The story behind Retro Gamer’s type-in game

Retro Gamer magazine celebrated its 100th issue recently, with an utterly fantastic double-release.

Highlights included a Sonic ‘Making of’ with Yuji Naka, an interview with David Braben about Elite, a fascinating technical piece by David Crane on how he made the Atari 2600 do impossible things, plus a full reprinted magazine of the rare-as-hen’s teeth RG issue 1.

Oh, and a type-in game.

What?

Now, a “Retro Gamer double shot” on Gabe FM…

Last month, I spent 2 weeks playing a classic arcade game to death. All I can tell you about it – is its genre. It’s another shmup (shoot ’em up). I played 5 of the game’s home ports, took screenshots galore, searched for obscure trivia…

And my latest “Why you must play…” appears in Retro Gamer’s August 2009 edition, which has just started arriving in Northern hemisphere letterboxes and newsagents.

Its pointless or the most important thing in the world.

Early last year, I decided that merely playing videogames wasn’t enough. I wanted to write about them too.

I flew interstate for a big gaming expo and attended my first gaming press conference. I interviewed one of gaming’s great pioneers, and met a nice freelancer in the hallway. I wrote many articles on the same story – tweeking them slightly for each publication. But then the polite rejection emails started arriving. I got “stuffed around” by an Aussie editor who ran hot ‘n’ cold. Things weren’t looking good.

My Retro Gamer website reviews

Retro Gamer is the world’s only magazine dedicated to old-school videogames. In August last year, they launched a new (much more interactive) website, including a user review section (Cryptically titled “Retrobates”).

Losing my “magazine article virginity”

I write all day at work (I’m a “radio creative” aka “I write radio ads”) but late last year, I felt the need to write about something else after hours.

The topic?
Pineapples.
No, no…  videogames.   Sorry.

And the one place I really, really wanted to get published was Retro Gamer.
(More after the jump)