Bill Kunkel (July 21, 1950 – September 4, 2011) was a graphic novelist as well as pioneering

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

and video game journalist and

critic A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or gover ...

from the 1970s until his death in the early 2010s. During his time working with the video game industry, Kunkel authored numerous strategy guides, co-designed several video games, served as an

expert witness An expert witness, particularly in common law countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States, is a person whose opinion by virtue of education, training, certification, skills or experience, is accepted by the judge as ...

in three court cases, and taught courses in Game Design for the

University of Nevada, Las Vegas The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes th ...

(UNLV). Kunkel served as the executive editor of ''

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 ...

Magazine'' and the editor-in-chief of ''

Tips & Tricks ''Tips & Tricks'' was a monthly video game magazine devoted to the subjects of video game cheat codes, strategy guides and lifestyle content. Unlike most video game magazines, it did not include critical reviews of video games and was not a pri ...

'' magazine, writing columns and comics for several magazines and game sites. He often wrote under nicknames, the most common of which were "The Game Doctor" (for video game topics), and "Potshot" (for professional wrestling topics).

Graphic novels and zines

Coming from a professional music background in the 1960s, Kunkel met and became friends with fan newsletter/

fanzine A fanzine (blend of '' fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleasure of others who share ...

writers

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 Joyce Worley in 1971 in New York City. Katz and Worley hosted monthly

science fiction fanzine A science-fiction fanzine is an amateur or semi-professional magazine published by members of science-fiction fandom, from the 1930s to the present day. They were one of the earliest forms of fanzine, within one of which the term "''fanzine''" wa ...

parties at their apartment and these were attended by several notable figures in the fanzine and comic scenes. At one of these parties, Kunkel met

Denny O'Neil Dennis Joseph O'Neil (May 3, 1939 – June 11, 2020) was an American comic book writer and editor, principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics from the 1960s through the 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of titles until his retir ...

and their friendship led to Kunkel writing comics for DC, Marvel, and Harvey.Williams, Carl.
The Game Doctor Is In...
. RetroMags.com. 31 May 2009. Kunkel wrote several comic book stories which were published by

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...

in 1977–1978 including ''

Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/ magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as National Allied Publications, and later as National Comics Publications ...

'', "

Madame Xanadu Madame Xanadu is a comic book mysticism, mystic published by DC Comics. The character is identified with Lady of the Lake, Nimue, the magician (fantasy), sorceress from Arthurian mythology made popular by Thomas Malory, Sir Thomas Malory's ''Le Mo ...

" in ''Doorway to Nightmare'', and "

Vigilante Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority. A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a person who ...

" in ''

World's Finest Comics ''World's Finest Comics'' was an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1941 to 1986. The series was initially titled ''World's Best Comics'' for its first issue; issue #2 (Summer 1941) switched to the more familiar name. Michael ...

''. At

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in ...

, he wrote two issues of ''

Marvel Team-Up ''Marvel Team-Up'' is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series featured two or more Marvel characters in one story. The series was originally published from March 1972 through February 1985, and featured Spider-Man as ...

'' in 1978–1979. By the late 1970s, Kunkel's freelancing efforts for Harvey had led to his becoming the primary scripter for the '' Richie Rich'' comics.

Professional wrestling journalism

Alongside his work with comics, Kunkel also worked during the 1970s in the niche field of professional wrestling journalism and became known as a ground-breaking wrestling journalist. Working in collaboration with Arnie Katz, Joyce Worley, and his wife Charlene, Kunkel edited, published, and served as photographer for ''Main Event'' magazineKunkel, Bill; Meikle, Betty A.; ''WWF: Warzone 64''. Acclaim Books, 1998. .Kohler, Chris.
Bill Kunkel, Original Gaming Journalist, Dies at 61
. ''

Wired ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San ...

''. 6 September 2011 and hosted weekly broadcasts of ''The Main Event Radio Show'' from New York.Thomas, Donald A. Jr. "World Of Atari Convention Las Vegas 1998 - Program". 21 August 1998. (Available via Archive.orgbr>here
. ''Main Event'' was

mimeograph A mimeograph machine (often abbreviated to mimeo, sometimes called a stencil duplicator) is a low-cost duplicating machine that works by forcing ink through a stencil onto paper. The process is called mimeography, and a copy made by the proc ...

ed in the apartment of Katz and Worley, and sold through WWWF concession stands at prominent East Coast venues including

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylv ...

and The Philly Spectrum.Fulton, Steve.
Electronic Games: The Arnie Katz Interview
. ''

Gamasutra ''Game Developer'', known as ''Gamasutra'' until 2021, is a website founded in 1997 that focuses on aspects of video game development. It is owned and operated by Informa and acts as the online sister publication to the print magazine '' Gam ...

''. 28 December 2009. Kunkel soon became a "must-read" columnist and played a key part during the early days of ''Pro Wrestling Torch'' in turning the small newsletter into a wrestling newsletter powerhouse. Adopting the moniker, "Potshot", Kunkel later moved to ''Wrestling Perspective'' as a featured columnist and cartoonist. Along with the Phantom of the Ring, Kunkel's work for ''Wrestling Perspective'' attracted respect and prestige to the publication. During the late 1980s, Kunkel co-designed the first professional WWF-based wrestling video game, '' MicroLeague Wrestling'' (C64, Subway Software), and in 1989 he co-hosted a local Las Vegas professional wrestling radio show with Ric "Hotline" Carter.

Video game journalism

Discovering common interests in the then-nascent video game industry, Kunkel, Katz and Worley approached ''

Video Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) sy ...

'' editor, Bruce Apar in 1978 about writing a video game column for his magazine. Apar agreed and " Arcade Alley" was launched that Spring,Federico, Chris.
A Lifetime to Master - An Interview with Bill Kunkel
. ''Orphaned Computer & Game Systems''. 14 June 2002. with Katz writing under the pseudonym "Frank T. Laney II". Although ''Video'' publisher, Jay Rosenfield (of Reese Publishing Co.) had initial concerns over whether there was sufficient reader interest to justify Arcade Alley, the column proved to be of significant interest to readers. Working in direct consultation with game designers, Kunkel, Katz (who began writing under his real name starting in April 1982), and Worley popularized the new "sport" of "electronic gamesmanship",Apar, Bruce. "Switch On! - A Message to Readers of E.G." ''

''. Vol.1, No.1. Winter 1981. and by 1981 they had secured the blessing of Rosenfield to launch a new magazine under Reese Publishing that would be entirely dedicated to video games. The first issue of ''

'', and first dedicated

video game magazine 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 ...

published in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, was released in October 1981. Bill Kunkel was the executive editor of ''

Magazine'' in the early 1980s. Kunkel was also editor-in-chief of ''

'' magazine from January 2007 until August 2007 when it ceased publication. Following staff cuts at Reese Publications in 1984–1985, Kunkel left Reese to join his two lifelong friends, Arnie Katz and Joyce Worley (who had both been

laid off A layoff or downsizing is the temporary suspension or permanent termination of employment of an employee or, more commonly, a group of employees (collective layoff) for business reasons, such as personnel management or downsizing (reducing the ...

) and formed Katz Kunkel Worley, Inc. (KKW) to focus on journalistic content, and Subway Software to focus on game design. Kunkel's nickname, "The Game Doctor", was based on a column he wrote for several magazines (including both versions of ''

'', ''

VG&CE ''VideoGames & Computer Entertainment'' (abbreviated as ''VG&CE'') was an American magazine dedicated to covering video games on computers, home consoles and arcades. It was published by LFP, Inc. from the late 1980s until the mid-1990s. Off ...

'', '' EGM'', and '' CGW'') and game sites (including HappyPuppy.com, PostalNation.net and J2Games.com). Kunkel remained active in the industry until his death, having served as editor-in-chief of ''Tips & Tricks'' during its final year of publication (2007). He continued to be active as a member of Running With Scissors and EIC of Postal Nation (PostalNation.net) and wrote regularly for J2Games.com. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the

Classic Gaming Expo Classic Gaming Expo was a gaming convention dedicated to the people, systems and games of the past, with an emphasis on old video games. The Expo was founded in 1999 by John Hardie, Sean Kelly and Keita Iida, In 2000, Joe Santulli replaced Iida ...

in 1999 along with the other co-founders of the original ''Electronic Games'' magazine,

and Joyce Worley-Katz. The trio revived the ''Electronic Games'' title for several years in the early 1990s for Sendai/Decker. Dubbed "The Grandfather of

video game journalism 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 ...

", Kunkel wrote numerous retrospective "memoir pieces" for DigitPress as an irregular series entitled "The Kunkel Report" (a reference to one of Kunkel's columns by the same name in ''Electronic Games''), and for GoodDealGames.com. In articles like these Kunkel detailed his role in the video game industry from its earliest years, discussed his decision to testify on behalf of smaller video game companies in lawsuits against larger corporations, and described the difficult task of maintaining journalistic integrity and critical neutrality in the face of lucrative investment opportunities such as the offer by

Steve Case Stephen McConnell Case (born August 21, 1958) is an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist best known as the former chief executive officer and chairman of America Online (AOL). Case joined AOL's predecessor company, Quantum Computer ...

to invest in

AOL AOL (stylized as Aol., formerly a company known as AOL Inc. and originally known as America Online) is an American web portal and online service provider based in New York City. It is a brand marketed by the current incarnation of Yahoo! Inc. ...

precursor Quantum Link that Kunkel (who was reviewing software for the

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in the Guinness W ...

) was forced to turn down in order to maintain credibility as a journalist.Fulton, Steve.
The Game Doctor Confesses to GamerDad
. GamerDad.com. 1 January 2006. (reprinte
at 8BitRocket.com
an
at Gamasutra
.Williams, Carl.

. RetroMags.com. 31 May 2009. These retrospective articles were subsequently collected and published in 2005 as a

memoir A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobiog ...

under the title ''Confessions of The Game Doctor''. The

Society of Professional Journalists The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is the oldest organization representing journalists in the United States. It was established on April 17, 1909, at DePauw University,2009 SPJ Annual Report, letter ...

honored Kunkel's role in the industry by naming their video game journalism awards the Kunkel Awards.SPJ.org
/ref>

Video game design

In the mid-80s, subsequent to their departure from Reese Publications, Kunkel formed Subway Software with Arnie Katz and Joyce Worley and provided design for over 15 video games.Slotnik, Daniel E.

. ''

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 ...

''. 9 September 2011. *'' Borrowed Time'' (1985) *'' MicroLeague Wrestling'' (1987) *''

The Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Six Stooges appeared ...

'' (1987) - Kunkel credited separately for Game Manual and Documentation *'' Ringling Bros. Circus Games'' (1988) *'' Star Trek: First Contact'' (1988) *'' 1st Person Pinball'' (1989) *''

Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), known as "Buffalo Bill", was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman. He was born in Le Claire, Iowa Territory (now the U.S. state of Iowa), but he lived for several years in ...

'' (1989) *'' Mayday Squad'' (1989) *'' MicroLeague Baseball II'' (1989) *'' Roller Coaster Rumbler'' (1989) *'' Superman: The Man of Steel'' (1989) *''

Beverly Hills Cop ''Beverly Hills Cop'' is a 1984 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Martin Brest, screenplay by Daniel Petrie Jr., story by Danilo Bach and Daniel Petrie Jr., and starring Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, a street-smart Detroit cop ...

'' (1990) *''

Omnicron Conspiracy ''Omnicron Conspiracy'' is a 1989 video game published by Epyx in the United States and by Image Works in the UK and German markets. Gameplay ''Omnicron Conspiracy'' is a game in which a graphic adventure stars Ace Powers, Intergalactic Star P ...

'' (1990) *''Orb-3D'' (1990) *'' Bart's Nightmare'' (1992) *''

Batman Returns ''Batman Returns'' is a 1992 American superhero film directed by Tim Burton and written by Daniel Waters. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is the sequel to ''Batman'' (1989) and the second installment in the 1989–1997 ''Batman ...

'' (1992) - Kunkel credited separately for Game Design *''

Blood Bowl ''Blood Bowl'' is a miniatures board game created by Jervis Johnson for the British games company Games Workshop as a parody of American football. The game was first released in 1986 and has been re-released in new editions since. ''Blood ...

'' (1995) - Kunkel given Special Thanks *''

Earth & Beyond ''Earth & Beyond'' was a science fiction massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Westwood Studios and published by Electronic Arts (EA). The game was released in in the United States. EA shut down ''Earth & Beyon ...

'' (2002) - Kunkel credited separately as a Writer

Expert witness

Kunkel's credentials as an expert in the field of video games was recognized in three US court cases from the early 1980s to the mid-1990s, where Kunkel served as an

in three seminal video game copyright cases:Thomasson, Michael.
Interview: Bill Kunkel
. GoodDealGames.com. Accessed 24 April 2015. *''

Atari, Inc. v. North American Philips Consumer Electronics Corp. ''Atari, Inc. v. North American Philips Consumer Electronics Corp.'', 672 F.2d 607 (7th Cir. 1982), is one of the first legal cases applying copyright law to video games, barring sales of the game ''K.C. Munchkin!'' for its similarities to ''Pac ...

'' - Kunkel testified that

Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), commonly shortened to Philips, is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, it has been mostly headquartered in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarters is ...

'' K.C. Munchkin'' was a significantly different game from

Atari Atari () is a brand name that has been owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by French publisher Atari SA through a subsidiary named Atari Interactive. The original Atari, Inc., founded in Sunnyvale, Ca ...

's ''

Pac-Man originally called ''Puck Man'' in Japan, is a 1980 maze action video game developed and released by Namco for arcades. In North America, the game was released by Midway Manufacturing as part of its licensing agreement with Namco America. Th ...

''—evidence suggesting that a copyright violation by Philips had not occurred. *''

Lewis Galoob Toys, Inc. v. Nintendo of America, Inc. ''Lewis Galoob Toys, Inc. v. Nintendo of America, Inc.'' is a 1992 legal case where the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit concluded that there was no copyright infringement made by the Game Genie, a video game accessory that ...

'' - Kunkel provided dollar estimates for the amount of damage

Nintendo is a Japanese multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produced handmade playing cards ...

had done to

Galoob Lewis Galoob Toys, Inc., was a toy company headquartered in South San Francisco, California. They are perhaps best known for creating Micro Machines, which accounted for 50% of its sales in 1989, and distributing the Game Genie in the United Sta ...

enjoin An injunction is a legal and equitable remedy in the form of a special court order that compels a party to do or refrain from specific acts. ("The court of appeals ... has exclusive jurisdiction to enjoin, set aside, suspend (in whole or in p ...

ing the release of the

Game Genie Game Genie is a line of video game cheat cartridges originally designed by Codemasters, sold by Camerica and Galoob. The first device in the series was released in 1990 for the Nintendo Entertainment System, with subsequent devices released for t ...

cheat cartridge 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 ...

until after the 1990 Christmas shopping season. *'' Capcom U.S.A., Inc. v. Data East Corp.'' - Kunkel testified that

Data East , also abbreviated as DECO, was a Japanese video game, pinball and electronic engineering company. The company was in operation from 1976 to 2003, and released 150 video game titles. Its main headquarters were located in Suginami, Tokyo. The A ...

's '' Fighter's History'' was significantly different from

Capcom is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. It has created a number of multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being '' Resident Evil'', '' Monster Hunter'', '' Street Fighter'', ''Mega Man'', ''De ...

's ''

Street Fighter II is a fighting game developed by Capcom and originally released for arcades in 1991. It is the second installment in the '' Street Fighter'' series and the sequel to 1987's '' Street Fighter''. It is Capcom's fourteenth game to use the CP S ...

''—evidence suggesting that a copyright violation by Data East had not occurred.

References

External links

Bill Kunkel Bio
at

(archived via

Wayback Machine The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by the Internet Archive, a nonprofit based in San Francisco, California. Created in 1996 and launched to the public in 2001, it allows the user to go "back in time" and see ...

)
Bill Kunkel Bio
at WrestlingPerspective.com ;Archived writings
Katz-Kunkel-Worley Journalistic Archive Gallery
at Videogame History Museum
The Game Doctor
forum at J2Games.com (archived via

)
The Kunkel Report
at DigitPress.com ;Interviews * Thomasson, Michael (Oct. 2000).

. GoodDealGames.com. * Stilphen, Scott (2000).

. DigitPress.com. * * Federico, Chris (14 June 2002).

. ''Orphaned Computer & Game Systems''. * Fulton, Steve (1 January 2006).
The Game Doctor Confesses to GamerDad
. GamerDad.com. (reprinte
at 8BitRocket.com
an
at Gamasutra
. * Williams, Carl. (31 May 2009)
The Game Doctor Is In... (going Live At 7 Pm Central Time)
. RetroMags.com. ;Keynote addresses
2002 Classic Gaming Expo keynote
(audio, with some pictures)

(audio only)
2007 Classic Gaming Expo keynote
(video)
2008 DigitPress keynote
(video) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kunkel, Bill 1950 births 2011 deaths American comics writers American critics American magazine editors Video game critics Video game writers