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=== 1982: Beginnings as a columnist ===
=== 1982: Beginnings as a columnist ===
Rawson Stovall realized in 1982 that his local newspaper, the ''[[Abilene Reporter-News]]'', reviewed movies, but not video games. At the time, a movie ticket cost less than $5, while a game might cost $30-35. Video-game packaging did not consistently include screenshots. The expense and the lack of information available to consumers led Stovall to compare buying video games to a "gamble".<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":0" />
Rawson Stovall realized in 1982 that his city newspaper, the ''[[Abilene Reporter-News]]'', reviewed movies, but not video games. At the time, a movie ticket cost less than $5, while a game might cost $30-35. Video-game packaging did not consistently include screenshots. The expense and the lack of information available to consumers led Stovall to compare buying video games to a "gamble".<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":0" />


At the end of the school year, increased pollen triggered Stovall's asthma; he was confined indoors and could not afford more games. His mother suggested he write an article for the local weekly newspaper ''Wiley Journal'' but Stovall thought an article could not hold all information and the weekly was too small. His mother then suggested he write a column for ''Reporter-News''.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":13" /> Stovall initially wanted to raise enough money to buy an advanced home computer on which to design games.<ref name=":post">{{Cite news |last=Kastor |first=Elizabeth |date=August 13, 1983 |title=Calling the Plays |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1983/08/13/calling-the-plays/548ba26a-c16b-49fd-8b8a-cfb4e13c67d9/ |access-date=November 21, 2022 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> He contacted editor Dick Tarpley, whom he presented with several sample columns, and three letters of recommendation from his teachers and a local video-game repairman.<ref name=":9">{{Cite newspaper |last=Miller |first=M.W. |date=June 18, 1985 |title=Rawson Stovall, 13, Has a Giant Industry Seeking His Wisdom |volume=205 |page=1 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |publisher=[[Dow Jones & Company]] |issue=118 |issn=0099-9660}}</ref> In 1982 Stovall's first column appeared in the ''Reporter-News'' at age ten, titled 'Video Beat'.<ref name=":10" /> He was paid $5 a column.<ref name=":4" />
At the end of the school year, increased pollen triggered Stovall's asthma; he was confined indoors and could not afford more games. His mother suggested he write an article for a small weekly newspaper ''Wylie Journal'' but Stovall thought an article could not hold all information and the weekly was too small. His mother then suggested he write a column for ''Reporter-News''.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":13" /> Stovall initially wanted to raise enough money to buy an advanced home computer on which to design games.<ref name=":post">{{Cite news |last=Kastor |first=Elizabeth |date=August 13, 1983 |title=Calling the Plays |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1983/08/13/calling-the-plays/548ba26a-c16b-49fd-8b8a-cfb4e13c67d9/ |access-date=November 21, 2022 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> He contacted editor Dick Tarpley, presenting several sample columns and three letters of recommendation from his teachers and a local video-game repairman.<ref name=":9">{{Cite newspaper |last=Miller |first=M.W. |date=June 18, 1985 |title=Rawson Stovall, 13, Has a Giant Industry Seeking His Wisdom |volume=205 |page=1 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |publisher=[[Dow Jones & Company]] |issue=118 |issn=0099-9660}}</ref> Stovall's first column, "Video Beat", appeared in the ''Reporter-News'' when he was ten years old.<ref name=":10" /> He was paid $5 per column.<ref name=":4" />


Newspapers often rejected Stovall because of his age; the guard at the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' would not let him into the building.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":post" /> After several rejections by telephone, Stovall decided to enter the offices of ''[[Odessa American]]'' wearing a three-piece business suit, and carrying a briefcase and a business card. Stovall persuaded the editor to publish his column, securing his first sale outside Abilene.<ref name=":4" />
Newspapers often rejected Stovall because of his age; the guard at the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' would not let him into the building.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":post" /> After several rejections by telephone, Stovall decided to enter the offices of ''[[Odessa American]]'' wearing a three-piece business suit, and carrying a briefcase and a business card. Stovall persuaded the editor to publish his column, securing his first sale outside Abilene.<ref name=":4" />

Revision as of 22:47, 2 July 2023

Rawson Stovall
Stovall in 1985, aged thirteen[1]
Born
Rawson Law Stovall

1972 (age 51–52)
Abilene, Texas
NationalityAmerican
Alma materSouthern Methodist University
Occupations
  • Former video game columnist
  • Video game producer and developer
Years active1982–present
Known forBecoming the first nationally syndicated gaming journalist in the U.S.
Notable workThe Vid Kid's Book of Home Video Games (1984)

Rawson Law Stovall (born 1972)[a] is an American former video game journalist who was the first to be nationally syndicated in the United States.[4] Stovall's first column appeared in Abilene Reporter-News, his local newspaper, in 1982, when he was ten. His work was first distributed by Universal Press Syndicate in April 1983 and by 1984, his column "The Vid Kid" appeared in over twenty-four newspapers. After being reported on by The New York Times, he was featured on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Discovery Channel's The New Tech Times, and he helped introduce the Nintendo Entertainment System at its North American launch.

In 1990, Stovall retired from video game journalism to attend Southern Methodist University, and later worked for companies such as Sony, Activision, Electronic Arts, MGM Interactive, and most recently Concrete Software. At Electronic Arts, he produced video games in The Sims franchise.

Biography

Early life

Rawson Law Stovall[5] was born in 1972[a] to Ronald L. Stovall, a Boy Scouts executive and regional manager for the Texas State Health Department; and Kay Law Stovall.[3][6] He has a younger sister named Jennifer.[2] During his childhood, Stovall lived in Abilene, Texas, where he attended Alta Vista Elementary School and Cooper High School.[5][7] As a child, he had severe asthma and once spent three months at the National Jewish Hospital: he first visited an amusement arcade on one of the hospital's field trips.[7][8]

Rawson Stovall first became interested in arcade video games in 1978;[6] his father saw them as a waste of time and refused to buy him an Atari 2600. After he failed to get an Atari for Christmas in 1980, Stovall prepared and packaged nuts from the pecan tree in his backyard and sold them door-to-door the next year, earning enough to buy one.[3][5][b] In fourth grade, Stovall and two friends hosted mock television skits about video games for class.[3][9]

1982: Beginnings as a columnist

Rawson Stovall realized in 1982 that his city newspaper, the Abilene Reporter-News, reviewed movies, but not video games. At the time, a movie ticket cost less than $5, while a game might cost $30-35. Video-game packaging did not consistently include screenshots. The expense and the lack of information available to consumers led Stovall to compare buying video games to a "gamble".[4][8]

At the end of the school year, increased pollen triggered Stovall's asthma; he was confined indoors and could not afford more games. His mother suggested he write an article for a small weekly newspaper Wylie Journal but Stovall thought an article could not hold all information and the weekly was too small. His mother then suggested he write a column for Reporter-News.[3][6][9] Stovall initially wanted to raise enough money to buy an advanced home computer on which to design games.[10] He contacted editor Dick Tarpley, presenting several sample columns and three letters of recommendation from his teachers and a local video-game repairman.[2] Stovall's first column, "Video Beat", appeared in the Reporter-News when he was ten years old.[7] He was paid $5 per column.[3]

Newspapers often rejected Stovall because of his age; the guard at the San Francisco Chronicle would not let him into the building.[6][10] After several rejections by telephone, Stovall decided to enter the offices of Odessa American wearing a three-piece business suit, and carrying a briefcase and a business card. Stovall persuaded the editor to publish his column, securing his first sale outside Abilene.[3]

1983–1990: Universal Press Syndicate and 'The Vid Kid'

By January 1983, Rawson Stovall's column appeared in five newspapers,[5] including El Paso Times and Young Person Magazine.[11] His mother acted as his secretary and proofread his work. Stovall was the youngest person to receive the Texas Governor's Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service. He was invited to video game publisher Imagic's headquarters in Silicon Valley and went on a promotional nationwide tour with the company's vice president Dennis Koble.[5]

San Jose Mercury News began syndicating the column and dubbed it "The Vid Kid". Stovall's column ran in ten papers before Universal Press Syndicate began distributing it in April 1983 at the suggestion of Mercury News's editor;[6][9] At the age of eleven, Stovall became the first nationally syndicated video-game journalist.[4] His mother credited his success to his affinity with adults. Stovall had difficulties balancing school, journalism and his health issues.[7]

In 1983, Stovall attended the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Chicago with special permission as a minor. He was able to interview Nolan Bushnell and David Crane, and soon after was reported on in The New York Times.[4][6] This led producers to invite Stovall to appear on television shows such as CBS Morning News, Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News and That's Incredible!.[7][12] He attended CES in following years and was consulted by industry professionals and companies, including Activision president Jim Levy.[2] He was later featured on the front page of The Wall Street Journal.[7]

Stovall's family visited Los Angeles for two weeks for his appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.[7] In 1984, Stovall spoke at Bits & Bytes, the first computer show for children, and wrote "The Vid Kid's Book of Home Video Games", a collection of eighty of his game reviews published by Doubleday. According to Library Journal, although Stovall's age and writing style made the book unusual, it was average overall.[4][13] He reviewed teenage-oriented software and games for a regular segment on the Discovery Channel show The New Tech Times, for which the channel paid him $850 each season.[3][11] Executive producer Jeff Clark said Stovall had the "business ability and vocabulary of a 40-year-old, but the mind-set of a thirteen-year-old".[14] By 1984, Stovall's columns appeared in over twenty-four newspapers, and he charged $10 per column.[9][3] In 1985, Stovall helped to introduce the Nintendo Entertainment System at its North American launch.[4][8] His workshop contained over six hundred video games and five computers.[2]

Later career and personal life

Rawson Stovall retired from journalism in 1990 to attend Southern Methodist University in Dallas.[8] He graduated with a degree in cinema due to the lack of game-related degrees. After college, Stovall moved to Los Angeles, and worked at Sony, Activision, Electronic Arts (EA), and MGM Interactive.[4][7] At Activision in the 1990s, he was a game developer and an industry producer.[7][15] At EA, he produced The Godfather (2006), and video games in franchises Medal of Honor and The Sims.[7] As of 2022, he currently works as a senior designer on mobile games for Concrete Software, which hired him in 2014.[4][16]

Rawson Stovall currently lives in the area of Minneapolis–Saint Paul.[17] He previously lived in Redwood City, California.[18] He is married to Jenn Marshall, who teaches art history at the University of Minnesota, with whom he has one son.[7][19]

Bibliography

  • Stovall, Rawson (1984). The Vid Kid's Book of Home Video Games. Garden City, New York: Doubleday. ISBN 9780385193092.

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b Stovall was thirteen in June 1985[2] and fourteen in January 1987,[3] placing his birth in 1972.
  2. ^ As noted by Abilene Reporter-News, sources disagree on the amount Stovall earned. While estimates range around $175 to $200, Stovall said in 2011 it was around $160.[7] Most recently, PC Gamer said he earned $220 in 2022.[4]

References

  1. ^ "Rawson Stovall —A Success At Only 13". Brøderbund Newsletter. August 1985. p. 4 – via Internet Archive.
  2. ^ a b c d e Miller, M.W. (June 18, 1985). "Rawson Stovall, 13, Has a Giant Industry Seeking His Wisdom". The Wall Street Journal. Vol. 205, no. 118. Dow Jones & Company. p. 1. ISSN 0099-9660.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Monroe, Keith (January 1987). "He Turned Computer Games To Gold". Boys' Life. Vol. 77, no. 1. Boy Scouts of America. pp. 14–15. ISSN 0006-8608 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Ong, Alexis (August 2, 2022). "The world's first syndicated game journalist was an 11-year-old kid". PC Gamer. Future plc. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e Adamo, Sue (January 1983). Bloom, Steve (ed.). "Who'll Stop Rawson Stovall?". Video Games. Vol. 1, no. 4. Pumpkin Press. pp. 14, 19 – via Internet Archive.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "Youth's Column Makes Him Popular With the Top Minds in Video Games". The New York Times. June 8, 1983. p. 14. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Bethel, Brian (October 3, 2009). "The Vid Kid: Stovall was game review trailblazer". Abilene Reporter-News. Gannett Media Corp. p. 1. ISSN 0199-3267. Archived from the original on December 8, 2009.
  8. ^ a b c d Patterson, Patrick Scott (April 17, 2015). "Icons: Rawson Stovall is the original video game critic". Syfy Games. Archived from the original on April 29, 2015.
  9. ^ a b c d Stoler, Peter (1984). The Computer Generation. New York, New York: Facts on File Publications. pp. 111–112. ISBN 9780871968319 – via Internet Archive.
  10. ^ a b Kastor, Elizabeth (August 13, 1983). "Calling the Plays". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  11. ^ a b Poulos, Cynthia; Hoffer, William (November 1985). "The business whiz kids". Nation's Business. Vol. 73. U.S. Chamber of Commerce. p. 25. ISSN 0028-047X.
  12. ^ Conley, Jim (September 15, 1985). Schoch, Philip (ed.). "At 13, Rawson Stovall is a businessman, author and celebrity". Texas Weekly Magazine. Vol. 1, no. 2. TWM, Inc., Harte-Hanks Magazines. pp. 8, 9.
  13. ^ Oakley, Jack (November 1, 1984). "Stovall, Rawson. The VID Kid's Book of Home Video Games.". Library Journal. Vol. 109, no. 18. p. 2076. ISSN 0363-0277.
  14. ^ "News in Brief". PCMag. Vol. 4, no. 6. Ziff Davis. March 19, 1985. p. 42. ISSN 0888-8507 – via Google Books.
  15. ^ Colker, David (January 10, 1995). "Vintage Video Games: The Latest Blip : Computer Game Producers Look Back to the Past for New Hits at Electronics Show". Los Angeles Times. Vol. 114. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  16. ^ "Concrete Software Hires Veteran Game Designer – Rawson Stovall". Concrete Software. September 5, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  17. ^ Stovall, Rawson. "@rawsonstovall". Twitter. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  18. ^ "94" (PDF). SMU Magazine. Fall/Winter 2008. Southern Methodist University. 2008. p. 44. Rawson Stovall is a producer at Electronic Arts, a video game publisher in California. He lives in Redwood City.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  19. ^ "Kay Law Stovall Obituary". Legacy.com. March 15, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.


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