From Pong to Pixels

About From Pong to Pixels

Welcome to From Pong to Pixels, a podcast all about exploring the history, improvements, and overall quality of video games! This podcast plans to cover all different types of games as far back as the first ones ever made to the ones being made right now, so if you’re interested in honest reviews and in-depth summaries of games then this is the podcast for you. From Pong to Pixels will do its best to provide anyone who listens with an informative and entertaining time, hopefully bringing new and useful knowledge about the world of gaming and the impact it’s had on the world.

Publisher

Hopewell Valley Student Publications Network

Category

leisure · leisure

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

10 Oct 2023

Latest episode

23 Jan 2024

Latest episodes

9 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   23 Jan 2024

   The Interview Episode

   Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network Show Name: From Pong To Pixels Episode Title: The Interview Episode Episode #8 You are listening to From Pong To Pixels the podcast with your host(s) Andrew. In this episode of From Pong To Pixels the Podcast we discuss: more about our guest Quinn, finding out some of his interests, and some shared experiences. Segment 1: General Questions QUESTIONS: Do you have a favorite video game? And if you do, what is it? Do you have any memorable moments that have to do with a video game? How do you think the gaming industry has evolved over the years? Segment 2: Opinions on Certain Game Topics QUESTIONS: Do you have a favorite genre or style of video games? What do you think a game needs to include for it to really stand out? Is there a video game you can think of that you’re really not too fond of? Segment 3: Pretty Good Questions QUESTIONS: Do you think video games should be mainstream, or should they be kept out of the news? Do you have a favorite video game console? And if not, is there one that you share a lot of memories with? What do you think the future holds for the world of video games? If you could create your perfect video game, what would it include? Music Credits: Magenta Moon (Part II) - Line Noise Mr. Pink - Wolf Asylum X-2 - nymzaro Connect with us on Social Media @theHVSPN (https://twitter.com/thehvspn?lang=en)

2. 

   17 Jan 2024

   Only Time Will Tell

   Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network Show Name: From Pong To Pixels Episode Title: Only Time Will Tell Episode #7 You are listening to From Pong To Pixels the podcast with your host(s) Andrew. In this episode of From Pong To Pixels the Podcast we discuss: games released during the 2020s, a popular movie that came out, and my struggle with Mario Galaxy. Segment 1: From Comeback To wait what Hello everyone, my name is Andrew and welcome to another episode of From Pong To Pixels. Sorry I’ve been gone for so long, I just finished my holiday break. But I’m glad to be back recording another episode for you guys. If you remember last episode, I had a guest on to talk about games in the 2000s. This episode I plan to cover some games that have been released during the 2020s. It probably won’t be much, considering we’re only 4 years in, but there are still things to cover. So I’m just going to get right into it starting with Fall Guys, released in 2020. Fall Guys is a platform battle royal game published by Epic Games. During 2020, Fall Guys didn’t really get talked about for long. It had made its way around social media, but it was only for a couple weeks. This was mostly because it wasn’t free to play. Its price upon release was $20 on Steam, an extremely popular platform for people to download games on. Now being free to play wasn’t the only reason, another one being how it didn’t work too well on the Nintendo Switch. At the time, only a couple big streamers were playing Fall Guys. But something no one expected happened, Fall Guys became trending again in mid-2022, due to the fact it became free. Everywhere you went you’d see people playing or watching Fall Guys. Even I tried out the game at one point, and although I wasn’t good, I still had fun. So if you’re looking for a fun multiplayer game to play with your friends, I’d definitely recommend Fall Guys. Now, these next two games I didn’t really want to cover, but I feel I have to because they are pretty popular. The first of these games is called Genshin Impact. Genshin Impact is an action RPG released in 2020. It follows the player having to travel a world they’ve never seen before to find their lost sibling. Now I don’t really know much about this game, but I’m sure you’ve heard of it, whether it’s from good or bad. The game features an anime-style open-world environment and an action-based battle system. Now if you’ve heard of this game, it’s probably either from the huge amount of ads for it, or things about its community. The developers behind this game are also not the best either, showing either hints of racism in its character designs, or using AI-generated art. As for the actual game itself, I can’t say much about it because I haven’t played or watched much of it. Another problem people have with the game is that it can feel like a lot of grinding. I’ve played games before that can feel like they’re dragging on and that there’s a lot of grinding, so I can understand the frustration. Now if you want to try out this game, be my guest, I’m not trying to get people to not play it, I’m just stating what I found when I researched info about the game. I’d recommend avoiding the community around it though, some of the things they do can be considered problematic or just flat-out weird. But hey, if the visuals and gameplay really stand out and look interesting to you, don’t be scared to give it a try. Just try not to tell anyone that you play it. <span style="background-color:...

3. 

   19 Dec 2023

   Truly Iconic

   Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network Show Name: From Pong To Pixels Episode Title: Truly Iconic Episode #6 You are listening to From Pong To Pixels the podcast with your host(s) Andrew (and special guest, Quinn). In this episode of From Pong To Pixels the Podcast we discuss: games released in the 2010s, our personal experiences with them, and some thoughts and opinions. Segment 1: Two of the Games That I Grew Up With (and GTA V) These are the games we talked about during this segment: Minecraft Super Mario Galaxy 2 Grand Theft Auto V Segment 2: Unlikely Rivals These are the games we talked about during this segment: Five Nights At Freddy’s Undertale Segment 3: Nintendo’s Big Hitters (and Fortnite) These are the games we talked about during this segment: Super Mario Odyssey The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Game of the Year Fortnite Music Credits: Magenta Moon (Part II) - Line Noise Mr. Pink - Wolf Asylum X-2 - nymzaro Connect with us on Social Media @theHVSPN (https://twitter.com/thehvspn?lang=en)

4. 

   27 Nov 2023

   Leveling Up

   Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network Show Name: From Pong To Pixels Episode Title: Leveling Up Episode #5 You are listening to From Pong To Pixels the podcast with your host Andrew. In this episode of From Pong To Pixels the Podcast we discuss: a lot of Mario games, consoles released during the 2000s, and some of my favorite and not-so-favorite releases. Segment 1: Mostly Mario Hello everyone, my name is Andrew, and welcome to another episode of From Pong To Pixels. I hope you guys are having a wonderful day, and I’m glad you decided to check out another episode. Today we’ll be looking at games and consoles that came out during the 2000s. Just by looking at the topics I can tell you this will be a long episode, so make sure to get comfy and enjoy. I think I’ll start things off with a fairly popular game, The Sims. The Sims is a social simulation game published by Electronic Arts in 2000. In this game, the player controls people called “Sims” and is able to control their everyday lives. You have a ton of free choice, meaning you can choose whichever path you’d like to take. You can customize your Sims looks, personality, relationships, and much more. There is so much to this game that I’d love to talk about, but I recommend just go download it if you’re looking for a fun way to waste your time. Now moving into a more familiar franchise, Nintendo. 2000 marked the year of their first Paper Mario game. Paper Mario is an RPG for the Nintendo 64. It follows a similar formula to other Mario games, being that Bowser kidnaps the Princess, and Maio has to save her, but with a twist. Bowser has also imprisoned the seven-star spirits, making himself invincible after defeating Mario and stealing the Star Rod. To save Peach and the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario must locate the star spirits, who can get rid of the effects of the stolen Star Rod. The player controls Mario and others to solve multiple puzzles and defeat enemies in a turn-based battle system. Each of Mario’s partners has a special ability to assist him with puzzles. Encounter different NPCs and they’ll give you clues for the storyline. Even though I’ve never played this game before, a ton of my friends have said nothing but good about the Paper Mario series. It’s a unique visual style and story, so if you’re looking for something a little different than normal Mario games, I’d highly suggest Paper Mario. I just quickly want to mention that the Playstation 2 was released around this time, a home video game console developed by Sony. Nothing too specific I wanted to say, just its release. Now another console I’d like to go into more detail on, the GameCube. The GameCube was another home video game console marketed by Nintendo. The GameCube was a huge success, with people still using its controller for other games to this day. One title for the GameCube I’d like to talk about is Luigi’s Mansion. Luigi’s Mansion is an action-adventure game released in 2001 by Nintendo. This was one of the first games in the Mario series to have Luigi as the main character. Good for him, I think he’s the better brother anyway. But this game follows Luigi, with him being informed that he won a mansion in a contest he didn’t enter. Luigi tells Mario to meet him there, but when he arrives Mario is nowhere to be found. He is attacked by a ghost, but thankfully saved by a scientist who goes by the name Professor E. Gadd. After he tells Luigi that the mansion is haunted, he gives him a vacuum and communication...

5. 

   14 Nov 2023

   A Turning Point

   Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network Show Name: From Pong To Pixels Episode Title: A Turning Point Episode #4 You are listening to From Pong To Pixels the podcast with your host Andrew. In this episode of From Pong To Pixels the Podcast we discuss: the creation of Sonic The Hedgehog, a lot of Mario games and a certain fighting game, and Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow. Segment 1: That Bloody Hedgehog Hello everyone, my name is Andrew, and welcome to another episode of From Pong To Pixels. If you remember last episode, I had invited two guests on to talk about probably the biggest decade and gaming history, the 80’s. If you didn’t watch that episode, make sure to go check it out. But enough about the past, let’s talk about, well, the past. This episode is going to focus on the 1990s, another crucial decade when it comes to discussing video games. I’ll be covering important games, companies, and turning points for the gaming industry, so make sure you sit tight, and enjoy. While technically starting in the 80s, the 90s marked the start of fourth-generation consoles. Now I don’t think I’ve covered this in my other episodes, but blank generation consoles, in this case fourth, just state what years they were developed in. Such as first-generation consoles being created in the early 70s to the early 80s, and second-generation consoles being made from the mid 70’s to early 90’s. Fourth-generation consoles were mostly dominated by the rivalry between Nintendo and Sega. Some consoles released during this time were the Sega Mega Drive (more commonly known as the Sega Genesis in North America), the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (or SNES), and handheld consoles such as the Nintendo Game Boy. Nintendo was able to profit off of their success in the third generation, after releasing the Nintendo Entertainment System, and won the largest worldwide market share in the fourth generation. Sega did however manage to become extremely successful after releasing their first Sonic The Hedgehog game, trying to compete with Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros series. But make sure to not go anywhere, they’ll be more on that speedy blue hedgehog, after this. Welcome back, sorry for the break, just had to go replay all the Sonic games to refresh my memory. So, if you didn’t already know, Sonic The Hedgehog is a series of games published by Sega, with the first game being released in 1991 for the Genesis. Sonic The Hedgehog is an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog with supersonic speed, hence the name Sonic. The game follows the adventures of Sonic and his quest to collect all six of the chaos emeralds after the main antagonist, Dr. Robotnik, stole them in order to harness their power. Sonic went on to become an extreme success, becoming America’s number one best-selling game for months in 1991, outselling Super Mario. After its release in June, it had sold nearly one million cartridges by Christmas in the U.S. By the end of the year, it had claimed its title as the best-selling home video game of 1991, with two million copies sold worldwide. It even managed to win game of the year in three different award shows, The Golden Joystick, Electronic Gaming Monthly, and The European Computer Trade Show awards. Sonic The Hedgehog has solidified its legacy and reputation as one of the most popular video game franchises, and still has a massive fan base to this day. Segment 2: Let’s-A-Go (and Smash is here...

6. 

   3 Nov 2023

   The Golden Age

   Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network Show Name: From Pong To Pixels Episode Title: The Golden Age Episode #3 You are listening to From Pong To Pixels the podcast with your host Andrew, and special guests Quinn and Carlos. In this episode of From Pong To Pixels the Podcast we discuss: five extremely popular games that were released during the 80’s, their impact on the gaming industry, and some personal experiences we’ve had with them. Segment 1: Donkey Kong &amp; Mario The first two games we discussed in this episode were Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros. We talked about any experience we’ve had with the games and if we got to play them. We also got a little sidetracked and talked about our Halloween plans, but we were able to cover the important parts of each of the games. Explanation of Donkey Kong Their own thoughts on it The impact it had Introduction of Mario Have they played it? Explanation of Super Mario Bros. Have they played it? The Super Mario Bros. Movie The influence it had Halloween plans (little off-topic) The FIRST Mario Movie The Super Mario Bros. Super Show Segment 2: Tetris Quinn explained the rules and overall gameplay of Tetris, then we went on to talk about it and some other things along similar lines. Explanation of Tetris Have they played it? Tetris Battle Royale It’s community today Mario Battle Royale? Segment 3: Pac-Man &amp; Zelda (and a little Metroid) We explained the premise of both of these games and then talked about some of our experiences with them. We covered a bit of Metroid, but no one really played it so we didn’t spend too much time on it. Explanation of Pac-Man Ghost names? The Pac-Man Show Fred Willard (he loves Pac-Man) Explanation of The Legend of Zelda Have they played it? Childhood games <span style="background-color:...

7. 

   23 Oct 2023

   The Start of an Era

   Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network Show Name: From Pong To Pixels Episode Title: The Start of an Era Episode #2 You are listening to From Pong To Pixels the podcast with your host Andrew. In this episode of From Pong To Pixels the Podcast we discuss: new video games that came out during this time, different industries starting to build their platform, and what advancements were made during this era. Segment 1: The Rise of Atari Hello everyone, my name is Andrew and welcome to another episode of From Pong To Pixels. I’m glad to be back making another episode, and I’m even more glad that you decided to listen. If you remember last episode, we covered the development and building of some of the first games and game consoles to be made. And if you haven’t seen that episode, make sure to go check it out. Lots of good info in there, trust me. But now this episode is where things get really interesting. I'll be covering different companies and games that came out during the 70’s, which is a lot of big ones. So enough introduction, let's just get into it. The 70s is where games really started to pick up in popularity, with arcades doing better than ever. One of the most well-known arcade companies, Atari, was founded and created during this time. Atari is a video game developer and home computer company founded in 1972 by American businessman Nolan Bushnell, and electrical engineer Ted Dabney. Bushnell had a part-time job working at an arcade, slowly learning more and more about EM games. After Bushnell graduated, he became an employee at Ampex, an American electronics company. There is where he met Dabney, and after the two started talking, they found out that they shared a lot of common interests. Bushnell decided to take Dabney to a computer lab at Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory to see games there. After seeing them, they jointly developed a concept using a standalone computer system with a monitor and attaching a coin slot to it to play games on. To actually create the game, Dabney and Bushnell decided to start a partnership called Syzygy Engineering, both of them putting in $250 of their own funds to support it. Bushnell and Dabney worked with Nutting Associates to manufacture their product. Dabney developed a method of using video circuitry components to mimic the functions of a computer at a much cheaper cost and smaller space. Bushnell and Dabney used this to develop a variation on Spacewar! called Computer Space, where the player had to shoot at two UFOs, thus creating their first game. About 1,500 Computer Space cabinets were made, but they were a difficult product to sell. While Bushnell blamed the associates for its poor marketing, he later realized that Computer Space was too complex of a game as players had to read the instructions on the cabinet before they could play. Bushnell began seeking other partners outside of their previous ones, and approached pinball game manufacturer Bally Manufacturing, who showed interest in funding future efforts in arcade games by Bushnell and Dabney. Bally offered them $4,000 a month for six months to design a new video game and a new pinball machine. With those funds, they hired Al Alcorn, a former co-worker at Ampex, as their first design engineer. In May of 1972, Bushnell had seen a demonstration of the Magnavox Odyssey, which included a tennis game. According to Alcorn, Bushnell decided to have him produce an arcade version of the Odyssey's Tennis game, which would later go on to

8. 

   12 Oct 2023

   Where It All Began

   Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network Show Name: From Pong To Pixels Episode Title: When It All Began Episode #1 You are listening to From Pong To Pixels the podcast with your host Andrew. In this episode of From Pong To Pixels the Podcast we discuss: the idea and development behind the creation of video games, some prototypes of the first games made, and how the gaming industry was built from the ground up. Segment 1: Why Does This Exist Anyway? The reason as to why video games were created in the first place is a bit rough, but it was largely because they were tied to research projects at universities and large corporations. Though these games weren’t made for entertainment, they set the foundation and groundwork for video games in the near future. But to see the first development in video games, we look back all the way to the 50s to when physicist William H. created the first official video game, Tennis for Two. Tennis for Two was created for a display at the Brookhaven National Laboratory’s annual public exhibition after learning that the government research institution Donner Model 30 analog computer (which was just a really fancy computer at the time) could simulate trajectories and wind resistance, perfect for a tennis-like game. Tennis for Two was the first game to be made solely for entertainment, with every game before it being just a step in technological advancement. The game would become extremely popular, with people lining up to see it at the 3-day exhibition. Tennis for Two marked the start of video game creation and opened people's minds to the possibilities of the industry for the first time. Segment 2: The Prehistoric Age of Video Games Now moving on to the 60’s, this was probably the most important year for the development and shaping of video games. 1962 was the making of the earliest digital computer game to be available outside of an institution, Spacewar!. The whole process began when computer scientists started to create simple games and simulations on the minicomputer. The minicomputer being an all-around, smaller computer used for testing and running software. This led to the creation of Spacewar!, developed by Steve Russell in collaboration with other students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (or MIT). Spacewar! was an extremely simple space combat game, consisting of two players having to destroy the other player's ship by shooting at it. Although the premise and gameplay were simple, they became very influential in the early development of video games. Also during this time the very first home game console was released, being the Magnavox Odyssey. The design of the Magnavox Odyssey was simple, a black, white and brown box connected by wires with two rectangular controllers. It came with extremely simple games, such as Table Tennis, Football and Hockey. Although it didn’t have any revolutionary titles, it single-handedly created the market for home game consoles. Now going back a bit, although the marketing and commercialism for video games at the time were small, due to the cost of computers limiting their distribution to research institutions and big corporations, many were still made by programmers and spread by computer manufacturers. Following the spread of Spacewar!, further computer games developed by programmers at universities were also developed and...

9. 

   10 Oct 2023

   From Pong To Pixels

   Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network Show Name: From Pong To Pixels Episode Title: Welcome To From Pong To Pixels! You are listening to From Pong To Pixels the podcast with your host Andrew. In this episode of From Pong To Pixels the Podcast we give a basic overview and explain what to expect from the show, while also introducing you to the host. We also set the overall mood and tone of the podcast, which is for the listener to have a relaxed but informative time, hopefully leaving the episode with a bit more knowledge and insight into the world of video games. Segment 1: Introduction Hello everyone, my name is Andrew and welcome to From Pong to Pixels!; A podcast all about introducing, analyzing, and reviewing video games! This show plans to take listeners on a journey through the world of video games and how they’ve evolved over the years. I myself have not seen most of the games I’ll be covering, so it’ll be a new experience for everyone! I’ve always had a sort of attachment to video games ever since I played them with my father at a young age, so this is something that I’m very passionate, and nostalgic about. I’m really grateful that I can express my thoughts and opinions to new people who feel the same way I do. Now, if you either want to learn about old games and how they’ve shaped gaming today, or expose yourself to new and exciting games, this podcast has you covered on all sides. Each one of these episodes plan to introduce, talk about, and review the most popular games from each decade. I’ll be starting in the 70’s with the invention of Pong, hence the name “From Pong to Pixels”. I want this to be a journey for both me and you guys, taking everyone through the timeline of gaming, while hopefully opening their eyes to the complex and compelling history of the gaming industry. I also want to share some personal experiences with some of the games I cover and maybe bring some people on to make the episodes feel a bit more lively. Once again I’m very excited to be able have this podcast, telling my memories and own opinions on popular games with anyone who chooses to listen. Thank you all for listening and I’ll see you guys next time on the first episode of From Pong to Pixels. Cya! Music Credits: Magenta Moon (Part II) - Line Noise X-2 - nymzaro Connect with us on Social Media @theHVSPN (https://twitter.com/thehvspn?lang=en)

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Spotify

4.9 / 5

52 ratings

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