William Volk - Avalon Hill, Activision, Lightspan, PlayScreen
Video Game Newsroom Time Machine
Release Date: 02/28/2024
Raymond Yap - Wong's International, Mondex
Video Game Newsroom Time Machine
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 and traveled the world securing suppliers for all manner of electronics. How did that business work? Where did his career lead after this? Raymond tells us of an amazing journey that includes not only...
info_outline
June 1984
Video Game Newsroom Time Machine
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 Worlds is our cohost. Check out his podcast here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/ and order his book here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/book Get us on your mobile device:...
info_outline
Larry J. Dunlap - The Games Network, Imperial Wars
Video Game Newsroom Time Machine
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 distributing software. Our guest, Larry J. Dunlap, was one such pioneer. The company he cofounded, The Games Network almost brought that dream to the world but tragically came up short. Larry tells us of...
info_outline
May 1994
Video Game Newsroom Time Machine
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 Smith of They Create Worlds is our cohost. Check out his podcast here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/ and order his book here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/book or get it in the Humble...
info_outline
May 1984
Video Game Newsroom Time Machine
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 podcast here: and order his book here: or get it in the Humble Bundle here: Get us on your mobile device: Android: iOS: And if you like what we are doing here at the podcast, don't forget to...
info_outline
Jay Balakrishnan - HESWare, Radical, Dynamics, Solid State Software
Video Game Newsroom Time Machine
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. I spoke to Jay in November and December of 2023, and after a few technical hiccups we finally got a connection going and we jump right into that today, so don't worry that I don't start...
info_outline
April 1994
Video Game Newsroom Time Machine
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 They Create Worlds is our cohost. Check out his podcast here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/ and order his book here: ...
info_outline
Joneva Barry - Chuck E. Cheese, Kadabrascope
Video Game Newsroom Time Machine
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 tells us of those heady days of high tech, great hopes, the comradery with Sente, the fall of Pizza Time Theater and her career in movies and as a school teacher. Recorded: July 2023 Get us on...
info_outline
April 1984
Video Game Newsroom Time Machine
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 the actual events. Alex Smith of They Create Worlds is our cohost. Check out his podcast here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/ and order his book here: ...
info_outline
March 1994
Video Game Newsroom Time Machine
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. Alex Smith of They Create Worlds is our cohost. Check out his podcast here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/ and order his book here: ...
info_outlineFew 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:
Android: https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly92aWRlb2dhbWVuZXdzcm9vbXRpbWVtYWNoaW5lLmxpYnN5bi5jb20vcnNz
iOS: https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/video-game-newsroom-time-machine
And if you like what we are doing here at the podcast, don't forget to like us on your podcasting app of choice, YouTube, and/or support us on patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/VGNRTM
Send comments on twitter @videogamenewsr2
Or
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/vgnrtm
Or
[email protected]
Links:
https://www.anagramquest.com/
https://www.mobygames.com/person/3264/william-d-volk/
He Put in a Bar, in the Back of His Car - https://youtu.be/pEQ_VLo4pBY?si=mw5p8i7-dlDo5-Zp
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homestake_experiment
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cromemco
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avalon_Hill
https://www.nytimes.com/1985/03/24/jobs/the-computer-telecommuters-say-theres-no-workplace-like-home.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Minsky
https://www.mobygames.com/game/7390/ports-of-call/
https://www.mobygames.com/company/3165/aegis-interactive-entertainment/
https://www.macintoshrepository.org/6195-mac-challenger
Infinite Loop - https://youtu.be/clxpPQbj234?si=aN1f215CSDnRmkVj
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LightWave_3D
https://www.mobygames.com/game/9222/the-manhole/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HyperCard
https://www.mobygames.com/game/1219/return-to-zork/
https://www.mobygames.com/game/44036/cosmic-osmo/
https://www.mobygames.com/company/434/cyan-worlds-inc/
https://www.mobygames.com/game/39698/rodneys-funscreen/
https://youtu.be/yZbJL5Egyzs?si=abJ5FJ_CS9O-wZju
https://www.mobygames.com/company/42078/lightspan-inc/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realtime_Associates
https://kidscreen.com/2001/10/01/lightspan-20011001/
https://psxdatacenter.com/games/U/L/LSP-010360.html
https://www.gamezone.com/news/wayans_brothers_the_dozens_announced_at_e3/
https://www.pgconnects.com/hong-kong/speakers/william-volk/
https://www.gamedeveloper.com/production/william-volk-veteran-game-developer-mobile-pioneer
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/trump-dump/id1070999857
https://www.apple.com/de/tv-pr/originals/extrapolations/
https://www.theclimatetrail.com/
https://www.calstate.edu/attend/student-services/Pages/esports.aspx
https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Oscar-Clark/dp/1138428302
https://www.mobygames.com/game/52384/controller/
https://www.gamedeveloper.com/production/why-johnny-can-t-ship
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Child_Left_Behind_Act
Copyright Karl Kuras