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| Editor | Liu Wei[1] |
|---|---|
| Categories | Video games |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Circulation | 185,000[2] |
| Publisher | Popular Science Press |
| First issue | June 1994 |
| Final issue Number | Dec. 2013 231[3][4] |
| Country | China |
| Based in | Beijing |
| Language | Mandarin Chinese |
| Website | http://www.joyplay.cn |
| ISSN | 1009-6183 |
Play (simplified Chinese:家用电脑与游戏; pinyin:Jiāyòng Diànnǎo Yǔ Yóuxì; lit. 'Home Computer and Game') was a Chinese game-and-software orientedmagazine founded in October 1993[3][4] and first officially published in June 1994 byPopular Science Press (科学普及出版社; Kēxué Pŭjí Chūbănshè). The magazine was originally namedJiāyòng Diànnǎo Yǔ Yóuxìjī (家用电脑与游戏机; lit. "Home Computer and Game Console"), and focused on bothPC games andconsole games. In January 2001 it was renamed to its current name and its coverage shifted to focus on PC games exclusively, making it the first specialized PC gaming magazine in China.[5] SubsequentlyPlay became one of the most important gaming magazines in mainland China.[6][7]
In October 2013, atweet fromPlay's official microblog, announced that the November-December issue (Issue #231[3][4]) would be released as a combined issue with a farewell-like statement.[6][8] According to Gamersky.com, the stoppage in publishing came due to both human and environmental factor: Reader preference for quantity rather than quality of information; Too much advertisement content; The increased role of internet-basedvideo game journalism; and a general lack of a distinctive character.[9] Following only one year after the closure of the prominent journalDiànzǐ Yóuxì Ruǎnjiàn, the shutdown ofPlay after nearly 20 years of continual publication has been regarded in context with the earlier shutdown of big-name Western magazines likeElectronic Gaming Monthly,GamePro, andNintendo Power as an example of the global nature of thedecline in printed publications.[1]