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Computer Gaming World (CGW) is the oldest video game and computer-related publication still in distribution. It was founded in 1981 by Russell Sipe as a bimonthly newsletter. CGW was eventually purchased by Ziff Davis, a large publishing house, and became the cornerstone of a series of digital-gaming-related magazines.
The publication is currently led by Jeff Green, a veteran games journalist. A unique feature of Computer Gaming World is its policy of not assigning any sort of score to its reviews.
Content
CGW is published 12 times a year, and features reviews, previews, news, features, letters, strategy, and columns dealing with computer games. While console games are occasionally touched on, these are primarily the territory of CGW's sister magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly.
Currently, two of its most popular features are "Greenspeak", a final-page column written by former Editor-In-Chief Jeff Green, and "Tom vs. Bruce" a unique, "duelling-diaries" piece in which writers Tom Chick and Bruce Geryk log their gameplay experience as each tries to best the other at a given game. "Tom vs. Bruce" sometimes features a guest appearance by Erik Wolpaw, formerly of Old Man Murray.
However, the core of CGW is still its erudite, witty and accurate reviews; these are the reason that many more hardcore PC gamers read the magazine.
Beginning in April 2006, "Computer Gaming World" stopped assigning quantifiable scores to its reviews. In May of the same year, "CGW" changed the name of its review section to viewpoint, and began evaluating games on a more diverse combination of factors than a game's content. Elements considered include the communities' reaction to a game, developers' continued support through patches and whether a game's online component continues to grow.
The reviews were formerly based on a simple five-star structure, with five stars marking a truly outstanding game, and one star signalling virtual worthlessness. On very rare occasions, immensely abysmal games have been reviewed: Postal² by Robert Coffey, Mistmare by Jeff Green, and Dungeon Lords by Denice Cook, three games which "...form an unholy trinity of the only games in CGW history to receive zero-star reviews."
Circulation
According to MDS Computer Gaming World has a circulation of 301,459 as of 2003, making it one of the most popular computer magazines in the United States. The circulation is said by Ziff Davis to have expanded since this measurement. In this regard, it is slightly behind industry arch-rival PC Gamer. It should be noted, however, that magazine circulation numbers are highly subjective, despite the seemingly straightforward connection between publication and distribution.
Awards
In 1988, CGW won the Origins Award for Best Professional Adventure Gaming Magazine of 1987.
Controversy
For the first eight months of 2001, "Computer Gaming World" participated in a humorous feud with its Canadian readers, which began after magazine referred to its Canadian reader base as moose. The event culminated in the printing of a combined total of five pages worth of angry letters from Canadian readers and the creation of the "Canadian Corner" feature. The "Canadian Corner" was retired in the August 2001 issue of "Computer Gaming World," after the editors deemed it to be no longer funny.
External links
- The Computer Gaming World Museum - dedicated to the preservation and presentation of all items related to the early years of the first magazine specifically dedicated to computer games.
- CGW on Ziff Davis website
- CGW on the 1UP Network
"Computer Gaming World"