by Marcus Albers | May 24, 2026 | 1980s, Arcade, Atari, C64 Vic20, Console/Handheld
Super Mario Bros. This game single-handedly changed how platform games were approached after it stormed onto the scene in 1985. It established so many conventions that people now expect in side-scrolling platform games. When you approach a new platformer, what is the...
by Marcus Albers | May 19, 2026 | 1980s, Apple 2, Arcade, Atari, C64 Vic20, Console/Handheld
Most popular video games eventually end up on platforms other than the one for which they were initially created. Obviously, there are exceptions. You wouldn’t have seen a Super Mario Bros title on a Sega console, just like you weren’t going to see the...
by William Winter | Apr 23, 2026 | 1970s, 1980s, Atari, Console/Handheld
I pulled something off the shelf the other day that I haven’t looked at in a while. It’s an old cartridge from the Atari 2600. The game: Adventure. You don’t need to be into games to follow this; it’s more about the connection than anything else. I was about ten when...
by William Winter | Apr 22, 2026 | 2000s, 2010s, 2020s, Atari, Console/Handheld, Gaming
To me, there is something deeply satisfying about powering on an iPhone 2G in 2026 and finding that it still works.I keep my original iPhone on a display shelf, still connected to power, keeping the battery charged. It actually still has its original battery,...
by William Schwartz | Apr 20, 2026 | 1980s, 1990s, 2020s, Arcade, Arcade Spotlight, Atari, Console/Handheld, Events, Gaming, The Story Of...
Earlier this year, I had a realization. The SIU Student Center, like so many buildings that have been around a long time, has a bunch of old CRTs in storage. What if, instead of just letting them sit there collecting dust, they could be brought out to serve...
by Marcus Albers | Apr 5, 2026 | 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, Arcade, Atari, Console/Handheld
The first use of the term “Easter Egg” is widely attributed to Steve Wright, then director of software development at Atari, circa 1980. He was, of course, referring to the now classic hidden credit room in Warren Robinett’s Adventure for the Atari...