Video Game Newsroom Time Machine

Few developers have had as long and prolific career as our guest, Graeme Bayless. From working on mainframes, to selling Kaypros, to playtesting Accolade's launch titles, to producing games for SSI, Sega Technical Institute, Hyperbole Studios, Dynamix, EA, Eidos, and NetherRealm Studios.   In Part 1, we talk about his early years, the evolution of the industry, moving from computers at SSI to cons...

Hollywood welcomes Siliwood, Saturn and Playstation begin fight for Japanese consumers & 3DO declared DOA These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM! This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in June 1994.  As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events. Alex Smith...

The boom of home computers and electronics in the 1970s and 1980s was as much a success of entrepreneurial endeavor and technological innovation, as it was of the blossoming worldwide supply chain. One of the company's that made it all possible was WONG's International and our guest today, Raymond Yap was their representative in the UK. He helped make sure that the BBC Micro got into UK schools an...

The home computer market implodes,  Atari announces 7800 & Console software dries up. These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM! This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in June 1984.  As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events. Alex Smith of They Create Worl...

The dawn of the home computer seemed to usher in the death of computing's networked past dominated by dumb terminals connected to mainframes, but a few visionaries foresaw a world in which the microcomputer technology invading millions of homes could be connected and the data networks already in consumer hands, such as cable TV and telephones, could usher in a new way of connecting people and dist...

Nintendo and Sega financials dissapoint Sony gets ready for NextGen Venture money goes ga-ga over silliwood These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM! This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in May 1994.  As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events. Alex Smit...

Sinclair ships QLs, Atari looks hopeful & Jack is BACK! These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM! This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in May 1984. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events. Alex Smith of They Create Worlds is our cohost. Check out his...

In the earliest days of the gaming biz, Human Engineered Software was a trailblazer, bringing big names like Jeff Minter to the US.  The company's founder, Jay Balakrishnan, is a serial entrepreneur who not only would help create the mass market for software at retail but would also have a long and storied career in games beyond Hes ware with such companies as Radical Entertainment and Dynamics.  ...

Nintendo bows to Blockbuster, Commodore enters liquidation & Acclaim-Midway divorce gets messy!   These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM!   This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in April 1994. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.   Alex Smith of...

Nolan Bushnell, the PT Barnum of games, left indellible marks on the industry, some greater than others, and among the big hits like Atari and Chuck E. Cheese, were also many misses and could-have-beens. Our guest, Joneva Barry, was witness to one of them, Kadabrascope, an attempt to use computers to bring down the cost of traditional 2D animation.   An accomplished artist and educator, Joneva tel...

Acorn and Commodore soar, as Coleco and Atari falter Software takes center stage in PC clone world UK game prices hit rock bottom   These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM!   This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in April 1984. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind t...

Sega previews Saturn at CES, Commodore warns of bankruptcy & Doom brings corporate networks to their knees   These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM!   This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in March 1994. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.   Ale...

Pizza Time goes bust, Amiga announces a computer & Nintendo launches the VS   These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM!   This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in March 1984. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.   Alex Smith of They Create Worlds i...

The history of 80s and 90s game magazines is filled with big names like Computer Gaming World, Weekly Famitsu, Computer and Video Games, Micromania, and, a name that makes German speaking gamers of a particular vintage extremely nostalgic, Power Play. In this second part of our interview, Michael tells us how he left Power Play to join a major German games publisher, founded a hint guide and magaz...

The world goes ga-ga over game violence; Sega reports horrible losses & Doom redefines PC gaming! These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in February 1994.  As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events. Alex Smith of T...

The history of 80s and 90s game magazines is filled with big names like Computer Gaming World, Weekly Famitsu, Computer and Video Games, Micromania, and, a name that makes German speaking gamers of a particular vintage extremely nostalgic, Power Play. Michael Hengst was a mainstay at the mag and gives us a fascinating insight into how the business worked, how games were reviewed, and sets up a car...

Famicom rules Japan, Bushnell leaves Chuck E Cheese & Vectrex put to rest These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM! This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in February 1984.  As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events. Alex Smith of They Create Worlds is ou...

In the early 80s, glory could be won in the arcades by those intrepid youths capable of garnering high scores.  One such teen, Julian 'Jaz' Rignall, turned that skillset into a career, first as a strategy tip writer for UK mags like Personal Computing and Computer and Video Games, before becoming a founding writer for ZZAP!64, Mean Machines, Mean Machines Sega, and Nintendo Magazine System.  His c...

Commodore hits the skids, Sega bets big on entertainment centers & The emulation revolution is born!   These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM   This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in January 1994. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.   Alex Smi...

Jack Tramiel leaves Commodore, Apple advertises the Mac & Amstrad enters the home computer market   These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM   This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in January 1984. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.   Alex Smith...

Few developers can boast careers spanning more than 4 decades, but today's guest, William Volk has developed games for virtually every platform released, covering every genre, including strategy, RPG, adventures, educational titles, puzzle games, and more. Sit back and enjoy the insights, memories, and experience of a true legend of the industry! Recorded October 2023 Get us on your mobile device:...

Night Trap gets Lieberman's panties in a bunch, Id unleashes Doom & Apple II is no more These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in December 1993.  As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events. Alex Smith of They Create...

Toys push games off of shelves, GUIs vie for supremacy & Coinops' laserdisc dreams dashed   These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM   This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in December 1983. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.   Alex Smith of They...

40 years ago, American television saw the dawn of a nationwide show updating viewers on the latest developments in the exciting world of computers, The Computer Chronicles. We dive into the history of this show with blogger S.M.Oliva, author of The Computer Chronicles Revisited, to find out what it was, what it achieved, and how it left us an invaluable record of the early consumer computer indust...

Next gen trash talk heats up, Nintendo and Sega trapped by strong yen & CDROM can't pay the rent   These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM   This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in November 1993. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.   Alex Smith...