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Electronic Games

Issue #1 (Winter 1981)
Frequency	Monthly
Publisher	1st run: Reese Publishing Company, Inc. Katz Kunkel Worley Inc.
Founder	Bill Kunkel, Arnie Katz, Joyce Worley
First issue	1st run: October 29, 1981 (October 29, 1981) 2nd run: October 1992 (1992)
Final issue	1st run: August 1985 (1985) 2nd run: January 1997 (1997)
Country	United States
Language	English
ISSN	0730-6687

Electronic Games was the first dedicated video game magazine published in the United States^[1] and ran from October 15, 1981, to 1997 under different titles. It was co-founded by Bill Kunkel, Joyce Worley, and Arnie Katz.^[2]

History

The history of Electronic Games originates in the consumer electronics magazine, Video. Initially video games were covered sporadically in Deeny Kaplan's regular "VideoTest Reports" column. In the summer of 1979, Video decided to launch a new column to focus on video games. Arcade Alley became a regular column and would represent a journalistic first. Written by Bill Kunkel, Arnie Katz (initially pseudonymously writing as Frank T. Laney II), and Joyce Worley, the three writers became close friends and in 1981 they founded Electronic Games magazine.^[3] The magazine was active from Winter 1981, during the golden age of arcade video games and the second generation of consoles, up until 1985, following the video game crash of 1983. The magazine was briefly revived during the 16-bit era in the early 1990s, but ended in 1995 and was renamed to Fusion.^[4]

Initially, the release of the first issue was scheduled for October 15, 1981.^[5] However, the release was postponed to October 29, 1981^[6] and featured a slightly different cover than initially advertised.

1st Run

2nd Run

Arcade Awards

Electronic Games is notable for hosting the Arcade Awards, or Arkie Awards, the first "Game of the Year" award ceremony^[7] simultaneously running in Video's "Arcade Alley" column. The following games are the winners of the magazine's annual Arcade Awards. The awards for each year took place in the January of the following year. No single game was allowed to win more than one award in the same year.

1980 Arcade Awards (1979)

According to the Winter 1981 issue of Electronic Games, the 1980 Arcade Awards (i.e., the first set of "Arkies") were announced in February 1980 and covered all hardware and software produced prior to January 1, 1980.^[8][9]

1981 Arcade Awards (1980)

The 1981 edition of the awards reflects accomplishments during the 12 months of the preceding year.^[10]

1982 Arcade Awards (1981)

The third annual Arcade Awards were sponsored jointly by Video and Electronic Games and honored outstanding achievements in the field of video games of the year 1981. The 1982 Arcade Awards were published in the March 1982 issue of Electronic Games.^[11]

1983 Arcade Awards (1982)

The 4th "Arkies" cover games published between October 1, 1981, and October 1, 1982, and were published in the January 1983 issue of Electronic Games.^[12]

1984 Arcade Awards (1983)

The 5th "Arkies" were published in the January 1984 issue of Electronic Games.^[13]

1985 Arkie Awards (1984)

The 6th "Arkies" were printed in the January 1985 issue of Electronic Games.^[14]