Video Game History Hour

Video Game History Foundation
  • 4.9 (122)
  • VIDEO GAMES
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Industry expert Frank Cifaldi, Executive Director of the Video Game History Foundation, brings on fellow content creators, game developers, video game historians, and storytellers to teach us a little bit about video game history. Our casual, “chatting over coffee” style interviews let us see the true life of a researcher: bang-your-head-against-a-wall dead-ends, “I can’t believe no one’s told this story before” moments, the thrill of sharing incredible history with the world, and more. Pull up a chair and join us!

  1. MAR 3

    Episode 151: Games Preservation at MIT Museum

    From vacuum tubes to virtual worlds, Dr. Flori Pierri, Associate Curator of Science and Technology at the MIT Museum, joins us to explore their unexpected journey into the world of video game preservation. Dr. Pierri oversees diverse collections from science photography to physics  homework, and, of course, video games. MIT Museum has had a recent focus on computer games and a focus on play, starting with the Michael Dornbrook Collection and plans for a 2028 computer game exhibition. Dr. Pierri shares the importance of using original equipment for exhibits and the new challenges of preserving born-digital objects. They also discuss the museum's efforts to engage with both the public and with researchers, including a collection of unreleased Infocom game materials. 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: Whirlwind I: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whirlwind_I Royal Game of the Dolphin: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Royal_Game_of_the_Dolphin,_1821.jpg  Milliways: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe Claude Elwood Shannon, Bell Labs, “father of information theory”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Shannon  See more from Dr. Flori Pierri: Bluesky: @flori-p.bsky.social Website: https://mitmuseum.mit.edu/collections/collections-search  Video Game History Foundation: Email: podcast@gamehistory.org Website: gamehistory.org Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

    1h 2m

  2. FEB 25

    Episode 150: VGHF Founding Retrospective

    It’s our 9th birthday and our 150th episode all at once; let’s party! Host and VGHF Director Frank Cifaldi is joined by two founding board members Simon Carless and Steve Lin. This casual retrospective meanders through the foundation's origins, its mission to preserve and interpret video game history, and its growth over the years. Our three hosts highlight the foundation's journey from a small, resource-constrained organization to a robust digital library with over 100,000 unique users. The conversation covers their initial challenges, the importance of community support, and future goals, including expanding the team, increasing interpretive content, and addressing recent digital preservation issues. Thank you to everyone who supports the work we do through Patreon, individual donations and support, our annual fundraisers, and so much more. Happy Birthday! 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 Simon Carless: Website: http://www.gamediscover.co/ See more from Steve Lin: Bluesky: @stevelin.bsky.social Video Game History Foundation: Email: podcast@gamehistory.org Website: gamehistory.org Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

    1h 27m

  3. FEB 5

    Episode 149: Jeremy Parish Works

    Frank is joined by Guest Host Kate Willaert, author, historian, and YouTuber, to interview Jeremy Parish, media curator at Limited Run Games, author, YouTuber, and podcaster. Jeremy has a series of “Works” books and videos as part of a massive project to chronologize the 8-bit era. Jeremy’s work covers various consoles, including Game Boy, NES, SG-1000, and Famicom, highlighting the significance of third-party developers and the impact of the NES on game design. We share a universal complaint of the challenges of maintaining a comprehensive and accurate release list for systems like the SG-1000 and the importance of community feedback in refining our work. The conversation touches on the potential for both future projects and genre-specific series, such as Metroidvania and Shmup games. 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: Jaws Retro Edition (pre-orders closed): https://limitedrungames.com/collections/all-in-production/products/jaws-retro-edition-bigger-boat-edition-switch-ps5?_pos=3&_sid=a0a6bd1b1&_ss=r  See more from Jeremy Parish: Bluesky: @jparish.bsky.social  Youtube: @JeremyParish  Podcast: patreon.com/retronauts  Website: limitedrungames.com   See more from Kate Willaert: Bluesky: @katewillaert.bsky.social YouTube: /a critical hit Website: acriticalhit.com Patreon: /acriticalhit Video Game History Foundation: Email: podcast@gamehistory.org Website: gamehistory.org Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

    1h 35m

  4. JAN 23

    Episode 148: Wrapping Up 2025

    Our podcast Producer Robin Kunimune sits down with Director Frank Cifaldi and Library Director Phil Salvador to wrap up the final quarter of 2025. Listen to some of our behind-the-scenes thoughts on the NES panel we put together for the Portland Retro Gaming Expo; the many facets of this year’s Winter Fundraiser, including a new old game release, updated VHS recovery technology, and our $30k goal with some surprise donations; and finally our look ahead to 2026. Enjoy the show! 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: podcast@gamehistory.org Website: gamehistory.org Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

    1h 36m

  5. JAN 14

    Episode 147: H.E.R.O.

    Atari game developer John Van Ryzin and Digital Eclipse Technical Director Kevin Wilson both join host Frank Cifaldi to reminisce about the Atari 2600 title, and Frank’s favorite game, H.E.R.O.. We also explore John’s early career, his entry into game development, programming limitations of the 2600 (RAM, timing issues, etc.), the spiritual sequel to H.E.R.O. and John’s most recent title Alien Abduction!, the differences in modern development, and so much more. 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 John Van Ryzin: Alien Abduction!: https://adgm.us/ See more from Kevin Wilson: Website: digitaleclipse.com Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection: https://www.digitaleclipse.com/games/mortal-kombat-legacy-kollection Video Game History Foundation: Email: podcast@gamehistory.org Website: gamehistory.org Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

    1h 16m

  6. 12/24/2025

    Episode 146: A Monograph of Todd Howard

    Phil Salvador hosts a discussion with Dr. Wendi Sierra, author of Todd Howard: World Building in Tamriel and Beyond, and Emily Higgs Kopin. Dr. Sierra’s, associate professor of games studies at Texas Christian University, book follows the career history of the Bethesda Game Studios executive producer and his influence on game design throughout the years. Emily Kopin, head of digital collections strategy at the Swarthmore College Libraries, joins us as our guest expert on the Elder Scrolls franchise to make up for Phil’s tragic lack of extended time spent in this expansive universe. Wendi and Emily take Phil through discussions of Howard’s impact on world building through micro narratives, challenges of documenting emergent gameplay, importance of scoping research, and the influence of Howard’s design philosophy on modern gaming. *This episode has a follow-up bonus episode available to our paid tier Patreon members. 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 Dr. Wendi Sierra: TCU Profile: https://honors.tcu.edu/view/wendi-sierra   Recent Publication: Gaming for the seventh generation: Indigenous Futurisms in games  See more from Emily Higgs Kopin: Bluesky: @ehkopin.bsky.social Latest Published Work: American Archivist Swarthmore Profile: swarthmore.edu  Video Game History Foundation: Email: podcast@gamehistory.org Website: gamehistory.org Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

    1h 1m

  7. 11/28/2025

    Episode 145: The 40th Anniversary of the NES: A PRGE Panel

    At this year’s Portland Retro Gaming Expo, VGHF director Frank Cifaldi had the pleasure of hosting a panel celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Nintendo Entertainment System launch. Frank moderated 3 guests who were at Nintendo of America during this time: Gail Tilden, Marketing; Bruce Lowery, Sales; and Lance Barr, Product Design. This event was particularly special as two of these three guests had never before attended a retro convention. The panel discussion includes many visual elements, including many never shown publicly before, and some pre-recorded messages from additional people of note. If you’re able, you may instead prefer to watch the video on the PRGE YouTube channel, which we highly encourage: We Launched the NES 40 Years Ago Today - Gail Tilden, Lance Barr, Bruce Lowry - PRGE 2025 Portland. Either way, please enjoy this momentous event in our collective gaming history. 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: podcast@gamehistory.org Website: gamehistory.org Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

    1h 45m

  8. 11/13/2025

    Episode 144: Phil Salvador - A Rule-Following Hooligan

    Let’s all learn what makes our Library Director, Phil Salvador, Phil Salvador! Producer Robin Kunimune sat down with Phil to learn all about his life as a youth, an early path to his passions, creating chaos inside the lines, the mental health struggles many face in early adulthood, finding his community, and making his way to VGHF. And, don’t forget the birds! Phil candidly shares his failures, successes, and everything in-between in this week’s episode. Take a listen. 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 Phil Salvador: Bluesky: @philsalv.bsky.social Video Game History Foundation: Email: podcast@gamehistory.org Website: gamehistory.org Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

    1h 13m
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About

Industry expert Frank Cifaldi, Executive Director of the Video Game History Foundation, brings on fellow content creators, game developers, video game historians, and storytellers to teach us a little bit about video game history. Our casual, “chatting over coffee” style interviews let us see the true life of a researcher: bang-your-head-against-a-wall dead-ends, “I can’t believe no one’s told this story before” moments, the thrill of sharing incredible history with the world, and more. Pull up a chair and join us!

Information

  • Creator
    Video Game History Foundation
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    159
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Video Game History Foundation
  • Show Website
    Video Game History Hour

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