The Wargamer (website)
The Wargamer (Wargamer.com) is a web site specializing in war and strategy gaming. It was founded in 1995 by Mario R. Kroll, originally with the purpose of being the first website to match-make play-by-email opponents for computer wargames.[1] Its initial support included Panzer General, Steel Panthers and the Close Combat series, although it quickly expanded to cover titles like Norm Koger's Age of Rifles, TalonSoft's Battleground series, and a number of HPS Simulations games. Over the years, Wargamer.com evolved to provide editorial coverage, game reviews, news reporting and served as a custom scenario repository for nearly all war or strategy video games that supported custom scenario creation.
The Wargamer received numerous recognitions for excellence in content, including several times via PC Gamer's military gaming column, authored by William R. Trotter.[2] At its height of popularity, The Wargamer enjoyed over 1.1 million unique monthly visitors and had incorporated Pie's Tactics, at the time, the leading website for the tactical game series Rainbow Six and Rogue Spear by Red Storm Entertainment.
The site achieved recognition outside its niche around 2002, when it was recommended by PC Magazine[3] and the generalist gaming book The Rough Guide to Videogaming.[4] The site's importance for the computer wargaming genre, usually deprived of reviews in the traditional wargaming media of the time, was academically recognized in the same year.[5]
In 2002, it was sold to Matrix Games and later acquired by Slithering Games. Today, The Wargamer is part of the Strategy Allies Network, together with Armchair General and HistoryNet.
References
- ↑ http://www.wargamer.com/Article/3260
- ↑ William R. Trotter
- ↑ http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,21138,00.asp
- ↑ Kate Berens, Geoff Howard, The Rough Guide to Videogaming, Rough Guides, 2002 ISBN 1-85828-910-6 p. 508
- ↑ Philip Sabin, Playing at War: The Modern Hobby of Wargaming in Tim Cornell, Thomas B. Allen, War and games, Volume 3 of Studies on the nature of war, p. 199, Boydell Press, 2002, ISBN 0-85115-870-6
