New interview with Ken Rose, who had a stint at Sega Technical Institute segaretro.org/Interview:%2...

Thanks to the efforts of collectors, preservationists, original devs and emulator authors, I can present to you a newly dumped RCA Studio II prototype: Space Explorer forums.atariage.com/topic/209519...

January 24, 1976: Haters of disco ease into a false sense of security, the musical genre seemingly peaked in popularity and now waning. Little do they know what’s coming. We’re headed to the arcade to listen to the #AT40 and play three (3) different video games based on sharks.

Weird to see other folks cover a game you covered a couple years back. On one hand, the goofs frustrate but on the other hand the new insights in the analysis always make you kick yourself. Here's the one I did two years ago. youtu.be/RBscg0yKMEQ

In the latest Video Game History Hour podcast, producer Robin Kunimune sits down with Director Frank Cifaldi and Library Director Phil Salvador to wrap up the final quarter of 2025. (NES! VHS! Fundraiser!) https://gamehistory.org/episode-148-wrapping-up-2025/

Preparing for the Chicago Gamespace exhibit for MGC this year where we'll be showcasing the legacy of Dave Nutting. I've dived back into this well many times and there's always something new to find.

This week on The Digital Antiquarian: Omikron: The Nomad Soul www.filfre.net/2026/01/omik...

Basketball always needs a good-sized cabinet. Here's a beaut from Richman Corp, Set-Shot Basketball.

We have an update! @playhistory.bsky.social is researching with @gaminghistorian.bsky.social the Universal v. Nintendo lawsuit docs, says the original setting for the game wasn't a construction site. It was a seaport! So... no to the Popeye cartoon theory? thrillingtalesofoldvideogames.com/barrel

Last night we watched this video game documentary from 2018: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wxV... It wasn't actually that bad for a very specific and broad overview (even with Nolan's usual lies). There was some interesting footage I haven't seen - along with some weirdness.

A classic early "maze" type game, the well-named Tilt Test from Atlas Games. There are some concepts that no modern technology can really improve.

I played The Colonel's House, a VIC-20 adventure game, about a year ago. The author contacted me not long ago and I did an interview, so I am able to give the history of how the game was made for the first time. bluerenga.blog/2026/01/20/t... original post here: bluerenga.blog/2025/03/10/t...

Recently there have been discussions that have made me go back to my Video Game Sales article quite frequently. www.gamingalexandria.com/wp/2021/06/v... I wish the info was a bit more widespread. How could I increase awareness? Make it an infographic?

A new quest emergence on All the Adventures, including a short history of H & E Computronics (as well as how they somehow sold the first known commercial "adult" game). bluerenga.blog/2026/01/18/s...

Among the first coin-op amusements ever with an official media license, Nakamura Seisakusho's Obake no Q-Taro kiddie rides established the company as a force to be reckoned with in Japan's rooftop amusement scene.

In the latest Video Game History Hour, 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.: https://gamehistory.org/episode-147-h-e-r-o/

15 // Id Software was on top of the world in 1996. Doom was an instant classic and Quake was just around the corner. But the team would split up soon after and Marc Laidlaw was there to chronicle the chaos for @wired.com. videogameresearchlibrary.com/the-egos-at-...

"Directing The Beatles: Rock Band is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life."

A very nice video looking at the legacy of Jet Set Willy in the UK computer scene - much more than just copy protection. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDPy...

How did a budget software publisher become the foundation of SEGA Europe? We look at the rise and fall of Mastertronic and how a failed console push changed its fate. www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXG_... #theycreateworlds #videogamehistory #segahistory #retrogaming #mastertronic

A 19th century coin-op machine catalog from the long-forgotten Clawson Company. A wide variety of novelties, trade stimulators, and vending machines right at the dawn of the penny arcade.

In the Risk Assessment docs where Monolith goes over risks and offers solutions, they discuss steps to distinguish themselves from Arkham Asylum and its in-development sequel. They held monthly calls with Arkham people to avoid collisions, even pivoting away from maps planned for Apollo.

What could have been: We talk to members of the original Mirror's Edge team about the sequel they wanted to make.

Our next big project is live! @lewisgordon.bsky.social spent the past few months tracking down nine people who worked on DICE's innovative 2008 parkour runner.

Last night, we finished up the voting round for the Video Game Notables hall of fame @gamingalexandria.bsky.social Which titles will be inducted? You'll have to await our livestream in February!

I've recovered a cache of documents and videos from the pre-production phase of Project Apollo, a canceled Batman game Monolith worked on for Warner Bros. The materials, from 4/2009 to 1/2010, were in deleted sectors of a HDD used at a game company. archive.org/details/proj... 1/9🧵

Panzer Attack by Midway rolls into position! A sophisticated EM game from the post-video era bringing the WWII thrills.

Watch the VOD of @quarterpast.bsky.social and I's exciting adventures in Arcade Dating! www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwlY... We're nearing Space Invaders, people. Things are about to get real-real.

In 1998, the (bad) Italian movie Cucciolo somehow managed to do something important: they shot quite a long sequence in the now-defunct SegaWorld London, located inside the London Trocadero. The park opened in 1996 and closed in 1999. Here is the entire sequence.

The time is now. The fun is on. The timeline will never be the same. www.twitch.tv/play_history We're Dating Arcade Games again.

If you read this in time, here are the four (4) valid reasons for not watching: ◻ lol sorry loser, I'm at MAGFest ◻ pfft—I'm on my third drink and gonna watch the Fiesta Bowl ◻ read news all day; need to stick head in toilet, flush repeatedly ◻ who are you? why is this in my tl Starts in an hour

With David Rosen's death, bad information about Sega as a company is starting to re-emerge across the internet. I will try to give a very condensed version of the Sega corporate shenanigans here as to clear some of the air. 🧵

MAGfest folks: I've got a panel Friday at noon! Come out to panels 4 if you want to learn about Star Trek fan games, and most notably the one that wound up being ported to practically everything under the sun around the globe.

The @intelligentspeech.bsky.social conference has posted the roundtable I did with @adventofcomp.bsky.social last year! www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD6K... Reminder that we've got the show coming up again in February. intelligentspeechonline.com/tickets/

Psst. @quarterpast.bsky.social and I will be back tomorrow at 7PM CST. www.twitch.tv/play_history What are we doing? Arcade game dating. Again. 1976. See you there.

Perhaps I was a bit cheeky in defining the Automatic Entertainer as the "first jukebox". The jukebox means more than a multi-selection phonograph, and it grew out of a very specific set of technologies in the 20th century. This time, we'll be more specific: How electric sound created the jukebox.

A few people have said my latest videos are the first time they ever heard the term "platform adventure," which admittedly used to be a lot more common than it is today. But it got me thinking about where these various adventure spin-off terms came from. Here's a thread. 🧵

The yearly examination of some game developers who've left us in 2025. People and work so iconic that the industry will never be the same without them: thehistoryofhowweplay.wordpress.com/2026/01/06/2...

David Rosen, who helped create Sega and changed the coin-op industry forever, has passed away. www.replaymag.com/segas-dave-r... An absolute titan in video game history. May he rest in peace.

The journey begins! You might think of this alternate history a bit like an inverted castle to @jparish.bsky.social's Metroidvania Works. www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9zE...

For a final wrap-up, I wanted to talk about my recreational experience this year. I think it's useful to evaluate what you value, how your tastes change, and to connect with others about these things every so often. I'm open to recommendations as well!

Today in the @hitsave.org archive, press materials for San Francisco Rush 2049, Sea of Thieves, Shadow of the Colossus, Shadow the Hedgehog, SMT Strange Journey, Silent Hill 2-4, SimCity 4, and Sin & Punishment Star Successor. Please enjoy! archive.hitsave.org/press-material

A bit of fun ephemera for Maxis fans: This is a box mock-up for The Mindwarp, a never-released 3D action game in development by Maxis SimLabs (a subsidiary in Utah) Scanned from Maxis' spring 1996 product catalog! Working on processing this right now

Now to shine a spotlight on others! It takes many, many communities to do the great work of game history - and they should be celebrated, dammit! Here are some places and people that deserve a highlight, along with things they put out this year.

This week on The Digital Antiquarian: Homeworld www.filfre.net/2026/01/home...

It's time for retrospection! I got a LOT done in 2025 and it's vitally important for folks like us to always keep that in mind. So let's do the sweep - in multiple parts - and pat ourselves on the back a bit. For this thread, it'll be my own accomplishments. 🧵

I announced a few days ago the long-lost Adventure 751 from CompuServe finally being playable. Here's my first post on my series on the game, where I give a deep dive into the history as well: bluerenga.blog/2026/01/01/a...

The Video Game Research Library is one of my favorite projects I do. For 2026, I wanted to share a new link every single day to a great piece of writing, documentary, or podcast about video games I’ve collected over the years. I hope you’ll find this journey as interesting as I do…

Quest logs, auto-mapping, and early RPG innovation helped define New World Computing. We trace the studio’s growth from Might and Magic through Heroes, the push for faster releases under 3DO, and how pressure and overextension led to its collapse. www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS77...

🥳 Welcome to the Public Domain: creative works from 1930 & sound recordings published in 1925! Duke Law's Center for the Study of the Public Domain has highlighted some of the most anticipated works entering the #publicdomain in 2026! More ➡️ blog.archive.org/public-domai... @dukelaw.bsky.social