Best Video Game History Foundation Podcasts (2025)

1
Episode 129: Powerhouse Chloe Appleby 1:10:46

10d ago1:10:46

1:10:46

Phil Salvador and Robin Kunimune chat with Chloe Appleby, games curator at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia, who shares how she turned her passion for games into a dream role blending community, culture, and quirky preservation. From Sydney’s post-COVID game scene revival to tracking down lost media and organizing a free indie games festi…

1
Episode 128: DMCA 2024 Copyright Ruling 1:10:00

25d ago1:10:00

1:10:00

Phil Salvador and Kendra Albert, a partner at Albert Sellars LLP, digest, discuss, and dissect the 2024 DMCA exemption petition to make it easier for libraries and archives to preserve video games and the subsequent ruling by the US Copyright Office. Join us for an insightful look at the recent ruling, legal implications, and what it all means for …

1
Episode 127: Sarge’s Heroes 1:17:26

1M ago1:17:26

1:17:26

In this episode of Video Game History Hour, Michael Mendheim joins host Frank Cifaldi and guest-host John Rairdin to reflect on his career, from early work on Fester’s Quest to cult favorites like Mutant League Football and Sarge’s Heroes. Mendheim shares stories about creative risks, industry shakeups, and the challenges of keeping games alive — w…

1
Episode 126: A Fireside Chat with Gail Tilden 1:07:42

2M ago1:07:42

1:07:42

Gail Tilden, Nintendo of America’s marketing mastermind, takes Frank Cifaldi on a trip down memory lane in a panel at the Long Island Retro Gaming Expo, reminiscing about everything from the early days of NES branding to the explosive rise of Pokémon. She shares behind-the-scenes stories about marketing mishaps (hello, Zelda Rap), strategic pivots …

1
Episode 125: ROMchip, What’s Next? 1:05:37

2M ago1:05:37

1:05:37

Laine Nooney, an associate professor at NYU and managing editor of ROMchip: A Journal of Game Histories, joins Phil Salvador on The Video Game History Hour to chat about the journal’s mission to make game history more than just timelines. ROMchip is an open-access, independent journal that brings together academics, enthusiasts, and industry pros, …

1
Episode 124: Digital Library Launch 1:09:02

3M ago1:09:02

1:09:02

It’s finally arrived: our digital library archive is now open in early access! Our library team: library director Phil Salvador, director of technology Travis Brown, and artist and engineer Amanda Cifaldi all join foundation director Frank Cifaldi and show producer Robin Kunimune to celebrate and discuss the years-long project sampling just a porti…

1
Episode 123: GamePro Magazine Collection 1:30:47

3M ago1:30:47

1:30:47

Guests Katrin Auch & Dan Amrich, formerly of GamePro magazine, discuss their time at the publication as well as the archival collection now housed by the VGHF. Kat and Dan recount their experience of transitioning from film to digital layouts, unintentional blunders, working under tight budgets and deadlines, and the creative process of creating co…

1
Episode 122: Save the Games Recap 1:16:49

4M ago1:16:49

1:16:49

We're joined by Director of Digital Preservation at The Strong National Museum of Play Andrew Borman to recap the events of the first ever Save the Games Symposium put on by the museum in August 2024, a conference dedicated to digital preservation and advancing the field of video game preservation. Chris Arneil, National Film and Sound Archive of A…

1
Episode 121: Exploring the Cyan Vault 47:43

4M ago47:43

47:43

In this field report from Mead, Washington, Cyan co-founder Rand Miller takes VGHF library director Phil Salvador on an exclusive tour of the "Cyan Vault." Together, they uncover rare game artifacts, prototypes, and cool behind-the-scenes treasures while diving into Cyan's rich history. Listen in to discover how thoughtful, meticulous preservation …

1
Episode 120: Nintendo's Virtual Boy 1:13:23

5M ago1:13:23

1:13:23

In our very first episode of season two, university professor José Zagal and video game historian Benj Edwards, co-authors of Seeing Red: Nintendo's Virtual Boy, join host Frank Cifaldi to educate us all on Nintendo’s Virtual Boy. Mentioned in the show: Benj’s original article on VB: https://www.fastcompany.com/3050016/unraveling-the-enigma-of-nint…

1
Season Two Announcement 8:41

5M ago8:41

8:41

We're thrilled to announce season two of the Video Game History Hour is finally here! We've been toiling away behind the scenes putting together a fun and interesting new line-up of guests and we can't wait to share them all with you. Keep an eye on your feed for our re-launch episode coming up next. You can listen to the Video Game History Hour ev…

1
Holiday Update & Winter Fundraiser 55:57

1+ y ago55:57

55:57

It’s been awhile so, let’s catch up. Plus, we’re right in the middle of our 2023 Winter Fundraiser and we can’t wait to tell you all about how it’s going. Video Game History Foundation: Podcast Twitter: @gamehistoryhour Email: [email protected] Twitter: @GameHistoryOrg Website: gamehistory.org Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg…

1
The Future of the Show 14:33

1+ y ago14:33

14:33

With co-host Kelsey Lewin leaving the Video Game History Foundation, we will be putting the show on pause for the rest of the year. We want to thank Kelsey for everything she’s given to this show, to VGHF, and to our team and we all wish her great success in her future endeavors. As for the Video Game History Hour, we’ve decided to take the rest of…

1
Ep. 119: Karateka 1:07:32

1+ y ago1:07:32

1:07:32

Game designer and creator of Karateka Jordan Mechner, joined by Chris Kohler of Digital Eclipse, shares a new interactive documentary The Making of Karateka exploring this 1984 karate classic title. In this episode: Jordan’s earliest work, perfect paper preservationist, Prince of Persia source code, hitting it rich in video games vs. going to class…

1
Ep. 118: Noclip Game History Archive 1:14:30

1+ y ago1:14:30

1:14:30

Documentarian Danny O’Dwyer of Noclip has been sifting through thousands of videotapes in a recent mass-acquisition of video game (and adjacent) recordings. In this episode: Burger King and Kellogg’s games, Danny can fix your VCR, conferences in 1080p, shop talk on uploading footage, BBC Domesday Project methodology, slow Sonic, is that Frank?, it’…

1
Ep. 117: Nintendo Knitting Machine 1:29:15

1+ y ago1:29:15

1:29:15

Historian Racheil Weil returns to the show to discuss the Nintendo Knitting Machine, a never released knitting machine toy powered by the NES. In this episode: Sega Master System smack talk; flier breakdown; just…why?; dissociating like a TV doctor; analyzing the evidence: what’s real, how it might work, peripheral material, screen capture; and ble…

1
Ep. 116: The First CD-ROM Game 45:35

1+ y ago45:35

45:35

VGHF librarian Phil Salvador chats with longtime contributor to video game archaeology Misty De Méo, author of CD-ROM Journal: a blog exploring multimedia games and software. We discuss her recent article A Chronology of First CD-ROM Games answering the question: What was the first CD-ROM game? In this episode: the first adventure, the magical dino…

1
Ep. 115 - Travis Brown 1:13:39

1+ y ago1:13:39

1:13:39

Travis Brown, our very own director of technology, gets technical as we talk about his role with VGHF and how he got started in preservation. In this episode: The Varsity vs The Vortex, scanning 14k pieces of optical media, scaling with Nimbies, Power-Up Baseball restoration and MAME, writing our API glue, and Frank forgets just how many projects T…

1
Ep. 114: The Strong’s Expansion 1:57:53

2y ago1:57:53

1:57:53

We share the details of our recent field trip to The Strong Museum of Play to celebrate their newest video game focused expansion. In this travel log episode: travel woes; Wegmans toilet paper; Transformers’ shrieks at a cocktail event; a giant, playable Donkey Kong cabinet; video games ARE real; Level Up and High Score; touring the labs, vaults, a…

1
Bonus Episode: Game Availability Study 1:11:27

2y ago1:11:27

1:11:27

Brandon Butler, Director of Information Policy at the University of Virginia Library and Law and Policy Advisor at the Software Preservation Network, joins us to talk about a major new study published jointly by the Video Game History Foundation and the SPN which shows 87% of classic games released in the United States are now out of print. In this…

1
Ep. 113: Bally Professional Arcade 1:00:24

2y ago1:00:24

1:00:24

Author and historian Kevin Bunch returns to the familiar guest chair to educate us all on a somewhat obscure 1970’s consolputer from his recent video, The History of the Bally (and Astrocade) Professional Arcade: Archive Annex Episode 4. In this episode, tears are shed, wrapping these things in useless metal, accidental historical revisionism, what…

1
Ep. 112: Getting Personal with Frank Cifaldi 1:16:58

2y ago1:16:58

1:16:58

Frank gets a bit reflective and shares how he got where he is today; not just the video game stuff, but the life stuff, too. In this episode: a youth in Las Vegas, underage drinking and overage smoking, dropping out of school, the Wild West of game cataloging, Frank can do it better, how to get sh*t done, thanking your inspiring figures, being a ki…

1
Ep. 111: The World of Nintendo Book 56:18

2y ago56:18

56:18

Historian and game developer Andy Cunningham shares his fantastic new book The World of Nintendo Book, Volume One: A World of Wonders, a visual history of Nintendo merchandising. This first in a series goes deep into the creation of Nintendo of America's merchandising team of the late 80's and early 90's, something often overlooked in videogame his…

1
Ep. 110: Minesweeper 1:04:45

2y ago1:04:45

1:04:45

Kyle Orland, author of the new Boss Fight Books’ Minesweeper, joins the show to talk about one of the most prolific 90’s games by the same name. In this episode: the Minesweeper generation, how Bill Gates got addicted to it, the ultimate time waster, it was a mouse tutorial, Microsoft’s internal conflicts, the moral panic around games like Mineswee…

1
Ep. 109: Video Game Logos 50:03

2y ago50:03

50:03

Writer, journalist, and ‘several’ time returning guest Jack Yarwood shares his research on two video game logos with stylized R’s, which were subsequently made to be physical objects, as recently published in his articles "It Became Almost Like A Cult" - The Untold Story Behind Rockstar's Iconic Logo and The Origin Of Rare's Iconic "Golden Toilet R…

1
Bonus Episode: Game Preservation is a House of Cards 41:30

2y ago41:30

41:30

Kelsey and Frank hit record on a Friday afternoon for an impromptu, off-the-cuff discussion about a scary recent development in the world of video game preservation regarding the preservation organization Forest of Illusion. Total bummer topics include how much we rely on individual people to work for free, how many fragile points of failure there …

1
Ep. 108: Preserving the Nintendo eShop 1:08:15

2y ago1:08:15

1:08:15

Jirard Khalil, aka "That One Video Gamer", aka “The Completionist,” aka “Dragonrider,” joins us to talk about his recent video I bought EVERY Nintendo Wii U & 3DS game before the Nintendo eShop closes. In this episode: what happens when an E-Shop closes and why it shuts down, preserving games for toddlers, libraries collecting like this would be ab…

1
Ep. 107: Planning for Death 59:59

2y ago59:59

59:59

(Content Warning: this episode deals with the topic of death) Collector, preservationist, and founding board member Steve Lin joins us to illuminate the realities of dealing with a collection after the collector has passed away. In this episode: balancing preserving history and helping a family left behind, what you can implement immediately, what …

1
Ep. 106: Budcat Creations 51:00

2y ago51:00

51:00

Journalist and researcher Nick Yanes brings us a piece of history not only from his own local area, but also from his own past in his recent article The birth and death of Budcat Creations, Iowa's first (and only) Triple-A game studio. We take a peek inside the life of a development studio during a tumultuous time in the game industry and learn som…

1
Ep. 105: The D.I.C.E. Summit 1:08:42

2y ago1:08:42

1:08:42

Frank and guest Chris Kohler recap their recent attendance of the 2023 D.I.C.E. Summit, a Las Vegas convention for executives and other high-level creatives in the interactive entertainment space. In this episode: a little history of the show’s atmospheric evolution, the D.I.C.E. Awards, ‘speed date’ networking, the best games shopping in Vegas, Fr…

1
Ep. 104: Where in North Dakota is Carmen Sandiego? 56:35

2y ago56:35

56:35

Frank Cifaldi takes the guest seat for this episode and shares the story of the most obscure caper in Carmen Sandiego’s criminal history, a story we shared in a blog post a few years ago. In this episode: we plan a TV series, deep fried steak with a Teddy Roosevelt impersonator, Broderbund’s involvement in the game, attending an unaccredited auctio…

1
Ep. 103: The Legend of Zelda Cartoon 46:46

2y ago46:46

46:46

Polygon Senior Reporter Nicole Carpenter joins us to chat about the 1989 Legend of Zelda cartoon, the subject of her recent oral history piece: ‘Excuuuuse me, Princess!’: An oral history of The Legend of Zelda cartoon. In this episode: Zeldathon; this cartoon is basically Shakespeare; The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!; the wild west of the Duoforce…

1
Ep. 102: Preservation: How Do I Start? 1:02:27

2+ y ago1:02:27

1:02:27

Jonas Rosland, executive director of Hit Save!, shares their newest Guide to Start Video Game Preservation as an individual not necessarily affiliated with an organization. In this episode we look at the first steps to take, knowing what’s already been done, where to get more material, and we ask some philosophical and big-picture questions around …

1
Ep. 101: Super Mario Kart 1:08:37

2+ y ago1:08:37

1:08:37

Norm Caruso returns to discuss Super Mario Kart’s somewhat humble beginnings as laid out in his recent video essay The Story of Super Mario Kart | Gaming Historian. In this episode: looking for the SMK team photo, an invaluable go kart outing, Mario by any other name, the mechanics of drifting, Norm had to “git gud,” file dates: a crucial tool in d…

1
Ep. 100: CELEBRATE! 1:51:47

2+ y ago1:51:47

1:51:47

As we celebrate this milestone episode, we invite our editor, Michael Carrell, and producer, Robin Kunimune, to take a look back with us at some of our and our listener's favorite memories from the last 100 'hours'. In this episode: how this podcast came to be, why we dedicate our time to this project, favorite guests, embarrassing moments, and so …

1
Ep. 99: 9/9/99 - Launching the Dreamcast (Again) 1:06:12

2+ y ago1:06:12

1:06:12

Dreamcast Junkyard veterans Tom Charnock and Brian Vines join us to share their knowledge and experiences of the Dreamcast’s launch in both the European and US markets, respectively, and even a little on the Japanese market’s launch. In this episode: bonding over our strict video game upbringing rules; doing our darnedest to NOT derail into a Geist…

1
Ep. 98: The Sacred Pools 46:54

2+ y ago46:54

46:54

Dylan Mansfield, gaming historian and archivist, joins the show to share an odd piece of Sega history from his recent article Saving Sacred Pools: Sega’s Million Dollar Adult Game. This mid 90’s FMV game with adult themes was, until recently, considered lost. In this episode: we want to know why crappy games are crappy; once again, we get sucked in…

1
Ep. 97: Club Penguin 1:12:27

2+ y ago1:12:27

1:12:27

Chris Gliddon, archivist and producer at RocketSnail Games, takes a look back at the inception and evolution of Club Penguin, an MMO virtual world filled with games and activities from 2005. In this episode: Chris and Kelsey can barely contain their excitement, no one wants war - everybody just wants to chat and walk around, preserving a living gam…

1
We Need Your Memories! 3:14

2+ y ago3:14

3:14

As the end of the year approaches, so does our 100th episode and we can't wait to celebrate by hearing about your favorite memories from the last 99 shows. Please send your stories, questions, and comments to [email protected] or by submitting through our google form: https://forms.gle/62tKAsQW6VRKUNUN6 Video Game History Foundation: Podcast …

1
Ep. 96: Margot Comstock - “The Glue” of the Early Apple II Era 1:08:26

2+ y ago1:08:26

1:08:26

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 th…

1
Ep. 95: PRGE 2022 Post-Mortem (Don’t worry, it’s very alive!) 1:02:02

2+ y ago1:02:02

1:02:02

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: @kobunhea…

1
Ep. 94: Magnavox: The Great Voice 1:46:55

2+ y ago1:46:55

1:46:55

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 …

1
Ep. 93: Street Fighter II: What’s in a Name? 43:21

2+ y ago43:21

43:21

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, …

1
Ep. 92: SharkWire Online 43:43

2+ y ago43:43

43:43

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 Intern…

1
Ep. 91: Life Before Final Fantasy VII 43:23

2+ y ago43:23

43:23

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, Donk…

1
Ep. 90: Colossal Cave Adventure with Roberta Williams 1:06:23

2+ y ago1:06:23

1:06:23

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 …

1
Ep. 89: Why Toonstruck Struck Out 1:06:50

2+ y ago1:06:50

1:06:50

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…

1
Ep. 88: Intellivision Launch 50:51

3y ago50:51

50:51

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 Bunc…

1
Ep. 87: P.R.E.S.T.A.V.B.A: Text-Based Resistance 35:01

3y ago35:01

35:01

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…

1
Ep. 86: Super Mario World 1:01:28

3y ago1:01:28

1:01:28

Gaming Historian Norm Caruso returns to share The Story of Super Mario World | Gaming Historian: his newest YouTube documentary. In this episode we get to see behind the curtain, so to speak, and witness industry strategies for psyching out your competitors; hear the swan song(s) of 8-bit cartridge games from Nintendo; see some ‘fishy’ early sprite…

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