|
Hello! I like maintaining big lists of video games, currently my largest project is trying to clean up the mountains of stubs and underloved articles for video games released before 1985. I've been steadily digging through all of the sources from the era I can and the results have been promising. If you want to write or improve an article from this time period, step one should be to check "What links here" on the article. Chances are you'll see some of the fruits of my work.
When I'm not on Wikipedia, you can also find me in and around the speedrunning community. I've been a speedrunner, TASer, and especially a glitch hunter since 2013. My biggest claim to fame might be in the Psychonauts 2 community. I discovered a glitch that let's you fly in that game, saving over ten minutes. Other communities I've contributed to have included Elden Ring, Blasphemous 2, Another Crab's Treasure, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and more. I'm very proud to have been a part of bringing Super Mario Bros. speedrunning to this website. Working on that article, I was surprised just how notable the topic was. That article currently has 58 citations from reliable sources. I know that's probably the diamond in the rough as far as this topic is concerned, but I hope that article can serve as a model for what speedrunning articles can be in the future.
If you would like to contribute or even create an article on a specific speedrunning community, feel free to contact me. I can definetly offer advice and technical expertise. I've been in and around that community for a long time so I have quite a bit of general knowledge on most of the popular games. I've started to dream of putting together a speedrunning taskforce to aid in pooling sources, figuring out which games are notable, and bringing important articles up to GA or even FA. If you would be interested in contributing to such a project, please let me know.
Pre-1985 magazines
editFor some reason I've fallen into the niche of pre-crash video games and consoles. By 1983, there were at least 19 different publications dedicated to video games. By 1986, only three of these publications still existed (Computer Entertainer, Computer Gaming World, and Computer and Video Games). One of my goals is to complete reference library entries for all 19 of these short lived publications at least up through 1984. Hopefully when all of them are properly redlinked, searching for reviews for any game from this time period will be as simple as clicking "What links here".
| Publication | Period | Issues | Scan Availability | Created By | Populated By | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arcade Alley (RL) | 1979-1984 | 58 | Incomplete | me | me | Complete |
| Arcade Express (RL) Electronic Games Hotline |
1982-1984 | 53 | Complete | me | me | Complete |
| Blip (RL) | 1983 | 7 | Complete | me | me | Complete |
| Computer and Video Games(UK) (RL) | 1981-2004 | 277 | Up to 1992 | Hellknowz | BOZ | Incomplete |
| Computer Entertainer (RL) The Video Game Update |
1982-1990 | 100 | Complete | TarkusAB | me | Up to 1984 |
| Computer Gaming World (RL) | 1981-2006 | 268 | Complete | BOZ | BOZ | Complete |
| Creative Computing (RL) Video and Arcade Games |
1977-1985 | 187 | Complete | BOZ | BOZ | Incomplete |
| Electronic Fun with Computers & Games (RL) | 1982-1984 | 18 | Complete | BOZ | BOZ | Complete |
| Electronic Games (RL) Computer Entertainment |
1981-1985 | 38 | Complete | BOZ | BOZ | Incomplete |
| JoyStik (RL) How to Win at Video Games |
1982-1983 | 10 | Complete | me | me | Complete |
| Tilt(FR) (RL) | 1982-1994 | 122 | Complete | - | - | Uncreated |
| Telematch(GE) (RL) | 1982-1995 | 20 | Complete | Hellknowz | BOZ | Incomplete |
| The Logical Gamer (RL) | 1982-1983 | 16 | Complete | me | me | Complete |
| TV Gamer(UK) (RL) | 1983-1985 | 14 | Complete | me | - | Incomplete |
| Video Games (RL) | 1982-1984 | 21 | Complete | me | - | Incomplete |
| Videogaming Illustrated (RL) | 1983-1984 | 14 | Complete | BOZ | BOZ | Incomplete |
| Video Games Player (RL) Computer Games |
1982-1985 | 10 | Incomplete | me | me | Complete |
| Vidiot (RL) | 1982-1983 | 5 | Complete | me | me | Complete |
| Win at Video (RL) by Michael Blanchet |
1982-1983 | 152 | Complete | me | me | Complete |
There are also a number of books with large catalogs of reviews:
| Title | Year | Author | Coverage | Publisher | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atari Archive Vol. 1 | 2023 | Bunch, Kevin | 1977-1978 | Limited Run Games | 978-1955183215 |
| The Book of Atari Software | 1983 1984 1985 |
Stanton, Jeffrey P. Wells, Robert Rochowansky, Sandra |
1977-1983 | The Book Company | 0736-2706 (ISSN) |
| Classic Home Video Games, 1972-1984: A Complete Reference Guide | 2011 | Weiss, Brett | 1972-1984 | McFarland & Company, Inc. | 978-0-7864-8755-4 |
| Electronic Games 1983 Software Encyclopedia | 1983 | Katz, Arnie Kunkel, Bill |
1977-1982 | Reese Communications, Inc. | 0736-8488 (ISSN) |
| How to Win at Video Games: A Complete Guide | 1982 | Sullivan, George | 1977-1981 | Scholastic Book Services | 0-590-32630-9 |
| The Kid Vid's Book of Home Video Games | 1984 | Stovall, Rawson | 1977-1983 | Doubleday & Co. | 0-385-19309-2 |
| Videogames Hardware Handbook - Volume 1 | 2016 | Retro Gamer | 1977-1999 | Imagine Publishing Ltd. | 978-1785462399 |
| The Winners' Book of Video Games | 1982 | Kubey, Craig | 1977-1981 | Warner Books | 0-446-37115-7 |
