A fanzine (or "zine") is a newsletter or amateur magazine written by fans of a paticular hobby and distributed to other active participants in that hobby. When several fanzine editors share their work with each other and establish a reader base, this creates a network of connected enthusiasts known as a fandom. Fanzines can cover a

Thomas Payne. Founding Father. Great American. Fanzine Editor.

The amateur press has had a long and important history -- some underground newsletters have even been instrumental in triggering major world events. Thomas Payne's Common Sense, published in 1775, questioned Britain's iron-fisted rule of the American colonies, and convinced its readers to fight for an independent nation. Of course, that's a far cry from most modern zines, which typically cover frivolous entertainment or other matters of minor importance. The American Revolution fomented by Common Sense was more than two centuries ago and shaped the course of human history; video games have been around for forty years and (Hot Coffee aside) have done little to make the evening news. So gaming zines aren't likely to spark social change -- but does that mean they're a waste of time?

Bill and Akemi Sannwald say no. A husband and wife team, the Sannwalds publish Mister Raroo's Game Time, a smartly written newsletter with coverage of the games that are typically ignored by professional gaming web sites.

"We cover whatever we've been playing or interested in at the moment", says Bill Sannwald, known in the fanzine as "Mister Raroo". "[The] articles cut across systems, game generations, and categories. My favorite aspect about our articles is that a lot of who we are as people shines through in our writing. Our articles are more about our experiences with the games than the games themselves."

Of course, gamers in 2005 have far more effective means of mass communication available to them than Payne in 1775. The Internet, for one. A low-cost format offering potentially global reach in a matter of seconds, electronic media have largely made the traditional print-and-ink zines a thing of the past. But the Sannwalds have deliberately chosen to work with paper pages rather than web pages.

Akemi Sannwald, or "Missus Raroo," feels that the publication's more personal approach to gaming coverage is better suited to a print fanzine. Akemi explains, "When we got married, we put together a printed program that was similar in format to Game Time. There was a real sense of satisfaction in being able to hold the program in our hands and flip through it. The experience of holding a book, a magazine, or a newsletter is wholly different [from a web site] and cannot be replicated digitally."

Bill offers another reason for the decision to publish Game Time as a fanzine. "I wouldn't want to deal with all the crud that comes with the Internet, such as bugs, viruses, hackers, and so on." Bill offers an example, describing a situation that happened to one of his readers. "One editor of a gaming site that subscribes to Game Time

GameTime with Mister Raroo. Hacker-proof since 2005.

Like many fanzines, Game Time is published with limited resources. "People are always shocked to hear we make it using Microsoft Word," muses Bill. Akemi adds, "I use Photoshop to scan in our drawings, but besides that, I do everything else in Microsoft Word. Since we're not willing to slap down the cash to buy a program like PageMaker, I've learned to use Word to the max. Akemi then describes the final step of the publishing process. "Once an issue is set to print, we've been just using our $100 laser printer to churn out the issues."

Lower production values translate into lower prices for the reader. "We charge $2 per issue," Bill says, "which is about right for what we spend in paper, ink, and postage." With the cover price of Game Time just barely covering the cost of its production, the Sannwalds are clearly not in it for the money. Bill admits, "We're in the red for sure. But we see Game Time as a hobby and hobbies are something people often spend money on, so it's cool." Akemi agrees, adding "The incentive [for publishing Game Time] is purely for the personal satisfaction of creating something that we love. The bonus is when other people enjoy it as well."

What advice would the Sannwalds give gamers planning to create their own newsletters? Bill sums it up in a single sentence. "I say do your own thing." When asked to elaborate, he explains, "Just find your own voice, learn from the process, and have no regrets. It doesn't matter if you have readers, it just matters if you're enjoying what you're doing."

Akemi has a similar message for newcomers to the hobby. "My advice is to just stick to what you know and do what feels right. We all have different tastes and opinions, so don't be ashamed of your own. Listen to what others have to say, because they may offer good criticism, but don't forget to trust your own judgment."

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