PC Gamer is a magazine founded in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future Publishing. A personal computer Game (also known as a computer game or simply PC game) is a Video game played on a Personal computer, rather Future plc ( is an international special-interest media company jointly based in Bath and London The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games magazines in their respective countries. ^[1][2] The magazine features news on developments in the video game industry, previews of new games, and reviews of the latest popular PC games, along with other features relating to hardware, mods, "classic" games and various other topics. The video game industry (formally referred to as Interactive entertainment) is the economic sector involved with the development, Marketing

Review system

PC Gamer reviews are written by the magazine's editors and freelance writers, and rate games on a percent scale. In the US edition, no game has yet received a rating higher than 98% (Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, Half-Life 2, and Crysis), while the UK edition has never awarded more than 96% (Civilization II, Half-Life, Half-Life 2 and Quake II). Half-Life 2 is a Science fiction First-person shooter computer game and the sequel to the highly acclaimed Half-Life CRYSIS is an acronym for CRY ogenic S tockholm I on S ource CRYSIS is an Ion source of EBIS type and is located in Stockholm Sid Meier's Civilization II, aka Civ II, is a Turn-based strategy Computer game designed by Brian Reynolds Half-Life 2 is a Science fiction First-person shooter computer game and the sequel to the highly acclaimed Half-Life Quake II, released on December 9 1997, is a First person shooter computer game developed by Id Software and distributed

In the UK edition, the lowest numerical score was 2%, awarded to Big Brother 1. The sequel, Big Brother 2, was given an even lower score of N/A%, the review explaining they "put as much effort into reviewing it as they did in making the game". N/A or n/a is a common abbreviation for not available or not applicable, used to indicate the deliberate omission of information from a table or listing In the US edition, the lowest score awarded was 4%, given to Mad Dog McCree, unseating the previously lowest-rated game, Skydive!, given 5%. Mad Dog McCree is the first Live-action Laserdisc video game released by American Laser Games.

Editions

There are two main editions of PC Gamer, a British version and an American version, both are published by Future Publishing. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Future plc ( is an international special-interest media company jointly based in Bath and London Founded in the United Kingdom in November 1993, the American sister version was launched a year later in December 1994. Events March &mdash In Sweden, the Swedish Video game Magazine Super PLAY (SP starts Events 1994 &mdash Nintendo calls this year "1994 The Year of the Cartridge" ^[1]

There are also numerous local editions that mainly use the materials of one of the two editions, typically the British one, including a Malaysian and Russian edition. For the biogeographical region see Malesia Malaysia (məˈleɪʒə or /məˈleɪziə/ is a country that consists of thirteen states and Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending The Swedish edition, though rooted in its UK counterpart, has grown to be more independent, largely due to the immense popularity of PC games compared to console games in Sweden, and now produces most of its own material. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. An Australian edition was published monthly by Perth-based Conspiracy Publishing since August 1998, but it appears to have been discontinued in mid-late 2004. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. Events Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts 1st Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintendo

Both American and British magazines are published thirteen times per year (twice in December),^[1] although there are sometimes variations.

PC Gamer UK

PC Gamer (UK)
Cover of PCG183, January 2008
Editor	Ross Atherton
Staff writers	Staff writers Tim Edwards Graham Smith Tony Ellis Craig Pearson Tom Francis Richard Cobbett Jon Hicks Jim Rossignol John Walker Alec Meer Matt Avery Chris Buxton Michael Gapper Kieron Gillen Mike Channell Tim Stone Adam Oxford Quintin Smith Duncan Harris Drew Northcott David Lyttleton
Categories	Games magazine
Frequency	Every four weeks, 13 per year
Circulation	38,654 ABC (July - December 2007) [3]
Publisher	James Binns
First issue	December 1993[1]
Company	Future Publishing Ltd
Country	United Kingdom
Based In	Bath, Somerset
Language	English
Website	http://www.pcgamer.co.uk/

Magazine

The British edition of PC Gamer has been in constant monthly publication since 1993. Kieron Gillen (born 30 September 1975) is a British computer games and Music Journalist, as well as a Comic book Duncan Harris (born September 5, 1982) is an improvisational author of many role-playing modules and books This is an incomplete list of games magazines. The year of first publication (and closure if applicable is given in parentheses This is a list of magazines by overall circulation. A Magazine 's circulation is the number of copies it distributes on average for each issue The Audit Bureau of Circulations ( ABC) of North America is a not-for-profit circulation-auditing organization Future plc ( is an international special-interest media company jointly based in Bath and London The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Bath is a city in Somerset in the south west of England It is situated west of London and south-east of Bristol. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Gary "Gaz" Whitta (born July 21 1972) is an English Screenwriter, Author, game designer and video games journalist Subscribers get a special edition of the magazine with no headlines on the front cover (only the masthead, BBFC rating and barcode). The British Board of Film Classification ( BBFC) originally British Board of Film Censors, is the organisation responsible for Film, DVD

Almost exclusively devoted to PC games, the magazine has a reputation for giving in-depth reviews. ^[6]

The magazine originally shipped with an accompanying 3. 5-inch (89 mm) floppy disk. A floppy disk is an increasingly Obsolete data storage medium that is composed of a disk of thin flexible ("floppy" Magnetic storage medium encased A CD demo disc (labelled CD Gamer) was released alongside the floppy disk edition from issue 11 onwards with the first CD Gamer containing all the content from the previous 10 issues' floppy disks. A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio A game demo is an often but not always freely distributed demonstration or preview of an upcoming or recently released computer or video game. The single CD was later expanded to two CDs.

An edition with a 9 GB DVD known as DVD Gamer ran alongside the 2CD edition for a couple of years, until production of the CD Gamer edition ceased as of issue 162. A gigabyte (derived from the SI prefix Giga-) is a unit of Information or Computer DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is The UK Edition now only comes with a single double-sided DVD.

Regular features

The magazine has many regular features which make up each edition of the magazine. These include sections called Eyewitness, Previews, Cables, where letters from the readers are spread over 2 two page spreads, at least one special feature, which reports on gaming related issues such as the effect of PC gaming on the environment, a review section which reviews the latest released PC games and re-reviews titles that have been released on budget and "Extra Life" which reports on modding games and gaming culture and revisiting old games. There is also a Systems section, which reviews and recommends hardware such as video cards and monitors. The back page of the magazine is entitled "It's All Over" and usually consists of game related artwork such as a version of dali's The Persistence of Memory featuring items from Portal. Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech 1st Marquis of Púbol (May 11 1904 &ndash January 23 1989 was a Spanish Catalan Surrealist La persistencia de la memoria ( 1931) or The Persistence of Memory is the most famous Painting by artist Salvador Dalí Portal is a Single-player first-person action / puzzle Video game developed by Valve Corporation. ^[7] For a time, one of the magazine's features, Gamer Snap, where amusing pictures sent in by readers were printed in the magazine, however the feature was discontinued and replaced with a "guess the game" where readers sent in drawings of memorable scenes in video games drawn in Microsoft paint. Paint (formerly Paintbrush for Windows) is a simple graphics painting program that has been included with almost all versions of Microsoft Windows since

Blog

The PC Gamer blog was started to coincide with the transfer of the PC Gamer UK site to become part of the Computer and Video Games network which incorporates all of Future Publishing's gaming magazines. The move brought some controversy, with many long standing members of the forum leaving due to the new forum's cramped spacing, advertising and lack of user avatars. The introduction of a blog was seen as one of the redeeming features of the switch. The blog has since been regularly updated with contributions from many of the magazine's staff. The topics discussed range from the controversy over violent video games, to the benefits of buying a PC over a console.

Podcast

The PC Gamer UK podcast was started on the 4 May 2007. Events 1256 - The Augustinian monastic order is constituted at the Lecceto Monastery when Pope Alexander IV Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. It is hosted by Ross Atherton with regulars Tim Edwards and Tom Francis contributing. There is a fourth spot filled by one of John Walker, Kieron Gillen, Craig Pearson, Quintin Smith, Jon Hicks or Jim Rossignol. Kieron Gillen (born 30 September 1975) is a British computer games and Music Journalist, as well as a Comic book It is normally released a week before the release of the magazine each month, and can usually be found on the magazine's DVD in the "resources" section. The podcast starts with the PC game charts and goes on to discuss features in the current issue and gaming news. There is a running joke revolving around word play of the The Sims 2: Seasons, which was consistently in the charts, with questions being posed such as: "What is your favourite season?", or "What is your favourite seasoning?". The Sims 2 Seasons is the fifth Expansion pack in The Sims 2 series of games. However, since The Sims 2: Seasons moved out of the charts, the joke has stopped, but Tim Edwards joked "What's your favourite Bon-bon?" to coincide with the The Sims 2: Bon Voyage being released and taking the number one spot in the Charts. The Sims 2 Bon Voyage is the sixth Expansion pack released in The Sims 2 series of PC games. With each new expansion pack in the charts, there is generally another pun based around the name.

PC Gamer US

PC Gamer (US)
Editor in Chief	Kristen Salvatore
Categories	Games magazine
Frequency	Monthly
First issue	December 1994[1]
Company	Future US
Country	United States
Language	English
Website	www.pcgamer.com

Magazine

The American edition of PC Gamer launched in 1994. This is an incomplete list of games magazines. The year of first publication (and closure if applicable is given in parentheses Future US (formerly Imagine Media and The Future Network USA is a United States media corporation specializing in targeted Magazines The United States of America —commonly referred to as the English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Gary "Gaz" Whitta (born July 21 1972) is an English Screenwriter, Author, game designer and video games journalist

In 1999, Future publishing, then known as Imagine media, purchased rival magazine PC Games and merged its staff into the magazine. ^[9]

According to a 2005 study, subscribers to the magazine are overwhelmingly male (97%), and make up over two thirds of the magazine's readership. ^[2]

Demo disk

Similarly to the British edition, the magazine ships with a demo disk, though diskless versions are available. A game demo is an often but not always freely distributed demonstration or preview of an upcoming or recently released computer or video game. The CDs are replaced by DVDs in the American edition on a month-to-month basis.

When PC games with full motion video (FMV) sequences were popular in the mid-to-late 1990s, PC Gamer's CD-ROM included elaborate FMV sequences featuring one of their editors. Full motion video based games, usually abbreviated as FMV-based games, are Video games that rely upon pre-recorded TV -quality movie or To access the features of the CD, including the demos, patches and reviews, the user had to navigate a 'basement', which played very much like classic PC games such as Myst. See also Critic. A review is an evaluation of a publication such as a movie, Video game, Musical composition Myst is a graphic adventure Video game designed and directed by the brothers Robyn and Rand Miller. It was in this game sequence that the magazine's mascot, Coconut Monkey, was introduced just as the editor was leaving the magazine, marking the transition from the FMV demo CDs to the more contemporary menu driven demo CDs that they use today.

Coconut Monkey

Coconut Monkey is the mascot for the US edition. The term mascot – defined as a term for any person animal or object thought to bring Luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common He was created by founding editor Matt Firme, and modeled after a Bermudan tourist trinket. Coconut Monkey appears in the pages of the magazine, and has occasionally provided commentary on demo discs included with the magazine. The Coconut Monkey appears in a number of game mods. Mod or modification is a term generally applied to Computer games especially First-person shooters RPGs and Real-time strategy games

The Coconut Monkey is often used to parody vaporware by advertising the unreleased game Gravy Trader, which has been given a 101% score on some of the review disks. A parody (ˈpɛɹədiː US, [ˈpaɹədiː] UK) in contemporary usage is a work created to mock comment on or poke fun at an original work its subject Vaporware is a somewhat derogatory term used to describe a Software or Hardware product that is announced by a developer well in advance of release but which then

Podcast

The PC Gamer US podcast started in August 2005, and is hosted variously by attendance, and produced by Andy Bauman. A podcast is a series of audio or Video digital-media files which is distributed over the Internet by syndicated Download Regular contributors include Logan Decker, Dan Stapleton, Gary Whitta, and Kristen Salvatore. Gary "Gaz" Whitta (born July 21 1972) is an English Screenwriter, Author, game designer and video games journalist Former contributors include Dan Morris, Jeremy Williams, Greg Vederman, Chuck Osbourne and Norman Chan. It is generally released weekly on Thursdays, but is subject to change when the group is too busy or forgets. The podcast celebrated its 100th episode on September 20, 2007, and was hosted by Dan Morris, who had not appeared since he left the position of EIC of PC Gamer in 2006 to become the magazine's publisher. Events 451 - The Battle of Chalons takes place in North Eastern France. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

A video podcast is also produced and features game developers discussing their newly or soon to be released games, as well as other notable figures in the gaming world. It is produced on a semi-regular basis.

Several notable guests that have appeared on the podcasts include Richard Garriot, Sid Meier, Chris Taylor, the Frag Dolls, Jens Pulver, Chris Sigaty, and Jonathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel. Richard Allen Garriott (born July 4, 1961) also known as Lord British in Ultima and General British Sidney K Meier (born February 24 1954 in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada) is an American programmer and designer of several Christopher "Chris" Taylor is a computer, board and Card game developer originally from Southern California The Frag Dolls are a group of Girl gamers recruited and employed by Ubisoft with the aim of promoting women in gaming as well as Ubisoft's games Jens Johnnie "Lil Evil" Pulver (born December 6, 1974 in Sunnyside Washington) is an American mixed martial artist (MMA Johnathan Wendel (born February 26, 1981 in Houston Texas) also known by the Pseudonym Fatal1ty, is a professional Electronic

To date, three episodes have included a gaming-themed quiz show. Introduced in episode 81 by Logan Decker, the segment is named Catfantastic after the book series of the same name. Logan, however, announced on Catfantastic II that the quiz show would be discontinued because "after two good things, it gets boring. " However, Logan hinted in later episodes that Catfantasic could return some day, and it did in episode 133.

As of episode 119, Andy Bauman has taken over as producer from Jeremy Williams, who accepted a job at Future US in South San Francisco. (While Jeremy will be working in the same office with the PC Gamer crew, his new responsibilities left him no time to continue on as podcast producer. He has hinted he may return as a contributor. ) Andy lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. Salt Lake City is the Capital and the most populous city of the U The State of Utah (ˈjuːtɔː or) is a western state of the United States.

On February 24, 2008 several PC Gamer readers and PC Gamer online community members released the first "unofficial PC Gamer podcast" episode, with the goal in mind of discussing the same issues presented on the official podcast, but with a different perspective. Events 303 - Galerius, Roman Emperor, publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Unlike the official PC Gamer podcast, the fan podcast contains a rotational cast sticking with only several of the same cast each episode.

References

External links

UK

• PC Gamer UK website
• PC Gamer UK forums
• PC Gamer UK Podcast

U. S.

• PC Gamer United States website
• PC Gamer United States forums
• PC Gamer United States Podcast
• PC Gamer United States Video Podcast
• PC Gamer Future US website