Bill Kunkel (July 21, 1950 – September 4, 2011) was a graphic novelist as well as pioneering

professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...

and

video game journalist Video game journalism (also called games journalism or video game criticism) is a specialized branch of journalism that covers various aspects of video games, including game reviews, industry news, and player culture, typically following a core ...

and

critic A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as Art criticism, art, Literary criticism, literature, Music journalism, music, Film criticism, cinema, Theater criticism, theater, Fas ...

from the 1970s until his death in the early 2010s. During his time working with the video game industry, Kunkel authored numerous strategy guides, co-designed several video games, served as an

expert witness An expert witness, particularly in common law countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States, is a person whose opinion by virtue of education, training, certification, skills or experience, is accepted by the judge as ...

in three court cases, and taught courses in Game Design for the

University of Nevada, Las Vegas The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the ...

(UNLV). Kunkel served as the executive editor of ''

Electronic Games ''Electronic Games'' was the first dedicated video game magazine published in the United States and ran from October 15, 1981, to 1997 under different titles. It was co-founded by Bill Kunkel, Joyce Worley, and Arnie Katz. History The h ...

Magazine'' and the editor-in-chief of ''

Tips & Tricks ''Tips & Tricks'' was a monthly video game magazine devoted to the subjects of video game cheat codes, strategy guides and lifestyle content. Unlike most video game magazines, it did not include critical reviews of video games and was not a pr ...

'' magazine, writing columns and comics for several magazines and game sites. He often wrote under nicknames, the most common of which were "The Game Doctor" (for video game topics), and "Potshot" (for professional wrestling topics).

Graphic novels and zines

Coming from a professional music background in the 1960s, Kunkel met and became friends with fan newsletter/

fanzine A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleas ...

writers Arnie Katz and

Joyce Worley ''Video'' is a discontinued American consumer electronics magazine that was published from 1977 to 1999 by Reese Communications with a focus on video and audio devices. The magazine showcases new audiovisual products, analyzes current practices a ...

in 1971 in New York City. Katz and Worley hosted monthly

science fiction fanzine A science-fiction fanzine is an amateur or semi-professional magazine published by members of science-fiction fandom, from the 1930s to the present day. They were one of the earliest forms of fanzine, within one of which the term "''fanzine''" ...

parties at their apartment and these were attended by several notable figures in the fanzine and comic scenes. At one of these parties, Kunkel met

Denny O'Neil Dennis "Denny" Joseph O'Neil (May 3, 1939 – June 11, 2020) was an American comic book writer and editor, principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics from the 1960s through the 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of titles until h ...

and their friendship led to Kunkel writing comics for DC,

Marvel Marvel may refer to: Business * Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company ** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment ** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe ** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics ...

, and Harvey.Williams, Carl.
The Game Doctor Is In...
. RetroMags.com. 31 May 2009. Kunkel wrote several comic book stories which were published by

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

in 1977–1978 including ''

Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/Comic anthology, magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as Detective Comics Inc., which later merged into National ...

'', "

Madame Xanadu Madame Xanadu (Nimue Inwudu) is a fictional character published by DC Comics. The character is identified with Nimue, the sorceress from Arthurian mythology made popular by Sir Thomas Malory's ''Le Morte d'Arthur''. Jeryl Prescott portrays X ...

" in ''Doorway to Nightmare'', and "

Vigilante Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating, and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority. A vigilante is a person who practices or partakes in vigilantism, or undertakes public safety and retributive justice ...

" in ''

World's Finest Comics ''World's Finest Comics'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1941 to 1986. The series was initially titled ''World's Best Comics'' for its first issue; issue #2 (Summer 1941) switched to the more familiar name. Michael ...

''. At

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

, he wrote two issues of ''

Marvel Team-Up ''Marvel Team-Up'' is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series featured two or more Marvel characters in one story. The series was originally published from March 1972 through February 1985, and featured Spider-Man as ...

'' in 1978–1979. By the late 1970s, Kunkel's freelancing efforts for Harvey had led to his becoming the primary scripter for the '' Richie Rich'' comics.

Professional wrestling journalism

Alongside his work with comics, Kunkel also worked during the 1970s in the niche field of professional wrestling journalism and became known as a ground-breaking wrestling journalist. Working in collaboration with Arnie Katz, Joyce Worley, and his wife Charlene, Kunkel edited, published, and served as photographer for ''Main Event'' magazineKunkel, Bill; Meikle, Betty A.; ''WWF: Warzone 64''. Acclaim Books, 1998. .Kohler, Chris.
Bill Kunkel, Original Gaming Journalist, Dies at 61
. ''

Wired Wired may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''Wired'' (Jeff Beck album), 1976 * ''Wired'' (Hugh Cornwell album), 1993 * ''Wired'' (Mallory Knox album), 2017 * "Wired", a song by Prism from their album '' Beat Street'' * "Wired ...

''. 6 September 2011 and hosted weekly broadcasts of ''The Main Event Radio Show'' from New York.Thomas, Donald A. Jr. "World Of Atari Convention Las Vegas 1998 - Program". 21 August 1998. (Available via

Archive.org The Internet Archive is an American non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including websites, software applic ...

br>here
. ''Main Event'' was

mimeograph A mimeograph machine (often abbreviated to mimeo, sometimes called a stencil duplicator or stencil machine) is a low-cost duplicating machine that works by forcing ink through a stencil onto paper. The process is called mimeography, and a co ...

ed in the apartment of Katz and Worley, and sold through WWWF concession stands at prominent East Coast venues including

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

and The Philly Spectrum.Fulton, Steve.
Electronic Games: The Arnie Katz Interview
. ''

Gamasutra ''Game Developer'' (known as ''Gamasutra'' until 2021) is a website created in 1997 that focuses on aspects of video game development. It is owned and operated by Informa TechTarget and acted as the online sister publication to the print maga ...

''. 28 December 2009. Kunkel soon became a "must-read" columnist and played a key part during the early days of ''Pro Wrestling Torch'' in turning the small newsletter into a wrestling newsletter powerhouse. Adopting the moniker, "Potshot", Kunkel later moved to ''Wrestling Perspective'' as a featured columnist and cartoonist. Along with the Phantom of the Ring, Kunkel's work for ''Wrestling Perspective'' attracted respect and prestige to the publication. During the late 1980s, Kunkel co-designed the first professional WWF-based wrestling video game, ''

MicroLeague Wrestling ''MicroLeague Wrestling'' is a professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrest ...

'' (C64, Subway Software), and in 1989 he co-hosted a local Las Vegas professional wrestling radio show with Ric "Hotline" Carter.

Video game journalism

Discovering common interests in the then-nascent video game industry, Kunkel, Katz and Worley approached ''

Video Video is an Electronics, electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving picture, moving image, visual Media (communication), media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, whi ...

'' editor, Bruce Apar in 1978 about writing a video game column for his magazine. Apar agreed and " Arcade Alley" was launched that Spring,Federico, Chris.
A Lifetime to Master - An Interview with Bill Kunkel
. ''Orphaned Computer & Game Systems''. 14 June 2002. with Katz writing under the pseudonym "Frank T. Laney II". Although ''Video'' publisher, Jay Rosenfield (of Reese Publishing Co.) had initial concerns over whether there was sufficient reader interest to justify Arcade Alley, the column proved to be of significant interest to readers. Working in direct consultation with game designers, Kunkel, Katz (who began writing under his real name starting in April 1982), and Worley popularized the new "sport" of "electronic gamesmanship",Apar, Bruce. "Switch On! - A Message to Readers of E.G." ''

''. Vol.1, No.1. Winter 1981. and by 1981 they had secured the blessing of Rosenfield to launch a new magazine under Reese Publishing that would be entirely dedicated to video games. The first issue of ''

'', and first dedicated

video game magazine Video game journalism (also called games journalism or video game criticism) is a specialized branch of journalism that covers various aspects of video games, including game reviews, industry news, and player culture, typically following a core ...

published in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, was released in October 1981. Bill Kunkel was the executive editor of ''

Magazine'' in the early 1980s. Kunkel was also editor-in-chief of ''

'' magazine from January 2007 until August 2007 when it ceased publication. Following staff cuts at Reese Publications in 1984–1985, Kunkel left Reese to join his two lifelong friends, Arnie Katz and Joyce Worley (who had both been

laid off A layoff or downsizing is the temporary suspension or permanent termination of employment of an employee or, more commonly, a group of employees (collective layoff) for business reasons, such as personnel management or downsizing an organization ...

) and formed

Katz Kunkel Worley, Inc. Bill Kunkel (July 21, 1950 – September 4, 2011) was a graphic novelist as well as pioneering professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely ...

(KKW) to focus on journalistic content, and Subway Software to focus on game design. Kunkel's nickname, "The Game Doctor", was based on a column he wrote for several magazines (including both versions of ''

'', ''

VG&CE ''VideoGames & Computer Entertainment'' (abbreviated as ''VG&CE'') was an American magazine dedicated to covering video games on computers, home consoles and arcades. It was published by LFP, Inc. from the late 1988 until the mid-1990s. Offe ...

'', '' EGM'', and '' CGW'') and game sites (including

HappyPuppy.com Jennifer Diane Reitz (born December 30, 1959) is an American writer, webcomic author, and game designer. She is known for the website Happy Puppy, which she opened with her partners, Stephen P. Lepisto and Sandra Woodruff, and with whom she create ...

, PostalNation.net and J2Games.com). Kunkel remained active in the industry until his death, having served as editor-in-chief of ''Tips & Tricks'' during its final year of publication (2007). He continued to be active as a member of Running With Scissors and EIC of Postal Nation (PostalNation.net) and wrote regularly for J2Games.com. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the

Classic Gaming Expo Classic Gaming Expo was a gaming convention dedicated to the people, systems and games of the past, with an emphasis on old video games. The Expo was founded in 1999 by John Hardie, Sean Kelly and Keita Iida, In 2000, Joe Santulli replaced Iida as ...

in 1999 along with the other co-founders of the original ''Electronic Games'' magazine, Arnie Katz and Joyce Worley-Katz. The trio revived the ''Electronic Games'' title for several years in the early 1990s for Sendai/Decker. Dubbed "The Grandfather of

video game journalism Video game journalism (also called games journalism or video game criticism) is a specialized branch of journalism that covers various aspects of video games, including game reviews, industry news, and player culture, typically following a core ...

", Kunkel wrote numerous retrospective "memoir pieces" for DigitPress as an irregular series entitled "The Kunkel Report" (a reference to one of Kunkel's columns by the same name in ''Electronic Games''), and for GoodDealGames.com. In articles like these Kunkel detailed his role in the video game industry from its earliest years, discussed his decision to testify on behalf of smaller video game companies in lawsuits against larger corporations, and described the difficult task of maintaining journalistic integrity and critical neutrality in the face of lucrative investment opportunities such as the offer by

Steve Case Stephen McConnell Case (born August 21, 1958) is an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist best known as the former chief executive officer and chairman of America Online (AOL). Case joined AOL's predecessor company, Quantum Compu ...

to invest in

AOL AOL (formerly a company known as AOL Inc. and originally known as America Online) is an American web portal and online service provider based in New York City, and a brand marketed by Yahoo! Inc. The service traces its history to an online ...

precursor

Quantum Link Quantum Link (or Q-Link) was an American and Canadian online service for the Commodore 64 and 128 personal computers that operated starting November 5, 1985. It was operated by Quantum Computer Services of Vienna, Virginia, which later beca ...

that Kunkel (who was reviewing software for the

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in ...

) was forced to turn down in order to maintain credibility as a journalist.Fulton, Steve.
The Game Doctor Confesses to GamerDad
. GamerDad.com. 1 January 2006. (reprinte
at 8BitRocket.com
an
at Gamasutra
.Williams, Carl.

. RetroMags.com. 31 May 2009. These retrospective articles were subsequently collected and published in 2005 as a

memoir A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based on the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autob ...

under the title ''Confessions of The Game Doctor''. The

Society of Professional Journalists The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is the oldest organization representing journalists in the United States. It was established on April 17, 1909, at DePauw University,2009 SPJ Annual Report, lette ...

honored Kunkel's role in the industry by naming their video game journalism awards the

Kunkel Awards The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is the oldest organization representing journalists in the United States. It was established on April 17, 1909, at DePauw University,2009 SPJ Annual Report, letter ...

.SPJ.org
/ref>

Video game design

In the mid-80s, subsequent to their departure from Reese Publications, Kunkel formed Subway Software with Arnie Katz and Joyce Worley and provided design for over 15 video games.Slotnik, Daniel E.

. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. 9 September 2011. *'' Borrowed Time'' (1985) *''

'' (1987) *''

The Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short-subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical, farce, and slapstick comedy. Six total ...

'' (1987) - Kunkel credited separately for Game Manual and Documentation *'' Ringling Bros. Circus Games'' (1988) *'' Star Trek: First Contact'' (1988) *'' 1st Person Pinball'' (1989) *''

Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), better known as Buffalo Bill, was an American soldier, Bison hunting, bison hunter, and showman. One of the most famous figures of the American Old West, Cody started his legend at t ...

'' (1989) *''

Mayday Squad Mayday is an emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice-procedure radio communications. It is used to signal a life-threatening emergency primarily by aviators and mariners, but in some countries local organiza ...

'' (1989) *'' MicroLeague Baseball II'' (1989) *'' Roller Coaster Rumbler'' (1989) *'' Superman: The Man of Steel'' (1989) *''

Beverly Hills Cop ''Beverly Hills Cop'' is a 1984 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Martin Brest, with a screenplay by Daniel Petrie Jr., and story by Danilo Bach and Daniel Petrie Jr. It stars Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, a street-smart Det ...

'' (1990) *''

Omnicron Conspiracy ''Omnicron Conspiracy'' is a 1989 video game published by Epyx in the United States and by Image Works in the UK and German markets. Gameplay ''Omnicron Conspiracy'' is a game in which a graphic adventure stars the intergalactic police office ...

'' (1990) *''Orb-3D'' (1990) *''

Bart's Nightmare ''The Simpsons: Bart's Nightmare'' is a 1992 video game developed by United States, American company Sculptured Software based on the television show ''The Simpsons''. The game, split into two parts, follows Bart on the street, trying to find his ...

'' (1992) *''

Batman Returns ''Batman Returns'' is a 1992 American superhero film directed by Tim Burton and written by Daniel Waters (screenwriter), Daniel Waters. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is the sequel to ''Batman (1989 film), Batman'' (1989) and th ...

'' (1992) - Kunkel credited separately for Game Design *''

Blood Bowl ''Blood Bowl'' is a miniatures board game created by Jervis Johnson for the British games company Games Workshop as a parody of American football. The game was first released in 1986 and has been re-released in new editions since. ''Blood ...

'' (1995) - Kunkel given Special Thanks *'' Postal'' (1997) - Kunkel credited separately for Story and Cutscene Text *''

Earth & Beyond ''Earth & Beyond'' was a science fiction massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Westwood Studios and published by Electronic Arts (EA). The game was released in September 2002 in the United States. EA shut down ''E ...

'' (2002) - Kunkel credited separately as a Writer

Expert witness

Kunkel's credentials as an expert in the field of video games was recognized in three US court cases from the early 1980s to the mid-1990s, where Kunkel served as an

in three seminal video game copyright cases:Thomasson, Michael.
Interview: Bill Kunkel
. GoodDealGames.com. Accessed 24 April 2015. *''

Atari, Inc. v. North American Philips Consumer Electronics Corp. ''Atari, Inc. v. North American Philips Consumer Electronics Corp.'', 672 F.2d 607 (7th Cir. 1982), is one of the first legal cases applying copyright law to video games, barring sales of the game '' K.C. Munchkin!'' for its similarities to ''P ...

'' - Kunkel testified that

Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), simply branded Philips, is a Dutch multinational health technology company that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, its world headquarters have been situated in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarter ...

K.C. Munchkin ''K.C. Munchkin!'', released in Europe as ''Munchkin'', is a maze game for the Magnavox Odyssey 2. Its North American title is an inside reference to then president of Philips Consumer Electronics, Kenneth C. Menkin. Designed and programmed by ...

'' was a significantly different game from

Atari Atari () is a brand name that has been owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by French holding company Atari SA (formerly Infogrames) and its focus is on "video games, consumer hardware, licensing and bl ...

's ''

Pac-Man ''Pac-Man,'' originally called in Japan, is a 1980 maze video game developed and published by Namco for arcades. In North America, the game was released by Midway Manufacturing as part of its licensing agreement with Namco America. The pla ...

''—evidence suggesting that a copyright violation by Philips had not occurred. *'' Lewis Galoob Toys, Inc. v. Nintendo of America, Inc.'' - Kunkel provided dollar estimates for the amount of damage

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...

had done to

Galoob Lewis Galoob Toys, Inc., was a toy company headquartered in South San Francisco, California. They are best known for creating Micro Machines, which accounted for 50% of its sales in 1989, and distributing the Game Genie in the United States. Hi ...

enjoin An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a special court order compelling a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. It was developed by the English courts of equity but its origins go back to Roman law and the equitable ...

ing the release of the

Game Genie The Game Genie was a line of Video game accessory, video game accessories that allowed players to alter codes transmitted between ROM cartridge, game cartridges and a video game console, known informally as a cheat cartridge. Developed by Codemas ...

cheat cartridge Cheating in video games involves a video game player using various methods to create an advantage beyond normal gameplay, usually in order to make the game easier. Cheats may be activated from within the game itself (a cheat code implemented by ...

until after the 1990 Christmas shopping season. *'' Capcom U.S.A., Inc. v. Data East Corp.'' - Kunkel testified that

Data East , also abbreviated as DECO, was a Japanese video game, pinball and electronic engineering company. The company was in operation from 1976 to 2003, and released 150 video game titles. At one time, the company had annual sales of 20 billion yen in ...

's ''

Fighter's History is a series of fighting games that were produced by Data East during the 1990s. The original '' Fighter's History'' was first released for the arcades in 1993 and ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994. Two different sequels ...

'' was significantly different from

Capcom is a Japanese video game company. It has created a number of critically acclaimed and List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil'', ''Monster ...

's ''

Street Fighter II is a 1991 fighting game developed and published by Capcom for arcade game, arcades. It is the second installment in the ''Street Fighter'' series and the sequel to 1987's ''Street Fighter (video game), Street Fighter''. Designed by Yoshiki O ...

''—evidence suggesting that a copyright violation by Data East had not occurred.

References

External links

Bill Kunkel Bio
at

(archived via

Wayback Machine The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by Internet Archive, an American nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California. Launched for public access in 2001, the service allows users to go "back in ...

)
Bill Kunkel Bio
at WrestlingPerspective.com
Katz-Kunkel-Worley Journalistic Archive Gallery
at Videogame History Museum
The Game Doctor
forum at J2Games.com (archived via

)
The Kunkel Report
at DigitPress.com * Thomasson, Michael (Oct. 2000).

. GoodDealGames.com. * Stilphen, Scott (2000).

. DigitPress.com. * * Federico, Chris (14 June 2002).

. ''Orphaned Computer & Game Systems''. * Fulton, Steve (1 January 2006).
The Game Doctor Confesses to GamerDad
. GamerDad.com. (reprinte
at 8BitRocket.com
an
at Gamasutra
. * Williams, Carl. (31 May 2009)
The Game Doctor Is In... (going Live At 7 Pm Central Time)
. RetroMags.com.
2002 Classic Gaming Expo keynote
(audio, with some pictures)

(audio only)
2007 Classic Gaming Expo keynote
(video)
2008 DigitPress keynote
(video) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kunkel, Bill 1950 births 2011 deaths American comics writers American critics American magazine editors Video game critics Video game writers