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1、

Hello everyone, "Useful Game Console Technology" (hereinafter referred to as UCG) magazine was founded in 1998, a little later than Diansoft and Diandian, and also put forward the slogan "Work hard, play hard".

At that time, the UCG editorial office was in Lanzhou, and the magazine was a bimonthly publication, intending to focus on arcade machines. Game consoles actually referred to arcade machines.

The first few pages are full of large arcade ads, which are aimed at arcade owners, and the cost is not low. The content is mainly about the move list of arcade games, the method of debugging the baseboard, and even the troubleshooting. To be honest, it is not very attractive to home console players, but it has gained a firm foothold with the help of arcade ads.

The target audience is probably mainly arcade owners, so it seems that the editorial department is not short of money at all, and selling to players is just an additional service.

The impression that UCG gives people is: luxurious!

80 pages of full-color coated paper plus a free VCD or small gift, although the price was as high as 12 yuan, it still felt like great value, considering that a VCD cost more than ten yuan at that time.

Around 2000, arcade games gradually declined, and UCG also ushered in its first transformation, which was a full shift to home consoles.

At this time, a group of talented young people also flocked to the editorial department. They devoted themselves to the work with solid writing skills and profound game knowledge.

UCG started low and ended high, laying the foundation for its take-off.

Perhaps because it is far away in the northwest, the editors do not have the same internal friction as other magazines in Beijing, but are full of passion and personality.

The editors' messages are always full of interesting stories in their lives and hilarious jokes.

The magazine specially hired an artist to design an image for the editor that fits their preferences and personality and is very intuitive.

For example, there is Murong Fei who has a samurai image, Gouki who looks like Snake, and Zi Feng who is gentle and refined.

The increase in the home console sector and the integration with the global industry have rapidly increased the popularity of UCG. The content of the free CDs and full-color guides are comparable to well-known magazines in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and other regions, and it has gradually become the backbone of game magazines.

2、

I bought both Diansoft and UCG at that time, and I had a bad habit. When I bought a new book, I would quickly open it and cover my face with it, taking a deep breath of the smell of ink.

The smell of Dianruan and UCG is different. Since Dianruan is printed in black and white, it doesn’t have the refreshing fragrance of UCG. Later, a doctor classmate diagnosed that I had stomach problems.

My girlfriend at the time, now my wife, pointed out to me: UCG wrapped in a plastic bag can preserve its flavor longer.

Later, UCG had another advantage, which was that its guides were always faster than those of Diansoft, which was a lifesaver for Japanese RPGs. By the time Diansoft came out with a guide, I had basically completed the game.

Behind all this is the work of the editors day and night. Gouki, in particular, almost took over more than half of the magazine's columns, from frontline reports, game reviews, to game research, almost everything. At the time, I even suspected that he could clone himself, otherwise how could one person research so many games?

It turned out that Gouki worked for the magazine for several months silently because of his love for games, even without being paid, before leaving sadly.

Polygon, who was recruited into the editorial department by Gouki in 2002, is another great writer. He once used the pen name "Xue Zhu" and wrote many very serious guides. His name always reminds me of a young man holding a fork in a watermelon field under the moonlight.

After Polygon joined, Shengshushi also joined the editorial department, and the three of them formed the UCG iron triangle with Gouki. Each of them contributed content to the magazine with their rich gaming experience and full enthusiasm.

Another author who impressed me deeply was "Darkbaby", who used highly infectious words to write down the secrets behind major game companies and characters like an epic. Although there was some processing, it was still eye-opening when information was not smooth at the time.

In 2003, when the domestic gaming industry was in a state of mourning, players were eager for gaming information. UCG bucked the trend and officially changed to a bimonthly publication, which also meant that the workload of editors would double.

They also started giving away guide VCDs. This visual guide is almost an enhanced version of the current guide on Bilibili. The editor used the most professional gameplay to demonstrate to us what it means to be a great player.

Although the editorial office's mailing address is still Lanzhou, the printer has been changed to Shenzhen China Business. I guess the office location has moved to Shenzhen.

3、

Under the influence of the open-minded spirit in the South, UCG's development was almost one step ahead of northern publications.

UCG was the first to give away VCD video guides, the first to send reporters to cover the E3 game show, the first to launch a full-color game magazine, the first to change to a biweekly magazine, and the first to announce an expansion from 80 pages to 126 pages...

Eventually, UCG became the gaming magazine with the highest market share, with sales of up to 300,000 copies per issue. Every month, hundreds of thousands of gamers, including me, eagerly await the publication of the new magazine.

Since 2002, I have become a die-hard fan of UCG, buying almost every issue. I even became a small agent, wholesale dozens of copies from the provincial capital, transported them by bus, and distributed them to friends who love UCG, just so that I can see the magazine one day earlier.

In April 2013, UCG welcomed its 320th issue and published a special edition commemorating its peer "Electronic Game Software": Days Related to Youth.

The pattern suddenly opened up!

This issue of the magazine devotes a large amount of space to recording the affectionate memories of Dianruan by former Dianruan editors, authors, and UCG editors, which is tear-jerking to read.

At this moment, UCG is facing the impact of the Internet wave. It can only retain players with more professional and detailed strategies and texts.

Later, UCG also opened a "Game City" forum, but it was cancelled for some reason and eventually became the tears of the times.

In 2022, UCG was suddenly rectified because the magazine was not allowed to introduce games without publishing numbers. Fortunately, it was resumed later, but it was also more cautious.

From reading magazines to satisfy one's curiosity in the early days, to following pictures, and then to choosing games based on magazines, our era is actually still progressing.

Despite all kinds of injustice and suppression, the game is like a child who is not loved by his father and mother. It continues to thrive and grow over the years, until it has become a towering tree today.

In recent years, Chinese players have received more attention from game developers. Many games have launched Chinese versions, and even come with Chinese voices. There is no need to write down foreign words in a small notebook and look them up in a dictionary like in the past.

The most anticipated domestic game on August 20thBlack Myth: Wukong》is about to be released. We also wish that the Chinese gaming industry can successfully keep up with the world trend and bring better games to players all over the world.

Note: The author is just an ordinary player, and the information is from the Internet. The copyright belongs to the original author. If there is any infringement, please contact the administrator to delete it. If there is any discrepancy between the article and the facts, please correct and remind me, I will accept it humbly.

UCG is still being published normally today. Players who have the ability can buy a physical book or the official e-version to support them. This may be our last physical game magazine.

That’s all for today, thank you for watching.

Your attention is the greatest encouragement to me!