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The Video Game Newsroom Time Machine is a weekly retro gaming podcast in which we travel back in time to see what was making headlines 40, 30, and 20 years ago in the arcade, video game, and computer gaming business and interview industry veterans. 

We try to put those events into historical context to understand how the industry of today came to be. 

It's fun and educational! (in case you need to justify listening to it to a significant other)

Consider supporting us on Patreon

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Feb 28, 2022

Bally bathes in Pacman Gold
Mattel to develop VCS titles
The FCC gives cellphones the greenlight

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 February 1982.
As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.

Peter is on vacation so we have the pleasure of Mads from the Retro Asylum to join us.
http://retroasylum.com
and
https://playthroughpod.com/

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Or
videogamenewsroomtimemachine@gmail.com

Links:
7 Minutes in Heaven:
Video version - https://www.patreon.com/posts/63176861
https://www.mobygames.com/game/kick
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kick_(video_game)

Corrections:
January 1982 Ep - https://www.patreon.com/posts/61568685
https://foramusementonly.libsyn.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon%27s_Lair
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076636/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
http://www.dragons-lair-project.com/games/pages/qh.asp
https://dfarq.homeip.net/commodore-64-vs-vic-20/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_Company
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gottlieb
Leisure Time Electronics News Report - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCjhHyQgq84

1942
Pinball seizures continue to add up
https://www.nytimes.com/1942/02/01/archives/3261-pinball-machines-seized.html?searchResultPosition=1
https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1942/02
https://www.nytimes.com/1942/02/25/archives/pinball-in-jersey-banned-by-court-ruling-upholding-teaneck-law.html?searchResultPosition=4/02/85515039.html?pageNumber=17

1952
New York Police Commissioner takes sledgehammer to gambling machines
https://www.nytimes.com/1952/02/28/archives/monaghan-wielding-the-sledge-hammer.html?searchResultPosition=1

Magnetic Tape drives automated clerical worker
https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1952/02/27/84241618.html?pageNumber=35

1962
RCA reveals new experimental IC
https://www.nytimes.com/1962/02/07/archives/rca-has-new-device-microelectronic-unit-is-13-size-of-aspirin.html?searchResultPosition=11
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invention_of_the_integrated_circuit#MOS_integrated_circuit
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOSFET_applications#MOS_integrated_circuit
http://www.bitsavers.org/magazines/Computers_And_Automation/196203.pdf pg. 37

1972
Handcrafted core memory is here to stay
https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Poptronics/70s/1972/Pop-1972-02.pdf pg. 49
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic-core_memory

Electronic text editing is coming to newsrooms
https://www.nytimes.com/1972/02/17/archives/harrisintertype-selling-new-device.html?searchResultPosition=19
https://www.omnia.ie/index.php?navigation_function=2&navigation_item=c3a4d7bcc62861ac5d82b09ee1a66ab5&repid=2

Computer industry expected to boom in '72
https://www.nytimes.com/1972/02/25/archives/boom-in-computers-is-found-renewing.html?searchResultPosition=1

IBM comes under regulatory scrutiny
https://www.nytimes.com/1972/02/13/archives/how-big-is-too-big-size-of-ibm-raises-problems-for-trust-busters.html?searchResultPosition=17

1982:
Bally is swimming in PacMan profits
https://www.nytimes.com/1982/02/16/business/pac-man-sublicenses-extend-bally-s-profits.html?searchResultPosition=78
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Pac-Man_video_games
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/4907/pac-man-game

Mastering Pac-Man hits the best seller charts
https://www.nytimes.com/1982/02/21/books/paperback-best-sellers-mass-market.html?searchResultPosition=69
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Uston
https://archive.org/details/Mastering_Pac-Man_Revised/mode/2up?q=mastering+pacman

Token wars ensue
Games People Pay 1982-02 pg. 2
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_crash_of_1983

Stern wins big in court
Replay, 1982-02 pg. 42
https://books.google.de/books?id=MslT0l-tzNEC&pg=PA131&lpg=PA131&dq=stern+vs+gaglione&source=bl&ots=WflNdFkuy-&sig=ACfU3U2llcvxtwuKx_KtXyLvU0b03wkEFg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjLxZX7_v71AhVOQvEDHYyxBLMQ6AF6BAgOEAM#v=onepage&q=stern%20vs%20gaglione&f=false
https://www.mobygames.com/game/scramble

Atari gets trounced in court
Games People Pay 1982-02 pg. 8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jotEgcEY6-w
Play Meter 1982-02 pg.40
http://bogost.com/blog/meteors/
https://imgur.com/a/BaLHs

Mattel announces games for the VCS
https://www.nytimes.com/1982/02/19/business/briefs-248583.html?searchResultPosition=52
https://www.mobygames.com/browse/games/atari-2600/mattel-electronics/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellivision

IBM and MCA dump Discovision
https://www.nytimes.com/1982/02/05/business/discovision-to-sell-videodisk-operation.html?searchResultPosition=150
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DiscoVision
https://www.patreon.com/posts/61568685
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbh1XP4kCT4
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaserDisc

Fortune 32:16 brings the 68000 to desktops
https://archive.org/details/byte-magazine-1982-02-rescan/page/n7/mode/1up
https://randoc.wordpress.com/2016/06/05/fortune-systems/
https://archive.org/details/byte-magazine-1982-02-rescan/page/n443/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_ST

AMD signs deal to produce Intel chips
https://archive.org/details/byte-magazine-1982-02-rescan/page/n343/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zilog_Z8000
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Micro_Devices

Intel to distribute MSDOS with systems
https://archive.org/details/byte-magazine-1982-02-rescan/page/n9/mode/1up
https://archive.org/details/byte-magazine-1982-02-rescan/page/n341/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Personal_Computer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CP/M

Everyone wants to be compatible
https://www.nytimes.com/1982/02/25/business/technology-others-follow-apple-s-lead.html?searchResultPosition=23
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_Electronic_Publishers
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ColecoVision
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emulator

More state school systems choose Apple
https://archive.org/details/softalkv2n06feb1982/page/36/mode/2up
http://hackeducation.com/2015/02/25/kids-cant-wait-apple
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_II

Commodore to spend over $5 million on Shatner ad
https://www.nytimes.com/1982/02/18/business/advertising-commodore-computers-plans-big-campaign.html?searchResultPosition=5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UK9VU1aJvTI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V-bPLmtAFg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_MAX_Machine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64
https://quattrobit.blogspot.com/2019/03/commodore-ultimax-al-winter-ces-1982.html

FCC gives go ahead to cellular radio
https://www.nytimes.com/1982/02/22/business/fcc-ready-to-issue-cellular-radio-orders.html?searchResultPosition=107
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakup_of_the_Bell_System

Government lawyers install Space Invaders on office terminals
https://www.nytimes.com/1982/02/08/us/briefing-202708.html?searchResultPosition=112

Recommended Links:
The History of How We Play: https://thehistoryofhowweplay.wordpress.com/
Gaming Alexandria: https://www.gamingalexandria.com/wp/
They Create Worlds: https://tcwpodcast.podbean.com/
Digital Antiquarian: https://www.filfre.net/
The Arcade Blogger: https://arcadeblogger.com/
Retro Asylum: http://retroasylum.com/category/all-posts/
Retro Game Squad: http://retrogamesquad.libsyn.com/
Playthrough Podcast: https://playthroughpod.com/
Retromags.com: https://www.retromags.com/

Sound Effects by Ethan Johnson of History of How We Play.