Video Game History Hour

Video Game History Foundation
  • 4.9 (127)
  • Video Games
  • Updated Monthly

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. Aug 26

    Episode 162: Roberta Vaughn’s Retro Adventures

    Library Director Phil Salvador is joined by guests Heather Fryling and Daniel Greenberg to discuss Roberta Vaughn’s Retro Adventures, a nonprofit organization that creates traveling, living exhibits focused on the history of adventure games and entertainment. The RVRA, founded to honor the legacy of adventure games collector and enthusiast Roberta Vaughn, travels to conventions like Portland Retro Game Expo and PAX West to share their curated exhibits, original interviews, and special guest appearances.  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: Al Lowe’s wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Lowe Classic Gamers Guild: https://www.facebook.com/ClassicGamersGuild/ See more from Heather Fryling: Website: rvretro.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Roberta-Vaughans-Retro-Adventures/61580535638673/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-fryling-4336a0168 Email: heather@rvretro.org See more from Daniel Greenberg: Bluesky: @winterion.com Email: info (at) winterion.com Help Daniel plant trees: patreon.com/winterion IONGAMING Live: twitch.tv/winterion IONGAMING Back Episodes: youtube.com/winteriongamestudios GMU Game Design: game.gmu.edu Video Game History Foundation: Email: podcast@gamehistory.org Website: gamehistory.org Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

  2. Aug 5

    Episode 161: Blizzard Digital Vault

    Our library director Phil Salvador sits down for another What’s Your Deal? episode with Blizzard’s senior digital archivist, Leah Williams, to discuss her critical work of preserving their modern video game history. In this episode: Leah’s unconventional path to digital games preservation Managing art, UI, and visual FX Collaborating with engineers and metadata experts Why discoverability matters for legacy assets Building vital relationships across game studios Navigating AI tagging and digital preservation challenges Mentioned in the show: YouTube 35th year anniversary 35’ table Blizzard: The Next Chapter 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 Leah Williams: LinkedIn: /leah-williams  Video Game History Foundation: Email: podcast@gamehistory.org Website: gamehistory.org Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

  3. Aug 5

    Episode 161: Blizzard Digital Vault

    Our library director Phil Salvador sits down for another What’s Your Deal? episode with Blizzard’s senior digital archivist, Leah Williams, to discuss her critical work of preserving their modern video game history. In this episode: Leah’s unconventional path to digital games preservation Managing art, UI, and visual FX Collaborating with engineers and metadata experts Why discoverability matters for legacy assets Building vital relationships across game studios Navigating AI tagging and digital preservation challenges Mentioned in the show: YouTube 35th year anniversary 35’ table Blizzard: The Next Chapter 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 Leah Williams: LinkedIn: /leah-williams  Video Game History Foundation: Email: podcast@gamehistory.org Website: gamehistory.org Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

  4. Jul 22

    Episode 160: Founding E3

    Phil Salvador hosts a special episode of the Video Game History Hour featuring Carolyn Rauch and Doug Lowenstein to discuss the origins and evolution of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). As the former senior vice president of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), Carolyn managed E3 for roughly two decades. Doug, the ESA's founder and former president, joins her to recount the organization’s 1994 founding. Together, they explain how the industry responded to the video game violence panic along with its legislative threats and how poor placement at the annual CES tradeshow led to the creation of E3. We discuss the massive challenges of organizing the inaugural 1995 expo, including the critical task of securing industry giants like Nintendo and Sega; E3's eventual shift toward a consumer-focused format; its massive economic impact on Los Angeles; and the unexpected legal challenges surrounding the iconic E3 logo. 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

  5. Jul 9

    Episode 159: Q1 & Q2 Update

    This year’s first update starts off with the huge announcement of our newest team member, Meera Swanson, as Development Director. Meera shares some of her background as well as her vision for the rest of this year as she establishes this new department. Phil overviews all the new collections we launched this year including additions to the GamePro CD collection, speaker audio cassettes from the 2nd ever Computer Game Developers’ Conference, and Neopets The Official Magazine. Robin reviews the podcast so far this year and what’s resonated both with her and others.  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

  6. Jun 24

    Episode 158: What’s Your Deal, Willem Hilhorst?

    In this episode of the Video Game History Hour, host Phil Salvador interviews Willem Hilhorst, Media Manager for Games and Online at the Netherlands Institute for Sound & Vision regarding their video game preservation efforts within the context of an audiovisual media archive. Established in 1997, the institute manages a growing collection of over 500 digital and physical Dutch-connected games. Hilhorst outlines key initiatives like the Dutch Games Canon and the Treasure Room portal for out-of-commerce media. The discussion addresses the legal and structural challenges of long-term preservation alongside the role of national identity in software design. Using Ubisoft's early French influence on Rayman as a case study, Hilhorst highlights how local cultural elements translate to international audiences. Also in this episode: the non-game material held in the archive, the potential canon inclusion of Moon Child, and Hilhorst's external work for Nintendo World Report and EFGAMP.  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:  The Dutch Games Canon (please use translation for an English version): https://gamescanon.beeldengeluid.nl "The Treasure Room" (Schatkamer) (requires a Dutch IP address or VPN): https://schatkamer.beeldengeluid.nl The European Federation of Game Archives, Museums and Preservation Projects: https://efgamp.eu  Nintendo World Report: https://nintendoworldreport.com / https://youtube.com/@NinWRTV Out of Commerce Works Portal: https://euipo.europa.eu/out-of-commerce/ Home Computer Museum: https://www.homecomputermuseum.nl/en/#intro See more from Willem Hilhorst: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whilhorst.bsky.social Sound & Vision Website: https://beeldengeluid.nl/en/ Video Game History Foundation: Email: podcast@gamehistory.org Website: gamehistory.org Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

  7. Jun 10

    Episode 157: Our Library Practices

    Library director Phil Salvador and producer Robin Kunimune take you through the process of preserving a collection of over 10,000 digital files from our GamePro CD collection. Phil discusses how he tackles physical and philosophical dilemmas such as balancing users’ needs to access original files of hi-res game art while also viewing quick, easy thumbnails researchers can actually open; dealing with broken or obsolete 90’s files types like old PSD/EPS files; automating bulk processing for as much data as we’re able; and balancing thorough, but concise, metadata for topics ranging from undersea wreckage salvage to hyper-specific local gaming slang. Phil and Robin also provide a sneak peak into the VGHF’s upcoming monster of a project, the Game Informer collection, and how this meager 10k file collection is really just a warm-up. Mentioned in the Show: GamePro Press CD  Collection 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

  8. May 27

    Episode 156: Read Only Memo

    Host Frank Cifaldi is joined this week by Wes Fenlon, author of the bi-weekly newsletter Read Only Memo, which focuses on emulation, ROM hacks, translations, and decompilations. The two discuss the niche nature of Wes’ content while he emphasizes the importance of emulation and fan translations, highlighting their role in making old games accessible. Wes and Frank get way into the weeds as they chat about the challenges and innovations in emulation, such as static recompilation and decompilation, the impact of companies like Nintendo on the emulation community, and the potential for fan-driven innovations to influence commercial retro game releases. Mentioned in the show: GitHub ShaderBeam and Blur Busters article - an overlay you can run over a window: https://github.com/mausimus/ShaderBeam  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 Wes Fenlon: Bluesky: @wes.readonlymemo.com Newsletter: Read Only Memo PC Gamer: pcgamer.com/author/wes-fenlon  Video Game History Foundation: Email: podcast@gamehistory.org Website: gamehistory.org Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

See All (155)

Trailers

4.9
out of 5
127 Ratings

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
    155
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Video Game History Foundation
  • Show Website
    Video Game History Hour

You Might Also Like