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Game Merchandising photos: amazing finds! Look!
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Alexander
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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 11:20 am

Game Merchandising was a retailer magazines (about games) produced from 1981 to 1983. Before and after that time it was a section of Model Retailer magazine. The magazine is literally a goldmine of news, photos and infos about the game industry from a professional point of view. My 140 bucks were very well spent

Just look at some photos I found (and I so far read just five issues!):

Gary Gygax

trying the Mattel Electronic D&D Game

at CES 1981:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3497/382 ... c947_b.jpg

The Go for Solid Gold promotional image from Grenadier Models:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2664/381 ... f7fb_o.jpg

A nice assortment of retro gaming products (not retro at the time

:wink:

):

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2508/382 ... b0e6_b.jpg

(trust me, this will be a cover for DM Magazine in the future - it's GREAT!)

A fine photo of Dragon Publishing (TSR Periodicals) products:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2657/382 ... 525f_b.jpg

TSR booth at the Hobby Industry of America 1981 trade show. See? The famous castle has ancient origins... Notice the wizard on the tower!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3477/381 ... 69c4_b.jpg

Double photo with Nova Games and Martian Metals booths at the HIA show 1981:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2633/381 ... 24d4_b.jpg

Another double photo: Gary Gygax and Will Niebling accepting an award for their booth at HIA 1981 and the GDW booth:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3559/382 ... 5383_b.jpg

A look at a corner of the HIA trade show 1981 (please note that game companies were just 30 exhibitors...):

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3478/382 ... e23c_b.jpg

More photos coming as soon as I read the magazines and scan them! :roll:

Gnat the Beggar
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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 11:30 am

Excellent stuff.
Thanks for the information about that magazine, and especially for posting the photos.

Wonder where that large Labyrinth Game Board (in that first picture) is now?
I suspect it was just a mock up model but it is quite cool looking with the large figures too.

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Jeffro
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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 8:35 pm

Awesome pics. More, MORE!!

jasonw1239
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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 8:44 pm

Thanks Ciro! Great photos!
Seeing some of those old games like Ace of Aces brings back some fond memories.

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Pipswich
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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 8:54 pm

I want those red chairs and the table! lol

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Tharizdun
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Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 9:00 pm

I bet you do!

FormCritic
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Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 4:59 pm

Pipswich wrote:I want those red chairs and the table! lol

I believe the Burntwire Brothers now use those as patio furniture.

"But I have watched the dragons come, fire-eyed, across the world."

FormCritic
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Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 5:00 pm

Alexander1968

Could you give us more details on the game convention pictured above.

Obviously, it was 1981, but where and what was it?

"But I have watched the dragons come, fire-eyed, across the world."

Alexander
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 7:02 am

Hobby Industry of America Trade Shows were not game conventions, they were professionals only events staged by the HIA for hobby, craft and later game industries. Their aim was letting manufacturers and buyers from stores and store chains meet, look at new products and hopefully create orders. If you look at the products of that time you could sometimes see the 'member of HIA' logo on some of them.

As far as I know, the heir of the HIA Trade Show is the GAMA Trade show.

simrion
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 8:51 am

Any chance you can get the rights and create a Retro-Gaming coffe table book with all those wonderful historical images? :wink:

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Alexander
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 1:46 pm

simrion wrote:Any chance you can get the rights and create a Retro-Gaming coffe table book with all those wonderful historical images?

Well, no. But just go to the Game Merchandising images group on Flicker and more or less...

Mars
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Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2009 9:34 pm

Did anyone from here pick up the Game Merchandising magazines from the GenCon auction? It looks like 9 issues sold for $1 each.

Alexander
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Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 4:09 am

Damn! If I was there, be sure they would have fetched more...

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