The GameFan history thread

[Wolfie]

I forget, it would have been around the time GF had it's own quake2 server. I remember playing with a bunch of the GF and GR staff a few times.

Yep. Those were good times.

If you want to read about my past feelings about Halverson, then hit this link. It's an archived page from Fatbabies that came about when Halverson showed up on the GameGO message forum. As I said, I'm over all of that now, and I'm sure he's quite a different person now as well.

http://www.fatbabies.com/story_sept-oct01.html

Well said, Shidoshi. Although I seriously doubt Dave has changed much since then. I have never met anyone that would just bold-face lie directly to your face like Halverson would. Except when Bergstien came along... man, those two were a match made in Hell.

And sorry about your mad scientist character, but I was just following Dave's orders He could be pretty mean-spirited with that shit. Especially if you dressed or looked a little differently.

[djpubba]

I've got a neat paycheck story. After GameFan was 6-7 issues old, the ad money wasn't paying the bills and the investor who had bankrolled GameClub and the start of GameFan, Andy Fell, was getting tired of throwing away his money. So Halverson started looking for more investors. He hit up everyone, including employees and employee's families. From my speaking to them, I gather he got at least three of them to invest somewhere around 50-60k between them. He also found a lady who owned a beauty salon who was interested in investing. Her name was Elaine Shings. I heard rumors that she put in around 70k but I don't know if that was all of it or if that was accurate. To make sure her money was invested wisely, though, Elaine insisted on becoming the office manager and being in charge of the payroll and expense account, which she did. We were all pretty happy about this because the pay was never steady, but there always seemed to be enough money in the tills to pay for neon signs, custom embroidered jackets and lots of other expensive, unnecessary stuff like that. So we figured with Elaine in charge of the checkbook, we could rest assured that everything would be on the up and up.

Well, no more than 2 or 3 weeks after Elaine started working in the office, Jay came round to tell everyone not to cash their paychecks quite yet. He said that Halverson had broken into Elaine's desk, taken the checkbook, and bought a 3' Sonic the Hedgehog statue with the payroll money, so we should wait until Elaine said it was okay to cash checks.

It was at this point that I got the sinking feeling that Halverson was the devil himself and I had better tie up some loose ends that had gone unresolved for far too long. That leads into the story of how I left GameFan, which I'll leave untold for now.

I know none of the employees ever saw a penny of their investments returned, but I hope at least Elaine stuck in long enough that she got some money back when Metropolis took over. I was gone by then so I don't know.

Good lord, there really are a lot more interesting things to tell about GameFan.

[Glass Joe]

My god! Breaking into the desk for a 3' sonic with stolen payroll? I never in a million years could have imagined that this shit was going on behind the scenes of a magazine. Unbelievable!

[Wolfie]

Okay, time for the story of the first GameFan cover.

It was one day from our first deadline and we had no cover art. That morning, George Weising came in and said that he had met this dude at a game store in Newhall, CA (High Tech Game Center), who did artwork for Heavy Metal, and was looking for work. We all thought, cool! THE Heavy Metal, like, you know -- the movie and magazine -- this stranger's artwork will blaze with fiery balls of joyful bliss! So we gave the dude a call and told him to come in with some work samples. This skinny blonde guy named Terry Wolfinger showed up in short order and showed us his art and it was indeed reasonably blazing. So Halverson showed him a cover of Famitsu and asked if he could airbrush something of that quality. He said he could, so we told him that if he could do us a cover we could use for our first issue and have it to us in the morning, he was hired. We showed him Monitaur and told him to draw him, Sonic, Mario and Bonk busting out of the cover. He said he'd do his best and went home. Meanwhile, we set to work burning the midnight oil to finish the rest of this issue. Around 5 AM, Terry called and said he ran out of ink for the background but was on his way over with the art. Around a quarter to six in the AM, he arrived and presented the artwork. It was fab, except the background was a blotchy red color. So we scanned it and turned the background black. I created the logo in a 3D program on the Mac called Infini-D. On my IIx it took, like 3 hours to render. When it was done, I noticed that I screwed up and had the wrong texture on the "DieHard" part of the logo, but it didn't look too bad, so we called it done and we had our cover and a new staff illustrator!

All pretty accurrate except for the timeline. I actually met George a few weeks prior to the deadline for the first issue. I was introduced as Tim said, and did indeed tell them I had done finished airbrush art (when in fact I barely used one when I had to paint clouds!) So they gave me a test assignment to produce finished art of a Sonic, a Bonk piece, and a something with a fighting game character. So away I went and picked up a "How to Airbrush" book that was also a kit. It had a couple projects laid out in it with a few supplies. The first I attempted was a big letter "E" and how to paint it to look like chrome. Well that thing came out so piss-poor and ugly... man, it was just the worst thing you'd ever seen. If I had shown them that they woulda laughed in my face and thrown me out the door. But I had learned a bit what not to do. So I had about 3 days to turn in the projects, unfortunately the same weekend I was meeting my family in Pismo Beach to go wheeling in the sand dunes. So I brought my supplies and materials to the hotel room to work on them there.

So as luck would have it, my first day out riding I get a piece of sand caught in my eye and scratch my cornea all up to Hell. After coming back from the hospital I now have to complete my 3 projects with an eyepatch on, "Arrr!" So what else can wrong. Well I managed to make it thru and the 3 projects came out surprisingly well (for a novice that is, ha!). Then this is when they said they'd need a cover by tonight! So yeah... pulled an all-nighter and was almost done with it, when I just drag my hand thru Mario's still wet moustache and ruined several hours work... fun to paint when you're tired...

After another couple hours of sloppily repairing Mario, I deliver the cover 30 mins away. They liked it so I start back home just as the sun is coming up and then I actually fall asleep at the wheel! I changed a full lane on the freeway before waking back up and nearly hitting a motorhome. And that was the beginning of my GameFan career.

So Halverson started looking for more investors. He hit up everyone, including employees and employee's families. From my speaking to them, I gather he got at least three of them to invest somewhere around 50-60k between them...

...I know none of the employees ever saw a penny of their investments returned, but I hope at least Elaine stuck in long enough that she got some money back when Metropolis took over. I was gone by then so I don't know.

Good lord, there really are a lot more interesting things to tell about GameFan.

This is also why I stuck it out for as long as I did. My father invested 30k for some profit-sharing percentage that never happened. And Dave did not make one effort to pay him or the other's back. He did show up on a brand new Ninja motorcycle one day tho, that he paid cash for. How does one sleep at night doing the shit he did?

[AstroBlue]

How does one sleep at night doing the shit he did?

Satan doesn't have a conscience.

[Wolfie]

Here's a fun one:

GameFan's first trip to the CES (consumer electronics show) in LAs Vegas to get some attention and advertisers for the mag. This was way back in '93 or so. Way before E3. Anyway, so a bunch of the guys go a couple days early to check everything out, then a bunch come a couple days later, myself and Jay Puryear included. So Jay and I are to share a room (oh joy), and this is the room previously shared by The Enquirer (Cockburn) and K. Lee. So we get there and the room is thrashed- the beds are all unmade, condom wrappers everywhere... (oh boy times two)

So the next day we are told that after asking Halverson for money for food etc... that K. Lee, The Enquirer, and Kai Kuboki promptly went and used that money to buy a hooker which they then all shared. Then they all played Yoshi's Island.

[Timber]

So the next day we are told that after asking Halverson for money for food etc... that K. Lee, The Enquirer, and Kai Kuboki promptly went and used that money to buy a hooker which they then all shared. Then they all played Yoshi's Island.

That's just awesome.

[Jeremy]

Hahaha, that's probably the funniest story yet. The stolen funds stuff is just pathetic though. Halverson being Halverson is probably his eternal punishment.

[Dolemite]

Hey, welcome Terry! The man that helped give Gamefan its 'look' is here. Good to have ya. You do some amazing shit with an airbursh.

Question: how hard is it to learn to use an airbrush, and do you still use it? Is Photoshop a better alternative in your opinion?

Now all I need is Takuhi and Nick Rox (the real one, not me) to show up and my life will be complete.


BTW, I used to have a Diehard Gamer's Club near me years ago in Manhasset. I used to take a drive out there on a fairly regular basis. Cool place, they had a Monitaur statue bursting out of a wall in the back over the counter where the import toys and stuff were kept. They had a nice selection of Japanese games, mags, controllers, etc. However, the demo area that they advertised in every issue of Gamefan (where you could hang out and play games) was never turned on.

I remember they had a rack where they had what appeared to be every single back issue of Gamefan...I finally decided one day that I was going to head on over and pick up all the issues that I was missing. Of course, that was right when the store went under and closed.

So, if anyone has any issues up to August 1995 (the KI cover) that they're willing to part with, send a PM my way.

[Jetman]

Here's a fun one:

GameFan's first trip to the CES (consumer electronics show) in LAs Vegas to get some attention and advertisers for the mag. This was way back in '93 or so. Way before E3. Anyway, so a bunch of the guys go a couple days early to check everything out, then a bunch come a couple days later, myself and Jay Puryear included. So Jay and I are to share a room (oh joy), and this is the room previously shared by The Enquirer (Cockburn) and K. Lee. So we get there and the room is thrashed- the beds are all unmade, condom wrappers everywhere... (oh boy times two)

So the next day we are told that after asking Halverson for money for food etc... that K. Lee, The Enquirer, and Kai Kuboki promptly went and used that money to buy a hooker which they then all shared. Then they all played Yoshi's Island.

My God - these great stories just keep rolling out.Hookers, Yoshi, Sonic statues,mullets,motorbikes,and more....

And Halverson *shakes head* damn he sounded like such a shady dude.Like Shidoshi was saying in the GameGo threads, hopefully the guy has changed his tune a bit.

Great Site, too Terry.Im really happy to hear that that the man responsible for all of the kick-ass Gamefan covers is doing so well in the biz.And your work still looks as stellar as ever,if not better than what I remember.And with that remark, I've filled my quotia for ass-kissing comments for the rest of the month.

[adol]

Okay, I really have to know... what made you think that?

I could have sworn that you posted that on the GameGo! boards.

[BonusKun]

Halverson was indeed an asshole. You shoulda seen the shit he pulled on System Zero a long time ago.

Utter Bullshit.

[Jumpingflash]

Gamefan has always, and will always be my favorite video game magazine. In many ways I think it has shaped the way I look at gaming.

Like others, I remember going to EB to buy the latest issue and reading it right there. None of the other magazines have as much personality as Gamefan did, can you name one person on the staff of EGM? Maybe it helps that the GFers all had goofy names.

I'll always remember how both the Dreamcast, and Gamefan folded within 6 months of eachother. It made me loose interest in video games after a while.

\m/ GAMEFAN FOREVER \m/

GR was a good mag too, I wish I had bought more issues of it.

[NeoZeedeater]

I could have sworn that you posted that on the GameGo! boards.

I remember the same thing, except it being at TNL shortly after the GG migration not at GG.

[Wolfie]

Hey, welcome Terry! The man that helped give Gamefan its 'look' is here. Good to have ya. You do some amazing shit with an airbursh.

Question: how hard is it to learn to use an airbrush, and do you still use it? Is Photoshop a better alternative in your opinion?

BTW, I used to have a Diehard Gamer's Club near me years ago in Manhasset. Cool place, they had a Monitaur statue bursting out of a wall in the back over the counter where the import toys and stuff were kept.

Hey, thanks a lot. Learning the airbrush is a bit tricky; mixing paint, keeping it from clogging, cleaning it... Photoshop is much more forgiving (unlimitted undo's!)
Funny about the monitaur statues. I actually helped design them but never got to see the finished project. I saw a small scale prototype but that was it. I figured it was just another of Bergstiens fantasies. But it kinda makes sense now- pour the company's money into giant fiberglass Monitaur statues instead of employee paychecks. Wonder why GameFan collapsed...

Hahaha, that's probably the funniest story yet. The stolen funds stuff is just pathetic though. Halverson being Halverson is probably his eternal punishment.

Pathetic is a good way to describe Halverson.

Great Site, too Terry.Im really happy to hear that that the man responsible for all of the kick-ass Gamefan covers is doing so well in the biz.And your work still looks as stellar as ever,if not better than what I remember.And with that remark, I've filled my quotia for ass-kissing comments for the rest of the month.

Haha, I understand, but it's always nice to hear. Thanks

My God - these great stories just keep rolling out.Hookers, Yoshi, Sonic statues,mullets,motorbikes,and more....

And Halverson *shakes head* damn he sounded like such a shady dude.Like Shidoshi was saying in the GameGo threads, hopefully the guy has changed his tune a bit.
.

Shidoshi was spot-on with his description of the Mulleted-One. I seriously doubt he has changed. He did in fact start his life as a used car salesman.

There's a bit more to the Vegas CES story as well, but I'll have to think about that one....

[Dyne]

Shidoshi was spot-on with his description of the Mulleted-One. I seriously doubt he has changed. He did in fact start his life as a used car salesman.

There's a bit more to the Vegas CES story as well, but I'll have to think about that one....

and we all know salesmen lie through their teeth and would sell a lemon to their mothers just to come out on top.

[Wolfie]

and we all know salesmen lie through their teeth and would sell a lemon to their mothers just to come out on top.

He would probably sell his own mother!

[Dyne]

but lucifer doesnt have a mother......or does he?

[Diff-chan]

He did in fact start his life as a used car salesman.

That explains why he can keep starting magazines after fucking over previous ones and leaving them in the dust.

Some recent work you may have seen has been the game, "The Suffering" where I did Character Design, and also I worked on the film "Terminator3" where I designed Arnie's FX make-up. Also did some character designs for Midway's Area 51 remake which should be due out soon.

Thats hot, way better than working on fucking videogame mags.

[shidoshi]

Well said, Shidoshi. Although I seriously doubt Dave has changed much since then. I have never met anyone that would just bold-face lie directly to your face like Halverson would. Except when Bergstien came along... man, those two were a match made in Hell.

Uh oh... ex-GameFan staffer +1. *heh*

Like I said, I'm willing to believe he's changed. I don't agree with a lot of the things that went down during my time at GameFan, but I also know that if you don't know the whole story on things, it is easy to fill in the gaps with mis-information and incorrect assumptions. Sort of the same way that it's easy to form an opinion of somebody know you only via the internet that ends up being wrong.

I won't take back what I've said about him in the past, but at the same time, I'm willing to get past all of that and give him a chance for who he is now. I look back at who I was back at that point, and I would hope that people would look at my more for who I am now than who I was then. *heh*

And sorry about your mad scientist character, but I was just following Dave's orders He could be pretty mean-spirited with that shit. Especially if you dressed or looked a little differently.

Trust me, no hard feelings at all. My one Terry story, since I didn't have a lot of encounters with you, was right before I "left" the magazine. (When I moved back to Nebraska, but kept running the AnimeFan section.) Terry had put a lot of work into a brand new version of my character, which then only got used once - in the comic where all of the old staff members were killed off, and the remaining staff members were searching through the rubble.

I forget, it would have been around the time GF had it's own quake2 server. I remember playing with a bunch of the GF and GR staff a few times.

I can't remember exactly if it was Quake or Quake 2, but this was what pretty much got me into playing FPSs. I liked Doom and whatnot before that, but I swore by the control pad when playing them. Dan Jevons tried everything he could to get me to try keyboard + mouse, assuring me that it was the only proper way to play. I simply couldn't believe him, and was stubborn about trying it for a long time. Finally, I broke down, and finally saw the light. I spent many a night after hours in the office playing against the other guys.

[kevincal]

Now we just need Halverson to pop in here and we have got one hell of a party!!! Gamefan rules!!!

Halverson was indeed an asshole. You shoulda seen the shit he pulled on System Zero a long time ago.

Utter Bullshit.

Please proceed.... Keep these stories comin'!

[Wolfie]

but lucifer doesnt have a mother......or does he?

Ah yes... this is true...

That explains why he can keep starting magazines after fucking over previous ones and leaving them in the dust.

Seems to be his M.O.

Thats hot, way better than working on fucking videogame mags.

Yeah, don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my time at GameFan and loved doing the work and met some really great people, but yeah, it was nice to move on as well.

[cka]

Now we just need Halverson to pop in here and we have got one hell of a party!!!

don't even say that, he probably does some beetlejuice shit where he shows up and never goes away when you say his name 3 times

[Some Stupid Japanese Name]

halverson halverson halverson

[NeoZeedeater]

On the plus side of Halverson, I bought Rush: Chronicles because he would never shut up about the band. Geddy Lee's voice is an acquired taste but there's some classic stuff on there.

[Compass]

halverson halverson halverson

I was about to do the same thing. Except mine was gonna be:

::chants::

HALVY! HALVY! HALVY!

Then I decided it was too gay.

[Prince Planet]

All this talk makes me want to go and pull the Bergstein/Metropolis (Game Cave) file. I can at least tell you how some of the ugly litigation turned out. Most of the allegations were what you'd expect -- lots of hooks onto investors, and then a fabulous disappearing act with the money.

[djpubba]

Oh yeah, do it. I wish I could post some of the choice parts of the depositions from when they sued Dimension.

Here's some memorabilia I dug up:



That's the catalog which eventually turned into GameFan. This was made before I even had my own Mac. I did it at my workplace on a proprietary Harris PLS system which was used primarily to do the ads on shopping carts and the back of grocery store receipts.



That's a shot of the retail store that we started GameFan in the back of. This was on Ventura blvd in Tarzana, CA. Note the front door looks like a floppy disk. So 80's.



That's us making the magazine on my IIx. Left: Cockburn. Middle: Halvy. Right: Me. This was pre-issue one. Cockburn was taking a GameClub order.

[Melf]

This thread needs to be stickied or something.

Thread of the year.

[Timber]

This thread needs to be stickied or something.

True dat.

Thread of the year.

2004 & 2005