Game Players
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Game Players was a monthly video game magazine, originally called Game Player's, that was active from 1988 - 1998. It was published by Imagine Media, now part of Future Publishing.
The magazine was noted for the zany, wacky humor that pervaded almost every videogame review and image caption. Readers' letters came at the beginning of the magazine and were often one of the highlights of the magazine. The magazine often included a "newsletter" with irreverant jokes about magazine staffers and cartoons.
In 1996, the magazine changed its name to Ultra Game Players and introduced a radically different format. The introduction of Ultra Game Players was intended to coincide with the release of the Nintendo 64 and Super Mario 64. (Originally, the Nintendo 64 went by the name Nintendo Ultra 64)
Ultra Game Players featured a more modern design with a redesigned layout that placed readers' letters at the end of the magazine. One of the interesting features of Ultra Game Players was a "prize store" in which readers answered trivia questions for chances to win prizes. However, many readers complained that the humor that had made Game Players such an enjoyable magazine was missing from the Ultra version. Ultra Game Players continued until June 1998, at which point it was replaced by Game Buyer. Game Buyer ran for four more months before being cancelled by Imagine Publishing.
Former magazine Editor in Chief Chris Slate is now Editor in Chief at Playstation Magazine ("PSM"), another Future publication. Bill Donohue, formerly of Game Players, is also at PSM. Francesca Reyes, formerly of Game Players, is now Editor in Chief at Official XBOX Magazine, another Future publication.
