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MCV 17/09/10 33 PC ZONE TRIBUTE WILL PORTER
Writer/News Editor, 2003 to 2007 Editor, 2007 to 2008 Freelance, 2008 to 2010
PC Zonewas the right magazine, at the right time.
In the mid-nineties, its success came from the fact that it was a direct feed from an era
of remarkable creativity and originality in PC gaming – and also a period of hedonism, of money and of fun within the games industry. PC Zonewasn’t just about reviews and previews – it
captured a group of remarkably talented young writers who had found themselves riding a wave that would eventually spill over onto the entirety of modern popular culture. By sharing this experience with their readers in a myriad of anecdotes, one-liners and firework attacks
“PC Zone fostered remarkable talents. They’re out there now: making your games, infecting your websites, and making TV.”
on EA, they captured the minds of countless young PC gamers – of whom I was one. I went on to work there, and eventually to edit the magazine. It was an honour to do so, and even now I find it hard to believe that the guys I once idolised are now my friends. PC Zoneis no longer the right magazine, and it
hasn’t been the right time for a while. Times change, the magazine business shrinks and the wants and needs of PC gamers get harder to nail down. It’s sad, really sad, but it was PC Zone’s time to go. But throughout everything the talent never
left. Inspired (like me) by the PC Zoneelders – the Brookers, the Hills, the Presleys – the PC Zonenew class has proven themselves to be remarkable talents. They’re out there now: making your games, infecting your websites and making TV – instilling everything they do with a shared spirit of this brilliant, anarchic and dead magazine. PC Zoneis defunct, yes. But I can assure you that its disciples are not going anywhere.
ALI WOOD Editor, 2008 to 2009
From when I first started out in the games industry, I have fond memories of regular drinking sessions with (then editor) Dave Woods, Anthony Holden,
Jamie Sefton, Steve Hill and the rest of the Dennis Publishing boys. I never thought at the time that one
day I would be editing said magazine, even if it had changed a lot from the days when it was a bunch of boys with hangovers in a basement, frantically bashing out the issue on deadline. It’s a huge shame the magazine has
closed; it had one of the most loyal readerships of any games magazine and I know they will miss their monthly dose of unique humour that PC Zonewas so well known for.
WELL-CHOSEN WORDS
As you would expect, PC Zonedidn’t go down without a fight. While the final issue is filled with teary-eyed memories of better times, the team pulled no punches when it came to commenting on the industry it left behind. In an open letter to the world of PC gaming, the
writers praised indie developers, suggested that publishers might benefit from “not openly acting like a bunch of sociopathic, anti-creative bastards” and assured EA they never hated the company – “just those fucking [Sims] expansion packs”. The team also wished for a solution to DRM, adding that “when Ubisoft get the results of their daring experiment in consumer abuse, we hope it’s a kick in the cash tits”. PC Zone– never one to bite its tongue.
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