''Computer Games Magazine'' was a monthly
computer and console gaming print
magazine
A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...
, founded in October 1988 as the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
publication ''Games International''. During its history, it was known variously as ''Strategy Plus'' (October 1990, Issue 1
) and ''Computer Games Strategy Plus'',
but changed its name to ''Computer Games Magazine'' after its purchase by
theGlobe.com.
By April 2007, it held the record for the second-longest-running print magazine dedicated exclusively to computer games, behind ''
Computer Gaming World''.
In 1998 and 2000, it was the United States' third-largest magazine in this field.
History
The magazine's original editor-in-chief, Brian Walker, sold ''Strategy Plus'' to the United States retail chain Chips & Bits in 1991. Based in
Vermont
Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provin ...
and owned by Tina and Yale Brozen, Chips & Bits retitled ''Strategy Plus'' to ''Computer Games Strategy Plus'' after the purchase.
Its circulation rose to around 130,000 monthly copies by the mid-1990s.
By 1998, ''Computer Games Strategy Plus'' was the United States' third-largest computer game magazine, with a circulation of 184,299. According to editor-in-chief Steve Bauman, this number rose to 220,000 in 1999.
Chips & Bits was purchased by
theGlobe.com in January 2000,
alongside ''Computer Games Strategy Plus'' and its publishing division, Strategy Plus, Inc.
By March 2000, ''Computer Games'' circulation had reached 240,000 copies; roughly 300,000 units of each issue were printed per month. It remained the United States' third-biggest computer game magazine by that date, according to Yale Brozen, and the publication's Ed Mitchell estimated that it was Vermont's largest magazine in any field. Its official website, cdmag.com, averaged one million unique visits per month by early 2000.
The magazine experienced major growth during 2000: tracking firm
BPA International recorded its average circulation from July-December as 374,576 copies, while the December issue rose to 450,515. ''Computer Games Magazine'' was subsequently redesigned, starting from its June 2001 issue.
''Computer Games Magazine'' launched a sister publication, ''
MMO Games Magazine'', in 2006.
On March 13, 2007, both publications were shut down by theGlobe.com, after that company was hit with a multimillion-dollar judgement in a lawsuit resulting from the
e-mail spam of
MySpace.
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References
{{Reflist
External links
''Computer Games'' content from 1996–2001
''MMO Games Magazine'' website
''Greek Computer Games Magazine'' website & gaming news portal
''Computer Games Magazine for Mexico'' website
Defunct computer magazines published in the United States
Home computer magazines
Magazines established in 1988
Magazines disestablished in 2007
Video game magazines published in the United States
Magazines published in Vermont
Magazines published in Florida