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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)

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Jan 19, 2020

Commodore updates its Systems for the new decade
The Turbo Grafix 16 heralds in the age of the CD
Gaming takes to the web...

These stories and many more on this month's episode of the Video Game Newsroom Time Machine

This month we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in November of 1980, 1990, 2000.
As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events..

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A special thanks to The History of How We Play: https://thehistoryofhowweplay.wordpress.com/ for our new, amazing time travel sound effects!

Show Notes:
1980:
HP goes PC
https://www.nytimes.com/1980/01/05/archives/new-entry-in-personal-computers-hewlettpackard-sells-3250-unit.html?searchResultPosition=1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP_series_80

Commodore's Pet learns some new tricks
https://archive.org/details/1980-01-compute-magazine/page/n8

The Temple of Apshai gets not one but two sequels!
https://archive.org/details/1980-01-compute-magazine/page/n10
https://www.mobygames.com/game/dunjonquest-morlocs-tower
https://www.mobygames.com/game/dunjonquest-the-datestones-of-ryn
https://archive.org/details/CreativeComputingbetterScan198001/page/n1
https://www.filfre.net/tag/dunjonquest/

Muse advertises their Super Text software in Micro magazine
https://archive.org/details/Micro_NO._20_1980-01_Micro_Ink_US/page/n64

Cinematronics sells Vectorbeam to Exidy
RePlay 01-1980, pg. 7
https://www.mobygames.com/company/leland-interactive-media
https://dadgum.com/giantlist/archive/cinematronics.html

Chuck E Cheese breaks out of CA
RePlay 01-1980, pg. 18

1990:
TurboGrafix CD hits the US!
https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_006_January_1990/page/n17 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TurboGrafx-16

Michael Katz is the new CEO of Sega
https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_006_January_1990/page/n81
https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_006_January_1990/page/n56
https://segaretro.org/Michael_Katz#cite_note-:File:ElectronicGames2_US_04.pdf_p55-2

Unlicensed NES carts are all the rage
https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_006_January_1990/page/n81
https://www.mobygames.com/company/american-game-cartridges-inc
https://www.mobygames.com/company/american-video-entertainment-inc
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_Entertainment_System#Third-party_licensing

Konix Multisystem saved!
https://archive.org/details/zero-magazine-03/page/n56

Nintendo launches big marketing push in the UK
https://archive.org/details/zero-magazine-03/page/n58
https://www.nytimes.com/1989/02/02/business/nintendo-is-sued-by-atari.html

Nintendo announces network services
https://www.retromags.com/files/file/2993-video-games-and-computer-entertainment-issue-012-january-1990/

Arcade video games slumped in 1989
RePlay January 1990 pg. 44
RePlay January 1990 pg. 38

Dave and Busters gets bought out
Play Meter magazine January 1990, pg. 24
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_%26_Buster%27s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_Brothers_Stores

Amiga "New Art" limited edition A500s released in Germany
https://archive.org/details/64er_1990_01/page/n13
https://www.vongestern.com/2017/03/amiga-500-new-art-limited-edition-1989.html

Cinemaware becomes an EA affiliate Label
https://archive.org/details/1990-01-computegazette/page/n89

Virgin licenses Dune
https://archive.org/details/commodore-user-magazine-76/page/n5
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_games_based_on_Dune

Codemasters gets into the CD game
https://archive.org/details/ACE_Issue_28_1990-01_Future_Publishing_GB/page/n9
http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/Codemasters_CD

German magazine 64er previews the new Manfred Trenz game, Hurrican
https://archive.org/details/64er_1990_01/page/n27

Hard Drivin' for the C64 looms
https://archive.org/details/ACE_Issue_28_1990-01_Future_Publishing_GB/page/n10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2XFkdTJ4LM
https://www.mobygames.com/game/hard-drivin

2000:
Romero blocks Playboy.com
https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_186/page/n38

Ultima 9 plagued by bugs
http://wiki.ultimacodex.com/wiki/Development_History_of_Ultima_IX
https://archive.org/details/PC_Zone_Issue_085_2000-01_Dennis_Publishing_GB/page/n21

Babylon 5 license up for grabs
https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_186/page/n38
https://babylon5.fandom.com/wiki/Babylon_5:_Into_the_Fire_(Game)

Microsoft is found guilty
https://archive.org/details/NextGen61Jan2000/page/n13
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Microsoft_Corp.

FAA bans In-Flight Entertainment systems
https://archive.org/details/NextGen61Jan2000/page/n13
https://www.lhsystems.com/blog-entry/history-ife-systems-analog-digital-start-difficulties

Sega's Chairman sees a hardwareless future for the company
https://archive.org/details/NextGen61Jan2000/page/n13

Interplay refocuses as a console developer
https://archive.org/details/NextGen61Jan2000/page/n13

Infogrames buys GT Interactive
https://archive.org/details/PC-Player-German-Magazine-2000-01/page/n9
https://sec.report/Document/0000950123-02-002084/

Pokemon movie had to catch'em all
https://archive.org/stream/ElectronicGamingMonthly_201902/Electronic%20Gaming%20Monthly%20Issue%20126%20%28January%202000%29#page/n33/mode/2up
https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/1999W46/?ref_=bo_rl_table_1

The Web is where it's at
PlayMeter January 2000, pg. 34
http://shockwave.com
https://web.archive.org/web/20010609110241/http://www.midway.com/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+FTContentServer?pagename=FutureTense/Apps/Xcelerate/Midway/Play
https://web.archive.org/web/19990420230242/http://www.webquest.com/
https://web.archive.org/web/20000229050319/http://www.webquest.com/
https://web.archive.org/web/20000407094641/http://www.ipong.com/
https://web.archive.org/web/20010609110241/http://www.midway.com/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+FTContentServer?pagename=FutureTense/Apps/Xcelerate/Midway/Play

Thresh launches gamers.com
https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_186/page/n41
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Fong

Origin hard at work on Privateer Online
https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_186/page/n38
https://www.wcnews.com/articles/art15.shtml
https://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/earth-beyond

WWII Online announced
https://archive.org/details/PC_Zone_Issue_085_2000-01_Dennis_Publishing_GB/page/n28
https://store.steampowered.com/app/251950/WWII_Online/

Former head of CompuServe Germany acquitted on appeal
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/524951.stm
https://archive.org/details/PC-Player-German-Magazine-2000-01/page/n10
https://www.tecchannel.de/a/ex-compuserve-chef-felix-somm-im-interview,401170

The Day Pinball died...
https://www.retromags.com/files/file/3937-gamepro-issue-136-january-2000/
https://archive.org/stream/ElectronicGamingMonthly_201902/Electronic%20Gaming%20Monthly%20Issue%20126%20%28January%202000%29#page/n37/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WMS_Industries

Recommended Links:
They Create Worlds: https://tcwpodcast.podbean.com/
Digital Antiquarian: https://www.filfre.net/
The Arcade Blogger: https://arcadeblogger.com/
The History of How We Play: https://thehistoryofhowweplay.wordpress.com/