Computer Gaming World Archive: Inspiration for XNA Programming?

Computer Gaming World has posted online their first 100 issues, going back to 1981. The first issue has a great essay by Chris Crawford about how computer-based wargames will be different than boardgames. Not surprisingly, he's pretty much spot-on with his analysis.

I also enjoyed it because it's a great indication of what a true hobbyist-driven market might look like. Today's hardware is, of course, vast orders of magnitude more powerful but the amount of programming effort available to a single hobbyist is still the same. Looking at "what could be achieved" in those days helps one imagine what could be achieved today.

Another thing that really gave me a pang was the page layout that, with its line drawings and inflexibility, reminded me of magazines like Dragon and Microcornucopia.