I can’t believe it’s already been one full year since I started the newsletter? Maybe because it hasn’t been a full year of newsletter, due to my I taking a mental break these last few months. Let’s do some catch-up.
Article: Who Won In The First Game Awards?
My big contribution to gaming history this month was this breakdown of “The Arkies,” the first ever video game awards circa 1980 in VIDEO magazine. Most of these games are unfamiliar to those of us who started gaming in the NES era, so I try to establish some context.
Twitter Threads
OCT06: The Origin Of The Van Halen Track In BACK TO THE FUTURE
OCT16: Broderbund’s First Educational Game Before CARMEN SANDIEGO
NOV12: The 2nd Home Console Was Featured On THE PRICE IS RIGHT
NOV21: The Connection Between Apple’s Logo And Channel F’s Box Art
DEC13: The History Of Ugly Christmas Sweaters & Cocaine Santa
Around The Internet
VIDEO: FALLOUT: NEW VEGAS Is Genius, And Here’s Why (Hbomberguy)
Hasn’t everything there is to say about this game already been said? No, it turns out. This video is full of great game design observations to chew on.
VIDEO: Napoleon’s Missing Hand, Explained (Vox)
No, Napoleon wasn’t actually missing a hand, but the true story is a fascinating look at how the meaning behind something as simple as body language can go from being iconic to forgotten.
VIDEO: How AUSTIN POWERS Predicted The Future Of Cinema (Patrick H Willems)
This kind of blew my mind, because it’s been so long since I watched any of these movies (and I’ve still never seen the third one), that I didn’t realize what a dead-on parody these were of numerous movies that were made after.
VIDEO: The Story Of MEGA MAN On DOS (Gaming Historian)
A pretty respectful look at a group of obscure games that would be easy to mock.
VIDEO: Arcade Dreams Forgotten Classics: SEGA GUN FIGHT
Sort of a trailer for an upcoming Kickstarter documentary about the history of the arcade. I’ve been asked to be involved later in 2021.
VIDEO: Trailheads: THE OREGON TRAIL’S Origins (MinnMax)
Over a decade in the making, features great interviews with the creators of the game.
VIDEO: What Is BLASEBALL And Why Is It Taking Over The Internet?
I’m not huge into sports so I didn’t think this would interest me…but I was wrong.
VIDEO: The Making Of MONKEY ISLAND (Onearetrotip)
VIDEO: The Secrets Of MONKEY ISLAND — An Evening With Ron Gilbert (VGHF)
This was a great month for fans of the first MONKEY ISLAND game. One is a documentary, the other is an interview featuring never before seen cutting room floor material. More of the latter can also be seen in this gif-heavy article.
VIDEO: THE PRICE IS RIGHT Host Entrance (Ological)
There’s more to the art of the host entrance than you might think. Fascinating if you’re interested in visual storytelling.
VIDEO: How Science Fiction Shaped Jimi Hendrix (Polyphonic)
A fun, nicely animated deep dive into Hendrix’s sci-fi roots.
VIDEO: The Bizarre SKITTLES Licensed Game (Minimme)
How a dev used a shameless licensing opportunity to try to make the game she always wanted.
That’s all for this month. As always, you can support my research on Patreon.