The MADEcast

Our executive director Shem Nguyen is handing the role off to the incredibly capable Mason Young, and some exciting things are coming up for the museum in the near future. Listen to this week's episode to hear all the latest, and be sure to check out The MADE's new Showcase event on the First Friday of every month!

In this episode of the MADEcast we sit down with John Romero, game designer of Doom and several other pioneering first person shooters, in celebration of Doom's 30th anniversary. Also: Swing by the museum on December 9th for a celebration dedicated to this genre-defining classic game! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/doom-30-year-anniversary-celebration-tickets-755028048217

For our return episode of the MADEcast we've got a Halloween treat for you: The spooky story of Polybius, an arcade game steeped in rumors and mystery. We'll be back in November with guest interview episodes. For now, Happy Halloween!

In this episode of the MADEcast we rebroadcast one of our favorite conversations from 2021 with Roberta Williams, one of the early pioneers of adventure games. I (Jedd) have been off for a few weeks due to personal obligations, but we'll be back in a couple weeks with a new episode!

This week we visit a fellow Bay Area place of interactive play: the Pacific Pinball Museum in Alameda. Its executive director Michael Schiess shares stories about the history of pinball dating back to the lawn bowling games of the French aristocracy to the mafia gambling era in the 1930's to pinball's modern era with movie tie-ins and backlit screens, and we talk about the importance of preserving this history.

In this episode of the MADEcast we hear from the museum's event director Criss about our exhibits on display at the 2023 Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco. We also rebroadcast a previous interview from 2021 with Tim Schafer of Double Fine Productions. We'll be back in a couple weeks with new conversations!

In this episode we chat with industry veteran Michael Meyers who produced the show GamePro TV in the 1990's and has continued to work in games through his company Michael Meyers Public Relations. We get into some stories from the early days of arcades and talk about how games publishing has evolved in the decades since.

The MADEcast has a new host, and in this episode Red and Jedd remember past episodes of the podcast and talk about what the show will look like moving forward. We also hear from the museum's executive director, Shem, about volunteer and educational opportunities.

Red and the MADE hosts talk about what they played in 2022 and what games they're looking forward to in 2023. This episode was recorded in December 2022 and contains some dated statements!

In this episode Red talks with Kate Woods and Michael Devine about Ziggurat Games and their mission to resurect some great video game titles. They also talk about the importance of game preservation.

Red gives a short update about our absence and lack of episodes. He also talks about the schedule for the podcast moving forward. Thank you for all of the support.

This week Red sat down with the MADE's own Event Manager, Criss Burki. They talk about their time at the museum and what's going on!

The boys talk about the game that launched an empire: Donkey Kong! They got into the interesting origins of this beloved arcade game, some of its inspirations, and some trivia about the game itself!

This week the gang talks about the ins and outs of Marathon, one of Bungie's first breakout hits, and the granddaddy of Halo and Destiny! Also, we're gearing up for our Grand Reopening, Friday June 10th!

Red sat down with the CEO of Atari to talk about their upcoming initiative, Atari XP, where they'll be releasing new cartridges of 2600 games, as well as previously unreleased games, and some new titles. They also get into talking about game preservation and the difficulty of finding working hardware!

This week it's another classic: 1981's Defender! We're talking about one of the hardest games ever, what went into its design, and some of the quirks of its gameplay that made it such a standout hit!

Today we're talking about 1980's Adventure, the Atari game that influenced countless games and genres. We talk a bit about its development and the famous easter egg in it that spawned a new concept in gaming!

We decided to talk a bit more about Kirby this week, to celebrate his recent 30-year anniversary! Some of the more out-there games, the thought behind his design, and his spinoffs over the years are discussed!

You read that correctly. After closing down the doors during the pandemic, the MADE is making a triumphant return with a new physical location in downtown Oakland!! Tune in as Red chats with our director Shem Nguyen as they talk about the exciting plans the MADE has in store.

This week we're talking about Dragon's Lair, the hit fully hand animated FMV game from 1983! We go into its development, why arcade operators loved and hated it, and its ongoing legacy!

Today Alex sits down with Sean Barber-Crane, one of the MADE's longest-running volunteers! They talk about his time at the MADE and some of what they've gotten up to over the years!

Last week Red manned the MADE's booth at GDC and talked to some of the people who stopped by! They talked about old systems, their experiences, and what they were up to at GDC and in general!

We're talkin' DOOM! Back to the granddaddy of the FPS, released in 1993, and so packed with revolutionary ideas it brought down university internet networks! We dive into a bit of its history, some of the culture around it, and what makes it so revolutionary! Next week's GDC, we'll have a booth so come by and talk with us if you get the chance!

Today Red sat down with Karla Zimonja, who worked on Bioshock titles, Gone Home and more, about founding Fullbright, and a bit of her experiences and history working in the industry!

We're doing something a little different this week and talking about the wild and wacky ways you could control games in the heady days of yesteryear!

Today Red sat down with Megan McDuffee, a composer out of the Bay Area who's most recently worked on games like River City Girls and the Atari: Recharged games! They talk about her process, working on games, and making music in general!

This week Red catches up with his friend Joey Vergara, of Toys for Bob! They talk about old times, working on Spyro, and much more!

Surprise! It's opposite day, and we're interviewing Alex! We talk about the MADE, the museum's history and some of the problems and highlights of running a museum like it!

Alex sits down with Jon-Paul Dyson, from the Strong Museum of Play, to talk about their history, the logistics of a museum dedicated to play, and some highlights of their collection!

The crew sits down with Britton Watkins, a professional language designer, or conlanger, to talk about his process, experience, and working with the Star Citizen teams on making the languages for the alien races in that massive world!

Red talks with the MADE's executive director Shem Nguyen this week! They talk about his origins at the MADE, the museum's present and future plans, as well as some of his favorite games and thoughts about the museum and its community.

This week Alex sat down with Marie Foulston, the creative director behind some interesting gaming art installations over the years. They talk about her work with a few prestigious institutions, some interesting control schemes in her projects, and what she's up to these days.

Welcome to 2022! This week Alex talks with Paul Galloway of the New York MoMA! They get into his career, the logistics of displaying gaming culture, and the role of the player in the creation of meaning!

In this last episode of 2021, we run through the Game Awards, talk about some of the winners, and some of the many, many announcements made during them! Catch you all in the new year! Happy Holidays!

Well, you can't keep us away! As we gear up for the Game Awards, and the holidays, we take some time to talk about upcoming games, movies, and our holiday gifts and gaming memories.

Today we talk about photos! Alex talks with Evan Amos, who contributes professionally taken photos of gaming consoles, candy, and more! They talk about his work and entry to this fascinating niche, and what goes into photographing rare consoles.

Alex sits down with David A. Smith to talk about his work developing The Colony, working with James Cameron, and pushing the envelope of 3D technologies.

Listen in on Alex talking with Keith Nemitz, AND Josh Mandel, one of the producers of Freddy Pharkas, Frontier Pharmacist! They root through memories of working at Sierra, the development of Freddy Pharkas, and what they're up to these days.

Today Alex hangs out with Keith Nemitz, founder of Mousechief and veteran of Apple, Sierra Online, Digital Pictures, and 3DO. They talk about his storied career, porting games to macs, and generally hang out!

For our 50th episode, Alex sits with longtime friend Travis Julyan to talk about their memories growing up, wargaming, and how gaming and the armed forces mix!

Today Alex talks with former White House Senior Advisor for Digital Media Mark DeLoura! They go into his history with games and early VR, his time at the White House, and this thoughts on educational games!

This week we sat down with the legendary Tommy Tallarico, musician and sound designer for games and film since the late 80s! We run through his storied career, get some of his tips and tricks, and learn about the changes in the industry over the decades!

Darren Gladstone, another CGW veteran, talks with Alex this week as they discuss the games industry, the games they've been playing, and his history with technology!

Hear from the brain behind The Smithsonian's Art of Video Games exhibition, Chris Melissinos! He and Alex get into the weeds of games as art in this great talk!

Listen in on Howard Scott Warshaw, developer of games for the Atari 2600, as he and Alex talk about working within hardware limitations, and the art of turning those limitations into features! Plus... Monopoly?

This week listen in on Alex's conversation with David Perry, the developer behind Genesis games such as Earthworm Jim, Aladdin, and more!

Listen in to Alex's talk with Andre LaMothe, the brains behind the upcoming Intellivision Amico! They cover his long career in the industry, his writing, working on educational software, and the Amico!

This week we got to talk to Bonnie Bogovich, a sound designer and voice actress! We go into her journey from working in theater to working in games, and the things she's learned along the way!

This week Alex sits down with Rob Coffey, another CGW alum, to talk about their time there, his path through the industry, some great stories, and a bit of talk about the state of games today.