A Trip Down Memory Card Lane

About A Trip Down Memory Card Lane

A Trip Down Memory Card Lane is a weekly video game history podcast that tells one story per episode, guided by the current week in gaming history. Hosted by brothers David Kassin and Robert Kassin, the show explores the stories behind the games we grew up with. It looks at the creative risks, technical limitations, business realities, and human decisions that shaped what players ultimately experienced. It’s a show for anyone who likes knowing how things were made, why certain paths were chosen, and what those moments can tell us about the industry as a whole. If that sounds like you, come take a thoughtful trip down Memory Card Lane with us each week.

Publisher

David Kassin and Robert Kassin

Category

history · leisure

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

4 Sept 2020

Latest episode

29 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

518 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   29 Oct 2026

   Ep.322 – A Codename and a Dare: Call of Duty and the Studio Built to Kill Medal of Honor

   In 2003, Activision released Call of Duty, a World War II shooter from a brand new studio called Infinity Ward, built by the developers behind Medal of Honor: Allied Assault and carrying an internal codename that left nothing to interpretation: MOH Killer. David and guest host Ryan Shepherd trace the story back to a small Tulsa, Oklahoma studio called 2015, Inc., the walkout that created Infinity Ward, and the two very different accounts of how that split happened. From there, they follow the rescue deal from Activision, the Bond style concept the team abandoned, and the three campaign structure that gave the game its identity, before looking at the reception, the holiday showdown with EA, and the franchise that followed. Join David and Ryan on today's trip down Memory Card Lane. Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/a-trip-down-memory-card-lane/907eb055-6dc0-4bc1-9821-d8f4a71355c8 (https://pinecast.com/feedback/a-trip-down-memory-card-lane/907eb055-6dc0-4bc1-9821-d8f4a71355c8) Read transcript (https://pnc.st/s/a-trip-down-memory-card-lane/907eb055/a-codename-and-a-dare-call-of-duty-and-the-studio-built-to-kill-medal-of-honor/transcript)

2. 

   22 Oct 2026

   Ep.321 – Don't Die Until the Game Is Done: ow Super Meat Boy (2010) Survived a Dead Wii Deal, a Two Month Crunch, and a Vanishing Spotlight

   In 2010, Team Meat released Super Meat Boy, a punishing platformer built by two friends from the Newgrounds Flash scene who spent a year and a half working without pay. On today's episode, David traces how a three week Flash prototype caught the attention of both Nintendo and Microsoft, how a planned WiiWare release outgrew the platform it was built for, and how a design philosophy built on instant respawns turned failure into a reward. He follows the road through a lost Independent Games Festival prize, a two month sprint to meet Microsoft's Game Feast deadline, and a launch that outperformed Microsoft's expectations even as its promotion fell away. Then he looks at the Steam release that carried the game forward, the documentary that put its creators in front of a wider audience, and what Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes said the whole experience cost them. Join David as he respawns, wall jumps, and bleeds his way through Super Meat Boy on today's trip down Memory Card Lane. Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/a-trip-down-memory-card-lane/027cfad2-cbe7-44cf-a6e2-c8d330a6dda5 (https://pinecast.com/feedback/a-trip-down-memory-card-lane/027cfad2-cbe7-44cf-a6e2-c8d330a6dda5) Read transcript (https://pnc.st/s/a-trip-down-memory-card-lane/027cfad2/don-t-die-until-the-game-is-done-ow-super-meat-boy-2010-survived-a-dead-wii-deal-a-two-month-crunch-and-a-vanishing-spotlight/transcript)

3. 

   15 Oct 2026

   Ep.320 – Bullied with Prejudice: Rockstar Vancouver's Bully (2006) and the Moral Panic That Arrived Before the Game

   In 2006, Rockstar Vancouver released Bully, an open world action game about a fifteen year old troublemaker surviving a year at a boarding school, and a moral panic arrived long before anyone had played it. On today's episode, David and guest host, Ryan Shepherd, trace how six developers who walked away from a struggling Vancouver studio founded Barking Dog Studios, and how that small team ended up carrying the Rockstar name into a very different kind of game. We follow the shift in art direction, the crunch behind the project, and the Miami courtroom where a judge sat down to see the game for himself. Then we look at how players and critics responded once it finally shipped, and what happened to the sequel that came closer to existing than most people ever knew. Join us as we walk the halls of Bullworth Academy on today's trip down Memory Card Lane. Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/a-trip-down-memory-card-lane/2c7cee00-54f6-4cab-a63b-eaa644b32b9b (https://pinecast.com/feedback/a-trip-down-memory-card-lane/2c7cee00-54f6-4cab-a63b-eaa644b32b9b) Read transcript (https://pnc.st/s/a-trip-down-memory-card-lane/2c7cee00/bullied-with-prejudice-rockstar-vancouver-s-bully-2006-and-the-moral-panic-that-arrived-before-the-game/transcript)

Who has been a guest on A Trip Down Memory Card Lane

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Damon Robson
• Dave
• Denis Dyack
• Ryan Shepherd

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 54 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

98

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

27

Contact A Trip Down Memory Card Lane

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about A Trip Down Memory Card Lane