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videogame history

@vghistory.bsky.social

18K followers 0 following 3.3K posts

a meditation on videogame (w/ occasional technology and web) history. donate to my ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/moshboy/ also find me on mastodon: https://mastodon.social/@moshboy nfaq: https://pastebin.com/vUmrYKx6

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Reposted by videogame history

videogame history @vghistory.bsky.social · Jul 9

magazine screenshot (1987) archive.org/details/mico...

tiny red dressed protagonist, advancing towards a massive skeleton, holding a sword, on a lower platform. a flying skull is coming from behind but above.

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videogame history @vghistory.bsky.social · Jul 8

smurf: rescue in gargamel's castle, screenshot, atari 2600 (1983) www.mobygames.com/game/10218/s...

a smurf, white pants and headwear, blue/purple body, is traversing a shades of purple cavern. they are approaching a spider that has lowered itself from its web.

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videogame history @vghistory.bsky.social · Jul 7

combat school, magazine screenshot (1987) archive.org/details/mico...

two buff dudes called nick and joe, nick in a yellow t-shirt and green pants, joe in all green, are arm wrestling on a small table. all part of combat school.

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videogame history @vghistory.bsky.social · Jul 6

print ad, excerpt (1985) archive.org/details/1985...

text:
that's life - a full length, non-violent, multiple player game the whole family can enjoy. go to college, choose a career, get married, raise a family, deal with the crises of everyday living. requires 48k.

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videogame history @vghistory.bsky.social · 9h

computerland, store, game room, promotional photo, california (1978) archive.org/details/byte...

a father and son are enthralled, the son is playing a computer game on a trackball(?). the screen has a pattern of colours within coloures on screen (a dot within multiple square shaped layers within a large circle). 'game' is printed in large white letters behind the computer.

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videogame history @vghistory.bsky.social · 10h

maxell floppy disk, print ad (1984) archive.org/details/popc...

a man kneeling in dark robes, looking very calm. below, a maxell floppy disk.

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videogame history @vghistory.bsky.social · Apr 23

the chessmaster 4000 turbo, pc (1993)

central box art imagery: old man with long grey hair and beard, finger to forehead, in front of a glass chess set/board.
'turbo' is in a fast red font.
text at the bottom of the box: still the finest chess program in the world

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videogame history @vghistory.bsky.social · Jan 29

internet banking via the dreamcast (2000) archive.org/details/fami...

a man sitting at a desk using software and a dreamcast controller to do internet banking via a dreamcast

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videogame history @vghistory.bsky.social · Apr 25

logos available for purchase on mobile phones, poland (2003) archive.org/details/clic...

logos include error, syntax error, a smiley face, ford, mclaren, disc error, pacman chasing a chose, pacman being chased by ghosts, cars, areoplanes, dolby surround, a phone, a barcode, and many more.

batch of logs includes a skateboard, skate or die, skate and fly, a pool table, a mouse and computer going 'wrrr...', a computer walking with the screen smiling and the words 'don't worry be happy', snowboard, a smiley face with the word 'smile' to the right and more.

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videogame history @vghistory.bsky.social · Apr 25

illustration (1985) archive.org/details/Your...

a woman with six arms is removing/placing floppy disks in pigeon holes.

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videogame history @vghistory.bsky.social · 1d

game review rating system, login, magazine (1987) archive.org/details/logi...

some faces on a sun, ranging from a beaming sun smiley face, non-beaming sun happy but less happy face, angry or sad sun, sun face, mostly covered by cloud and finally no sun at all just a dark cloud and rain.

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videogame history @vghistory.bsky.social · 1d

simcity 2000: cd collection, print ad, imagery (1995) www.mobygames.com/game/2313/si...

black text:
one extra large helping of urban reality, served up on a silver platter.
(pixelated isometric chunk of a city, including skyscrapers and a stadium, sitting on a shiny round cd).

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videogame history @vghistory.bsky.social · 1d

the powerpuff girls: chemical x-traction, screenshot, n64 (2001) www.mobygames.com/game/10102/t...

angry looking princess, puffy orange hair, golden crown, yellow dress, surrounded by layers of pink love hearts and a few yellow stars. the word 'congratulations!' is above.

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videogame history @vghistory.bsky.social · 1d

the return of ishtar, sprite sheet, pc-88 (1987) archive.org/details/logi...

cute lil female character ki, shown walking from 360 angles. long black hair, head band, light blue clothes, brown? boots.

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videogame history @vghistory.bsky.social · Mar 23

hideo kojima (2000) archive.org/details/offi...

hideo kojima's eyes wearing glasses
below a quote:
"violence doesn't have to be the only answer."

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videogame history @vghistory.bsky.social · Apr 5

explore, commodore pet (1979) mocagh.org/loadpage.php...

a simple illustration of a knight in armour, a sword by their side, standing in front of three open doors, 2 look like long passageways and one is s et of stairs.

this is four games: mall mixup, tank battke, spelunker beware and haunted castle

by charles perkins
channel data systems

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videogame history @vghistory.bsky.social · Mar 31

teijin floppy disks, print ad (1990) archive.org/details/oh-p...

imagery: a colourful illustration of a man and woman standing on grass inbetween flowers and bushes and trees. the woman is wearing a red dress and is carrying a handbag. she is blonde. the man is wearing a honeycomb suit and red shirt underneath. he has brown hair and has his arm around the shoulder of the woman.
below it shows the .r.u.n. series of teijin floppy disks.

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videogame history @vghistory.bsky.social · Mar 31

heretic, official website, cheat codes (1997) web.archive.org/web/19970102...

header: product information
below: heretic title font
further below:
cheat codes
cockadoodledoo: turns you into a chicken
engage (1-3), (1-9): level warp
gimme (a-i), (1-9): used to obtain various artifacts iddqd: instant death
idkfa: removes all weapons
kitty: clipping
massacre: kills all monsters on the current level
ponce: full health
ravmap: cycles through map details
rambo: all weapons
shazam: toggles weapon power
skel: all keys
quicken: god mode

at the bottom:
return to heretic

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videogame history @vghistory.bsky.social · Apr 22

puyo puyo tsū, splash screen, arcade (1994) www.mobygames.com/game/13047/p...

pixels display a red and blue plant or flower in the shape of a love heart with two green leaves at the bottom of its stem.
below in black text: act against aids
in pink font: compile (compile was a japanese game studio)

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videogame history @vghistory.bsky.social · Apr 21

street fighter II': special champion edition, print ad, imagery, genesis (1994) www.mobygames.com/game/8053/st...

big black caps text:
now genesis players can kick some real
(below is a dotted line and below that is the following small black text):
(fill in the fighting word of your choice.)

below the large text is an illustration of the last 4 fighters on street fighter II that must be faced:
sagat, kickboxer, white bandages wrapped around ankles/shins and wrists.
balrog, boxer, red gloves, blue boxing attire.
vega, bullfighter, red sash belt, purple and yellow pants, long platted hair.
m. bison, ultimate bad guy in red clothing, bits of silver armor and red hat.

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videogame history @vghistory.bsky.social · Jan 21

haunted house, screenshot, trs-80 (1980) www.mobygames.com/game/141026/...

text (all in caps except the 'y' at the end of the word journey):
you are about to go on a journey
into
t e r r o r !
(graphic of bat)
hope you have a strong heart!

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videogame history @vghistory.bsky.social · Jul 6

design your own sega watch!, linked to via the official sega store, website (2002) web.archive.org/web/20021017...

the header is surrounded by illustrations of sega characters (super monkey ball monkey, sonic, crazy taxi characters).
below: select your favorite game, watch style then start personalizing.
below it shows 'the sonic watches' with sonic, knuckles, etc.
they are slightly themed: moon ($29.95), racing ($29.95), ocean ($29.95).

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videogame history @vghistory.bsky.social · Apr 13

golden voyage, game over, death by pneumonia, apple II (1981) www.mobygames.com/game/29321/t...

text (white caps on black):
i'm in a lot of trouble!

ok
--> what shall i do? look ocean
i see nothing special
--> what shall i do? buy ship
ok
--> what shall i do? go ship
ok
--> what shall i do? look mast
high atop the mast is a crow's nest.
--> what shall i do? go cabin
ok
--> what shall i do? sleep
goodnight.
night air is cold! i catch pneumonia and die.
i'm dead!
i have failed my mission.
the adventure is over.
want to try this adventure again?

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videogame history @vghistory.bsky.social · 8d

famicom disk writer kiosk (1986) 'consumers could bring in their disk cards & have them overwritten with new games. the kiosk went as far as to provide new stickers for the disk, instructions & plastic disk cases.' archive.org/details/comp... terminalaesthetic.wordpress.com/2024/03/12/d...

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videogame history @vghistory.bsky.social · 8d

magazine screenshot (1995) archive.org/details/cd-r...

a screenshot from a multimedia interactive documentary about war. a black and white image skeleton in clothes is lying on the ground. overlaid over the bottom of this is war stuff in colour (the end of a weapon).

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