triverse Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 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. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 (edited) RIP Game Doctor. You will be missed by a generation of gamers, but your words live on! Edited September 5, 2011 by Parrothead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoTonah Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emehr Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 That's sad to hear. I always enjoyed reading his articles in VG&CE, EGM, and Electronic Games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolenta Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwiliteZoner Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 Thanks Bill for the best magazine devoted to gaming that I've ever read. RIP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Iacovelli Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 I met up with him at CGE a couple times and I have read his articles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gateway Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Sorry to hear of his passing.. He will be missed. RIP, Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToddUGA Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Cafeman Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 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... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triverse Posted September 6, 2011 Author Share Posted September 6, 2011 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raskar42 Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 i own his book from rolenta press - a good read. it's sad to lose a gamer of his stature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triverse Posted September 7, 2011 Author Share Posted September 7, 2011 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory DG Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 Wow, what a shock! He was surely a pioneer of gaming! He will be missed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BydoEmpire Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 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! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegamezmaster Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 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! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+HatNJ Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HARMIK Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 Very sad to hear I used to get Electronic Games when I was a kid very sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolenta Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 Bill's obituary is in the New York Times today: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/10/technology/bill-kunkel-early-chronicler-of-video-games-dies-at-61.html?_r=1&ref=obituaries Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris++ Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 (edited) 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 September 15, 2011 by Chris++ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cimerians Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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