Video Game History Hour

Latest Episodes:

Episode 166: Colin Williamson Photography Collection of Japanese Game Culture Oct 21, 2026

Show notes

We’re joined by Colin Williamson as we introduce his newly launched photography collection in our digital archive. Colin’s former work in games journalism while living in Japan afforded him a front row seat to the launch of the Sega Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, rise of Pokémania, and more. This treasure trove of photographs documents the Japanese gaming scene from 1999 to 2005 at events like Tokyo Game Show, the JAMMA Show, and Nintendo Space World. We peek behind the industry curtain as Colin shares what it was like interviewing legends like Hideo Kojima, dealing with corporate PR handlers, and forming real friendships with developers. Finally, we cap off the episode with a pseudo digital-archaeology quest tracking down missing footage of a 2005 Electroplankton exhibition.

*This episode has a follow-up bonus episode available to our paid tier Patreon members.

You can listen to the Video Game History Hour every other Wednesday on Patreon (one day early at the $5 tier and above), on Spotify, or on our website.

See more from Colin Williamson:

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/colinwilliamson.bsky.social

Video Game History Foundation:

Email: podcast@gamehistory.org

Website: gamehistory.org

Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

Episode 165: VGHF Q3 Update Oct 08, 2026

Show notes

It’s time for another quarterly update seeing as how we’re now well into October. In this episode, we share some of our latest accomplishments: hitting a milestone of over 5,000 magazines digitized, completing our donor-data cleanup, new project-specific giving initiatives, major technical upgrades to our Japanese-language OCR and large image galleries (which helped power the successful launch of our E3 historical collection), active community research for the first EULA, and so much more!

You can listen to the Video Game History Hour every other Wednesday on Patreon (one day early at the $5 tier and above), on Spotify, or on our website.

Video Game History Foundation:

Email: podcast@gamehistory.org

Website: gamehistory.org

Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

Episode 164: National Virtual Forum for Digital Games in Libraries (DGIL) Sep 23, 2026

Show notes

Phil Salvador is joined by Dr. Colin Post and Marisa Marzilli from University of North Carolina at Greensboro to discuss their upcoming Digital Games in Libraries (DGIL) National Virtual Forum, a conversation for the cultural preservation of digital-only indie video games to be held October 29-30. In this episode they introduce the DGIL initiative and its origin, discuss collection models, and ideate on future phases and resources for these efforts.

You can listen to the Video Game History Hour every other Wednesday on Patreon (one day early at the $5 tier and above), on Spotify, or on our website.

See more from Digital Games in Libraries:

Website: https://soe.uncg.edu/rdi/dgil/

Substack: https://digitalgamesinlibraries.substack.com/

Video Game History Foundation:

Email: podcast@gamehistory.org

Website: gamehistory.org

Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

Episode 163: The Complexities of EULAs Sep 11, 2026

Show notes

Phil Salvador interviews Amy Thomas, legal expert and author of Copyright, Contract, and Video Games: Terms of Play, about the evolving landscape of digital rights and ownership in gaming. In this episode, Amy discusses her journey from studying Microsoft's Xbox One EULA in 2013; the complexities of EULAs, user rights, and the impact of digital ownership on game preservation; her research on possibly the earliest EULA, found in 1985 for Pitfall II; and the challenges of digital preservation, including implications of Sony's recent decision to discontinue physical PlayStation discs.

Mentioned in the show:

Tandy Software License: https://colorcomputerarchive.com/repo/Documents/Manuals/Games/Pitfall%20II%20(Tandy).pdf

Moria License: https://free-moria.sourceforge.net/moria-non-free-license.txt

You can listen to the Video Game History Hour every other Wednesday on Patreon (one day early at the $5 tier and above), on Spotify, or on our website.

See more from Amy Thomas:

LinkedIn: /amy-thomas

The Centre for Regulation of the Creative Economy, University of Glasgow: create.ac.uk

Upcoming speaking engagement: Playable Heritage: Creating a Collaborative Framework for Collecting Video Game Culture

Video Game History Foundation:

Email: podcast@gamehistory.org

Website: gamehistory.org

Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

Episode 162: Roberta Vaughn’s Retro Adventures Aug 26, 2026

Show notes

Library Director Phil Salvador is joined by guests Heather Fryling and Daniel Greenberg to discuss Roberta Vaughn’s Retro Adventures, a nonprofit organization that creates traveling, living exhibits focused on the history of adventure games and entertainment. The RVRA, founded to honor the legacy of adventure games collector and enthusiast Roberta Vaughn, travels to conventions like Portland Retro Game Expo and PAX West to share their curated exhibits, original interviews, and special guest appearances.

You can listen to the Video Game History Hour every other Wednesday on Patreon (one day early at the $5 tier and above), on Spotify, or on our website.

Mentioned in the Show:

Al Lowe’s wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Lowe

Classic Gamers Guild: https://www.facebook.com/ClassicGamersGuild/

See more from Heather Fryling:

Website: rvretro.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Roberta-Vaughans-Retro-Adventures/61580535638673/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-fryling-4336a0168

Email: heather@rvretro.org

See more from Daniel Greenberg:

Bluesky: @winterion.com

Email: info (at) winterion.com

Help Daniel plant trees: patreon.com/winterion

IONGAMING Live: twitch.tv/winterion

IONGAMING Back Episodes: youtube.com/winteriongamestudios

GMU Game Design: game.gmu.edu

Video Game History Foundation:

Email: podcast@gamehistory.org

Website: gamehistory.org

Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

Episode 161: Blizzard Digital Vault Aug 05, 2026

Show notes

Our library director Phil Salvador sits down for another What’s Your Deal? episode with Blizzard’s senior digital archivist, Leah Williams, to discuss her critical work of preserving their modern video game history. In this episode:

Leah’s unconventional path to digital games preservation
Managing art, UI, and visual FX
Collaborating with engineers and metadata experts
Why discoverability matters for legacy assets
Building vital relationships across game studios
Navigating AI tagging and digital preservation challenges

Mentioned in the show:

YouTube 35th year anniversary 35’ table Blizzard: The Next Chapter

You can listen to the Video Game History Hour every other Wednesday on Patreon (one day early at the $5 tier and above), on Spotify, or on our website.

See more from Leah Williams:

LinkedIn: /leah-williams

Video Game History Foundation:

Email: podcast@gamehistory.org

Website: gamehistory.org

Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

Episode 160: Founding E3 Jul 22, 2026

Show notes

Phil Salvador hosts a special episode of the Video Game History Hour featuring Carolyn Rauch and Doug Lowenstein to discuss the origins and evolution of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3).

As the former senior vice president of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), Carolyn managed E3 for roughly two decades. Doug, the ESA's founder and former president, joins her to recount the organization’s 1994 founding. Together, they explain how the industry responded to the video game violence panic along with its legislative threats and how poor placement at the annual CES tradeshow led to the creation of E3.

We discuss the massive challenges of organizing the inaugural 1995 expo, including the critical task of securing industry giants like Nintendo and Sega; E3's eventual shift toward a consumer-focused format; its massive economic impact on Los Angeles; and the unexpected legal challenges surrounding the iconic E3 logo.

You can listen to the Video Game History Hour every other Wednesday on Patreon (one day early at the $5 tier and above), on Spotify, or on our website.

Video Game History Foundation:

Email: podcast@gamehistory.org

Website: gamehistory.org

Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

Episode 159: Q1 & Q2 Update Jul 09, 2026

Show notes

This year’s first update starts off with the huge announcement of our newest team member, Meera Swanson, as Development Director. Meera shares some of her background as well as her vision for the rest of this year as she establishes this new department. Phil overviews all the new collections we launched this year including additions to the GamePro CD collection, speaker audio cassettes from the 2nd ever Computer Game Developers’ Conference, and Neopets The Official Magazine. Robin reviews the podcast so far this year and what’s resonated both with her and others.

You can listen to the Video Game History Hour every other Wednesday on Patreon (one day early at the $5 tier and above), on Spotify, or on our website.

Video Game History Foundation:

Email: podcast@gamehistory.org

Website: gamehistory.org

Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

Episode 158: What’s Your Deal, Willem Hilhorst? Jun 24, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of the Video Game History Hour, host Phil Salvador interviews Willem Hilhorst, Media Manager for Games and Online at the Netherlands Institute for Sound & Vision regarding their video game preservation efforts within the context of an audiovisual media archive. Established in 1997, the institute manages a growing collection of over 500 digital and physical Dutch-connected games. Hilhorst outlines key initiatives like the Dutch Games Canon and the Treasure Room portal for out-of-commerce media. The discussion addresses the legal and structural challenges of long-term preservation alongside the role of national identity in software design. Using Ubisoft's early French influence on Rayman as a case study, Hilhorst highlights how local cultural elements translate to international audiences. Also in this episode: the non-game material held in the archive, the potential canon inclusion of Moon Child, and Hilhorst's external work for Nintendo World Report and EFGAMP.

You can listen to the Video Game History Hour every other Wednesday on Patreon (one day early at the $5 tier and above), on Spotify, or on our website.

Mentioned in the Show:

The Dutch Games Canon (please use translation for an English version): https://gamescanon.beeldengeluid.nl

"The Treasure Room" (Schatkamer) (requires a Dutch IP address or VPN): https://schatkamer.beeldengeluid.nl

The European Federation of Game Archives, Museums and Preservation Projects: https://efgamp.eu

Nintendo World Report: https://nintendoworldreport.com / https://youtube.com/@NinWRTV

Out of Commerce Works Portal: https://euipo.europa.eu/out-of-commerce/

Home Computer Museum: https://www.homecomputermuseum.nl/en/#intro

See more from Willem Hilhorst:

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/whilhorst.bsky.social

Sound & Vision Website: https://beeldengeluid.nl/en/

Video Game History Foundation:

Email: podcast@gamehistory.org

Website: gamehistory.org

Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

Episode 157: Our Library Practices Jun 10, 2026

Show notes

Library director Phil Salvador and producer Robin Kunimune take you through the process of preserving a collection of over 10,000 digital files from our GamePro CD collection. Phil discusses how he tackles physical and philosophical dilemmas such as balancing users’ needs to access original files of hi-res game art while also viewing quick, easy thumbnails researchers can actually open; dealing with broken or obsolete 90’s files types like old PSD/EPS files; automating bulk processing for as much data as we’re able; and balancing thorough, but concise, metadata for topics ranging from undersea wreckage salvage to hyper-specific local gaming slang. Phil and Robin also provide a sneak peak into the VGHF’s upcoming monster of a project, the Game Informer collection, and how this meager 10k file collection is really just a warm-up.

Mentioned in the Show: GamePro Press CD Collection

You can listen to the Video Game History Hour every other Wednesday on Patreon (one day early at the $5 tier and above), on Spotify, or on our website.

Video Game History Foundation:

Email: podcast@gamehistory.org

Website: gamehistory.org

Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected