Bill Kunkel

[rolenta]

Jay from J2 Games just reported that Bill Kunkel died:

http://www.j2games.com/scripts/

Please don't let this be true!!!

[rolenta]

Apparently Bill fell and banged his head and died from his injuries. Memorials to follow in Michigan, Las Vegas, and New York.

[TonyTheTiger]

Christ. He was quite a guy and entertaining as hell to listen to. My sympathies to his friends and family.

[8bitgamer]

I'm utterly stunned to learn of Bill's passing. As a teenager, I eagerly devoured every issue of Electronic Games, reading them again and again until they literally fell apart. When I got to meet Bill at the Classic Gaming Expo in 2007, it was awesome--he and his wife were so gracious and kind. When he bought my first book, I was humbled and honored. When he agreed to write the foreword to my second book, I was left almost speechless. Luckily, Bill had plenty to say--he always did, and that's a good (make that great) thing.

Without Bill, there likely would be no Classic Home Video Games series of books. He will be greatly missed.

[WesternNYCollector]

Electronic Games was long before my time (born in 84) but it's always sad to see important figures in the industry pass into the realm of memory.

My condolences to those who knew him and his work.

[Lasermouse]

How very shocking and sad. I grew up reading him in EG, and now the Game Doctor is gone. it is such a strange day. It hasn't sunk in yet...

- Michael

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I'm so sorry to hear about this.

Bill was an awesome, passionate guy and I really enjoyed the discussions I had with him about games and pro wrestling.

My sincerest condolences go out to his family and friends.

[NYLatenite]

R.I.P. - my condolences to his family. I still remember the glory days of EGM. :(

[RCM]

I love Bill and was planning on seeing him soon. He was a friend and colleague and I'll certainly miss speaking with/seeing him every now and then.

However, while I'm really sad, this isn't totally a shock. It's not like he was a really healthy guy or anything. It's no secret that at certain points of his life he lived pretty hard.

While this isn't a total shock, I'm pretty fucking numb right now. I'll see some of you in NYC for his memorial.

[Lady Jaye]

Sad, sad news. His confessions of the Game Doctor was a passionate read, and I'm sad I never got to meet him. :(

[Duke.Togo]

Quite a loss. I loved his writing, and grew up with it. Condolences to his friends and family.

[Michael Thomasson]

A kind thank you to the man that inspired me as a child and teen, scribed for my personal business as an adult, shared valuable knowledge to help me teach my undergraduate students for a lifetime and honored me by asking me to do the cover artwork for his biography - Bill, you will be missed.

[digitalpress]

This one really hits home. We exchanged e-mails just over a week ago.

Bill has been "Uncle" Bill to me for many years. An inspiration and colleague for many years, a good friend for many more. Bill was a staple at Classic Gaming Expo and I spent a good deal of time at his home when he was living in Las Vegas. His visit to the store to talk at a NAVA is local legend. The man has left an indelible mark on gaming as "The Game Doctor" but an equally indelible impression on my life as well.

There are few people I've met that I'd call an inspiration. I'm really going to miss him.

[Kid Ice]

As soon as I saw that subject line I got a sick feeling. I met Bill at the first VGXPO and he was awesome. I'm so glad to have had the opportunity to tell him not only what a positive influence he was on me as someone who writes about video games, but he was also a huge inspiration for me to READ in the first place!

[Cav]

I'm completely stunned by this news. I don't even know what to say. When I first created Classic Gamer Magazine it was always meant as an homage to Arnie, Joyce, and Bill. When I met them at Classic Gaming Expo, it sounds cliche', but I was very honored to meet them. As a result of this meeting I was fortunate enough to spend time with Bill. He freely gave his time and advice in helping me get the magazine going. He even contributed an article to one of the issues, which is something that is still unbelievable to me to this day.

When he moved about 45 minutes north of me here in Michigan I thought it was going to be so great to get to hang with him more. We exchanged emails about, made plans, but sadly they never materialized. Just two weeks ago we decided to give it another shot before the snow hit. I'm sad I never got to say goodbye to him and I'm still in denial thinking I'll be seeing him soon. If I'm rambling...I apologize. As I said, I'm just absolutely stunned.

Rest in peace, Bill. I'm proud to have been able to call you "friend."

-Chris Cavanaugh

[sidnotcrazy]

Terrible...He was a really nice guy, and was kind to everyone. I am so sorry to hear about his passing.

[agent57]

Wow, I am very sad indeed to hear this. I was 11 when the first issue of EG appeared and was there for the entire ride - that mag was almost a mystical thing in my hands when it arrived every month and was a pivotal part of the early years.

I will forever have fond memories of that mag (still read them) and also for the passion this man had for our hobby. Yeah, a substantial loss...

RIP.

[Aussie2B]

Damn. My jaw literally dropped when I heard about this.

I never got to meet Bill in person nor have a great deal of contact with him as some of you have, but one of the things that I am most proud of in my involvement in games journalism is receiving praise for my writing from Bill Kunkel. I'll always treasure being able to work with him while he was guest editor-in-chief for issue #10 of Video Game Collector.

[udisi]

Wow, just wow....May not mean a lot to many of the younger people here, but we've lost one of the great old crew with this one.

[Kaboomer]

RIP Game Doctor. You will be missed but your words live on!

http://www.chasingthechuckwagon.com/photos/Bill_Mike.jpg

[Badhornet]

Very shocked to hear of his passing. Definitely a pioneer in the industry and was very nice and informative

[j_factor]

Well that was unexpected. Although Bill and I were not close personal friends or anything, I did have the pleasure of meeting him in person. I also fondly remember the games journalism panel at CGE 2K7 consisting of him, Chris Bieniek, and Chris Kohler. He had some interesting things to say there.

He was a great writer and a stand-up guy. He will be missed.

[rolenta]

In honor of Bill, I dug out these never-before-seen photos of him and Ralph Baer at the 2005 Videogame Expo outside of Philadelphia, where they both attended to promote their new books.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150784201860203.734486.688490202&l=3d7149c4e4&type=1

[Mayhem]

We didn't get EG in Europe back in the day, but when I got into classic gaming in a wider sense, I learned how it, along with C&VG here in the UK, were the pioneers in videogame journalism. So it was a pleasure to sit in on one of the panels at CGE with Kunkel and his two partners in crime, to listen about how things took off in the US. It is really sad that he is no longer with us...

[Sanriostar]

It always got to me that he never lost the passion for video games; and that his older works were still close to his heart. I always hoped that we'd see a recollected volume of EG with a foreword from all 3 of them. I'm gonna be thinking about this all day.

P.S. "EG over Joystik, man!"
(amazing how priorities change when you get older)

[XYXZYZ]

I loved Bill's interviews on Retro Gaming Radio, I could listen to him talk forever. For example, his involvement in video game magazines taught him what makes a truly great game:

When it's not out in Japan yet, it's the best game ever made. When it comes out in Japan, it's better than any domestic game. When it's finally released over here, it sucks.

I'd love to find some audio archive of Bill rambling on about the good old days of the video game industry.

[RCM]

This is the first coverage I've seen regarding Bill:

http://gamepolitics.com/2011/09/05/rip-bill-039the-game-doctor039-kunkel

Also, Chris Holm is a comic artist I used to work with on J2 along with Bill. He featured Bill in a few of his comics, like this one (which I'm also in):

http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2010/015/3/1/CvsE_203__Word_of_the_Year__by_Psychochris20.jpg

[Pete Cahill]

I'm shocked to hear this news. Doc, you'll be dearly missed.

Pete Cahill

[MarioMania]

He was on G4's Icon "The Crash"

I had to look up the name..RIP

[Balloon Fight]

Really sad to hear this. :( RIP.

[Dan Iacovelli]

I met bill mostly at cge, but I do remember his columns in egm and other mags like video game and computer entertainment.
I think in his honnor CGE 2012 should be dediacted to him

[rolenta]

Don't forget Jerry Lawson who also passed away this year.

[rolenta]

A list of DC comics that Bill had stories in can be found here:

http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Bill_Kunkel/Writer

Marvel can be found here:
http://marvel.wikia.com/Category:Bill_Kunkel/Writer

[Nz17]

If anyone would like to read a past article of Bill's out of respect or new-found interest, please feel free to read some these which were written for DP:

http://www.digitpress.com/archives/kunkel_trueconfessions.htm
http://www.digitpress.com/archives/kunkel_sports.htm
http://www.digitpress.com/archives/kunkel_pickaxepete.htm
http://www.digitpress.com/archives/kunkel_ces.htm
http://www.digitpress.com/archives/kunkel_luckywanderboy.htm
http://www.digitpress.com/archives/kunkel_batman_1.htm
http://www.digitpress.com/archives/kunkel_batman_2.htm
http://www.digitpress.com/archives/kunkel_sony.htm

[bangtango]

RIP Bill. Always liked his work in VG&CE and EG.

Favorite magazine piece from him was the response he gave in VG&CE to a technical question from someone who asked him about the "expansion port" on the bottom of the NES.

[Xian042]

I used to live his "Ask the Game Doctor" section in VG&CE. I also read the articles on here. I just signed up to his site not too long ago and he responded to a post I made. Glad to have had that brief correspondance with him.

My condolences to all friends and family. He sounded like a really great guy.

[Amos]

Some video footage of Bill from 2007:

http://www.videojug.com/user/USEX0113

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Audio quality isn't spectacular, but here's links to Bill's Q&A at NAVA back in 2008:

Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxZBzoy-efw
Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxZBzoy-efw
Part 3 http://youtu.be/hDXthUiXYAQ
Part 4 http://youtu.be/HIn7sw4ZNCQ
Part 5 http://youtu.be/HFVfa5UZJTQ

[Daniel Thomas]

I'm going to reprint what I just wrote down at the comments section at Wired:

This is a devastating shock. I'm speechless. As Chris Kohler noted, many of us began our writing careers as fanzine editors in the early 1990s, inspired by Arnie Katz' columns in VG&CE, and later in the revived EG. We looked up to KKW (Katz-Kunkel-Worley) as heroes and role models, and during the glory days of hte 16-bit era, an underground video game community grew and flourished. Quite a number of us (including Chris) managed to score writing jobs with the professional video game magazines (the "prozines"), to various degrees of success in and out of the industry. Tyrone Rodriguez, Ara Shirinian, and Chris Johnston are three other alumni from our select group. I'm sure there were a few others. I was lucky enough to meet Bill Kunkel, Arnie Katz and Joyce Worley in Las Vegas in 1994, and a group of "faneds" were invited to the Katz estate. It was a wonderful evening full of stories and laughs and kindness all around. Bill will be very sorely missed.

[spoonman]

Sad news indeed.

I grew up enjoying his work in Electronic Games in the 80's and several other magazines as well.

I also just bought his book "Confessions of the Game Doctor Bill Kunkel" book.

[megamaniaman]

Very late to hearing this. I met the man, the man was one of my favorites to listen to at CGE. When they have another expo in Vegas is will not be the same without him.

[Gameguy]

I remember reading some articles he wrote, it's a shame he's gone.

[YoshiM]

It was quite the shock when I first read this. Bill's writing was what inspired me to look into video games beyond just reviews but into the industry itself. His topics as the Game Doctor in VG&CE also motivated me to check out the golden age game systems. His work motivated me to do my own writing, which have seen publication on paper on on the web.

I got to meet him once at CGE 2007 and was speechless when I tried to ask him for his autograph when I bought his book. I did get opportunities to message with him on J2Games. Great discussions.

He will be missed.

[MarioMania]

What I read on wired..he sufferd a Heart Attack


Kunkel complained that he was not feeling well at about midnight on Sunday, his wife Laurie told Wired. Soon thereafter, he suffered what doctors believe was a heart attack and died in his home, she said.

[Dire 51]

I'm genuinely saddened to hear this. I spent quite a bit of time in the late '80s reading his articles in VG&CE, and when I decided to start writing reviews for various websites early last decade, I considered Bill to be one of my influences. I never did meet him in person, but did PM him here once back in 2005. He was kind enough to reply to my (fairly long winded) PM, answering all the questions I asked about his old VG&CE articles, among other things.

However, as I just learned now, I never did send a reply back (I was going through a lot back in '05, to be fair to myself) - nor did I ever pick up a copy of his book, which he'd even offered to have autographed - and of course, time passed and I forgot all about it. I'm definitely kicking myself now. I really missed an opportunity to not only correspond with a man I considered to be an influence on my writing, but a really nice guy as well.

R.I.P., Mr. Kunkel. You will be missed.

[AB Positive]

Damn... I actually found out due to, of all things, a random visit to Wrestlecrap.com - I knew his passion for classic gaming but never knew he also wrote for 'the dirtsheets' and had a large hand in backstage reporting for pro wrestling.

I loved reading his articles via here and VG&C and... wow. Never got a chance to meet or talk to the guy but his knowledge was clear and his writing well done. A damn shame. RIP

[8bitgamer]

To honor his memory, McFarland has posted a pdf of Bill's foreword to Classic Home Video Games, 1985-1988:

http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/excerpts/0-7864-3660-3.Foreword.pdf

[rolenta]

Bill's obituary is in the New York Times today:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/10/technology/bill-kunkel-early-chronicler-of-video-games-dies-at-61.html?_r=1&ref=obituaries

[atrionfo]

The passing of Bill has made me feel just AWFUL. In many ways, to me, he and his Electronic Games crew represent classic gaming. What's strange about that is that I didn't read "Electronic Magazine" until the 1990's, when I read some articles on the Internet, and then again in the LATE nineties when I got some issues of the classic magazine. Somehow though, Bill's writing washes over me with the 1980's and nostalgia. I saw him speak at a couple of conventions and I read his autobiography. But really, I knew him through his writing about games. I know that he had MANY, MANY more other interests, but that is how I think of him.

I had no idea that the death of someone who was on the fringes of my life could have such an affect on me.

Bill wrote well. He wrote funny. He wrote for you. He wrote for me. Really though, Bill wrote for us!

Adam Trionfo

[8bitgamer]

The passing of Bill has made me feel just AWFUL. In many ways, to me, he and his Electronic Games crew represent classic gaming. What's strange about that is that I didn't read "Electronic Magazine" until the 1990's, when I read some articles on the Internet, and then again in the LATE nineties when I got some issues of the classic magazine. Somehow though, Bill's writing washes over me with the 1980's and nostalgia. I saw him speak at a couple of conventions and I read his autobiography. But really, I knew him through his writing about games. I know that he had MANY, MANY more other interests, but that is how I think of him.

I had no idea that the death of someone who was on the fringes of my life could have such an affect on me.

Bill wrote well. He wrote funny. He wrote for you. He wrote for me. Really though, Bill wrote for us!

Adam Trionfo

Well said, Adam.

[Kid Ice]

Bill's Bio at the end of Confessions of the Game Doctor mentions he "writes novels under a pseudonym". Does anyone happen to know the pseudonym and if the novels were ever published?

[God-Zilla]

Deep sympathy to all who knew Bill. I was just another kid who loved E.G. and LOVED his stuff in E.G. (EG is still my fave vid game mag... are there any online archives?) I read the issues so SO many times (Most of them wore off their covers. :) ) I still have all the ones I bought as a kid (though I missed a few, welfare, natch.)

I remember one of his letters allowed me to get in touch with one of the Vectrex programmers back when I was in high school around 87ish. A friend of mine and I wanted to
start programming new Vectrex games and we actually had a few (very expensive,) long distance phone calls with him. He was going to GIVE us dev kits compatible with our atari 800s! Then he moved and we lost his number. But still, without his letters column, we never would have even gotten that close!

[rolenta]

EG is still my fave vid game mag... are there any online archives?

http://www.digitpress.com/library/magazines/electronic_games/electronic_games.htm

[wataru330]

Bill's Bio at the end of Confessions of the Game Doctor mentions he "writes novels under a pseudonym". Does anyone happen to know the pseudonym and if the novels were ever published?

http://www.orphanedgames.com/kunkel.htm

I have also gotten into writing fiction. I just finished serving as an editor/co-author (under my fiction name, M. Burroughs) on a book called The Noble Society by Melissa Henry. I hope to have my first novel out before the end of the year. It's about drug addicts in 1970s New York.

[J2games]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Bill's Bio at the end of Confessions of the Game Doctor mentions he "writes novels under a pseudonym". Does anyone happen to know the pseudonym and if the novels were ever published? "

Indeed, Bill was working on a book when he passed. This was being co-authored with a friend and long time associate of his. I had the honor of being asked to critique several chapters of the book and while rough, was quite the departure from what I was used to from Bill, but excellent none the less. I have asked Laurie (Bill's wife) to keep me in the loop on the progress. Hopefully one day Bill's co-author might choose to share this with everyone.

[otaku]

been out of the loop when it comes to the gaming world very sad to hear about bills passing I loved his work always informative and entertaining. Hell he even answered emails and gave me advice on pursuing a career in game journalism when that was of interest to me a few years back. He will be missed greatly by myself and I am sure many many others

[lendelin]

I'm sorry to hear about the death of Bill Kunkel. This is just sad. One person with lots of personality who left a significant mark in early gaming history passed away.