| Electronic Games | |
| Frequency: | Monthly |
| Publisher: | 1st run: Reese Publishing Company, Inc. Katz Kunkel Worley Inc. |
| Founder: | Bill Kunkel, Arnie Katz, Joyce Worley |
| Firstdate: | 1st run: 2nd run: October |
| Finaldate: | 1st run: August 2nd run: January |
| 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]
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.
| Title | Start Cover Date | End Cover Date |
|---|---|---|
| Electronic Games | October 29, 1981 | April 1985 |
| Computer Entertainment | May 1985 | August 1985 |
| Title | Start Cover Date | End Cover Date |
|---|---|---|
| Electronic Games | October 1992 | July 1995 |
| Fusion | August 1995 | February 1996 |
| Intelligent Gamer's Fusion | March 1996 | May 1996 |
| Intelligent Gamer | June 1996 | January 1997 |
Electronic Games is notable for hosting the Arcade Awards, or Arkie Awards, the first "Game of the Year" award ceremony[7] simultaneously running in Videos "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.
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]
| Award | Winner | Platform | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game of the Year | Space Invaders | Arcade | |
| Best Pong Variant | Video Olympics | Atari VCS | |
| Best Sports Game | Football | Bally Professional Arcade | |
| Best Target Game | Air-Sea Battle | Atari VCS | |
| Best S.F. Game | Cosmic Conflict | Odyssey² | |
| Best Solitaire Game | Golf | Odyssey² | |
| Most Innovative Game | Basketball | Atari VCS | |
| Best Audio and Visual Effects | Arcade/Bally |
The 1981 edition of the awards reflects accomplishments during the 12 months of the preceding year.[10]
| Award | Winner | Platform | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arcade | |||
| Best Coin-Op Electronic Game | Asteroids | Arcade | |
| Console | |||
| Game of the Year | Superman | Atari VCS | |
| Best Targest/WarGame | Armored Battle | Intellivision | |
| Best Pong Variant | Volleyball | Odyssey² | |
| Best S.F. Game | Space Battle | Intellivision | |
| Best Audio-Visual Effects | Fishing Derby | Atari VCS | |
| Best Solitaire Game | Skiing | Atari VCS | |
| Best Sports Game | NASL Soccer | Intellivision | |
| Most Innovative Game | Adventure | Atari VCS | |
The third annual Arcade Awards were sponsored jointly by Video and Electronic Games and honored outstanding achievements in the field ofvideo games of the year 1981. The 1982 Arcade Awards were published in the March 1982 issue of Electronic Games.[11]
| Award | Winner | Platform(s) | Honorable Mention | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coin-Op Division (Arcade) | ||||
| Best Commercial Arcade Game | Pac-Man | Namco Pac-Man | Defender, Battlezone | |
| Console | ||||
| Videogame of the Year | Asteroids | Atari VCS | Quest for the Rings (Odyssey²), Missile Command (Atari VCS), UFO! (Odyssey) | |
| Most Innovative Game | Quest for the Rings | Odyssey² | Freeway (Atari VCS), Asteroids (Atari VCS) | |
| Best Competitive Game | Tennis | Atari VCS | ||
| Best Solitaire Game | Missile Command | Atari VCS | Dodge 'Em (Atari) | |
| Best S.F game | UFO! | Odyssey | Laser Blast (Activision) | |
| Best Sports Game | Auto Racing | Intellivision | Tennis (Atari VCS) | |
| Best Pong Variant | Warlords | Atari VCS | ||
| Best Audio-Visual Effects | Kaboom! | Atari VCS | ||
| Computer | ||||
| Computer Game of the Year | Star Raiders | |||
| Best Computer Action Game | Jawbreaker | |||
| Best Computer Sports Game | Computer Baseball | Apple II | ||
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]
| Award | Winner | Certificate of Merit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coin-Op Game Awards (Arcade) | |||
| Coin-Op Game of the Year | Tron | ||
| Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Coin-Op Game | Bosconian | ||
| Best Coin-Op Game Audio/Visual Effects | Turbo | ||
| Most Innovative Coin-Op Game | Tempest | ||
| Videogame Awards (Console) | |||
| Videogame of the Year | Demon Attack (Atari VCS) | ||
| Best Solitaire Videogame | Donkey Kong (ColecoVision) | ||
| Best Arcade-to-Home Videogame Translation | Frogger (Atari VCS) | Galactic Invasion (Bally Astrocade) | |
| Best Action Videogame | Chopper Command (Atari VCS) | ||
| Best Adventure Videogame | Pitfall! (Atari VCS) | ||
| Computer Game Division | |||
| Computer Game of the Year | David's Midnight Magic (Apple II) | Bandits (Apple II) | |
| Best Computer Adventure | Deadline (Apple II) | Kabul Spy (Apple II) | |
| Best Arcade/Action Computer Game | K-razy Shoot-Out (Atari 400/800) | Star Blazer (Apple II) | |
| Best Solitaire Computer Game | Snack Attack (Apple II) | Neptune (Apple II) | |
| Stand-Alone Game Awards (Dedicated) | |||
| Stand-Alone Game of the Year | Galaxian (Coleco Mini-Arcade) | ||
| Best Mini-Arcade Game Cartridge | Scramble (Vectrex) | ||
The 5th "Arkies" were published in the January 1984 issue of Electronic Games.[13]
| Award | Winner | Certificate of Merit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electronic Game of the Year (Overall) | |||
| Electronic Game of the Year | Miner 2049er | ||
| Coin-Op Games Division (Arcade) | |||
| Coin-Op Game of the Year | Pole Position | ||
| Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Coin-Op Game | Xevious | ||
| Most Innovative Coin-Op Game | Q*bert | Baby Pac-Man | |
| Best Coin-Op Game Audio/Visual Effects | Dragon's Lair | ||
| Videogame Division (Console) | |||
| Videogame of the Year | Ms. Pac-Man (Atari 2600) | BurgerTime (Intellivision) | |
| Videogame of the Year (16K or more ROM memory) | Lady Bug (ColecoVision) | Zaxxon (ColecoVision) | |
| Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Videogame | Vanguard (Atari 5200) | Moon Patrol (Atari 2600) | |
| Best Videogame Audio/Visual Effects | Donkey Kong Jr. (ColecoVision) | Qix (Atari 5200) | |
| Best Action Videogame | River Raid (Atari 2600) |
| |
| Best Adventure Game | Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (Intellivision) |
| |
| Best Arcade-to-Home Videogame Translation | Kangaroo (Atari 5200) | Turtles (Odyssey²) | |
| Computer Game Division | |||
| Computer Game of the Year | Lode Runner (Apple II) | Repton (Apple II, Atari 8-bit) | |
| Electronic Game of the Year (Players Pick) | Miner 2049er (Apple II, Atari 8-bit) | ||
| Best Computer Adventure | Witness (Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64, DOS) |
| |
| Best Computer Action Game | Centipede (Atari 8-bit) | Jumpman (Atari 8-bit) | |
| Most Humorous Computer Game | Free Fall (Apple II) | Preppie! II (Atari 8-bit) | |
| Best Arcade-to-Home Computer Game Translation | Frogger (Atari 8-bit) | ||
| Best Multi-Player Computer Game | M.U.L.E. (Atari 8-bit) | Oil Barons (Apple II) | |
| Best Educational Computer Game | Learning With the Leeper (Apple II) | ||
| Most Innovative Computer Game | (Atari 8-bit) | Moondust (Commodore 64) | |
| Stand-Alone Games Division | |||
| Stand-Alone Game of the Year | Q*bert (Parker Brothers) |
| |
| Mini-Arcade Game of the Year | 3-D Sky Attack (Tomytronic 3D) |
| |
The 6th "Arkies" were printed in the January 1985 issue of Electronic Games.[14]
| Award | Winner | |
|---|---|---|
| Electronic Game of the Year (Overall) | ||
| Electronic Game of the Year | ||
| Coin-Op Game Division (Arcade) | ||
| Coin-Op of the Year | Star Wars | |
| Most Innovative Coin-Op Game | Punch-Out | |
| Best Coin-Op Audio-Visual Effects | TX-1 | |
| Certificates of Merit |
| |
| Videogame Division (Console) | ||
| Videogame of the Year | Space Shuttle (Atari 2600) | |
| Best Action Videogame | Buck Rogers (Atari 2600/5200, ColecoVision, Intellivision, SG-1000) | |
| Best Adventure Videogame | Pitfall II (Atari 2600) | |
| Best Videogame Audio-Visual Effects | Congo Bongo (ColecoVision, Atari 5200, Intellivision) | |
| Certificates of Merit |
| |
| Computer Game Division | ||
| Computer Game of the Year | (Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64) | |
| Electronic Game of the Year (Players Pick) | One on One (Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64) | |
| Best Computer Adventure Game | Gateway to Apshai (Atari 400/800, Commodore 64) | |
| Most Humorous Video Computer Game | Quest for Tires (Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64, DOS, MSX) | |
| Best Arcade-to-Home Translation | Joust (Commodore 64) | |
| Electronic Educational Game of the Year | Agent USA (Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64) | |
| Certificates of Merit |
| |
| Stand-Alone Games Division | ||
| Stand-Alone Game of the Year | Zaxxon (Coleco Mini-Arcade) | |
| Mini-Arcade Game of the Year | Miner 2049er (Tiger) | |
| Certificates of Merit |
| |
Following the magazine's revival in 1992, it published the Electronic Gaming Awards in March 1993, where editors nominated several games for each category and the readers would vote which games win. The following were the winners and nominees for 1992.[15] [16]
| Award | Winner | Platform(s) | Honorable Mention(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Video Game of the Year | Street Fighter II | SNES | Sonic the Hedgehog 2 | |
| Computer Game of the Year | Wing Commander II | MS-DOS | Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis | |
| Multimedia Game of the Year | Night Trap | Sega CD | ||
| Portable Game of the Year | Game Gear | Star Wars | ||
| Best Electronic Game Graphics | Sonic the Hedgehog 2 | Sega Genesis | ||
| Best Electronic Game Sound | The Adventures of Willy Beamish | PC | Space Megaforce | |
| Best Action Video Game | Street Fighter II | SNES | ||
| Best Action/Action Strategy Computer Game | Spear of Destiny | PC | Super Space Invaders | |
| Best Adventure/RPG Video Game | Final Fantasy Mystic Quest | SNES | Equinox | |
| Best Adventure/RPG Computer Game | Ultima VII | PC | Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis | |
| Best Strategy Computer Game | Civilization | PC | SimAnt | |
| Best Strategy/Action Strategy Video Game | Desert Strike | Game consoles | Rampart | |
| Best Sports Video Game | John Madden Football '93 | Game consoles | NHLPA Hockey '93 | |
| Best Sports Computer Game | John Madden Football II | PC | 4D Sports Boxing | |
| Most Humorous Electronic Game | Road Runner's Death Valley Rally | SNES | The Adventures of Willy Beamish | |
| Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Electronic Game | Super Star Wars | SNES | Wing Commander II | |
| Best Fanzine | Computer Gaming Update | Digital Press |
The following games were the winners and nominees for the EG Awards of 1993, with nominees chosen by editors and winners voted by readers.[17] [18]
| Award | Winner | Platform | Honorable Mention(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Video Game of the Year | Aladdin | Sega Genesis | Rock & Roll Racing | |
| Computer Game of the Year | Alone in the Dark | PC | Star Wars: X-Wing | |
| Console Multimedia Game of the Year | Sonic CD | Sega CD | Voyeur | |
| Computer Multimedia Game of the Year | Day of the Tentacle | PC |
| |
| Portable Game of the Year | Mortal Kombat | Game Gear | ||
| Best Action Video Game | Cool Spot | Sega Genesis | ||
| Best Adventure/RPG Computer Game | Lands of Lore | PC | Ultima Underworld II | |
| Best Action Strategy/Strategy Video Game | The Lost Vikings | SNES | X-Men | |
| Best Action/Action Strategy Computer Game | PC | |||
| Best Strategy Computer Game | Syndicate | PC and Consoles | The Even More Incredible Machine | |
| Best Sports Video Game | NHL '94 | Game consoles | Mutant League Football | |
| Best Sports Computer Game | NHL Hockey | PC | IndyCar Racing | |
| Best Electronic Gaming Audio/Visual Effects | Ecco | Sega Genesis | Myst | |
| Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Electronic Game | Dune II | PC | Star Fox | |
| Best Electronic Military Simulation | Warlords II | PC | ||
| Most Humorous Electronic Game | ClayFighter | SNES | Zombies Ate My Neighbors | |
| Best Electronic Gaming Fanzine | Digital Press | Digital Press |
From May 1982 onwards, the magazine carried out a reader poll in each issue to see which are the most popular games of the month among its readers, up until the January 1985 issue. The top-ranking games in these polls are listed below.
The games that were top-ranked the most in these 1982 polls were:
The games that were top-ranked the most in these 1983 polls were:
The games that were top-ranked the most in these 1984 polls were:
There was no reader poll held for the March 1985 issue.
The twelve games voted by readers as part of the magazine's Hall of Fame up until January 1985.[19]