Joyce Katz, one of the cofounders of the first dedicated video game magazine in the United States, passed away on Saturday at the age of 76 following complications from a stroke she suffered in May.
News of her passing comes courtesy of multiple science fiction fansites, which are celebrating her life’s work helping publish sci-fi fanzines and host sci-fi fan conventions.
Katz was born Joyce Worley, and in 1981 she cofounded Electronic Games magazine with fellow journalists Bill Kunkel and Arnie Katz (who also happened to be her husband.)
The first dedicated U.S. video game magazine, Electronic Games grew out of their contributions to the “Arcade Alley” column in Video magazine (both publications were published by Reese Publishing) and it ran until 1985. The trio revived it in 1992, and Electronic Games ran for another three years before closing down again.
Katz is survived by her husband. Kunkel, of course, passed away in 2011.