tech Times'' and helped introduce the
Nintendo Entertainment System at its North American launch.
He retired from video game journalism in 1990 to attend college at the
Southern Methodist University
, mottoeng = "The truth will make you free"
, established =
, type = Private research university
, accreditation = SACS
, academic_affiliations =
, religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church
, president = R. Gerald Turner
, ...
, and later went on to work various roles at companies such as
Sony
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professiona ...
,
Activision
Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one ...
,
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the ...
,
MGM Interactive, and currently Concrete Software. At EA, he produced video games in ''
The Sims
''The Sims'' is a series of life simulation game, life simulation video games developed by Maxis and video game publisher, published by Electronic Arts. The franchise has sold nearly 200 million copies worldwide, and it is one of the best-selling ...
'' franchise.
Biography
Early life and education
Rawson Law Stovall
was born in 1972 to Ronald L. Stovall, a
Boy Scouts
Boy Scouts may refer to:
* Boy Scout, a participant in the Boy Scout Movement.
* Scouting, also known as the Boy Scout Movement.
* An organisation in the Scouting Movement, although many of these organizations also have female members. There are ...
executive and regional manager for the
Texas State Health Department, and Kay Law Stovall.
He has a younger sister, Jennifer.
Stovall lived in
Abilene, Texas, where he attended Alta Vista Elementary School and
Cooper High School.
As a child, he had severe asthma and once spent three months at the
National Jewish Hospital
National Jewish Health is a Denver, Colorado academic hospital/clinic doing research and treatment in respiratory, cardiac, immune and related disorders. It is an internationally respected medical center that draws people from many countries to ...
—he first visited an arcade on one of the hospital field trips.
Although Stovall first became interested in arcade video games in 1978,
his father saw them as a waste of time and refused to buy him an
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600, initially branded as the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS) from its release until November 1982, is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released in September 1977, it popularized microprocesso ...
. After he failed to get an Atari for
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...
in 1980, Stovall prepared and packaged nuts from the
pecans
The pecan (''Carya illinoinensis'') is a species of hickory native to the southern United States and northern Mexico in the region of the Mississippi River. The tree is cultivated for its seed in the southern United States, primarily in Georgia, ...
in his backyard and sold them door-to-door the next year, earning enough to buy one.
In fourth grade, he and two friends hosted mock TV skits about video games for class.
1982: Beginnings as a columnist
Stovall realized that his local newspaper, the ''
Abilene Reporter-News
''Abilene Reporter-News'' is a daily newspaper based in Abilene, Texas, United States. The newspaper started publishing as the weekly ''Abilene Reporter'', helmed by Charles Edwin Gilbert on June 17, 1881, just three months after Abilene was f ...
,'' was filled with movie reviews that were cheaper to see than buying a video game. However, there were no game reviews. Back then, games did not have screenshots on their packaging, and Stovall said that buying one was akin to a "gamble."
At the end of the school year, increased pollen triggered his asthma and he was stuck inside and could not afford more games. His mother suggested he write an article for the local weekly ''Wiley Journal'', but Stovall thought that an article could not hold all information and the weekly too small. His mother then suggested he write a column for the ''Reporter-News''.
He initially wanted to raise enough money to buy an advanced home computer to design games on.
He contacted editor Dick Tarpley, presenting him with several sample columns and three letters of recommendation from his teachers and a local video game repairman.
In 1982 Stovall's first column appeared in the ''Reporter-News'' at age ten, titled 'Video Beat'.
He was paid $5 a column.
Stovall was often rejected by newspapers because of his age: the guard at the ''
San Francisco Chronicle
The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The ...
'' would not let him in.
After being brushed off several times with other papers on the phone, he resolved to enter the offices of the ''
Odessa American
The ''Odessa American'' is a newspaper based in Odessa, Texas, that serves Odessa and the rest of Ector County.
The newspaper has daily editions (sold at $2) and Sunday/Thanksgiving Day editions (sold at $3).
The paper is particularly notable fo ...
'' with a three-piece business suit, a briefcase, and a business card. Stovall convinced the editor to publish the column, securing his first sale outside of Abilene.
1983–1990: Universal Press Syndicate and 'The Vid Kid'
By January 1983, Stovall's column appeared in five newspapers,
including the ''
El Paso Times
The ''El Paso Times'' is the newspaper for the US city of El Paso, Texas. The newspaper has an approximate daily circulation of 65,000 and 125,000 on Sundays.
The paper is the only English-language daily in El Paso (when the ''El Paso Herald-Pos ...
'' and ''Young Person Magazine''.
His mother was his secretary and proofread his work. He was the youngest person to receive the Texas Governor's Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service. Stovall was invited to
Imagic
Imagic ( ) was an American video game developer and publisher that created games initially for the Atari 2600. Founded in 1981 by corporate alumni of Atari, Inc. and Mattel, its best-selling titles were ''Atlantis'', ''Cosmic Ark'', and ''Demo ...
's headquarters in
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo Coun ...
and would go on a promotional nationwide tour with their vice president Dennis Koble.
When the ''
San Jose Mercury News
''The Mercury News'' (formerly ''San Jose Mercury News'', often locally known as ''The Merc'') is a morning daily newspaper published in San Jose, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is published by the Bay Area News Group, a subsidia ...
'' picked up the column, they dubbed it 'The Vid Kid.' His column ran in ten papers before
Universal Press Syndicate
Universal Press Syndicate (UPS), a subsidiary of Andrews McMeel Universal, was an independent press syndicate. It distributed lifestyle and opinion columns, comic strips and other content. Popular columns include Dear Abby, Ann Coulter, Roger Ebe ...
began distributing him in April 1983 at the suggestion of the ''Mercury News''
' editor,
which, aged eleven, made him the first nationally
syndicated video game journalist
Video game journalism is a branch of journalism concerned with the reporting and discussion of video games, typically based on a core "reveal–preview–review" cycle. With the prevalence and rise of independent media online, online publicati ...
.
His mother credited his success to his affinity with adults. Stovall also faced difficulties balancing school, journalism and health issues.
In 1983, Stovall attended the
Consumer Electronics Show in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
with special permission as a minor. He was able to interview
Nolan Bushnell
Nolan Kay Bushnell (born February 5, 1943) is an American businessman and electrical engineer. He established Atari, Inc. and the Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre chain. He has been inducted into the Video Game Hall of Fame and the Consu ...
and
David Crane, and soon after was reported on in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
''.
This led him to be invited by producers to appear on television shows such as
CBS Morning News
The ''CBS Morning News'' is an American early-morning news broadcast presented weekdays on the CBS television network. The program features late-breaking news stories, national weather forecasts and sports highlights. Since 2013, it has been anc ...
,
Good Morning America,
NBC Nightly News
''NBC Nightly News'' (titled as ''NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt'' for its weeknight broadcasts since June 22, 2015) is the flagship daily evening News broadcasting#Television, television news program for NBC News, the news division of the NB ...
and ''
That's Incredible!
''That's Incredible!'' is an American reality television show that aired on the ABC television network from 1980 to 1984. In the tradition of ''You Asked for It'', '' Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' and ''Real People'', the show featured people ...
''.
He attended CES the following years, where he was consulted by many industry professionals and companies, such as Activison president
James Levy
James Levy is an American, New York-based singer, songwriter, and producer.
Levy co-wrote and produced Charles Bradley's posthumous 2019 release ''Lonely as You Are'', which Rolling Stone magazine called a "devastating masterclass." Another ...
.
He was featured on the front page of ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
''.
His family visited
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
for two weeks for his appearance on ''
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' was an American late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson on NBC, the third iteration of the ''Tonight Show'' franchise. The show debuted on October 1, 1962, and aired its final episode on May 22, ...
''.
In 1984 he spoke at
Bits & Bytes, the first computer show for children, and wrote ''The Vid Kid's Book of Home Video Games'', a collection of eighty of his game reviews published by
Doubleday. ''
Library Journal'' said that although Stovall's age and writing style made the book unusual, it was average overall.
He appeared on a regular segment of ''
The New Tech Times'' airing on the
Discovery Channel, which paid him $850 each season,
reviewing teenage-oriented software and games. Executive producer Jeff Clark said that Stovall had the "business ability and vocabulary of a 40-year-old, but the mind-set of a thirteen-year-old." By 1984 his columns appeared in over two dozen newspapers, and he charged $10 per column.
In 1985 Stovall helped to introduce the
Nintendo Entertainment System at its North American launch.
His workshop contained over six hundred video games and five computers.
Later career
Stovall retired from journalism in 1990 to attend college at the
Southern Methodist University
, mottoeng = "The truth will make you free"
, established =
, type = Private research university
, accreditation = SACS
, academic_affiliations =
, religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church
, president = R. Gerald Turner
, ...
in
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
.
He graduated with a degree in cinema due to the lack of game-related degrees. After college, he moved to Los Angeles and worked at
Sony
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professiona ...
,
Activision
Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one ...
,
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the ...
, and
MGM Interactive in various roles.
He was a game developer at Activision in the 1990s and an industry producer.
At EA, he produced
''The Godfather'' (2006) and video games from franchises
''Medal of Honor'' and ''
The Sims
''The Sims'' is a series of life simulation game, life simulation video games developed by Maxis and video game publisher, published by Electronic Arts. The franchise has sold nearly 200 million copies worldwide, and it is one of the best-selling ...
''.
He currently works on
mobile games
A mobile game, or smartphone game, is a video game that is typically played on a mobile phone. The term also refers to all games that are played on any portable device, including from mobile phone ( feature phone or smartphone), tablet, PDA to ...
as a senior designer for Concrete Software after being hired in 2014.
Personal life
Stovall lives in the area of
Minneapolis–Saint Paul
Minneapolis–Saint Paul is a metropolitan area in the Upper Midwestern United States centered around the confluence of the Mississippi, Minnesota and St. Croix rivers in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is commonly known as the Twin Cities ...
.
He previously lived in
Redwood City, California
Redwood City is a city on the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California's Bay Area, approximately south of San Francisco, and northwest of San Jose. Redwood City's history spans its earliest inhabitation by the Ohlone people to being a ...
.
Stovall is married to Jenn, who teaches art history at the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...
.
Bibliography
*
See also
*
List of syndicated columnists
Footnotes
References
External links
*
Rawson Stovallat
MobyGames
@rawsonstovallon
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
2018 interviewat the
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
*
The Vid Kid's Book of Home Video Games' (1984) at the
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stovall, Rawson
1972 births
Living people
American critics
American video game designers
People from Texas
Video game critics
Video game producers
Electronic Arts employees
Southern Methodist University alumni