GamePro's Wes Nihei heads for greener pastures
- September 20, 2007 16:59 PM PST
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After 18 fruitful years, long-time GamePro editor Bro Buzz calls its quits.
Darth Vader guards Wes's office, not to mention press passes from years past
Wes Nihei started his career at PC World covering word processors, print devices, and scanners before dedicated video game reporting existed.
"Back then games where just showing up for PCs," Nihei says. "There was a fairly young company called Electronic Arts that was desperate for coverage. I convinced my supervising editor to let me take on video games (an 'up and coming growth industry' I called it), and the rest was history.
"My cubicle became a popular hang-out because I received all the games."
From there PC World parent IDG purchased the nascent GamePro in 1989 where Nihei would later become editor-in-chief.
The San Francisco native acquired a taste for gaming like so many others, as a child.
"When I was a mere sprite I was fascinated by pinball," he says. "Back then, most places that had pinball machines wouldn't let kids play them. But I found one tucked away in a Chinese restaurant near my neighborhood that didn't mind my playing."
What did Nihei enjoy most during his tenure at GamePro? The social aspect -- coincidentally the same reason games were invented in the first place.
"I've enjoyed so many great moments during gameplay, but the big game shows at CES and later at E3 have been the most memorable overall," Nihei remarked. "I've also had the opportunity to travel to Japan, Asia, and Europe in the course of my work. More often than not the trips were more memorable than the games themselves."
While working alongside a friendly group of writers and artists, the seasoned journalist oversaw the production and publication of numerous issues and articles spanning well over 30 major video game platforms. Despite his sometimes chaotic workload and challenging deadlines, Nihei says he's pleased with the results.
"There would be too many to recall," he responds when asked to name his favorite games. "Off the top of my head Super Mario Bros., Shinobi, Doom, Madden 95, The Legend of Zelda, Half Life, Resident Evil, Gran Turismo, Final Fantasy VII, and Halo quickly come to mind," he says while short on breath. "Oh, and my guilty pleasure is Pocky and Rocky for SNES; probably the last time you'll ever hear that mentioned."
The veteran leaves the the industry (temporarily I suspect) in good hands he says, noting an increased number of qualified writers due to the informative power of the Internet.
"The quality of writing, the level of depth, and the critique has improved immensely over the years because there are so many more gamers who can write, edit, and cover news. In the Dark Ages, that was rare. But now you can aspire to be a 'game journalist' with the possibility of making it a career."
So what does Wes plan on doing next?
"I'm going to play some video games," he says.
So long, Wes. On behalf of everyone at GamePro and IDG, we wish you the best and remind you to stay in touch as we do the same. Game on.
