The Video Game History Hour

Documentarian Bones joins us to discuss their directorial debut Mother to Earth. We dive into the mysteries of Earth Bound, the unreleased North American version of Nintendo’s JRPG Mother. Now, this is not to be confused with the Super Nintendo game, Earthbound, which is actually the sequel; we know, it’s complicated. Set to release in…

Journalist Liz Landau reminisces about the old days of text-based adventuring through MUDs (Multi User Dungeons) and how they’re the stepping stones to all current-day MMO’s and social media platforms from her Wired article, “How Old-School Text Adventures Inspired Our Virtual Spaces.” Though some thought the internet was just a passing fad, others dove head…

Damian Rogers from Japan’s Game Preservation Society joins us this week to talk about their new documentary series: Geimu. Born out of necessity during the pandemic to replace their annual in-person summer event, Geimu episodes highlight well-deserving Japanese game developers who might not normally get as much media attention. Episode one, 芸夢 [gei·mɯ] File #1…

We uncover lost stories of the never released Power-Up Baseball, sometimes referred to as “MLB Jam,” with then programer, now arcade game developer, Brian Smolik. Back in those days, Smolik lived the life only a young 25 year old could: programming and testing until 6 a.m. while riding a sugar high brought on by giant…

Iain Simons from The National Videogame Museum, UK joins us to discuss their current project: Animal Crossing Diaries. We learn how the museum evolved itself into being over the years, ponder what video games mean, ask, “how do we preserve that meaning through history,” and learn how Animal Crossing may be the perfect vehicle to…

In his recent video, WorkBoy: Lost Game Boy Add-on FOUND After 28 Years – Game History Secrets, Liam Robertson not only found possibly the only WorkBoy left in existence, but also got it working! This version is certainly a step up from our cardboard cut-out version we had on display at PRG in 2019 (you…

THE speedrun historian and world’s fastest Mike Tyson’s Punch-out!! record holder, Summoning Salt, gives us an inside look at the niche, but expanding, world of competitive speedruns. His newest video, The History of Super Mario Bros. 2 World Records, depicts one of many yet unfinished dramatic battles for first place on the leaderboard. We learn…

Alex Smith, author of They Create Worlds: The Story of the People and Companies That Shaped the Video Game Industry, Vol. 1: 1971-1982 and fellow podcaster, joins us to discuss the North American console crash of the early 80’s: its causes, its effects, and the lessons we’ve learned since then.  See more from Alex Smith:…

Chicken owner and gaming historian, Kevin Bunch, joins us to share some of the lessons he’s learned by living the history of the Atari VCS by playing each game released in its chronological order. The Atari Archive gives the exact context needed to truly appreciate each game for what it really was at the time…

Frank and Kelsey close out the year 2020 by answering your burning questions. We touch on topics of policy, found oddities, white whales, what we’ve accomplished this year, and what we’re looking forward to in the year to come. Thank you to everyone for all your support of the podcast, for sending in your questions,…