Interview: Bill Kunkel — The Game Doctor

Last week I was able to talk with Bill Kunkel about gaming and his book Confessions of the Game Doctor for a couple hours. It's an interesting read that you really shouldn't miss. Once you're done reading head on over to Rolenta Press and buy the book.

Rob Faraldi (RF): How do you think the public has taken to your book?

Bill Kunkel (BK): Well, I think the gamers, especially the folks who were between, say, 12 and 21 when the first issue of EG [Electronic Games] came out, they love it. But I haven't been able to get much mainstream coverage in terms of reviews and stuff outside the game magazines and sites. I've gotten a great personal response from the people who've read it, which is cool.

RF: Why do you think the mainstream press hasn't picked up on it? You're a pioneer! They cover the 80-year-old gamer grandma but not you? Why do you do you think that is? The 80-year gamer grandma was on Tucker Carlson last night on MSNBC.

BK: I think it's because game journalism is simply not much respected. You've got people reviewing games in Entertainment Weekly and Rolling Stone, but beyond a really nice review in his Wired blog by Chris Kohler, even Wired won't review it in their magazine.

RF: That sucks. How have game journalists and industry folk taken to your book? What were the reviews like?

BK: Other than a snide comment or two in the Brit magazine Edge (the book was all about "me, me, me," which I felt oddly appropriate given the book was my memoirs), the reviews have been 100% positive and people have seemed to really dig it. Just saw the new Game Informer that had a short but very sweet review and the comments on the boards seem to be very favorable, so I guess that target audience is enjoying it.

RF: Edge is sort of Next Generation's UK counterpart isn't it? I always got that vibe anytime I picked it up.

BK: Yeah, and a pretty good magazine, but after all, I guess I'm not a "legend" in England where they had their own journalists.

RF: That's interesting. Are you saying there were UK game journalists before you? Or just that they have their own heroes?

BK: Oddly enough, it is my belief that the SECOND game magazine was, in fact, published in England a matter of a month or two after EG launched over here. But I don't know that it survived. We also had licensed French, German, etc. editions of EG like Tilt! and Tele-Match which translated and reprinted our stuff.

Article Author: Rob Faraldi

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