In the early days of video game journalism, a superhero named Gamepro fought evil creatures called the Evil Darklings inside a comic strip that ran in the magazine's first issues. This fictional hero was a gamer from the real world who was pulled into a dimension where video games were real, tasked with saving the gaming universe from destruction. The comic strip, titled Adventures of Gamepro, was a unique feature that set the magazine apart from its competitors, blending entertainment with the serious business of reviewing software and hardware. The magazine's founders, Patrick Ferrell and his sister-in-law Leeanne McDermott, along with the design team of Michael and Lynne Kavish, created this world out of their homes in the San Francisco Bay Area before they even had an office. The comic strip was a testament to the magazine's playful spirit, which would later evolve into the famous Pro Tips section and the iconic Gamepro Dude cartoon faces used to rate games. The magazine's first issue, published in April 1989, featured a cover by Marc Ericksen, who would go on to create eight of the first ten covers, establishing a visual identity that would become legendary in the industry. The magazine's circulation reached 300,000 copies a month, making it one of the most widely read gaming publications of its time. The comic strip was eventually discontinued, but its legacy lived on in the magazine's culture and the community it fostered. The magazine's editors used comic book-like avatars and monikers when reviewing games, a tradition that continued until January 2004, when the magazine changed its layout and design. The comic strip was a precursor to the magazine's later focus on the people and culture of gaming, which would become a defining feature of the publication in its later years. The magazine's history is a story of innovation, creativity, and a deep understanding of the gaming community, which would eventually lead to its decline and eventual shutdown in 2011.
The Founders Who Built a Gaming Empire
Patrick Ferrell, the founder of GamePro, started the magazine in late 1988 with his sister-in-law Leeanne McDermott and the husband-wife design team of Michael and Lynne Kavish. They worked out of their homes in the San Francisco Bay Area before leasing their first office in Redwood City, California, at the end of 1989. The magazine was initially a small operation, but it quickly grew into a major publication. In 1989, the founding management team sought a major publisher and found one with IDG Peterborough, a New Hampshire-based division of the global giant IDG. The magazine was acquired and then spun off as an independent business unit of IDG, under the leadership of Ferrell as president/CEO. The later addition of John Rousseau as publisher and editor-in-chief Wes Nihei, as well as renowned artist Francis Mao, established GamePro as a large, profitable worldwide publication. The magazine's offices moved from Redwood City to San Mateo, then to San Francisco, and finally to Oakland. In 1993, the company was renamed from Gamepro Inc. to Infotainment World in reflection of its growing and diverse publication lines. The magazine's history is a story of growth, innovation, and a deep understanding of the gaming community, which would eventually lead to its decline and eventual shutdown in 2011. The magazine's editors used comic book-like avatars and monikers when reviewing games, a tradition that continued until January 2004, when the magazine changed its layout and design. The comic strip was a precursor to the magazine's later focus on the people and culture of gaming, which would become a defining feature of the publication in its later years. The magazine's history is a story of innovation, creativity, and a deep understanding of the gaming community, which would eventually lead to its decline and eventual shutdown in 2011.
GamePro's review system was unique in the industry, initially using five categories: Graphics, Sound, Gameplay, FunFactor, and Challenge. Later, the Challenge category was dropped, and the Gameplay category was renamed Control. The ratings were initially on a scale of 1.0 to 5.0, in increments of 0.5, but a possible 0.5 score was later added. The first game to receive such a score was Battle Arena Toshinden URA for the Sega Saturn. Starting in October 1990, each score was accentuated with a cartoon face (The Gamepro Dude) depicting different expressions for different ratings. The ratings faces remained in use until about 2002. GamePro's reviews became esteemed enough that some games would display their GamePro ratings on their retail boxes. After 2002, the category system was eliminated in favor of a single overall rating for each game on a scale of 1.0 to 5.0 stars. A graphic of five stars were shown alongside the written review. The number of stars a game earned was indicated by the number of solid stars (e.g., a game's 4-star rating was represented by showing 4 solid stars and one hollow star). No game ever received less than one star. An Editors' Choice Award was given to a game that earned either 4.5 or 5.0 stars. The magazine's review system was a key part of its identity, and it helped to establish GamePro as a trusted source of information for gamers. The magazine's editors used comic book-like avatars and monikers when reviewing games, a tradition that continued until January 2004, when the magazine changed its layout and design. The comic strip was a precursor to the magazine's later focus on the people and culture of gaming, which would become a defining feature of the publication in its later years. The magazine's history is a story of innovation, creativity, and a deep understanding of the gaming community, which would eventually lead to its decline and eventual shutdown in 2011.
The Rise of E3 and the Gaming Industry
In 1993, Patrick Ferrell sent Debra Vernon, VP of marketing, to a meeting between the games industry and the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Realizing an opportunity, the team at the now-entitled Infotainment World launched E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo. The industry backed E3, and Ferrell partnered with the IDSA to produce the event. It was one of the biggest trade show launches in history. E3 became a cornerstone of the gaming industry, showcasing new games, hardware, and trends to developers, publishers, and consumers. The magazine's role in the creation of E3 was a testament to its influence and importance in the industry. The magazine's editors used comic book-like avatars and monikers when reviewing games, a tradition that continued until January 2004, when the magazine changed its layout and design. The comic strip was a precursor to the magazine's later focus on the people and culture of gaming, which would become a defining feature of the publication in its later years. The magazine's history is a story of innovation, creativity, and a deep understanding of the gaming community, which would eventually lead to its decline and eventual shutdown in 2011. The magazine's editors used comic book-like avatars and monikers when reviewing games, a tradition that continued until January 2004, when the magazine changed its layout and design. The comic strip was a precursor to the magazine's later focus on the people and culture of gaming, which would become a defining feature of the publication in its later years. The magazine's history is a story of innovation, creativity, and a deep understanding of the gaming community, which would eventually lead to its decline and eventual shutdown in 2011.
The Digital Transformation and Online Presence
GamePro.com was officially launched in 1998, updated daily, and included feature articles, news, previews, reviews, screenshots, and videos covering video games, video game hardware, and the entertainment gaming industry. The website also included user content such as forums, reviews, and blogs. In January 2010, the website was redesigned to reflect the same new editorial changes being made in the print magazine. The website was based at GamePro's headquarters in San Francisco from 1998 to 2002 and then in Oakland, California from 2002 to 2011. In February 2006, GamePro's online video channel, Games.net, launched a series of video-game related shows. The extensive online programming is geared towards an older and more mature audience. In August 2006, the GamePro online team spun off a new cheats site, GamerHelp.com. It was shortly followed by a video game information aggregation site, Games.net, and a dedicated gaming downloads site, GameDownloads.com. Under the new leadership of George Jones, GamePro magazine underwent a massive overhaul in the March 2007 issue. While losing some of the more dated elements of the magazine, the new arrangement focused on five main insertions: HD game images, more reviews and previews per issue, www.gamepro.com community showcase, user contributions, and insider news. The magazine's online presence was a key part of its identity, and it helped to establish GamePro as a trusted source of information for gamers. The magazine's editors used comic book-like avatars and monikers when reviewing games, a tradition that continued until January 2004, when the magazine changed its layout and design. The comic strip was a precursor to the magazine's later focus on the people and culture of gaming, which would become a defining feature of the publication in its later years. The magazine's history is a story of innovation, creativity, and a deep understanding of the gaming community, which would eventually lead to its decline and eventual shutdown in 2011.
The Final Years and the End of an Era
GamePro ended monthly publication after over 22 years with its October 2011 issue. Shortly after that issue, the magazine changed to GamePro Quarterly, which was a quarterly publication using higher quality paper stock as well as being larger and thicker than all of the previous standard magazine issues. GamePro Quarterly hit newsstands within the first half of November 2011. The quarterly endeavor lasted for only one issue before being scrapped. On November 30, it was announced that GamePro as a magazine and a website would be shutting down on the 5th of December 2011. GamePro then became part of the PC World website as a small section of the site covering the latest video games, run by the PC World staff. The magazine's history is a story of innovation, creativity, and a deep understanding of the gaming community, which would eventually lead to its decline and eventual shutdown in 2011. The magazine's editors used comic book-like avatars and monikers when reviewing games, a tradition that continued until January 2004, when the magazine changed its layout and design. The comic strip was a precursor to the magazine's later focus on the people and culture of gaming, which would become a defining feature of the publication in its later years. The magazine's history is a story of innovation, creativity, and a deep understanding of the gaming community, which would eventually lead to its decline and eventual shutdown in 2011. The magazine's editors used comic book-like avatars and monikers when reviewing games, a tradition that continued until January 2004, when the magazine changed its layout and design. The comic strip was a precursor to the magazine's later focus on the people and culture of gaming, which would become a defining feature of the publication in its later years. The magazine's history is a story of innovation, creativity, and a deep understanding of the gaming community, which would eventually lead to its decline and eventual shutdown in 2011.