Categories Video games Circulation 300,000 | Frequency Bi-weekly | |
Editor Pèi Xiǎo (Last editor-in-chief) Former editors Chūn Xiǎo (Co-founding editor-in-chief)
Wényǔ Liú (Co-founding editor-in-chief) Publisher China Association for Science and Technology | ||
Diànzǐ Yóuxì Ruǎnjiàn (simplified Chinese: 电子游戏软件; literally: "Electronic Game Software"; also known by the portmanteau abbreviation Diàn Ruǎn (电软; lit. "Electro Soft")) is China's earliest video game magazine. Founded in the summer of 1993 and officially serialized in May 1994 by China Association for Science and Technology (中国科学技术协会; Zhōngguó Kēxué Jìshù Xiéhuì), the magazine was originally subtitled Game Jízhōngyíng (GAME集中营; lit. "Game Concentration Camp"), and focused on both PC games and console games. In July 1995 it was closed by the government, however the publication ban was lifted two months later and the magazine was given the more politically palatable subtitle Game Fēngjǐngxiàn (GAME风景线; lit. "Game Landscape"). Topical coverage broadened after this point to include articles on anime, comics, music, and popular culture in general, however the de-emphasis on video games created a rift among staff and several editors led by Bīng Suǒ (索冰; better known under the pseudonym "King") left the magazine to found Diànzǐ Yóuxì yǔ Diànnǎo Yóuxì (电子游戏与电脑游戏; lit. "Electronic Games and Computer Games"; known by the portmanteau abbreviation Diàn Diàn (电电; lit. "Electro Comp")), a rival magazine catering to a hardcore and doujin gamer ethic.
From 1995 to 2000, Diàn Ruǎn and Diàn Diàn dominated video game magazine sales in the country and the competition between them was stiff and occasionally acrimonious. The early 2000s saw the introduction of prominent rivals, and the development of specialist gaming magazines like the PC-focused Play. From 2003 (the year that marked the folding of Diàn Diàn) through 2005, Diàn Ruǎn experienced the peak of its influence with annual income approaching 16.5 million yuan. The 2010s would see the magazine's last days as the rise of internet journalism prompted a global decline of newspapers. On June 13, 2010, a large number of staff simultaneously resigned and the magazine was described by Gameaning journalists as "hanging by a thread". At the end of February 2012, a Weibo post from Diàn Ruǎn's official microblog confirmed that their next issue (#319) would be the last.
Seven months later, in September 2012, the magazine re-opened with a different format and with an academic rather than entertainment focus on video games. This new iteration of the magazine was short-lived and two months later (in November 2012) the magazine was renamed Diànzǐ Jìshù yǔ Ruǎnjiàn Gōngchéng (电子技术与软件工程; lit. "Electronic Technology and Software Engineering"), and its emphasis was shifted to non-game electronic hardware.