''VideoGames & Computer Entertainment'' (abbreviated as ''VG&CE'') was an American magazine dedicated to covering

video games Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

on computers,

home consoles A home video game console is a video game console that is designed to be connected to a display device, such as a television, and an external power source as to play video games. Home consoles are generally less powerful and customizable than ...

and arcades. It was published by LFP, Inc. from the late 1980s until the mid-1990s. Offering game reviews, previews, game strategies and

cheat code Cheating in video games involves a video game player using various methods to create an advantage beyond normal gameplay, usually in order to make the game easier. Cheats may be activated from within the game itself (a cheat code implemented by ...

s as well as coverage of the general industry, ''VG&CE'' was also one of the first magazines to cover both home console and

computer game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

s. The magazine gave out annual awards in a variety of categories, divided between the best of home video games and computer video games. The magazine featured original artwork by Alan Hunter and other freelance artists.

History

''VG&CE'' began as a spinoff of ''

ANALOG Computing ''ANALOG Computing'' (an acronym for Atari Newsletter And Lots Of Games) was an American computer magazine devoted to the Atari 8-bit family of home computers. It was published from 1981 until 1989. In addition to reviews and tutorials, ''ANAL ...

'', a magazine published by LFP devoted to

Atari 8-bit family The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers introduced by Atari, Inc. in 1979 as the Atari 400 and Atari 800. The series was successively upgraded to Atari 1200XL , Atari 600XL, Atari 800XL, Atari 65XE, Atari 130XE, Atari 800XE, ...

of home computers. ''VG&CE'' was started at LFP by

Lee H. Pappas Lee H. Pappas is an American entrepreneur and founder of a number of technology publications. He co-founded Atari 8-bit family enthusiast magazine ''ANALOG Computing'' in 1981. After the Atari ST The Atari ST is a line of personal computers ...

(publisher), with

Andy Eddy Andy Eddy is an American video game journalist and critic. He resides in Redwood City, California. Biography Eddy was the executive editor (and de facto editor-in-chief) of ''VideoGames & Computer Entertainment'' in the late 1980s and early 1990 ...

as executive editor (Eddy was a freelance contributor to the first issue of the magazine, which had the cover date of December 1988, just before relocating to

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

in September 1988 to become its editor before the first issue hit the streets. During Eddy's tenure at the magazine, there was no one listed as editor-in-chief, simply due to odd staff-titling decisions.) Contributors included

Arnie Katz ''Video'' is a discontinued American consumer electronics magazine that was published from 1977 to 1999 by Reese Communications with a focus on video and audio devices. The magazine showcases new audiovisual products, analyzes current practices an ...

and Bill "The Game Doctor" Kunkel, co-founders of the first video game magazine, ''

Electronic Games An electronic game is a game that uses electronics to create an interactive system with which a player can play. Video games are the most common form today, and for this reason the two terms are often used interchangeably. There are other common ...

''. Tips & Tricks editor-in-chief Chris Bieniek was an associate editor at ''VG&CE''. ''Computer Player'' editor-in-chief Mike Davila was an associate editor and later executive editor at ''VG&CE''. ''

Knights of Xentar ''Knights of Xentar'' is an erotic role-playing video game published for MS-DOS compatible operating systems in North America by Megatech Software in 1995. It was originally published as ''Dragon Knight III'' (ドラゴンナイトIII) in Japa ...

'' writer David Moskowitz was also an associate editor at ''VG&CE'' during the Eddy/Davila/Bieniek tenure.

''VideoGames'' - The Ultimate Gaming Magazine

The magazine was renamed into ''VideoGames - The Ultimate Gaming Magazine''''The Paper Trail: VideoGames & Computer Entertainment #1''
at 1up.com starting with the September 1993 issue and dropped computer game coverage. In an effort to compete with magazines popular at the time, such as ''

GamePro Gamepro.com is an international multiplatform video game magazine media company that covers the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software in countries such as Germany and France. The publication, GamePro, was originally la ...

'', the magazine was made more kid-friendly with vibrant colors and issues often featured a videogame cheat printed on the cover, labelled as a "free code" (this ended in late 1994). For much of this era,

Chris Gore Christopher Patrick Gore (born September 5, 1965) is an American speaker and writer on the topic of independent film. Life and career Gore was born in Big Rapids, Michigan and attended Kimball High School in Royal Oak, Michigan. Gore is the hea ...

was editor-in-chief, and had a monthly news and gossip column "The Gore Score". The magazine ended publication in late 1996, when

Ziff-Davis Ziff Davis, Inc. is an American digital media and internet company. First founded in 1927 by William Bernard Ziff Sr. and Bernard George Davis, the company primarily owns technology-oriented media websites, online shopping-related services, an ...

bought ''VideoGames'' from LFP and folded the brand.

Spin-off magazines

''VG&CE'' spun off several other video game magazines: * ''

TurboPlay ''TurboPlay Magazine'' is a bi-monthly, U.S.-based video game magazine which was published by L.F.P. from June/July 1990 through August/September 1992. It was available via subscription only (US$9.95 per year). A total of 14 issues were release ...

'' (June/July 1990-August/September 1992), a bi-monthly magazine dedicated to covering

TurboGrafx-16 The TurboGrafx-16, known as the outside North America, is a home video game console designed by Hudson Soft and sold by NEC, NEC Home Electronics. It was the first console marketed in the fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth genera ...

hardware and software. * '' Tips & Tricks'' (February 1995-August 2007), a game magazine dedicated to game strategies and cheat codes. The magazine concept was spun out of the "Easter Egg Hunt" and "Tips & Tricks" sections in ''VG&CE'', which offered extensive codes and cheats for video games, as well as the "walkthrough" strategies that ''VG&CE'' also provided.

References

External links

''VideoGames & computer entertainment.''
at worldcat.org
''VideoGames.''
at worldcat.org

Magazine #21: ''Video Games & Computer Entertainment''

covers of issues December 1988 to April 1990
''VideoGames & Computer Entertainment'' scans
PDF repository of ''VG&CE''
''VideoGames'' scans
PDF repository of ''VG''
Archived Video games the Ultimate Gaming Magazines
on 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:VideoGames and Computer Entertainment Defunct computer magazines published in the United States Video game magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1988 Magazines disestablished in 1996 Magazines published in California Monthly magazines published in the United States Bimonthly magazines published in the United States