Hello, gaming enthusiasts! Today, let us introduce “Dempa Publications,” a lesser-known yet essential contributor to Japan’s gaming culture. Don’t mistake this company for just another publishing house. If you’re a gaming fan, you’ve likely heard its name at least once. Let’s take a deeper dive into its history.

Headquartered in Higashi-Gotanda, Shinagawa, Tokyo, Dempa Publications is a media company covering electronic components, home appliances, and electronics in general. But that’s not where the story ends—this company is far more fascinating.These two magazines were beloved by everyone from PC beginners to experts and became indispensable when discussing Japan’s computer culture of the 1980s and 1990s.

In particular, “Be-Maga” significantly contributed to spreading the culture of programming as a hobby. Young programmers of the time honed their skills by manually inputting programs from the magazine to run games or by submitting their original creations.It’s no exaggeration to say that this magazine gave birth to many of the game creators and engineers of later generations.

Another major contribution by Dempa Publications was porting arcade games to home computers.In the 1980s, when enjoying high-quality games at home was challenging, they brought masterpieces from major developers like Namco and Sega into the home environment.Thanks to Dempa Publications, games like “Xevious”, “Mappy”, and “Space Harrier” became playable at home.

The high quality of arcade game ports for the X68000 especially amazed many gaming fans.Their “Video Game Anthology” series brought classics to home computers, providing new entertainment before home consoles became widespread.

In 1991, Dempa Publications’ software division became a separate company, “Mycom Soft.” However, in 2018, it was reintegrated into Dempa Publications and continues as the “Mycom Soft Division” to this day.This division primarily produces video-related peripherals and continues to deliver products that meet the needs of the times, earning support from retro game fans and electronics enthusiasts alike.

Dempa Publications is more than just a publishing house—it’s the unsung hero that has supported Japan’s computer and gaming cultures. From nurturing programming beginners with “Be-Maga”, to enriching home gaming with arcade ports, and developing electronics products across eras, learning about this company’s history will give you new insights into gaming and technology.

If you’re interested in gaming culture or retro games, why not trace the footsteps of Dempa Publications? You’re sure to uncover exciting new discoveries!