Julian 'Jaz' Rignall - ZZAP!64, Virgin, IGN, Mean Machines, Future Publishing

Julian 'Jaz' Rignall - ZZAP!64, Virgin, IGN, Mean Machines, Future Publishing

Author: Karl Kuras April 8, 2024 Duration: 2:46:04
Video Game Newsroom Time Machine
LeisureGamesHistoryVideo Games

In the early 80s, glory could be won in the arcades by those intrepid youths capable of garnering high scores.  One such teen, Julian 'Jaz' Rignall, turned that skillset into a career, first as a strategy tip writer for UK mags like Personal Computing and Computer and Video Games, before becoming a founding writer for ZZAP!64, Mean Machines, Mean Machines Sega, and Nintendo Magazine System.  His career then brought him to America where he worked for Virgin on titles such as Toonstruck and Jungle Book before becoming a pioneer in online games journalism at IGN.  Today, he helps game devs test their wares before they hit our screens at VGM.

Jaz has seen every aspect of the games biz, from how the games are made, to how they are presented to the public, to how the press informs us about them.  His insights are truly invaluable!

Recorded: August 2023

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Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zzap!64
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Anderson_(entrepreneur)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Master_the_Video_Games
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_Computer_Games
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crash_(magazine)
https://www.mobygames.com/game/191/bruce-lee/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ascential
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_and_Video_Games
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mean_Machines
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Official_Nintendo_Magazine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neal_Adams
https://www.mobygames.com/company/51/virgin-interactive-entertainment-inc/
https://www.mobygames.com/game/518/toonstruck/
https://www.mobygames.com/company/3300/ea-pacific/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IGN
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OnLive
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walmart
https://vgm.co/index.htm


Copyright Karl Kuras

 


Ever wonder what gamers were actually talking about decades ago, before online forums and endless hot takes? Each month, Video Game Newsroom Time Machine hosted by Karl Kuras does exactly that, dusting off the headlines and magazine pages from the past. This isn't just a nostalgia trip; it's a grounded look at the industry's turning points as they happened. You'll hear about the surprising announcements, the forgotten controversies, and the hardware launches that had everyone buzzing-from arcade trends in Japan to home computer wars in Europe and North America. The podcast specifically revisits news from exactly 30, 40, and 50 years prior, creating a unique layered perspective on how video game culture evolved. It’s like sitting in a newsroom from a different era, piecing together the stories that shaped the games we remember today. Tune in for a monthly dose of context, where the past conversations about pixels and processors feel surprisingly fresh and directly connected to the present.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

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