The Life & Times of Video Games

Hear the story behind the greatest lecture in GDC history, and the dream of industry legend Chris Crawford that video games would one day stand at the pinnacle of art and storytelling—a dream so big that he gave up everything to pursue it. lifeandtimes.games/episodes/files…

But before I can do that, I need your help to get this thing made. Help me show there's a commercially viable audience for a fan-funded SCUMM documentary by signing up at scummdoc.com, and join hundreds of other fans in shaping this project into something special.

I'll be asking him lots of behind-the-scenes questions as well as getting him to really dig into and reflect upon the evolution of his design philosophies during/since the SCUMM years, and weaving all of it into the story of the SCUMM engine and games.

He's also the designer most responsible for killing death in adventure games, and he helped set the irreverent, satirical, lighthearted tone pervasive through all SCUMM adventures.

I'm delighted to share that Ron Gilbert has agreed to be interviewed for my new documentary project, Passport to Adventure: The SCUMM Story (@scummdoc). Besides creating SCUMM and Maniac Mansion, he led the first two Monkey Islands and the first few Humongous junior adventures.

Come for the discussion from me and my colleagues about our new horror gaming doco, stay for the peek at my collection of old games on the shelves behind me.

Longtime listeners may remember how fond I am of sports games—and football/soccer in particular. Well, now i've written a big huge book about it. Presenting 'A Tale of Two Halves: The History of Football Video Games' ->

The new book by @MossRC, Shareware Heroes, covers all of the original history of Apogee, id, Epic and other shareware pioneers. Pre-order your copy now. 📖 sharewareheroes.com

Final hours to get in on the @FPSDOC Indiegogo. Support me, @davidlcraddock, and the rest of the team, get a best-in-class 3+ hour documentary about FPS games guided by 45+ genre legends. indiegogo.com/projects/first…

For an example of how it'll be used, see (or rather listen to) the beginning and end of my MobyGames doc: lifeandtimes.games/episodes/files…

Tell me what it means to you and how it made your life better or shaped your career. Under five minutes is preferable, but any length is fine. Please don't edit it; I'll do that myself. And let me know if you want to be anonymous or credited for the contribution.

I'm making a ~40-minute podcast doc about Home of the Underdogs — its history and legacy, with input from its founder. If you were influenced by HoTU or you just have fond memories of the site, I'd love to get your voice in the story. Email/DM me your short-ish voice memo/clips.

Soundbite: Home of the Underdogs founder Sarinee Achavanuntakul on abandonware vs piracy lifeandtimes.games/episodes/files…

Good morning, readers, and good morning to this final cover artwork for @MossRC's #SharewareHeroes! 💾 We're closing the subscriber list for this fabulous book this Sunday, so preorder now to make sure you're on it: bit.ly/34rywyz Design by @mecobtweets

Related to that, a few questions for everyone: 1) Would you be interested in me writing more game retrospectives? 2) Would you pay for a collection of written versions of my podcast documentaries? 3) How about for an hour-long audiobook documentary made in the style of my show?

For my @LifeandTimesVG patrons, I've just published a post on my plans for the show and everything else in 2022. patreon.com/posts/61453219

It all started with a Macintosh ad: "You too can be a knowledge worker". And from that evocative statement emerged If Monks Had Macs, one of the most fascinating multimedia programs ever created. This is its story. lifeandtimes.games/episodes/files…

@Atari_VB_Pod Shareware Heroes: The Renegades Who Redefined Gaming at the Dawn of the Internet. It's not out yet, but you can preorder (and get the supporter edition) from Unbound: unbound.com/books/sharewar…

@LifeandTimesVG What is the name and published of the Shareware history book you have mentioned on the pod? I really want to buy a copy.

lifeandtimes.games/episodes/files… History of the thing that's going to die

Now available to order—my book The Secret History of Mac Gaming: Expanded Edition. Around 120k words about the people, games, and ideas from the 1980s/90s Classic Mac scene. Some were quirky worlds unto themselves; others helped shape the future of games. bitmapbooks.co.uk/products/the-s…

For Tomb Raider's 25th birthday, I've remastered my old @LifeandTimesVG story on how the original Tomb Raider was shaped by its grid-based engine and level editor. lifeandtimes.games/episodes/files…