Video Game Newsroom Time Machine
Monthly show looking back at video game news headlines from 30, 40, and 50 years ago from around the globe. Follow us on Twitter @videonewsr2 and consider supporting our patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=7594060
Phil Adam - Spectrum Holobyte, SPA, Interplay, Amico
Phil Adam's career has spanned more than 40 years, from pioneering work marketing titles for Spectrum Holobyte, playing a pivotal role in bringing Tetris to the West, working at Interplay during the RPG renaisance and his current work as head of Amico.
Highs and lows in a career that has seen gaming grow up and maybe, find its youthful core once again.
Recorded May-July 2025
Video Version: https://youtu.be/iK3wUGg213s
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October 1994
Japan goes after arcades, Nintendo's Famicon gets its first licensee & Gamers come together online
These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM!
This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in October 1994. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.
Alex Smith of They Create Worlds is our cohost. Check out his podcast here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/ and order his book here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/book<...
Tom Kalinske - Mattel, Sega, Leap Frog
Few events in video game history are more legendary than the Console War between Sega and Nintendo. Our guest today was one of the generals of that war, the head of Sega of America, Tom Kalinske.
Tom's story is not just a story of Sega though, he started out in advertising, helping create the still iconic Flintstone's vitamins, he redefined Barbie's image, helped save Mattel from bankruptcy after the video game crash and lead one of the most important educational tech companies of our time, Leap Frog.
Tom's insight into the world of toys, games and education ov...
October 1984
Japan goes after arcades, Nintendo's Famicon gets its first licensee & Gamers come together online
These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM!
This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in October 1984. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.
Alex Smith of They Create Worlds is our cohost. Check out his podcast here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/ and order his book here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/book<...
Richard Bartle - Part 2 - Designing Virtual Worlds
After spending almost 2 decades trying to make MUD a viable commercial project, Richard returns to academia after publishing his seminal book, Designing Virtual Worlds, and begins teaching and researching game worlds and player behavior.
We delve deep into the study of games, talk about why it's important and the future of virtual worlds, the morality of being a god, both as a designer and a gamer, and where the industry can go from here.
Recorded: February 2025
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Richard Bartle - Part 1 - MUD (Multi User Dungeon)
While there are many founders of the video game industry writ large, the dawn of multiplayer gaming is a much more select group of luminaries and our guest today, Richard Bartle is most definitely one of them. He cocreated MUD1, the first Multi User Dungeon game as a college student and has gone on to help shape the academic view of gaming ever since.
Recorded: January 2025
Video version:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/135579198
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John Wood - Sally Dark Ride
Mechanical amusements have long been a mainstay of theme parks and travelling fairs. In the 1980s, this technology entered the realm of the arcade, most notably through Chuck E. Cheese and since then, has merged with the traditional dark ride to become the interactive dark ride, a mixture of animatronics, motion, lightguns and video games.
Our guest today, John Wood is the head of Sally Corporation, a pioneer of animatronic entertainment and especially the interactive darkride. John tells us how this industry leader got its start
Recorded: September 2024
Video version:
https://www.patreon.com...
September 1994
Nintendo owns CES, The future belongs to the internet & EA disses Sega
These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM!
This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in September 1994. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.
Alex Smith of They Create Worlds is our cohost. Check out his podcast here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/ and order his book here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/book
...
Jeff Johannigman - Part 2 - Origin, Dynamix, Microprose
From a bedroom coder to Game Developer's Conference OG to the creator of one of the greatest one-on-one action strategy games of the 8 bit era, Jeff Johannigman worked for some of the most legendary companies of the 80s, Epyx, Electronic Arts, and Origin and beyond.
In Part 2, we talk about working on Ultima for the Gameboy, porting Dynamix titles to the Amiga, rediscovering his strategy roots at Microprose and finally deciding to exit the industry on moral and personal grounds.
Jeff's insight and storytelling skill make this a wonderful chat.
Recorded: September 2024
...Jeff Johannigman - Part 1 - Atari PE, Synapse, Epyx, Electronic Arts, Origin, GDC
From a bedroom coder to Game Developer's Conference OG to the creator of one of the greatest one-on-one action strategy games of the 8 bit era, Jeff Johannigman worked for some of the most legendary companies of the 80s, Epyx, Electronic Arts, and Origin.
In Part 1, we talk about those early days, including the making of games such as G.I. Joe and Savage Empire and working with important figures like Ihor Wolosenko, Dani Bunten, Chris Crawford, Warren Spector, and Richard Garriot.
Jeff's insight and storytelling skill make this a wonderful chat.
Recorded: September 2024
September 1984
PCs get upgraded, MSX comes to Europe & Coinop goes cartridge
These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM!
This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in August 1984. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.
Alex Smith of They Create Worlds is our cohost. Check out his podcast here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/ and order his book here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/book
Get us...
Graeme Bayless - Part 5 - E-Line Media, Fireforge, Netherrealm Studios
Few developers have had as long and prolific a career as our guest, Graeme Bayless. From working on mainframes, to selling Kaypros, to playtesting Accolade's launch titles, to producing games for SSI, Sega Technical Institute, Hyperbole Studios, Dynamix, EA, Eidos, and NetherRealm Studios.
In Part 5, we talk about Graeme's winding up of Fierce Wombat, looking for a new position and being offered a position at NetherRealm Studios, where he worked on Injustice 2, Mortal Kombat 11 and Mortal Kombat 1. We discuss life in a studio with the most senior staff in the business, gamer-first design philosophy and what it m...
August 1994
30 years ago: Computer industry booms as consoles slump, Nintendo announces Ultra64 & The internet gets scary
These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM!
This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in August 1994. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.
Alex Smith of They Create Worlds is our cohost. Check out his podcast here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/ and order his book here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com...
Graeme Bayless - Part 4 - Crystal Dynamics, SCi, Namco, Fierce Wombat
Few developers have had as long and prolific a career as our guest, Graeme Bayless. From working on mainframes, to selling Kaypros, to playtesting Accolade's launch titles, to producing games for SSI, Sega Technical Institute, Hyperbole Studios, Dynamix, EA, Eidos, and NetherRealm Studios.
In Part 4, we talk about the decade that Graeme spent in the wilderness of the game's industry, during which he worked on titles such as Tomb Raider Legend and Anniversary at Crystal Dynamics, tried to salvage projects like Enslaved, Dead to Rights Retribution and Splatterhouse at Namco, returned to sports titles at 2K Games...
August 1984
Commodore buys Amiga Jack Tramiel declares war on competition Nintendo announces US NES launch plans
These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM!
This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in August 1984. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.
Alex Smith of They Create Worlds is our cohost. Check out his podcast here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/ and order his book here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com...
Graeme Bayless - Part 3 - EA, Tiburon, Madden
Few developers have had as long and prolific a career as our guest, Graeme Bayless. From working on mainframes, to selling Kaypros, to playtesting Accolade's launch titles, to producing games for SSI, Sega Technical Institute, Hyperbole Studios, Dynamix, EA, Eidos, and NetherRealm Studios.
In Part 3, we talk about job hunting in the games industry at the end of the 90s and his time at EA's Tiburon subsidiary working on Madden 2001 and 2002 as well as developing the NFL Street franchise.
What is life like for a dev living in the crunch of annualized sports games? How are n...
July 1994 - Part 2
Sega's Saturn premiere flops Nintendo goes for cheap VR Commodore bankruptcy gets messy
These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM!
This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in July 1994. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.
Alex Smith of They Create Worlds is our cohost. Check out his podcast here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/ and order his book here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/book
<...July 1994 - Part 1
Sega's Saturn premiere flops, The Game Industry ditches CES for E3 & Nintendo goes for cheap VR
These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM!
This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in July 1994. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.
Alex Smith of They Create Worlds is our cohost. Check out his podcast here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/ and order his book here: https://www.theycreateworlds...
Graeme Bayless - Part 2 - Dynamix, Sierra
Few developers have had as long and prolific career as our guest, Graeme Bayless. From working on mainframes, to selling Kaypros, to playtesting Accolade's launch titles, to producing games for SSI, Sega Technical Institute, Hyperbole Studios, Dynamix, EA, Eidos, and NetherRealm Studios.
In Part 2, we talk about his time at Dynamix, a Sierra subsidiary. We find out how he met his wife in the early days of online geekdom, finally put down roots in Eugene, OR, ventured into online game development, experienced the gradual fall of Sierra as it changed hands again and again, worked on games...
July 1984
Jack buys Atari Imagine goes belly up Nintendo's Famicom gets Zapped
These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM!
This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in July 1984. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.
Alex Smith of They Create Worlds is our cohost. Check out his podcast here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/ and order his book here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/book
Get...
Graeme Bayless Part 1 - Accolade, SSI, Sega, Hyperbole Studios
Few developers have had as long and prolific career as our guest, Graeme Bayless. From working on mainframes, to selling Kaypros, to playtesting Accolade's launch titles, to producing games for SSI, Sega Technical Institute, Hyperbole Studios, Dynamix, EA, Eidos, and NetherRealm Studios.
In Part 1, we talk about his early years, the evolution of the industry, moving from computers at SSI to consoles with Sega and getting up to the boom of FMV games.
Recorded: December 2023
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June 1994
Hollywood welcomes Siliwood, Saturn and Playstation begin fight for Japanese consumers & 3DO declared DOA
These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM!
This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in June 1994. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.
Alex Smith of They Create Worlds is our cohost. Check out his podcast here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/ and order his book here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/book<...
Raymond Yap - Wong's International, Mondex
The boom of home computers and electronics in the 1970s and 1980s was as much a success of entrepreneurial endeavor and technological innovation, as it was of the blossoming worldwide supply chain.
One of the company's that made it all possible was WONG's International and our guest today, Raymond Yap was their representative in the UK. He helped make sure that the BBC Micro got into UK schools and traveled the world securing suppliers for all manner of electronics.
How did that business work? Where did his career lead after this? Raymond tells us of...
June 1984
The home computer market implodes, Atari announces 7800 & Console software dries up.
These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM!
This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in June 1984. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.
Alex Smith of They Create Worlds is our cohost. Check out his podcast here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/ and order his book here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/book
Get...
Larry J. Dunlap - The Games Network, Imperial Wars
The dawn of the home computer seemed to usher in the death of computing's networked past dominated by dumb terminals connected to mainframes, but a few visionaries foresaw a world in which the microcomputer technology invading millions of homes could be connected and the data networks already in consumer hands, such as cable TV and telephones, could usher in a new way of connecting people and distributing software.
Our guest, Larry J. Dunlap, was one such pioneer. The company he cofounded, The Games Network almost brought that dream to the world but tragically came up short.
<...May 1994
Nintendo and Sega financials dissapoint Sony gets ready for NextGen Venture money goes ga-ga over silliwood
These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM!
This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in May 1994. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.
Alex Smith of They Create Worlds is our cohost. Check out his podcast here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/ and order his book here: https://www.theycreateworlds...
May 1984
Sinclair ships QLs,
Atari looks hopeful &
Jack is BACK!
These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM!
This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in May 1984.
As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.
Alex Smith of They Create Worlds is our cohost. Check out his podcast here:
https://www.theycreateworlds.com/
and order his book here:<...
Jay Balakrishnan - HESWare, Radical, Dynamics, Solid State Software
In the earliest days of the gaming biz, Human Engineered Software was a trailblazer, bringing big names like Jeff Minter to the US. The company's founder, Jay Balakrishnan, is a serial entrepreneur who not only would help create the mass market for software at retail but would also have a long and storied career in games beyond Hes ware with such companies as Radical Entertainment and Dynamics.
I spoke to Jay in November and December of 2023, and after a few technical hiccups we finally got a connection going and we jump right into that today, so don't worry th...
April 1994
Nintendo bows to Blockbuster,
Commodore enters liquidation &
Acclaim-Midway divorce gets messy!
These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM!
This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in April 1994.
As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.
Alex Smith of They Create Worlds is our cohost. Check out his podcast here:
https://www.theycreateworlds...
Joneva Barry - Chuck E. Cheese, Kadabrascope
Nolan Bushnell, the PT Barnum of games, left indellible marks on the industry, some greater than others, and among the big hits like Atari and Chuck E. Cheese, were also many misses and could-have-beens.
Our guest, Joneva Barry, was witness to one of them, Kadabrascope, an attempt to use computers to bring down the cost of traditional 2D animation.
An accomplished artist and educator, Joneva tells us of those heady days of high tech, great hopes, the comradery with Sente, the fall of Pizza Time Theater and her career in movies and as a school teacher.
April 1984
Acorn and Commodore soar, as Coleco and Atari falter
Software takes center stage in PC clone world
UK game prices hit rock bottom
These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM!
This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in April 1984.
As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.
Alex Smith of They Create Worlds is...
March 1994
Sega previews Saturn at CES,
Commodore warns of bankruptcy &
Doom brings corporate networks to their knees
These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM!
This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in March 1994.
As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.
Alex Smith of They Create Worlds is our cohost. Check out his podcast here:<...
March 1984
Pizza Time goes bust,
Amiga announces a computer &
Nintendo launches the VS
These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM!
This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in March 1984.
As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.
Alex Smith of They Create Worlds is our cohost. Check out his podcast here:
https://www...
Michael Hengst Part 2: Trickwerk, Jowood, Retro Gamer, Flying Fishkopp
The history of 80s and 90s game magazines is filled with big names like Computer Gaming World, Weekly Famitsu, Computer and Video Games, Micromania, and, a name that makes German speaking gamers of a particular vintage extremely nostalgic, Power Play.
In this second part of our interview, Michael tells us how he left Power Play to join a major German games publisher, founded a hint guide and magazine publisher of his own making guides of Eidos' Tomb Raider series and Nintendo's Legend of Zelda Majoras Mask, before becoming a freelance producer for games around the world. We...
February 1994
The world goes ga-ga over game violence; Sega reports horrible losses & Doom redefines PC gaming!
These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM
This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in February 1994. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.
Alex Smith of They Create Worlds is our cohost. Check out his podcast here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/ and order his book here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com...
Michael Hengst - Part 1: Power Play
The history of 80s and 90s game magazines is filled with big names like Computer Gaming World, Weekly Famitsu, Computer and Video Games, Micromania, and, a name that makes German speaking gamers of a particular vintage extremely nostalgic, Power Play.
Michael Hengst was a mainstay at the mag and gives us a fascinating insight into how the business worked, how games were reviewed, and sets up a career in the industry that lasts to this day.
Recorded: January-February 2024
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February 1984
Famicom rules Japan, Bushnell leaves Chuck E Cheese & Vectrex put to rest
These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM!
This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in February 1984. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.
Alex Smith of They Create Worlds is our cohost. Check out his podcast here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/ and order his book here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/book
...
Julian 'Jaz' Rignall - ZZAP!64, Virgin, IGN, Mean Machines, Future Publishing
In the early 80s, glory could be won in the arcades by those intrepid youths capable of garnering high scores. One such teen, Julian 'Jaz' Rignall, turned that skillset into a career, first as a strategy tip writer for UK mags like Personal Computing and Computer and Video Games, before becoming a founding writer for ZZAP!64, Mean Machines, Mean Machines Sega, and Nintendo Magazine System. His career then brought him to America where he worked for Virgin on titles such as Toonstruck and Jungle Book before becoming a pioneer in online games journalism at IGN. Today, he helps game dev...
January 1994
Commodore hits the skids,
Sega bets big on entertainment centers &
The emulation revolution is born!
These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM
This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in January 1994.
As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.
Alex Smith of They Create Worlds is our cohost. Check out his podcast here:
<...January 1984
Jack Tramiel leaves Commodore,
Apple advertises the Mac &
Amstrad enters the home computer market
These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM
This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in January 1984.
As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.
Alex Smith of They Create Worlds is our cohost. Check out his podcast here:
...
