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 c…

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 …

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.…

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,…

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 cours…

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 actua…

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 Germ…

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 alway…

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 …

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 actu…

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 Ma…

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 alw…

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…

Few developers can boast careers spanning more than 4 decades, but today's guest, William Volk has developed games for virtually every platform released, covering every genre, including strategy, RPG, adventures, educational titles, puzzle games, and more. Sit back and enjoy the insights, memories, and experience of a true legend of the industry! R…

Night Trap gets Lieberman's panties in a bunch, Id unleashes Doom & Apple II is no more 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 December 1993. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit be…

Toys push games off of shelves, GUIs vie for supremacy & Coinops' laserdisc dreams dashed 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 December 1983. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit …

40 years ago, American television saw the dawn of a nationwide show updating viewers on the latest developments in the exciting world of computers, The Computer Chronicles. We dive into the history of this show with blogger S.M.Oliva, author of The Computer Chronicles Revisited, to find out what it was, what it achieved, and how it left us an inval…

Next gen trash talk heats up, Nintendo and Sega trapped by strong yen & CDROM can't pay the rent 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 November 1993. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always…

IBM introduces the PCJr Coleco ships the Adam Infocom disses graphics 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 November 1993. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual ev…

Gregg Barnett is a 40 year veteran of the gaming industry, having started with porting The Hobbit to the C64, developing the legendary Way of the Exploding Fist, bringing Discworld to computers and today working on high tech VR based training gear for firefighters. Gregg opens up about all the massive shifts in the industry he has witnessed, as wel…

Nintendo profits crash, Next gen console battle begins & Arcades go 3D 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 1993. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual ev…

The Boom is over, Texas Instruments is out & Nintendo becomes stock market darling 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 1983. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind t…

Mortal Monday, F-15 Strike Eagle saved by Falcon, Sega announces Saturn 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 1993. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual…

After 5 years of asking the questions, the tables get turned and Karl finally has to get grilled. You, the listener (or at least some of you) asked for it, so by multiple demand, the Karl interview! Recorded: November 2023 Get us on your mobile device: Android: https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly92aWRlb2dhbWVuZXdzcm9vbXRpbWVtYWNoaW5lLmx…

This is the full 7 Minutes in Heaven clip for the September 1983 episode covering Battlezone on the Atari 2600. An error in the edit of the full episode cut it short, so I decided to upload it to the feed as its own file. Remember, you can also watch Alex and my commentary on his actual 7 minutes of gameplay by becoming a patron: https://www.patreo…

Atari dumps product in the desert Commodore and Sinclair revenues sore The Vic20 is no more 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 1983. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a b…

At the height of the arcade boom, two young entrepreneurs wanted to take arcade gaming higher, creating a unique, immersive cooperative experience combining computer game tech with the latest laser disc audio visuals. Simutron promised gamers an immersive experience, in the Star Trek universe no less, at dedicated game centers. Sadly it would not c…

7-11 drops coinop Nintendo disses Sega's rating system Commodore premieres Amiga CD32 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 1993. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind…

Starting out as a signals decoder for the air force, through to working for Nolan Bushnell's Chuck E. Cheese Pizza Time Theatre on its ill-fated Kadabrascope animation initiative, Autodesk, VRML and so many others, Owen Rowley is a man of a thousand lives in tech. Heck, he may have even helped invent the mousepad. Listen to some amazing stories, fr…

Dragon's Lair takes arcades by storm, Commodore rules the computer roost & Video game makers pivot to micros 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 1983. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of cou…

Sega introduces ratings Nintendo beats Tengen Sony buys Psygnosis 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 1993. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events. Al…

In the history of pen and paper role playing games, no company name looms larger than TSR, creators of Dungeons and Dragons, and in the realm of computer role playing games one of the greatest publishers has been Bethesda. Our guest today, Bruce Nesmith, worked for both of these company's in their hay day, first as a programmer for TSR on their ill…

After the crash, a new type of venue emerged as the dominant force in coin operated video games, the family entertainment center. No longer just video games, but a mix of mini golf, redemption games, food counters and more, this new destination would prove an ever evolving type of business very much at the whims of a fickle public. Our guest, Ed Pe…

Atari axes Ray Kassar, Nintendo launches the Famicom & Commodore's Jack Tramiel delivers the killing blow to Texas Instruments 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 1983. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and …

Street Fighter movie is a go Traditional computer game makers falter Sega's Battle with Nintendo heats 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 1993. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course a…

After the crash, a new type of venue emerged as the dominant force in coin operated video games, the family entertainment center. No longer just video games, but a mix of mini golf, redemption games, food counters and more, this new destination would prove an ever evolving type of business very much at the whims of a fickle public. Our guest, Gary …

40 years ago: TI reports huge losses, Sega gets out of the arcade business in the US & Nintendo prepares to launch the Family Computer 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 1983. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dat…

Super Mario Brothers hits theatres, Blast Processing brings sega to the next level & Id shows off Doom 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 1993. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course alway…

The Supreme Court comes to the aid of video games Commodore's Vic20 drops below $100 Electronic Arts ships its first games 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 1983. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those…

At the dawn of 3D acceleration a battle was fought over who would control the APIs that would allow programmers to unlock the power of this new type of PC hardware. Would it be an open source community effort born of Silicon Graphics tech or would the industry juggernaut Microsoft win the day? Our guests today, Servan Keondjian, lead architect of D…

Street Fighter 2 merch goes into overdrive, Nintendo neuters Mortal Kombat & The World Wide Web goes open source 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 1993. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of …

Nintendo leaks SNES CD specs Sega touts Genesis VR Mortal Kombat coming to consoles 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 1993. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind th…

The modern world of gaming revolves around designers and programmers being able to harness the raw power of today's high end GPUs. APIs make this task manageable and no API set has been more important in the tradition from software rendered graphics to the age of the GPU than Direct3D. We speak with one of its original architects, Servan Keondjian,…

Commodore goes portable IBM introduces the XT Nintendo shows off Game and Watch 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 1983. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the…

Video game violence begins to make operators uneasy 3DO plans to shake up console biz Federal investigation into Nintendo dropped 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 1993. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover date…

Few eras of gaming history are more legend filled than the British bedroom coder boom of the early 1980s. Martin Wheeler wasn't just one of them but continues to be a pioneer or one-man coding in the VR space of today. Recorded March 2022. Get us on your mobile device: Android: https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly92aWRlb2dhbWVuZXdzcm9vbX…

Atari announces mass layoffs, Time names the personal computer the man of the year & Nintendo launches the Game and Watch in North America 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 1983. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine c…

Sony and Nintendo break up, Intel christens the Pentium & EA and ESPN bury the hatchet 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 1993. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behi…

Compaq gives birth to the PC clone, Commodore and TI declare war on Sinclair & A day of reckoning awaits the software business 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 1983. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, a…