A Trip Down Memory Card Lane

In 2018, InnerSloth released Among Us , a quirky social deduction game that quietly launched on mobile before exploding into a global phenomenon two years later. In this episode, we trace the game’s humble beginnings as a three-person project inspired by the classic party game Mafia. We explore how Marcus Bromander, Forest Willard, and Amy Liu built it in just a few months, only for it to go viral...

In 1989, Bullfrog Productions released Populous , a game that let players play god and helped define the god game genre. In this episode, we trace how Peter Molyneux and Les Edgar founded Bullfrog after a bizarre mix-up over baked beans and networking software, and how artist Glenn Corpes’s experiments with isometric landscapes inspired the world’s first digital deities. We explore how Populous gr...

In 1977, Nintendo entered the home console market with Color TV Game 6 , their first step from toys to technology. In this episode, we trace Nintendo’s full transformation from a 19th-century card company into a global gaming giant. We explore Fusajiro Yamauchi’s hanafuda beginnings, the Disney licensing breakthrough, and how Gunpei Yokoi’s Ultra Hand and light gun toys paved the way for electroni...

In 1986, Enix released Dragon Quest , the game that defined Japanese role-playing for generations. This week, we trace how writer Yuji Horii, programmer Koichi Nakamura, artist Akira Toriyama, and composer Koichi Sugiyama came together to make RPGs accessible to everyone. Our conversation follows Enix’s unusual origins as a real estate company, the Game Hobby Program Contest that discovered new ta...

From ancient India to artificial intelligence, chess has evolved alongside human intellect. In this episode, we explore the full history of the game and how it transitioned into the digital age with Battle Chess (1988) and its modern successor, Battle vs. Chess (2011) . We trace the journey from The Mechanical Turk and Claude Shannon’s early chess algorithms to IBM’s Deep Blue and its victory over...

In 1976, Atari released Breakout , a single-player spin on Pong that would become one of the most influential arcade games of all time. In this episode, we trace how Nolan Bushnell’s vision led Steve Jobs to recruit his friend Steve Wozniak to design a prototype that pushed the limits of Atari’s technology. We explore Wozniak’s minimalist circuit design, Jobs’ questionable payday, and how Breakout...

Long before pixels and polygons, Geoffrey of Monmouth’s 12th-century writings gave us King Arthur , a legend that would echo through centuries of storytelling. In this episode, we trace Arthur’s journey from medieval literature to modern gaming, exploring how his myth inspired titles across genres and decades. We discuss King Arthur and the Knights of Justice , Young Merlin , and Conquests of Came...

In 1990, SNK released Neo Geo , a platform that brought the arcade experience home. In this episode, we trace how Takashi Nishiyama, fresh off creating Street Fighter, pitched an arcade system built on interchangeable cartridges—and then dreamed of a console that could play the same games. We explore the dual life of the MVS arcade cabinet and AES home console, its staggering price, and the games...

Every April 20th, gamers and pop culture fans alike take a moment to appreciate the number 420, but how did it become tied to marijuana, and what does that have to do with video games? This week, we explore the origins of the 4-20 phenomenon and trace how cannabis culture found its way into gaming, starting with Drug Wars in 1984. We discuss how a simple class project turned into a viral BBS hit,...

In 1993, Wizards of the Coast released Magic: The Gathering , a collectible card game that reshaped both tabletop and digital gaming. We trace how Richard Garfield’s graduate school math project evolved into a global phenomenon built on strategy, luck, and imagination. Our story highlights early prototypes, the scramble to print Alpha sets, and how gameplay rooted in resource management inspired c...

For over twenty years, PETA has used video games as part of its animal rights campaigns. This week, we explore their long and strange gaming history, from Make Fred Spew and Save the Chicks to the infamous Cooking Mama: Mama Kills Animals . Our discussion covers how parody became PETA’s favorite protest tool, targeting everything from Super Mario to Pokémon, and even drawing direct responses from...

In 1998, Blizzard Entertainment released StarCraft , a real-time strategy classic that reshaped gaming history. This week, we celebrate its 25th anniversary by exploring how a small team built an intergalactic war of Terrans, Zerg, and Protoss. Our conversation traces Blizzard’s origins as Silicon & Synapse, their transition from Warcraft to science fiction, and the long development that turne...

In 2005, Santa Monica Studio and David Jaffe unleashed God of War , a brutal mythological action game that redefined cinematic storytelling on the PlayStation 2. This week, we explore how Jaffe’s inspiration from Onimusha and Clash of the Titans led to a fusion of Greek mythology, adult themes, and fluid combat built on the Kinetica engine. Our conversation traces Kratos’ bloody journey of vengean...

This week, we take a break from the usual format to celebrate the wonderfully weird side of gaming. From blood-sucking puzzles in Mister Mosquito and talking fish in Seaman to the human-faced robots of Natural Ultimate Digital Experiment and the unforgettable arcade cabinet Boon-Ga Boong-Ga , our conversation covers some of the strangest ideas ever turned into games. We also look at surreal classi...

In 1984, Jordan Weisman and L. Ross Babcock founded the FASA Corporation and launched BattleTech , a tabletop universe of giant mechs, mercenary wars, and futuristic politics. This week, we trace Weisman's journey from struggling student to simulation innovator, exploring how a fascination with training tech led to one of sci-fi’s most enduring franchises. Our conversation follows the evolution fr...

In 1999, Sega reimagined their zombie shooter The House of the Dead 2 with a twist and released Typing of the Dead , a game where you type your way through hordes of the undead. This week, we trace the roots of typing from the first mechanical keyboards and the rise of touch typing to early training programs like TypeQuick and Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing . Our conversation explores how Sega’s paro...

In 1993, Nintendo and Argonaut Games released Star Fox , a 3D space shooter that pushed the Super Nintendo far beyond its limits. We trace how Jez San and his small team at Argonaut caught Nintendo’s attention by hacking the Game Boy, leading to a partnership that birthed the groundbreaking Super FX chip. Our conversation explores how Shigeru Miyamoto and Katsuya Eguchi shaped the animal cast, the...

In 1991, DMA Design released Lemmings , a puzzle game that turned tiny green-haired creatures into one of the most beloved icons in gaming history. This week, we trace how a group of Scottish developers went from animating exploding stick figures to creating a strategy classic published by Psygnosis. Our conversation explores the origins of DMA Design, the legacy of Psygnosis, and how quirky anima...

In 1998, Square released Xenogears , a PlayStation RPG that mixed giant robots, religion, and philosophy into one unforgettable story. We explore how Tetsuya Takahashi and Soraya Saga pitched their dark, psychological script for Final Fantasy VII before it became its own standalone project. Our conversation dives into the game’s development challenges, its ambitious themes drawn from Jung and Niet...

In 1982, Atari followed up the success of Adventure with an even grander idea: Swordquest , a series of four interconnected games that blended comics, contests, and real-world treasure. This week, we explore how Atari’s marketing team turned the concept of the Easter egg into a $150,000 competition, complete with jeweled prizes made by the Franklin Mint and comics from DC. We discuss Tod Frye’s ro...

In the early 1990s, Nintendo tried to prove that video games could be educational, and who better to lead the class than Mario? This week, we explore the odd era of licensed edutainment through titles like Mario is Missing , Mario’s Time Machine , and Mario Teaches Typing . Our conversation digs into how companies like Interplay and The Software Toolworks reimagined Mario as a teacher, historian,...

In 1998, Capcom released Resident Evil 2 , the sequel that turned survival horror into a blockbuster phenomenon. We revisit how Hideki Kamiya stepped into the director’s chair, how early prototypes known as Resident Evil 1.5 were scrapped, and how Yoshiki Okamoto’s vision for a shared universe saved the franchise from an early end. Our conversation explores screenwriter Noboru Sugimura’s Hollywood...

In 1980, Atari released Adventure , a groundbreaking Atari 2600 title that transformed text-based exploration into a visual quest. We trace how Warren Robinett, inspired by Colossal Cave Adventure, built the game under strict memory limits and corporate pressure. Our conversation covers Robinett’s inventive programming tricks, from repurposing missile code to simulate rooms, to creating autonomous...

In 1988, Interplay released Wasteland , a post-apocalyptic RPG that laid the groundwork for Fallout and decades of open-world storytelling. We trace how Rick Loomis’s Flying Buffalo connected a team of authors and artists, Ken St. Andre, Michael Stackpole, and Liz Danforth, whose tabletop experience shaped the game’s world. Our conversation follows Brian Fargo’s rise from Bard’s Tale to Wasteland,...

As 2022 comes to a close, we take a break from our usual gaming history deep dives to look back on the past year of Memory Card Lane . From the early days of RuneScape and SimCity to journeys through Fallout, Assassin’s Creed, and Final Fantasy, we revisit the moments, lessons, and laughter that defined our episodes. The conversation turns reflective as we share what stood out most from 2022, the...