Brokentoken

18/05/2024

If you've been in the hobby/industry for any length of time then no doubt you're familiar with Mark Bussler of Classic Game Room.

Whitney had the opportunity to sit with Mark for an hour last year at the 2023 Music City Multi Con for some in-depth Q&A about the past and future of CGR.

It's a fantastic discussion (if we say so ourselves) and one that covers a lot of ground about the behind-the-scenes of the channel and the decades of business that has become CGR.

Thanks to David Corrigan for the opportunity to do this interview - he's an icon in the industry just like Mark! 😁

https://youtu.be/jSj_2Hyd61M?si=WXb-ciSZiR2VeDab

Pause your game of Truxton and join us for a Q&A with Mark Bussler from CGR Publishing. Mark discusses his career and the history of the video game review sh...

30/03/2024

Tonight - 7P EST on our Mixlr channel - https://mixlr.com/Brokentoken- join us live from the floor of the 2024 Louisville Arcade Expo for our annual livestream event!

Special guests will include Mike Vinikour from Stern Pinball, Brian Honaker from Brian Plays Games Bad and anyone else that's not afraid to show themselves on radio!

Rumor is we might do some wrestling talk with a special guest, so tune in to see what goes down! No gimmicks and works here!

14/01/2024

116: The Audacity (Games) of it all - https://brokentoken.com/podcast-episodes/116-the-audacity-games-of-it-all/

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas Holiday break and the new year is off to a good start. We find ourselves at the beginning of 2024 and we’re proud to feature the last installment of our 3-part interview series with David Crane, Dan Kitchen and Garry Kitchen where, over the course of three inter-connected interviews, we explore:

Part 1 – Atari and the Activision years (audio in episode 114)
Part 2 – the Absolute Entertainment years (audio in episode 115)
Part 3 – the birth of their new development and publishing company – Audacity Games (audio in this episode)

It’s our hope that you enjoy this very special presentation and retrospective look at the long and storied history of Activision and the people behind the powerhouse that it became. It was an honor being able to spend so much time (far more than originally planned) with these legends of the gaming industry and we hope it comes across the same.

Special thanks go to David Corrigan for placing his trust in us to research and deliver these three panel discussions at the Music City Multi Con.

This will go down as one of the highlights of the podcast and part of its legacy and we so appreciate this opportunity.

20/10/2023

SO MUCH pinball news today with the announcements for Jersey Jack Pinball's Elton John and Stern Pinball's Elvira "Blood Red Kiss" Edition.

Pictures are all over the internet so no real need to duplicate them all again here. With that - the big question is "are you in on any of these"?!?!??

I (Whitney) *LOVE* the new Elvira artwork package and I think that Elton could be fun - but I'll need to play it first to see if JJP has addressed several of my previous complaints/concerns about their machine's build quality (and their flippers...ugh).

Sound off - I want to know what your thoughts are! Remember...money is no object here - this is pinball, after all! :D

15/10/2023

https://brokentoken.com/podcast-episodes/115-the-griffith-experience/

The time has drawn nigh – so much so that Brent goes solo on this episode so we can keep the train rolling. We cover some short updates, discuss our upcoming visit to the Music City Multi Con and then get straight to the heart of the matter – the second installment of the 3-part panel series from the 2022 show featuring David Crane, Dan Kitchen and Garry Kitchen where, over the course of three inter-connected interviews, we explore:

Part 1 – Atari and the Activision years (audio in episode 114); video available here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCJYcuInf5M
Part 2 – the Absolute Entertainment years (audio in this episode); video available here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPFovUNb9xo
Part 3 – the birth of their new development and publishing company – Audacity Games (audio upcoming in episode 116- link will go live when the show is released)

It’s our hope that you enjoy this very special presentation and retrospective look at the long and storied history of Activision and the people behind the powerhouse that it became. It was an honor being able to spend so much time (far more than originally planned) with these legends of the gaming industry and we hope it comes across the same.

Look for part 3 to drop “REAL SOON”. 🙂

07/09/2023

MAJOR news breaking this morning - Atari has acquired AtariAge.

Full details available here -

Greetings! I have an important announcement to make to the AtariAge community, and I'll cut right to the chase: AtariAge has agreed to be acquired by Atari, and I have come on as a full-time employee at Atari. This won't be a surprise to some of you, given the speculation I've seen over the past ...

22/08/2023

If you're of the "watching" sort and want to see the faces behind the voices, then we have a treat for you - here's the video for Part 1 of the 3-part Activision, Absolute and Audacity panels from the 2022 Music City Multi Con!

Whitney Roberts from the Broken Token Classic Gaming Podcast is joined by video game legends David Crane, Garry Kitchen, and Dan Kitchen to discuss their wor...

22/08/2023

So - didn't see this one coming - a new release of the Atari 2600 over 40 years on from the debut of the original!

What's your take on this? Are you a buyer?

Looks like pre-orders are open here - https://atari.com/products/atari-2600-plus

20/08/2023

If you're listening to episode #114 and want the visual for the soap and the other items exchanged, here you go!

19/08/2023

https://brokentoken.com/podcast-episodes/114-tires-and-soap/

Summer here in KY marches on and we are finally able to get the July show out to everyone… in August. 🙂 Family and other commitments have to be juggled, but we’re here and we’re bringing the heat (bad pun, good use) for this episode, and we think you’ll feel the same.

First up we delve into project updates, some new Pinball news with Stern announcing Venom, the triumphant return of “Spend Brent’s Money” with some new soldering aid and general board repair tools and some interesting developments in the Atari console scene – both at the AtariAge Store and with a new multicart for the 7800 that has some pretty unique features. Brent returns to the show car circuit with his 1LE and Whitney digs into his recent cabaret acquisitions. And what does the show title have to do with anything? Well, we weaved it all together somehow…we won’t let you down!

BUT WAIT – THERE’S MORE.

We are proud to partner with the Music City Multi Con to release the first in a 3-part panel series from the 2022 show featuring David Crane, Dan Kitchen and Garry Kitchen where, over the course of three inter-connected interviews, we explore:

Part 1 – Atari and the Activision years (audio in this episode) - full panel video at - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCJYcuInf5M
Part 2 – the Absolute Entertainment years (audio upcoming in episode 115)
Part 3 – the birth of their new development and publishing company – Audacity Games (audio upcoming in episode 116)

The video for each panel is linked above and will be updated as the videos are published and the podcast episodes are released.

It’s our hope that you enjoy this very special presentation and retrospective look at the long and storied history of Activision and the people behind the powerhouse that it became. It was an honor being able to spend so much time (far more than originally planned) with these legends of the gaming industry and we hope it comes across the same.

11/07/2023

We're saddened to hear about the passing of Shelley and offer our condolences both to her family as well as Stern itself.

40+ years is an impressive time in the workforce, let alone at one company. It sounds as if Shelley was instrumental in Stern's growth over the years and that's quite a testament to what she brought to the company each and every day. We should all be so lucky in that regard.

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Stern Pinball’s legendary Jack-of-All-Trades (J.O.A.T.), Shelley Sax-Eldridge. Shelley worked alongside Gary Stern for more than 40 years. Shelley bravely fought cancer for many years.

“Without Shelley, there would be no Stern Pinball,” said Gary Stern, Chairman and Founder. “Shelley embodied our company’s entrepreneurial, get-it-done spirit. More importantly, she was one of my closest and dearest friends and I will miss her.”

When Shelley helped found the company in 1986 she wore many hats, serving as receptionist, purchasing clerk, bookkeeper, traffic manager, personnel manager, office manager, and administrative assistant. The title on her business card was lovingly changed to J.O.A.T. and never changed during her time at Stern Pinball.

Shelley began her career working for four buyers in the furniture department at Montgomery Ward. As she started developing her organizational skills, management took notice and moved her up the company ladder. In 1979 a friend told her about an opening for an Executive Assistant at a pinball company. She always wondered where those things came from. She went on the interview, accepted the job on the spot and the rest is history.

We love you, Shelley ❤️

04/07/2023

https://brokentoken.com/podcast-episodes/113-the-bougie-is-real/

It’s July 4th here in the States and we’re celebrating the fireworks and grilling with some arcade, gaming and pinball talk. We catch up on happenings since the 2023 Louisville Arcade Expo, discuss some game rotations and sales (14 games sold between the two of us!!), fix-up project status and some side-talk on 3D printing, MiSTer and the BitKit FPGA boards, tips on shopping a pinball (Brent has been tutoring the next generation) and the elusive hunt for “all the cabarets”.

And yes, Whitney does keep all his money in the Spider-Man head bank. Brent and the Tempest coin bucket come in clutch once again!

What can we say… we are the bougiest podcasters in KY!

19/05/2023

https://brokentoken.com/podcast-episodes/112-saturday-night-at-the-2023-louisville-arcade-expo/

And just like that, we've got 112 ready - it's the Saturday night livestream show** straight from the floor of the 2023 Louisville Arcade Expo!

Check out the interview roster:

●Grace Roberts
●Gaz Milwood
●Jeremy Smith (American Pinball distributor; Flawless Creations and Amusements, LLC)
●Craig Evans
●Robert Khoury
●Dan Schmaltz
●Mike Vinikour from Stern Pinball
●Jason Aaron
●Troy Gibbs

It was a special treat, as we’re thinking that Robert Khoury might be in a tie with Mike Thomas for “most miles traveled” to get to LAX!

We really appreciate the fans making the pilgrimage just to sit in with us – it means the world.

The Mixlr chat was on fire and lots of questions/comments were coming in and it kept the show really lively. We had a great time with everyone who participated and look forward to doing it all again next year!

**This show was originally streamed live on our MixLR station (https://mixlr.com/brokentoken) on Saturday, March 4th, 2023

18/05/2023

https://brokentoken.com/podcast-episodes/111-friday-night-at-the-2023-louisville-arcade-expo/

We are back with the Friday night livestream show** straight from the floor of the 2023 Louisville Arcade Expo! We’ve got 3+ hours of guests, banter and irreverent discussion on all things arcade, pinball, pop culture and whatever else came to mind that night!

Listen in as we hear from some new guests this year, as well as returning “friends of the show” and we greatly appreciate everyone spending their time with us!

David Corrigan (from the Music City Multi Con)
Stern Pinball distributor Troy Smith (from Tilt Amusements)
Mike Thomas
Buffet (from KLOV fame, and yes – he showed up in public two years in a row!!)

We had a great time with everyone who participated and look forward to doing it all again next year!

**This show was originally streamed live on our Mixlr station (https://mixlr.com/brokentoken) at 7PM EST on Friday, March 3rd, 2023

13/05/2023

🥰🥰I tried to buy, but they weren't for sale. 😂

11/05/2023

Here's panel drop #8 from the 2022 Music City Multi Con featuring Metal Jesus Rocks and John Riggs with Q&A on video game collecting!

You can find Metal Jesus Rocks on YouTube at
https://www.youtube.com/
You can find John Riggs on YouTube at
https://www.youtube.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ms4_BxYychY

Music City Multi Con is Nashville's Largest Gaming, Comics, and Pop Culture Convention. Visit their website at https://musiccitymulticon.com/

Video game YouTubers Metal Jesus Rocks and John Riggs visit Music City Multi Con in Nashville, TN and answer all of your questions. You can find Metal J...

11/05/2023

Catching up a bit on the Music City Multi Con panels here with drop #7!

This panel discussion features animator and producer John Pomeroy.

John Pomeroy discusses his distinguished career in animation - starting In 1973 with his work at the Walt Disney Company and his work as an animator on Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too—a beloved classic that went on to earn an Academy Award Nomination.

During his time at Disney, he met fellow animators Don Bluth and Gary Goldman. Later Pomeroy, Bluth, Goldman, and several other Disney animators formed Don Bluth Productions—which, later, became Bluth Group. Together, they went on to produce The Secret of NIMH (1982), as well as the animation for the laserdisc video games Space Ace and Dragon’s Lair—which was most recently highlighted in Netflix’s Stranger Things.

During this talk John includes a highlight reel of his work and does live sketches of several characters.

You can find John Pomeroy online at https://www.johnpomeroy.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiFyGxFx5TA

Music City Multi Con is Nashville's Largest Gaming, Comics, and Pop Culture Convention - visit their website at https://musiccitymulticon.com/

John Pomeroy discusses his distinguished career in animation. Starting In 1973 with his work at the Walt Disney Company and his work as an animator on Winnie...

11/05/2023

Catching up a bit on the Music City Multi Con panels here with drop #6!

Have you ever wondered what goes into the creation of your favorite covers? Get a peek behind the curtain when David Finch, Tyler Kirkham, and E.M. Gist discuss their creative and technical processes with a discussion hosted by David Holden.

You can find David Finch online at https://davidfinchart.com/
You can find Tyler Kirkham Art online at https://tylerkirkhamart.com/
You can find Erik M. Gist online at https://www.erikgist.com/

https://youtu.be/KAgepWAbHnI

Music City Multi Con is Nashville's Largest Gaming, Comics, and Pop Culture Convention - visit their website at https://musiccitymulticon.com/

Have you ever wondered what goes into the creation of your favorite covers? Get a peek behind the curtain when David Finch, Tyler Kirkham, and E. M. Gist dis...

22/04/2023

Here's panel drop #5 from the 2022 Music City Multi Con!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eXRVPLfFNY

"Pedal to the Metal" with MetalJesusRocks, Mike Vinikour and Doug Pflueger - join video game YouTuber MetalJesusRocks, Mike Vinikour from Stern Pinball and Doug Pflueger to discuss their favorite bands, albums, concerts, and collecting vinyl.

If it deals with music, it is fair game in this panel!

You can find Metal Jesus Rocks on YouTube at
https://www.youtube.com/

Video game YouTuber Metal Jesus Rocks is joined by Mike Vinikour from Stern Pinball and Doug Pflueger to discuss their favorite bands, albums, concerts, and ...

15/04/2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgoxWEpJ8Jo

Here's panel drop #4 from the 2022 Music City Multi Con featuring Ginger Oh Snap, Mutant Glue, Derek Gilbreath and Dee Volpe from Nashville's own Cosplay Collective.

This is a great panel for kids as well as adults, as Ginger and team discuss the history of cosplay, how to get started, share some tips/tricks on putting the finishing touches on your costume and how to survive days at a convention in character!

Have you ever heard of a "dance belt"? It's discussed near the end of the panel and is really fun.

Give it a watch and learn something new about a completely different side of the videogame and pop culture fandom we all love so much!

Ginger Oh Snap is joined by cosplayers Mutant Glue, Derek Gilbreath, and Dee Volpe from Cosplay Collective. Is this your first time at a con and you’re wonde...

07/04/2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUyWkqn6obc

Here's panel drop #3 from the 2022 Music City Multi Con featuring John Riggs: Rigg'd Games and Andrew Kenady (Nintendrew) discussing how they've taken the video game hobby and turned it into a career.

There's some good insight here and they take some dedicated time to discuss the development of C.A.R.L, which Andrew worked on.

Andrew Kenady (Nintendrew) is joined by John Riggs to discuss getting into Video Game Development and his creation of the video game C.A.R.L.You can find Nin...

01/04/2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvSQsR69GoA

Mind. Blown. You really should give this a watch as this private collection is absolutely off the hook. I don't know where else you'll see a functioning Sega R360 in such immaculate condition alongside all the other Sega arcade games featured here.

Props to Alexis Crowley and the Arcade Archive for such a great video and an inside look at such a stunning collection.

Welcome back Arcadians,This week we visit Craig Walker aka Ordyne as he is known on UKVAC forum.With over 50 arcade machines and a industrial size workshop ...

01/04/2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_9H-7nP1q8

Here's panel drop #2 from the 2022 Music City Multi Con where Steve Nutter from RetroTech takes us through a brief history of the CRT, how it works and how best to care for this equipment. It's a great bit of history, science and straight talk all rolled into one!

If you want to see more of Steve's videos, you can find his YouTube channel here - https://www.youtube.com/

Steve Nutter from covers how CRT's work and how to repair and adjust them.Visit Retro Tech at https://www.youtube.com/c/RetroTechUSAThis pres...

29/03/2023

It's amazing how you can be surfing the YouTubes and find something from years back and it be brand new (to me)... that's the case with this video from MOTHERBOARD - "Meet the Unsung Female Programmer Behind Atari's Centipede".

You've probably heard the name "Dona Bailey" several times over the years and you might even recognize her for some of her later works, but Centipede will always be one of, if not, her most-notable video game-related accomplishment.

This video is chock full of historical Atari pictures and Dona's story lends some insight into how the game industry worked back in the very early days of 1980-1981.

Great stuff.

Subscribe to Motherboard Radio today - http://apple.co/1DWdc9dDona Bailey was the software developer and programmer behind Atari's 1982 shoot' em up game Cen...

24/03/2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kji27SdPcTA

Here begins the panel drops from the 2022 Music City Multi Con as we kick off the 13-video series!

In this session, Whitney sits down with Warren Davis (of Q*Bert fame) for a discussion about his career, the cultural impact of such an iconic video game character and what you do to follow up such a success.

Keep a watch out on the Music City Multi Con Youtube page as well as our page here as we'll be featuring each of the videos as they are released (1 per week for the next 12 weeks)

We'll also have this panel audio in our next upcoming studio episode as well - we hope you enjoy!

Whitney Roberts from the Broken Token Classic Gaming Podcast is joined by Warren Davis to discuss Warren's career in video games including creating the arcad...

22/03/2023

The time is nigh and this upcoming Monday is the end of the road for the 3DS and WiiU e-shop. If you’re a 3DS or WiiU fan, what preparation have you done - if any?

The end is nigh

17/03/2023

So... with all the Pinball announcements over the past couple of weeks heads have been turning. Now that the dust has settled, who do you feel did it better, made the best showing and created the most enthusiasm for their respective brand?

Was it Stern Pinball with Foo Fighters, Spooky Pinball LLC's Scooby Doo, Multimorphic, Inc's Final Resistance, Jersey Jack Pinball's Godfather 50th, American Pinball's Galactic Tank Force or Chicago Gaming with Pulp Fiction?

Enquiring minds want to know - which manufacturer, if any, will get (or has already gotten) your money?

15/03/2023

Louisville Arcade Expo 2023 is a wrap and in the books. It was a fantastic show and the crowds...wow... so many people in attendance this year just made the show feel - alive.

Getting to spend time with so many friends - David Corrigan (and Julia Corrigan), Mike Vinikour, Mike Thomas, Troy Gibbs, Jason Aaron, Buffet (yes, he really does exist!), Karim Bahai and Brian Yurick - was the absolute highlight of the show. It's the people that matter and that's proven time and time again.

Thank you Troy Smith (Tilt Amusements) for spending time with us on Friday and giving us all a fantastic education on the pinball distributor business. It was a great interview and we'll look forward to everyone being able to hear it very soon.

Having good friends (and listeners) drive all the way from New Hampshire, Maine, Kansas City, Virginia and DC to attend the show, - and spend time with us - is humbling. All I can say is "Thank You" - and I mean that from the bottom of my heart; each of you are friends in the truest sense of the word and it means so much.

To all the people that tuned in to the streams and participated in the chat on the Friday night and Saturday night shows - you helped us to make great content and we appreciate you spending time with us. Both shows were so much fun and we look forward to getting them out to everyone!

Here's a picture dump from the expo - I should have taken more but was so busy talking to people and enjoying myself that I'd often not remember until it was too late in the day...

Thank you to the Louisville Arcade Expo showrunners (Cory Stup and Joe Stith) for the continued partnership and allowing us to borrow a couple of tables so we can do our thing - it's greatly appreciated as always.

-Brent, Whitney & Spider-Man

10/03/2023

We're broadcasting the show live tonight (Friday, 3/10) from 7p-9p here at the Louisville Arcade Expo on our Mixlr station - https://brokentoken.mixlr.com

No client needed - just click the link and listen and we'll look for folks in the chat!