When did EGM officially "start"?

[retrogmr]

Something thats been bugging me for a while that I hope the group can answer... I've been trying to figure out exactly what's considered the #1 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM).

I have a couple issues from 1989 that are titled "U.S. National Video Game Team's Electronic Gaming Monthly", then I have one that's just called "Electronic Gaming Monthly", Vol. 1 Issue 2, which I think is August of 1989 "16-bit gaming explodes" issue.

Was there a #1 of the magazine just called EGM, r do i have it already?

[Tan]

if i'm not mistaken, wasn't number 1 a 1989 buyers guide?

[NE146]

I still say the first ones that were officially magazines that were distributed and sold were when they were Electronic Game Player.

But even they themselves don't really mention that part of their history so who knows. I have a copy of EGP as well as that "first" issue of EGM (or at least I hope I have it here.. I lost the cover of it LOL although I definitely have the EGP). I can probably scan both mags and it's obvious they are one and the same.

[Push Upstairs]

I was under the impression thier "first" issue as EGM was the 1989 Buyers Guide.

All the information i've ever looked at online has suggested this.

[NE146]

I was under the impression thier "first" issue as EGM was the 1989 Buyers Guide.

All the information i've ever looked at online has suggested this.

Ok I guess it's how specific you want to be when you say when did "EGM" start. If you want to say when did EGM proper (i.e. when it was first called Electronic Gaming Monthly") then it was probably that '89 Buyer's Guide. If you want to figure out when the magazine actually started however, then that's pretty tricky as there were obviously incarnations of the magazine before.. even some newsletters from what I hear.

These clickable thumbnails show some comparison of the EGM buyers guide and an issue of EGP I got.. the layouts and staff are pretty much the same throughout. Check out the staff page... when it turned to EGM though the address changed from California to Illinois. I dunno. Interesting though.

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/userid947/IMG_0887_tn.JPG (http://mywebpages.comcast.net/userid947/IMG_0887.JPG) http://mywebpages.comcast.net/userid947/IMG_0888_tn.JPG (http://mywebpages.comcast.net/userid947/IMG_0888.JPG)
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/userid947/IMG_0889_tn.JPG (http://mywebpages.comcast.net/userid947/IMG_0889.JPG)

[cr0n0]

I always thought the first issue of EGM was the one with that real lame looking Megaman shooting at some bad guy to his left. It was supposed to feature some huge Megaman 2 article (but actually didn't). In the 200th issue, they show this specific magazine in one of the last pages.

:( Man how I missed those times...

[rbudrick]

I always thought the first issue of EGM was the one with that real lame looking Megaman shooting at some bad guy to his left. It was supposed to feature some huge Megaman 2 article (but actually didn't). In the 200th issue, they show this specific magazine in one of the last pages.

Man how I missed those times...

I thought so too. I didn't see the buyer's guide in stores until later that year...I coulda sworn the Mega Man cover was out before that.

BTW, Ed Semrad, founder of EGM had a newsletter going for a while (forget the name) that later evolved into EGM.

-Rob

[fennec fox]

Funny this should come up, because I just wrote all about this subject for my mag collecting website (still in progress):
http://www.magweasel.com/wiki/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly

To sum up, the 1989 Buyer's Guide is definitely the first thing published with the name "Electronic Gaming Monthly" on it. I have it as coming out February 1989 on my page, but really that's just a placeholder because I don't know the exact publishing date. It was definitely printed then or earlier, though, as the cover says "Display until March 31, 1989" on it. That would predate the "official" EGM #1 (with Mega Man 2 on the cover) by at least two months.

(Matters are further complicated by the fact that EGM #5 is also the 1990 Buyer's Guide, although future Buyer's Guides were all one-shots and not counted as EGM issues. The same deal with Top Score -- one of those is a one-off, but another one is also EGM #7.)

Also, I count Electronic Game Player as a separate publication even though it's very similar to the first few EGM issues. That's simply because different publishers and distributors were involved, and there was a significant period of hiatus between EGP's folding and EGM's launch.

Finally, it was Steve Harris that published the Top Score newsletter, not Ed. Though Ed may've been involved somehow -- I'm not rich enough to buy a copy and find out for myself!

[thehistorian]

As I recall, GamePro was started by a import company in California. The first "issue" was packed in their shipments and was about the size of a postcard. It had a few reviews and some cheats, I think. After the second "issue" it was picked up and turned in to a full magazine.

[Push Upstairs]

Interestingly enough, EGM (later) had a section called "insert coin" and i believe it used the exact same graphic as the one in the EGP magazine NE146 took a pic of.

[fennec fox]

As I recall, GamePro was started by a import company in California. The first "issue" was packed in their shipments and was about the size of a postcard. It had a few reviews and some cheats, I think. After the second "issue" it was picked up and turned in to a full magazine.

Yer thinking of [Diehard] Game Fan.

[Anthony1]

Funny this should come up, because I just wrote all about this subject for my mag collecting website (still in progress):
http://www.magweasel.com/wiki/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly



I thought this website was made by gamenthusiast? Or is that just another DP name for you? Anyways, great job on the site, I checked it out, and it looks pretty damn sweet.

[retrogmr]

Thanks for all the replies everyone; I do indeed have the first issues of EGM (both the buyers guide and the Mega Man 2 cover issue).

I would normally have said "Someone should put a website up with all this stuff", but it looks like Kevin is well on his way with that :D

[Push Upstairs]

Funny this should come up, because I just wrote all about this subject for my mag collecting website (still in progress):
http://www.magweasel.com/wiki/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly

Well, doublechecking with that website confirms that the spreadsheet i made to collect issues of EGM is correct.

I feel good knowing i havt the *first* thing with the EGM name ('89 Buyers Guide) but i know that those early issues (anything before issue 17 really) are going to be tough to get.

[NE146]

I can say I have every single issue of EGM... including the offshoots. And the thing is, each and every one of them was bought at release off the newstands.. I've been friggin buying this thing since I was a freshman in college! (1987).

The only problem is the collection of mags is SUPER huge. The boxes are heavy and to be quite honest they're not organized. They're all over the place.. and lots of times mixed in with other magazines. Someday I'll sort through the stuff that's not super early.. but damn is there a lot. x_x At least I still have it though.. I lost about 80% of my Die Hard Gamefan collection during a storm not all that long ago.

[rbudrick]

Since my first issues of EGM were destroyed about 14 years ago, I would like to take this opportunity to offer to buy some of the first issues from someone, especially issue 1.

Anybody got these to spare? They never seem to pop up anywhere. :-)

-Rob

[lendelin]

Funny this should come up, because I just wrote all about this subject for my mag collecting website (still in progress):
http://www.magweasel.com/wiki/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly


Nice site and nice intro to EGM!

However, you wrote "It [EGM] is the oldest American console game mag currently in operation,..."

This isn't correct. It is Nintendo Power with its first issue from August 1988. NP preceded EGM, GamePro, VideoGames, Game Players, all of them founded in 1988 and 1989.

Great that you mentioned the circulation numbers! They make clear how much of a headstart NP got with its Fun Club. While EGM had (according to you) in 1993 a print run of 152,000, NP had already in 1988 a subscriber base (!) of around one million.

[fennec fox]

You're right. Sorry. I'll add the word "independent" in there. (I'm writing up these histories really quick since I wanna get all the scans up as fast as possible before really getting down to business!)

[lendelin]

You're right. Sorry. I'll add the word "independent" in there. (I'm writing up these histories really quick since I wanna get all the scans up as fast as possible before really getting down to business!)

BTW, where did you get these interesting circulation numbers? (107,000 sold for the first issue, up to 152,000 by 1993)? I tried to get similar numbers for a NP article some time ago, but all I could do is comparing different sources (Sheff, Kent, others, Nintendo itself) and come up with a conservative estimate.

[NE146]

Anybody got these to spare? They never seem to pop up anywhere. :-)

I might be able to scan them soon.. been planning on it. :)

[fennec fox]

BTW, where did you get these interesting circulation numbers?
There was an article written about Sendai in Fortune magazine around 1993, and that's where those figures came from. (I could look up the article again for you if you're interested in checking it out yourself.)

"Circulation" is a very fluid thing with magazines, especially since even audited figures aren't very exact and it's in publishers' interest to announce as large a number as possible. Still, they're certainly fun to research and throw around.

[retrogmr]

Resurrecting an old thread; the question of what is Issue #15 of EGM is driving me nuts. Was there an actual #15 issue, was it the 1991 Buyer's Guide, or something completely different?

Enquiring minds want to know!

[slapdash]

Resurrecting an old thread; the question of what is Issue #15 of EGM is driving me nuts. Was there an actual #15 issue, was it the 1991 Buyer's Guide, or something completely different?

It was The 1991 Video Game Buyer's Guide.