Video Game History Hour

• Episode 143: The Andrew Nelson Collection

  Phil Salvador introduces the new Andrew Nelson papers collection with guest, you guessed it, Andrew Nelson, himself. Guest-host Alex Greenberg joins to chat with Nelson, co-founder and creative director of CyberFlix, known for its 1996 title Titanic: Adventure Out of Time. Andrew discusses his transition from magazine journalism to game development, the creation of CyberFlix, and the development of Titanic, which included extensive research and character development. Nelson also reflects on the impact of the game and his subsequent career, including work at Britannica and National Geographic.You can listen to the Video Game History Hour every other Wednesday on Patreon (one day early at the $5 tier and above), on Spotify, or on our website.Mentioned in the show:Andrew Nelson Collection: https://archive.gamehistory.org/folder/5dcf7309-5e3f-4609-b264-62f44da8e79fVGHF Blog post: https://gamehistory.org/andrew-nelson-papers/See more from Andrew Nelson:Book: Here Not There: 100 Unexpected Travel DestinationsInstagram: @andrewtyrrellnelsonSee more from Alex Greenburg:Website: alexgreenberg.netVideo Game History Foundation:Email: [email protected]: gamehistory.orgSupport us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

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• Episode 142: October Update

  It’s another quarterly update! Host Robin Kunimune talks with Frank Cifaldi and Phil Salvador about our recent work. From Chicago travel to launching Computer Entertainer, from our new Booth-in-a-Box to 4,000 magazines archived, from NES’s 40th to building Lego; come find out just how many new collections we've added in the last few months.  You can listen to the Video Game History Hour every other Wednesday on Patreon (one day early at the $5 tier and above), on Spotify, or on our website.Video Game History Foundation:Email: [email protected]: gamehistory.orgSupport us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

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• Episode 141: Hidden Advertising of Feminine Games

  Phil Salvador interviews Dr. Stephanie Harkin, lecturer at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) School of Design Games Program in Australia, about her research on femininity in gaming, particularly in girls' lifestyle magazines. Dr. Harkin discusses her journey from media studies to focusing on feminine games. She highlights her findings on the lack of representation of feminine games in traditional gaming magazines and her discovery of Girl Gamer magazine, which promoted Nintendo games in a lifestyle format. We explore the coverage of games in magazines like Total Girl and the broader cultural context of game representation.You can listen to the Video Game History Hour every other Wednesday on Patreon (one day early at the $5 tier and above), on Spotify, or on our website.Mentioned in the show:Girl Gamer cover: https://archive.gamehistory.org/item/e6beceaa-f36f-46d7-bc2a-f4599773e10eMCV pink issue: https://archive.gamehistory.org/item/39c2181c-d395-44b7-9e64-2f1c8333a922Pokémon Personality Quiz: https://gamehistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Pokemon-personality-quiz-1200x847.jpgPac-Man Nail Art: https://gamehistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Stephanie-Harkin-Pac-man-nail-art.jpgBig Bowser House (mistakenly referred to as "Donkey Kong Big Brother House"): https://gamehistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Big-Bowser-House-cropped.jpgK-Zone: https://archive.org/details/K-ZoneJanuary2006 Imagine Magazines: https://archive.gamehistory.org/folder/6187132e-315c-4be5-8498-8c55ac478ebe?sortField=date&sortDir=asc See more from Dr. Stephanie Harkin:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/saharkin.bsky.socialGames Exhibition: https://www.feminineplay.org/ Upcoming book: https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/isbn/9783111560939/htmlVideo Game History Foundation:Email: [email protected]: gamehistory.orgSupport us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

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• Episode 140: The 49 Ways of Sinistar

  Host Frank Cifaldi is joined by documentarian, historian, hacker, and all around cool guy SynaMax to talk about their documentary Resurrecting Sinistar: A Cyber-Archaeology Documentary. The 1983 top-down space shooter arcade game’s unique 49-way joystick allowed players to pilot their spaceship to prevent a giant skull, Sinistar, from forming. SynaMax interviewed developers, restored cut content, and emulated the game itself to better explore the challenges the development team faced due to limited storage and to highlight the importance of source code preservation. SynaMax recently hosted a panel with said developers at the annual classic arcade game show California Extreme - a panel Frank, sadly, missed! You can listen to the Video Game History Hour every other Wednesday on Patreon (one day early at the $5 tier and above), on Spotify, or on our website.See more from SynaMax:YouTube: youtube.com/synamaxBluesky: bsky.app/profile/synamax.bsky.socialPatreon: patreon.com/synamaxVideo Game History Foundation:Email: [email protected]: gamehistory.orgSupport us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

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• Episode 139: Phoenix: The Rise of Leonard Herman

  We’re joined by pioneer video game historian Leonard Herman, author and publisher of several video game history books including the first comprehensive book chronicling the history of the videogame industry, Phoenix: The Fall & Rise of Home Videogames, and its subsequent series. We touch on Leonard’s early career, the challenges of self-publishing, and the evolution of his Phoenix series through various editions, including his most recent Phoenix Five. Leonard also highlights his collaborations with Ralph Baer and his efforts to correct historical misconceptions, particularly those around the co-founders of Atari.You can listen to the Video Game History Hour every other Wednesday on Patreon (one day early at the $5 tier and above), on Spotify, or on our website.See more from Leonard Herman:Website: thegamescholar.com Facebook: Leonard HermanFacebook (book): Phoenix 5 - The History of the Videogame Industry Video Game History Foundation:Email: [email protected]: gamehistory.orgSupport us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

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