Video Game History Hour

Computer and video game historian, NYU assistant professor, and all-around rad friend of the show Laine Nooney discusses their recent article One of the most important women in Apple’s history never worked for Apple. In this episode: Bitcoin, ham radios, VR, and the Apple II - it’s all related; Softalk magazine; the 1977 Trinity; and ideation on the purpose of history. See more from Laine Nooney: Twitter: @Sierra_OffLine Podcast: Unboxing: https://anchor.fm/unboxingplayandprofit/ Book: The Apple II Age: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-apple-ii-age-laine-nooney/1142333554 Video Game History Foundation: Podcast Twitter: @gamehistoryhour Email: podcast@gamehistory.org Twitter: @GameHistoryOrg Website: gamehistory.org Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

Chris Kohler returns to the show, this time to chat with Frank Cifaldi about the Portland Retro Gaming Expo held annually in Portland, Oregon. In this episode: a creepy merry-go-round, PRGE museum iterations, a drive-by pre-announcement, the current collector atmosphere, and the preservation ecosystem. See more from Chris Kohler: Twitter: @kobunheat Website: www.chriskohler.biz Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Chris-Kohler/e/B001IOFJPI%3F Video Game History Foundation: Podcast Twitter: @gamehistoryhour Email: podcast@gamehistory.org Twitter: @GameHistoryOrg Website: gamehistory.org Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

Alex Smith hijacks the show from co-hosts Kelsey and “the other Kelsey” to dive deep into the history of Magnavox, manufacturer of the first commercial home video game console: Odyssey. In this episode: a ‘loudspeaker’ really is a person who speaks loudly, Futurama, Star Trek, the government creates a monopoly, we’re going to need a lot of wire to go wireless, Elvis Presley, and Frank Sinatra. See more from Alex Smith: Website: theycreateworlds.com Blog: videogamehistorian.wordpress.com Podcast: podcast.theycreateworlds.com Book: https://www.routledge.com/They-Create-Worlds-The-Story-of-the-People-and-Companies-That-Shaped-the/Smith/p/book/9781138389908 Video Game History Foundation: Podcast Twitter: @gamehistoryhour Email: podcast@gamehistory.org Twitter: @GameHistoryOrg Website: gamehistory.org Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

Drew Mackie, author and owner of gaming blog Thrilling Tales of Old Video Games, joins the show this week to share the history of some of Street Fighter II’s character names. We start off with a recent article of his, If His Name Is Blanka, Why Is He Green?, taking a look at the biggest theories surrounding this odd naming choice. Ryu, Ken, Guile, Chun-Li, M. Bison, and Vega all make an appearance. Don’t worry, everyone communicates using their words, not fists, on this show. See more from Drew Mackie: Website: thrillingtalesofoldvideogames.com Twitter: @drewgmackie Instagram: @kidicarus222 Production Company: tablecakes.com Podcast: gayestepisodeever.com - LGBTQ+ analysis of episodes of classic sitcoms Video Game History Foundation: Podcast Twitter: @gamehistoryhour Email: podcast@gamehistory.org Twitter: @GameHistoryOrg Website: gamehistory.org Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

Ernie Smith, editor of website and newsletter Tedium and chum of the show, hooked our attention with his recent article Surf Like A Shark highlighting the SharkWire Online, a totally unlicensed device which brought internet connectivity to the Nintendo 64. In this episode: edgy 7-years-olds are a marketing demographic, Fisher-Price “My First Internet,” Dad is on the computer and we’re not fancy enough people, and Dan keeps the game cheats legacy alive (thanks Dan!). See more from Ernie Smith: Website: tedium.co Twitter: @ShortFormErnie Video Game History Foundation: Podcast Twitter: @gamehistoryhour Email: podcast@gamehistory.org Twitter: @GameHistoryOrg Website: gamehistory.org Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

Journalist and critic Kim justice recently released a video, The Story of JRPG's in the UK BEFORE FFVII: Super Play Magazine | Kim Justice, challenging the traditional narrative about how JRPGs were introduced in the UK, perhaps paralleling how it happened in the US. In this episode we shop for hardware live on-air, underserved import culture, Donkey Kong Country takes a back seat, spoilers gonna spoil, and it takes gumption to tell people what’s really cool. Mentioned in the show: https://www.codejunkies.com/Products/SD-Media-Launcher__EF000580V.aspx outofprintarchive.com See more from Kim Justice: YouTube: /kimblejustice Twitch: /kim_justice Patreon: /kimblejustice Twitter: @kimxxxjustice Video Game History Foundation: Podcast Twitter: @gamehistoryhour Email: podcast@gamehistory.org Twitter: @GameHistoryOrg Website: gamehistory.org Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

Designer and Sierra On-Line co-founder Roberta Williams shares how Adventure inspired her own career in creating/designing the King's Quest and Phantasmagoria series as well as her newest work: Colossal Cave 3D Adventure, a reimagined version of the original title.In this episode we’re joined by a very vocal special guest, avid readers become avid storytellers, we’re all acutely aware of our own age, and looking under the hood bears greater appreciation for design. See more from Roberta Williams: Twitter: @thecolossalcave Website: colossalcave3d.com Video Game History Foundation: Podcast Twitter: @gamehistoryhour Email: podcast@gamehistory.org Twitter: @GameHistoryOrg Website: gamehistory.org Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

Jimmy Maher, author of The Digital Antiquarian, returns once more to share his recent article Toonstruck (or, A Case Study in the Death of Adventure Games). We examine this 1996 point-and-click adventure as an illustration of the mainstream decline of its entire genre. In this episode: “Siliwood” interactive movies are the next big thing, the curse of a blank check strikes again, no one ever got off Myst’s first island, do peanut butter and salmon really go together?, how simple economics shaped game design, Frank drops a major bomb making us question if we even know him anymore, and Barney is a real dinosaur who wrote his own song lyrics. See more from Jimmy Maher: The Digital Antiquarian: filfre.net Patreon: /DigitalAntiquarian Twitter: @DigiAntiquarian The Analog Antiquarian: https://analog-antiquarian.net/ Video Game History Foundation: Podcast Twitter: @gamehistoryhour Email: podcast@gamehistory.org Twitter: @GameHistoryOrg Website: gamehistory.org Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

Kevin Bunch returns to the show to share a new episode from Atari Archive: The Launch Lineup: Intellivision Archive Episode 1. In this episode we learn the history of the Intellivision launch and many of the innovative, if not long-lasting, ideas that came with it. Get ready for some Backgammon with a shifty-eyed poker man. See more from Kevin Bunch: Twitter: @ubersaurus YouTube: /atariarchive Website: atariarchive.org Patreon: /atariarchive Video Game History Foundation: Podcast Twitter: @gamehistoryhour Email: podcast@gamehistory.org Twitter: @GameHistoryOrg Website: gamehistory.org Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

We’re joined by Aaron Reed, creator of a special blog post turned book called 50 Years of Text Games, a project documenting one stand-out text adventure game from every year going all the way back to 1971 (Oregon Trail!). In this episode we look into the 1988 entry, P.R.E.S.T.A.V.B.A., a political protest game from Czechoslovakia. Aaron helps paint a striking picture of the political and cultural climate at the time which helped forge this, and other, resistive titles. Find out how this game created IRL consequences, both intended and unintended. See more from Aaron Reed: Twitter: @aaronareed Book Pre-Order Kickstarter: 50 Years of Text Games: From Oregon Trail to A.I. Dungeon Video Game History Foundation: Podcast Twitter: @gamehistoryhour Email: podcast@gamehistory.org Twitter: @GameHistoryOrg Website: gamehistory.org Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg