Gaming Historians Respond to High Score

Netflix has just released the documentary series High Score, created by the production team at Great Big Story.

The Video Game History Booklist

The Video Game History Book List is a chronological list of books in physical, digital, and webpage format which aspiring game researchers can use to find reading material related to the development and business of video games.

Happy Gremlin Day! Announcements, Projects, and More

50 Years Ago today, two engineers named Frank Fogleman and Carl Grindle founded a contract electronics firm at San Diego's 3555 Aero Court. This company was Gremlin Industries, a name forged by last second decisions and a literal game of telephone. The company would be purchased by Sega in 1978 and form the backbone of …

How Many Units Were Sold?: Playing the Numbers Game with Video Games

The video game industry is unusual in that it has had no official channel for reporting sales numbers throughout it's history. The other two major entertainment mediums - music and movies - have had consistent relationships with groups who report on sales numbers and box office revenues respectively. These may not always be directly available …

2019: The Losses

May our spirits be at rest, for we all must face the call of time. It is not to depress, but to signal our new energies yet to be fulfilled. Some pass, some carry on, and so we remember what once was to give us perspective on these prior accomplishments. Here's to those that left …

A Response to Ahoy’s “The First Video Game”

Youtube content creator Ahoy (Stuart Brown) recently created a video on a subject near and dear to my heart, tackling the subject of the extremely early games and what could be considered a first in the medium.

A Gremlin in Our Midst: Frank Fogleman’s Binder

I recently took a trip up to San Diego to take part in the 2019 Gremlin Industries' 36th reunion party (I previously attended in 2017 as well). After the festivities I spent a day at the abode of co-founder of Gremlin, Frank Fogleman, and discovered his one remaining binder of Gremlin materials on his bookshelf. …

An Incomprehensible Run Down of Video Game Lawsuits

The layperson thinks suing is easy: Party B does Party A wrong, Party A sues Party B and a judgement is eventually passed which finds Party B guilty or innocent. However, in law, absolutely nothing is simple or certain. The endless ins and outs of the proceedings from legal action are extremely tedious to study …

First Music: The Mystery of the First Video Game Soundtrack

Ever wonder what the first video game with music is? Well, wonder no more: It's Gun Fight by Midway with an adaptation of Frédéric Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2! Or is it? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5vSZyDhFLo There is something strange about what should be an exceedingly straightforward fact which is the variety as to whether you get a …

Chicago Legacy: Exploring Bally Manufacturing

Chicago's a weird and wild place, having been built and rebuilt innumerable times over the decades. As in all great cities, the new and the old collide into something unique which expresses it's own history. The remnants of what was once the coin-op capital are sparse, but it's a pleasure for me to walk to …