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 … Continue reading Happy Gremlin Day! Announcements, Projects, and More
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 … Continue reading How Many Units Were Sold?: Playing the Numbers Game with Video Games
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 … Continue reading 2019: The Losses
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.
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. … Continue reading A Gremlin in Our Midst: Frank Fogleman’s Binder
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 … Continue reading An Incomprehensible Run Down of Video Game Lawsuits
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 … Continue reading First Music: The Mystery of the First Video Game Soundtrack
