20 replies to this topic

[triverse]

I just saw the post on J2Games.com (http://www.j2games.c...hp?topic=6356.0) mentioning that Bill Kunkel, known to many of us as The Game Doctor, passed away yesterday. Details are sketchy at best at this time.

Bill was a forerunner in many fields, including comics, wrestling magazines and gaming magazines where he arguably created the genre with Arnie Katz and later refined it with both Arnie and Joyce {Worley}.

He was also a forerunner and trailblazer with preservation, he gave the founders of Out-of-Print Archive permission to archive his works, which we have done many of already with many more to go. Bill was open to the reasons for an archive like OoPA and openly supported us at every opportunity.

I was fortunate enough to interview Bill while with Retromags.com, http://www.retromags...__1#entry20532.

We will miss you Bill. You rocked the world at every step you took. We will remember you every time we open a VG&CE issue and see your column, or read a review you wrote, or a forum post on the web.

[Parrothead]

RIP Game Doctor. You will be missed by a generation of gamers, but your words live on!

Edited by Parrothead, Sun Sep 4, 2011 10:33 PM.

[LoTonah]

triverse, on Sun Sep 4, 2011 5:27 PM, said:

I just saw the post on J2Games.com (http://www.j2games.c...hp?topic=6356.0) mentioning that Bill Kunkel, known to many of us as The Game Doctor, passed away yesterday. Details are sketchy at best at this time.

Bill was a forerunner in many fields, including comics, wrestling magazines and gaming magazines where he arguably created the genre with Arnie Katz and later refined it with both Arnie and Joyce {Worley}.

He was also a forerunner and trailblazer with preservation, he gave the founders of Out-of-Print Archive permission to archive his works, which we have done many of already with many more to go. Bill was open to the reasons for an archive like OoPA and openly supported us at every opportunity.

I was fortunate enough to interview Bill while with Retromags.com, http://www.retromags...__1#entry20532.

We will miss you Bill. You rocked the world at every step you took. We will remember you every time we open a VG&CE issue and see your column, or read a review you wrote, or a forum post on the web.

That seriously sucks. Electronic Games was the first videogame magazine I ever bought. That and Electronic Fun with Computers and Games fueled my obsession with games and programming that has lasted my entire life.

R.I.P., Bill.

[Emehr]

That's sad to hear. I always enjoyed reading his articles in VG&CE, EGM, and Electronic Games.

[rolenta]

Here are never-before-seen photos of him and Ralph Baer at the 2005 Videogame Expo outside of Philadelphia, where they both attended to promote their new books.

https://www.facebook...7149c4e4&type=1

[TwiliteZoner]

Thanks Bill for the best magazine devoted to gaming that I've ever read. RIP.

[Dan Iacovelli]

I met up with him at CGE a couple times and I have read his articles.

[Gateway]

Sorry to hear of his passing.. He will be missed. RIP, Bill

[ToddUGA]

Big fan of Bill's from back during the Electronic Games days of the early 80's. First magazine I ever subscribed to. R.I.P. Bill. And thanks for the great memories.

[Cafeman]

Sad to hear. I couldn't have been all that old - maybe 60 ? I will always remember The Game Doctor from the Electronic Games days...

[triverse]

Cafeman, on Tue Sep 6, 2011 6:56 AM, said:

Sad to hear. I couldn't have been all that old - maybe 60 ? I will always remember The Game Doctor from the Electronic Games days...

Bill was 61 years old. There are slightly conflicting reports on why he passed away at this time. I have read that he fell and bumped his head, and also read elsewhere that he died of a heart attack. Either way, it is sad to know he is gone and we won't ever see another installment of The Game Doctor column anywhere.

[raskar42]

i own his book from rolenta press - a good read. it's sad to lose a gamer of his stature.

[triverse]

raskar42, on Tue Sep 6, 2011 5:05 PM, said:

i own his book from rolenta press - a good read. it's sad to lose a gamer of his stature.

I won a copy of Confessions of the Game Doctor awhile back from J2Games when they were doing their Facebook photo contests. Now I feel horrible for not writing that review of it sooner.

[Gregory DG]

Wow, what a shock! He was surely a pioneer of gaming! He will be missed...

[BydoEmpire]

Shane did an interview with him in one of the first couple years of Retrogaming Radio and it's one of the coolest, funniest interviews in the 10 years of the show.

Loved his column in EG back in the day, too. Definitely a legend.

RIP Game Doctor!

[thegamezmaster]

Just saw this and just got sad. Real sad. He was truly awesome. Loved and still have a bunch of mags he was in during the eigthies. Rip Doc. God Bless You. You will be truly missed. One of a kind!

[HatNJ]

What a shame and loss RIP
I heard about this on Retrogaming Radio plus on shoutcast they are relaying the episodes that have him being interviewed at CGE 03 or 04

[HARMIK]

Very sad to hear I used to get Electronic Games when I was a kid very sad.

[rolenta]

Bill's obituary is in the New York Times today:

http://www.nytimes.c...&ref=obituaries

[Chris++]

The Game Doctor embodied game writing to me as a kid -- more than I knew, in fact, because he wrote many of the other EG articles under pseudonyms. He was that magazine, and it was inseparable from the initial fascination with video games for many of us '80s kids.
The interview with him is still the only one on my and Adam's website; it's the only one I ever sought, which might say something.
And what a kind man, too.
Thanks for everything, Bill.

Edited by Chris++, Thu Sep 15, 2011 10:35 AM.

[cimerians]

I cant beleive I missed this! I just found out today. I immediately came here to search for the thread and add my belated grief. Electronic Games was the first magazine I read as a kid. I loved his columns and I personally thanked him and talked over email years ago. I also think his book was excellent and he did a lot of work out there in writing. RIP Bill.