 | |
| Editor | Valery Polyakov[1][2] |
|---|---|
| Categories | Video games |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Publisher | Video-Ace[3] |
| Founder | AST publishing house[4] Russian:Издательство АСТ |
| First issue | 1993–1995(asVideo-Ace Dendy) 1995–2004(asVelikiy Drakon) |
| Final issue Number | Nov. 2003 65 |
| Company | KAMOTO[2][4] |
| Country | Russia |
| Based in | Moscow |
| Language | Russian |
| Website | http://www.greatdragon.ru/ http://www.gdragon.ru/(defunct) |
| ISSN | 0868-5967 |
Velikiy Drakon (Russian:Великий Dракон lit. "Great Dragon")[a] is a defunct Russianvideo game magazine initially launched asVideo-Ace Dendy (Russian:Видео-Асс Dendy) in 1993. The magazine was Russia's first wholly video-game-oriented magazine, and it was launched in order to meet the needs of Russian gamers, the majority of whom were just beginning to experience home console games as a medium as a result of the 1992 introduction of theDendy home console.[3] Aimed at young gamers,[5] and characterized by its raw and artless coverage ofillegal pirate games alongside legitimate (or at leastlegally grey)import games,[3]Video-Ace Dendy covered all console systems that had penetrated into the Russian market until mid-1995, when the magazine split to formVelikiy Drakon which would cover only 16-bit and more advanced consoles.Video-Ace Dendy was phased out of publication within a year.[3] AsVelikiy Drakon, the magazine improved production quality greatly by outsourcing printing to Finland, and it survived until 2004 when the parent company folded under pressure from competitors includingStrana Igr. Several former writers forVelikiy Drakon took up work withStrana Igr,[3] and a small number of them helped found a fan-based production,GDD: Great Dragon's Dale, which produced a handful of issues before going defunct in late 2010.
The launch ofVideo-Ace Dendy in 1993 came at a time when Russian markets were for the first time experiencing video game sales similar to those experienced by Western countries in thepost-1983 video game revival. With the collapse of theSoviet Union and the subsequent raise of capitalism, Chinese manufacturers brought theDendy home console (an unlicensedNintendo Entertainment System hardware clone) to Russian gamers and before long sales were reaching 100,000 units per month.[3] In this economic climate, conditions were just right for the emergence ofvideo game journalism and the first 24-page[6][7] issue ofVideo-Ace Dendy would mark Russia's first foray into magazines devoted solely to video games and video game culture.[3]
The 24-page format was followed for the first 5 issues - a period during which the nascent company struggled to meet publication deadlines and financial obligations.[3] Due to financial pressures, the magazine formed marketing alliances with and becamesponsored by Dendy manufacturer, Steepler,[8] and by the 6th issue (in March 1994) the magazineoutsourced its printing duties to a Finnish company, doubling in size to 50 pages. With the arrival of imported 16-bit systems in Russia, the magazine also broadened its focus to cover systems including theMega Drive, and expanded to accommodate its growing "Fun Club" section - a section devoted tofan letters,fan art, and competitions for the readers.[6][7] By the 8th issue (May 1994), the magazine had changed its name toVelikiy Drakon, and by the 12th issue (October 1994) the magazine again doubled in size to 100 pages allowing yet more video game coverage as well as the addition of serializedcomics,gossip andrumor sections, and several more fan-oriented sections. Between the 13th and the 18th issues, writing staff struggled with which direction to take the magazine, simultaneously releasing both a shorter version ofVideo-Ace Dendy and a lengthierVelikiy Drakon. Although discussions took place concerning whether or not to devoteVelikiy Drakon entirely to coverage of theSuper NES or entirely to coverage of the Mega Drive, a compromise was settled on where the magazine's coverage would be split exactly in half between these platforms.[6][7]
The 18th issue ofVideo-Ace Dendy was a 2-part issue and would be its last as the8-bit coverage was dropped and attention switched to the16-bit and32-bit era and beyond. Dendy manufacturer, Steepler, responded by pulling its funding of the magazine, butVelikiy Drakon was allowed to continue using the Dendy elephant mascot. AsVelikiy Drakon established itself during the next few issues, the magazine added a "Picture Gallery" section and a "Fun-Club Competition" (Issue 19, August 1995), and acrossword puzzle section (Issue 20, October 95). The magazine also began to release shortDrakon Plus (Russian:Dракон плюс)supplementals of fewer than 20 pages, and released a number of books detailing ratings for different games reviewed in the past.[6][7]
The magazine would run for another several years producing 65 issues in total by 2003 and finally the publisher closed its doors in 2004 as stiff competition from competitor magazines drove the magazine to bankruptcy. FormerVelikiy Drakon staff writers went their various ways with a number taking up work with competitor magazine,Strana Igr,[3] and a small group helping to found thefan-based production ofGDD: Great Dragon's Dale, aspiritual successor of sorts. Work onGDD resulted in the publishing of a handful of issues before it too went defunct in late-2010. In April 2013 project restart on www.gdragon.ru.
The magazine remains notable today for being Russia's first video game magazine and it has gained a level of notoriety among fans who value its sincere and ingenuous coverage ofthird andfourth generation pirate cartridges,unlicensed multicarts, and illegalclone hardware.[3] While early issues of the magazine have been noted to lack production quality,[5] the later issues improved on this and expanded the magazine.
Staff members ofVelikiy Drakon magazine had amusing aliases. The following are some known members ofVelikiy Drakon:
| Alias | Staff member |
|---|---|
| Agent Kuper (Russian:Агент Купер) | Valerij Korneev (Russian:Валерий Корнеев) |
| Alexander Lapšev (Russian:Александр Лапшев) | C.J.C. |
| Alex Man | Aleksandr Buharov (Russian:Александр Бухаров) |
| Duck Wader | Il'â Fabričnikov (Russian:Илья Фабричников) |
| Eler Cant | Aleksandr Kazancev (Russian:Александр Казанцев) |
| Lord Hanta | Aleksej Požarskij (Russian:Алексей Пожарский) |
| Navi Kičto (Russian:Нави Кичто) | Ivan Otčik (Russian:Иван Отчик) |
| NTB | Aleksandr Kazancev |
| Tomba | Stepan Čečulin (Russian:Степан Чечулин) |
| Wren | Konstantin Govorun (Russian:Константин Говорун) |
Non-aliased writing staff included authors like Vladimir Suslov (Russian:Владимир Суслов), Roman Eremin (Russian:Роман Еремин), and Maksim Alaev (Russian:Максим Алаев). In addition, the alias "G.Dragon" was used occasionally and the magazine made much sport of asking the readers who the mysterious G.Dragon really was. Several theories were floated throughout the course of the magazine's lifespan.[9]