The Video Game History Foundation has acquired, and fully digitized, 1980s gaming magazine, Computer Entertainer. The entire eight-year run of the magazine (1982-1990) can now be read online, for free, at the VGHF Digital Archive, preserving a piece of gaming history.
Unlike most gaming magazines of the era, Computer Entertainer was, despite the name, focused on console gaming. That’s especially notable given the infamous video game crash of 1983 (led by Atari and a flood of mediocre games), which lasted until the release of the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985.
The magazine provides rare insight during this tumultuous era, and features English-speaking reactions to early Nintendo classics such as Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Final Fantasy. Plus, it was the first game industry magazine owned and operated by women, sisters Marylou Badeaux and Celeste Dolan.
“I often call the period between 1985 and 1988 the ‘dark ages’ of the home console game industry in the U.S.,” said Frank Cifaldi, Founder and Executive Director, VGHF. “Games and even entire systems were still technically being released, but without an enthusiast press to cover them, we don’t have a lot of insight into what people thought. Computer Entertainer gives us an incredibly rare glimpse into the rebirth that would define the industry as we know it today, and we are incredibly proud to offer the magazine in its entirety to everyone as a public utility.”
Computer Entertainer has been released under the Creative Commons license, unlocking the magazine to freely use, download, and reproduce. Nice!
The Video Game History Foundation contains thousands of text-searchable out-of-print magazines, including trade magazines that were never available to the public. It was founded in 2017 by former game journalist, Frank Cifaldi. The VGHF is supported by donations, magazine subscriptions, and Patreon.
