Arcade Press

Raven Simone aka Bobdunga is a YouTuber, writer, filmmaker, and creator of The Bobdunga Show.

Raven Simone [imdb]

She is perhaps most well known for her deep dive investigations on Lost Media. Her most notable? Her research on Girl Games like Mean Girls (Nintendo DS) that were advertised but were largely never released to the public. (circa 2008)

In this very candid interview— Raven discusses with us basically everything revolving around nostalgia, lost media, puppets, retro gaming, content creation, and the future of art.

Check it out

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QueenArrow; the law school graduate and Tekken champ is a friend of Arcade Press— we interviewed her before in print— but this time we chat with her for our podcast. [listen above]

In this interview, She goes into detail about her experience being an introvert in the gaming community and what the future looks like for the globalization of esports and fighting games.

A true inspiration. Enjoy The first episode of Season 2!!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit arcadepress.substack.com

A couple of months back I published an essay on Arcade Press that talks about the true origin of Arcades being related to ancient greece (Arcadia)— you can check out that post below.

Well this time, Arkhaives at Midnight lends us a hand in explaining the history in a bit more detail. Listen to the full episode above or watch the full video below.

Arkhaives also adds some notes on Arcadia by talking about how Esports could be transformed and shaped to protect the legacy of professional players.

What do you think of all this? Any ideas? Like the episode? Leave us a comment

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thearcadepress.com/subscribe

Wow its been 20 whole years since Tekken 4 was released on PS2

Me and the brother Arkhaives at Midnight have an in-depth conversation about Tekken 4 and the year 2001 that made it possible.

What an incredible game. You can listen to the full conversation above or watch the full episode below.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thearcadepress.com/subscribe

While celebrating 50 years of Computer space and the legacy of Atari, Arcade Press has been very fortunate to have a free-form conversation with the one and only Nolan Bushnell. Nolan is a serial entrepreneur and inventor responsible for Atari and Chuck E Cheese (among many other profitable, industry-shifting ventures).

In Conversation: Nolan talks with us about VR, AR, Crypto, NFTs, films, gaming history, the coin-op/ mafia connection, and the value of staying humble.

“This whole idea of the state versus the individual is going to be playing out very aggressively in the next 20 years… and it’ll be interesting to see who wins….”

-Nolan Bushnell

Listen to the full interview above. Thank you for supporting Arcade Press.

A special thank you to Polycade, Arkhaives at Midnight, and Mr. Nolan Bushnell.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit arcadepress.substack.com

Continuing our exploration into the 90s gaming empire that was Midway, we knew we had to get in touch with the guy who wrote the book on NBA JAM.

In 2019, Reyan Ali (with Boss Fight Books) penned the definitive dive into everything that is NBA Jam.

Released in 1993 and best known for its gravity-defying dunks and world-famous “Boomshakalaka!” voice by the unforgettable Tim Kitzkrow.

If you love the 90s and the NBA, then you know all about NBA Jam. Enjoy our conversation with the man who investigated the whole story about an incredible game that changed pop culture forever… Please sit back and enjoy our discussion about Arcades, pop culture, and of course, NBA Jam.

When NBA Jam dunked its way into arcades in 1993, players discovered just how fun basketball can be when freed from rules, refs, and gravity itself. But just a few years after Midway's billion-dollar hit conquered the world, Midway, publisher Acclaim, and video arcades themselves fell off the map. How did a simple two-on-two basketball game become MVP of the arcade, and how did this champ lose its title?

Journalist Reyan Ali dives deep into the saga, tracking the people and decisions that shaped the series. You'll get to know mischievous Jam architect Mark Turmell, go inside Midway's Chicago office where hungry young talent tapped into cutting-edge tech, and explore the sequels, spin-offs, and tributes that came in the game's wake…. - NBA JAM [Amazon]

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit arcadepress.substack.com

Born July 21, 1964, Akira Yasuda works under the pen name "Akiman" and joined Capcom in 1985. After illustrating characters in 1989's Final Fight, he began working on Street Fighter 2, and soon became one of the most influential fighting game designers ever. Akiman has created iconic characters and artwork for some of Capcom's most well-known games, including: Street Fighter Alpha, Street Fighter 2, Street Fighter III, Final Fight, Warzard, Star Gladiator, Power Stone and Captain Commando.

Listen to the full “Artist Study” by SPCEKH above.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thearcadepress.com/subscribe

Everyone knows that Tekken doesn’t actually teach you how to play the game, but in 2009, Reepal “Rip” Parbhoo started making insanely detailed Tekken 6 tutorials.

With the help of hosts Aldrin "TRUE!" Espinosa and Michael "MYK" Kwon the “Level Up Your Game” Imprint was born.

“Level Up Your Game” (LUYG) started as a youtube series where several hosts would gather around a desk to talk about the fundamentals of Tekken titles. LUYG even added special guest hosts to evolve the discourse around advanced techniques in Tekken.

As the series and the technology around it proved to be taxing, Reepal discovered new ways to provide the same level of high-quality content to Tekken fans worldwide. From competing as the infamous Marshall Law (a fighter obviously inspired by legendary martial artist Bruce Lee) to commentating and leading the pack in Tekken content creation, the LUYG imprint has maintained a strong presence over the decade.

Rip himself has dedicated countless hours to the Tekken community, whether it’s placing top 8 at EVO, live streaming his matches, or the ongoing, fan-favorite BOOMcast podcast series where he discusses everything Tekken with some of the best players in the game.

OG “LUYG” logo

Check out the exclusive and in-depth interview with the only Rip as we learn about his Arcade genesis, his first experience with Tekken, and his love for the 1999 FPS classic Quake 3 Arena. + hear his predictions for the future of the Tekken franchise.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit arcadepress.substack.com

Josh Tsui recently released his critically acclaimed film “Insert Coin,” which chronicles the 90s arcade run for Midway games in Chicago. These games (most notably Mortal Kombat) allowed Josh Tsui to have a hands-on role in helping shape the gaming experience for millions of players worldwide.

As an artistic director for early Midway titles, Josh wore many hats in the studio. During that time, the blueprint for making fighting games hadn’t been developed, so Josh did a bit of everything, even becoming an in-game face in several Midway titles.

Josh Tsui as Liu Kang (MK4 - 1997)

In this in-depth Arcade Press interview, Josh explains what drives him creatively, the differences between the game and film industry, and the future of arcade culture.

Check out the interview and connect with Josh on Twitter.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thearcadepress.com/subscribe

Courtesy of Rodney Conyers Jr and F.A.K.E EXPO online, we present to you an interview with one of the FGC’s most beloved advocates and ambassadors, Zorine Te. Zorine is not only a fighting game player with several years of experience activating communities, but she is also a fashionista and a collector of some of the most coveted sneakers.

Check out the interview above or on your favorite streaming platform. Here, Zorine talks about her gaming genesis, her experience with Tekken, how she got into streetwear, her favorite brands, and work with Player 2.

+ Arcade Press Updates…

* We’ve totally updated our home page. It now features navigation tabs for all of our interview guests and is easier to read + more frequent articles (not all of which are sent to your inbox)— so don’t forget to check the ArcPress home or Twitter for more updates.

* We’ve also started Fightstick Friday round-ups. We share our favorite fightsticks every Friday on Twitter and in our newsletter! Sharing the best the FGC has to offer.

* Our Instagram is getting more active with all new posts and news-style updates. Please give us a follow!

* Are there any episodes or newsletter updates that you love? Leave us a comment and share it with your friends! We’d love to hear your thoughts! We’ll be bringing more attention to great happenings in the fighting game and arcade community!

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit arcadepress.substack.com/subscribe