British gaming fans may remember Digitiser, published on teletext from 1993 to 2003.

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I don’t know if other countries had anything like teletext? It was an information service broadcast over the television signal. It was also known for artwork made from very basic graphics, that looked lot like what you might see on an BBC Micro computer. As internet access became widespread, teletext faded into irrelevance over the 2000s. I don’t think any channels broadcast it anymore since TV went digital (the BBC stopped in 2012) but anyone over 30 will have memories of using it.

Anyway, back to Digitiser. It was a great mix of gaming news and surreal humour, and a refreshing alternative to overtly serious and earnest gaming journos. (Or pretentious stuff like Edge). Articles were written under the guise of several colourful characters such as The Man with a Long Chin (who kept getting fired from various jobs), Gossi the Dog (gossip column) and Insincere Dave (far too enthusiastic).

So here’s the good news: Digitiser has returned, now on the web. How active it will be, and for how long, is still uncertain. Writer Mr Biffo is treating it as something of an experiment, depending on how what sort of reception he gets. Resurrecting a gaming magazine that was last published 11 years ago is quite an ambitious project. So I encourage you all to add it to your daily reading list, and follow via RSS or facebooks or whatever you may use.