Post Mortem: The Legacy of Electronic Gaming Monthly

EGM, otherwise known as Electronic Gaming Monthly, has been a staple of the video game industry for almost two decades. Unfortunately, as most of you already know, the January 2009 issue of EGM was the last to ever hit newsstands. To further emphasize the tragic circumstances surrounding EGM’s closing, just realize that the storied publication was a single issue away from a monumental twenty years in circulation. So as we mourn the loss of a treasured periodical, let’s look back on what made the last nineteen years so memorable.

Humble Beginnings

Back in 1987, a young man by the name of Steve Harris decided that he wanted to make a gaming magazine. This was not going to be just any magazine; it was going to be the first publication to cater to the niche market of hardcore video game fans. Under most circumstances a high school dropout with no formal degree would never stand a chance at making a monthly periodical, but Steve Harris was no normal Joe. Harris was best known for his meteoric rise to the top of the professional coin-op circuit. His immense success had left him fairly wealthy, so he decided to parley this newfound credibility into fulfilling his dream of starting a gaming magazine.

Making a Splash

From the moment they broke on the scene, Electronic Gaming Monthly became the American publication that everyone looked to for the most current gaming news. Among the most notable innovations during Harris’s tenure was the introduction of the multi-person review. Now this was not a new idea, in fact it was stolen from the Japanese publication Famitsu. However, westernizing this unique review system gave them the edge in the crowded gaming magazine space.

Readers would find a reviewer that they shared a similar taste, and had a tendency to follow their columns. This was the other revelation that EGM carried through until the last day, Personality is Paramount. If the readers could relate to specific members of the review team, they would be more likely to trust the content they produce. Thus, the age of the over-opinionated reviewer was born. For years thereafter fixtures like Sushi-X would troll the pages, just looking for something to complain about. During this era Quarterman, the industry’s personal rumor mole, was also born. He managed to survive until the bitter end.

Beginning of the End

In 1996, Ziff Davis decided to purchase Electronic Gaming Monthly from Steve Harris, making the magazine the cornerstone of their new gaming division. Over the next 12 years the magazine would go through stages of immense success and even deeper droughts, but no matter what the circulation was, one thing remained consistent, quality content.

As I pay my last respects to the magazine that inspired to write about games, I have one special memory that comes to the forefront:

I can remember spending long nights in my bedroom when I was supposed to be asleep, with the bed sheets pulled over my head. I would end up holding a flashlight in my mouth, while pouring over every screenshot and article. My household was a barren desert, completely void of games, so I would try to glean every ounce of information from every single page. This is how I managed to feed my desire, while refusing to give up on my dream.

I always hoped that one day, I could be a small part of EGM, so I could give to others what it had given to me, hope.

So what have we learned from EGM? First of all we learned that integrity is everything. If the readers cannot trust you, then your words are worthless. Second, personality is paramount. Just try to be yourself and people will respond to you positively. Last, but most certainly not least, quantity doesn’t matter if you don’t have quality content. This is a lesson that we could all learn from…

Thanks for the memories EGM, you may be gone, but you will never be forgotten.

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