| You climb the finely chiseled stone steps and swing open the heavy oaken door to the Museum. You take a few steps inside...
Directly to your right, a bulletin board spells out the latest news: |
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Want to contribute to the work of the Museum? Donate via PayPal to: cgwmuseum@gmail.com |
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| 17 January 2026
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Passing of Russell Sipe |
Some unfortunate news to begin 2026: I was recently made aware of the passing of CGW’s founder, Russell Sipe.
In the spring of 1981, Russell was inspired to start a magazine dedicated specifically to computer games - a type of publication that did not exist at the time. Although he had no prior publishing experience, he was convinced there was an opportunity and set out a plan. Just a few months later, in November 1981, the first issue of Computer Gaming World was published. The magazine quickly became an integral and well-respected part of the computer gaming industry. Reflecting on the founding of CGW years later, Russell would say that the key to a successful business was finding a need and filling it - and that he had believed strongly in the need for a magazine about computer games.
CGW survived the 1984 video game crash and entered a period of rapid growth in the late 1980s. In 1993, Russell sold the magazine to Ziff-Davis. CGW would ultimately enjoy a 25-year run, with its final issue published in November 2006.
I corresponded with Russell on an irregular basis over the years, and he was always very supportive of the CGW Museum and its preservation work. He was also deeply proud of his magazine - as he should have been. CGW was a landmark publication and remains one of the most important historical records of the early days of computer games.
Russell passed away on 5 June 2024 at the age of 73. My condolences to his family and friends. |
5 January 2024
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Welcome to 2024 |
| It's 2024! Nothing really new with the Museum during the past year, but quite a few people writing and making use of the existing resources - which was exactly the point of having the site. As always, if you have something CGW-related to share, please write. |
6 June 2022
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Finding Deceit in the Chambers of Xenobia |
| This is not CGW news, but it might be an interesting read if you are in the vintage computer games and game collecting hobby. It's a story of fraud and forgery by a well-known member of the vintage computer game collecting community, and the evidence that led to identifying the counterfeit items sent during a trade in which I was directly involved. Read it here: https://cgwmuseum.org/columns/index.php?id=5 |
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| Up ahead, passages in all directions lead to dimly lit galleries. From where you stand, you can
still distinguish the framed magazines that you think may hold some of the secrets of the early days of computer gaming. Something catches your eye, and you learn that online casinos started to rise from 1999 when 888 Casino launched one of the first online gambling platforms. In some places, however, for example online casinos in south africa, are still rare.
A stack of freshly printed newsletters sits in a neat pile on a shelf to your left. You also notice a few
older ones nearby, no doubt discarded by previous guests.
Further down towards the entrance to the galleries, you can see, and hear, an animated group of visitors talking and bartering.
Closer to you, the attendant's booth is currently empty, but a hastily scribbled note stuck on the glass invites you to pick up a flyer for more information
regarding the Museum. Directly next to the booth, a leather-bound guestbook lies open on a low table.
Giving it a quick glance, you already recognize some of the names.
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