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Best Game history & retro gaming videos, as recommended on Hacker News

92 videos about game history & retro gaming that Hacker News commenters keep recommending, mentioned between 2011 and 2026. Mostly documentary, talk, demo. Channels that come up most: GDC Festival of Gaming, Ars Technica, Ahoy, Modern Vintage Gamer. Sorted by how consistently HN recommended them over the years.

The most recommended is 8 Bit & '8 Bitish' Graphics-Outside the Box: HN repeatedly recommends it as a master class in limited-palette pixel art and palette cycling, from an artist behind Loom and Monkey Island.

• talk8 Bit & '8 Bitish' Graphics-Outside the BoxGDC Festival of Gaming · 13 HN recommenders · 2018–2026
• talkReverse emulating the NES to give it SUPER POWERS!suckerpinch · 12 HN recommenders · 2018–2025
• talkThe Ultimate Game Boy Talk (33c3)media.ccc.de · 10 HN recommenders · 2017–2026
• interviewHow Crash Bandicoot Hacked The Original Playstation | War Stories | Ars TechnicaArs Technica · 13 HN recommenders · 2020–2026
• documentaryThe Engoodening of No Man's SkyInternet Historian · 9 HN recommenders · 2020–2025
• demoComputer program that learns to play classic NES gamessuckerpinch · 9 HN recommenders · 2015–2025
• demoSNES Code Injection -- Flappy Bird in SMWSethBling · 9 HN recommenders · 2016–2025
• talk'Diablo': A Classic Game PostmortemGDC Festival of Gaming · 8 HN recommenders · 2018–2023
• explainerFIXING the ENTIRE SM64 Source Code (INSANE N64 performance)Kaze Emanuar · 7 HN recommenders · 2022–2025
• talkHow we fit an NES game into 40 KilobytesMorphcat Games · 6 HN recommenders · 2019–2026
• explainerOld pinball machines are amazingly complexTechnology Connections · 6 HN recommenders · 2023–2026
• talkClassic Game Postmortem: Sid Meier's CivilizationGDC Festival of Gaming · 4 HN recommenders · 2017–2021
• talk2 1 1 Jason Scott Rescuing The Prince of Persia from the sands of timeAdrian Crenshaw · 3 HN recommenders · 2014–2026
• talkClassic Game Postmortem: Ultima OnlineGDC Festival of Gaming · 5 HN recommenders · 2018–2024
• commentary"Games as a service" is fraud.Accursed Farms · 5 HN recommenders · 2019–2024
• musicMC Frontalot - It Is Pitch DarkMC Frontalot · 5 HN recommenders · 2012–2026
• documentaryGET LAMP: The Text Adventure DocumentaryGoogle TechTalks · 5 HN recommenders · 2014–2026
• documentaryDoomed: The Embers of Amiga FPSAhoy · 4 HN recommenders · 2015–2017
• talkThe Road to PS5PlayStation · 6 HN recommenders · 2020–2023
• documentaryHow Prince of Persia Defeated Apple II's Memory Limitations | War Stories | Ars TechnicaArs Technica · 5 HN recommenders · 2020–2026
• interviewHow Myst Almost Couldn't Run on CD-ROM | War Stories | Ars TechnicaArs Technica · 4 HN recommenders · 2020–2024
• talkThe Making of: ROM City Rampage (Retro City Rampage)VblankEntertainment · 4 HN recommenders · 2014–2022
• talkPitfall Classic Postmortem With David Crane Panel at GDC 2011 (Atari 2600)GameSpot · 4 HN recommenders · 2013–2025
• demo[TAS] Pokémon Yellow - Arbitrary Code ExecutionMrWint · 4 HN recommenders · 2020–2025
• demoTiTAN - Overdrive 2 (RGB 50fps) - SEGA Mega Drive - Revision 2017 (1st Place)Oerg866 · 2 HN recommenders · 2017–2026
• explainerAtari's Quadrascan ExplainedRetro Game Mechanics Explained · 3 HN recommenders · 2021–2026
• documentaryThe First Video GameAhoy · 4 HN recommenders · 2020–2026
• documentaryRetroAhoy: The Secret of Monkey IslandAhoy · 3 HN recommenders · 2020–2022
• interviewHow Gamers Killed Ultima Online's Virtual Ecology | War Stories | Ars TechnicaArs Technica · 3 HN recommenders · 2018–2026
• commentaryDid Nintendo really forget to Optimize Super Mario 64 ? | MVGModern Vintage Gamer · 3 HN recommenders · 2020–2022
• documentary[Epilepsy Warning] Choco Mountain: The History of Mario Kart 64's Most Infamous TrackSummoning Salt · 3 HN recommenders · 2018–2018
• documentaryHalf-Life 2: 20th Anniversary DocumentaryValve · 3 HN recommenders · 2024–2025
• otherAlpha Centauri Quotes: Intro and Tech's 0-24uvwar · 3 HN recommenders · 2016–2020
• talkQuakeCon 2011 - John Carmack KeynoteQuakeCon Official · 3 HN recommenders · 2011–2018
• talkClassic Game Postmortem: FalloutGDC Festival of Gaming · 3 HN recommenders · 2018–2025
• explainerwhat did you doNoodle · 3 HN recommenders · 2025–2026
• documentarySega Saturn CD - Cracked after 20 yearsdebuglive · 3 HN recommenders · 2016–2021
• documentaryThe Untold Story of Online Gaming on Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis | XBANDWrestling With Gaming · 4 HN recommenders · 2019–2020
• explainerFast Inverse Square Root — A Quake III AlgorithmNemean · 3 HN recommenders · 2021–2022
• demoSuper Mario World -- Credits Warp in 5:59.6 (First Time Ever on Console)SethBling · 2 HN recommenders · 2015–2022
• explainerHow We Solved the Worst Minigame in Zelda's HistoryLinkus7 · 3 HN recommenders · 2020–2024
• talkClassic Game Postmortem - Another WorldGDC Festival of Gaming · 4 HN recommenders · 2020–2023
• talkDiablo: Original Game Developmentjon d · 3 HN recommenders · 2021–2023
• explainerHow "oldschool" graphics worked Part 1 - Commodore and NintendoThe 8-Bit Guy · 4 HN recommenders · 2015–2019
• documentaryPOLYBIUS - The Video Game That Doesn't ExistAhoy · 2 HN recommenders · 2023–2026
• documentaryThe Story of TetrisGaming Historian · 4 HN recommenders · 2022–2023
• talkClassic Game Postmortem: Alone in the DarkGDC Festival of Gaming · 3 HN recommenders · 2019–2023
• musicTransport Tycoon 2014 Soundtrack (remaster with real instrument from original creator)Arif Nur Rahman · 3 HN recommenders · 2020–2025
• documentaryThe Complete History of the A Button ChallengeBismuth · 3 HN recommenders · 2023–2024
• demoThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Speedrun in 22:38, live at AGDQ2013CosmoSpeedruns · 2 HN recommenders · 2013–2015
• demoOcarina of Time TAS by dwangoAC, TASBot, Savestate, Sauraen in 53:05 - Summer Games Done Quick 2022Games Done Quick · 2 HN recommenders · 2022–2025
• musicSuper Mario World Ending Theme sight-read by Tom BrierKeeper1st · 2 HN recommenders · 2017–2025
• documentaryElite: "The game that couldn't be written"Alexander the ok · 2 HN recommenders · 2024–2025
• interviewCrash Bandicoot Co-Creator Andy Gavin: Extended Interview | Ars TechnicaArs Technica · 4 HN recommenders · 2020–2024
• talkPitfall: A Classic Game PostmortemGDC Festival of Gaming · 2 HN recommenders · 2021–2024
• explainerWhy Are Emulators Legal? Dolphin vs. Nintendo, and the Fate of Emulation [Great Emu War Pt. 1]Moon Channel · 2 HN recommenders · 2023–2024
• documentaryThe Story of Another World on the Amiga | MVGModern Vintage Gamer · 2 HN recommenders · 2022–2023
• demoLyle Bickley explains the PDP-1 (and we play the original Spacewar!)CuriousMarc · 2 HN recommenders · 2018–2020
• demoiMUSE Demonstration 2 - Seamless TransitionsPeter Silk (KestrelPi) · 2 HN recommenders · 2021–2025
• demoZarch (1987) Gameplay for BBC Acorn Archimedes High QualityPhoenix Risen · 2 HN recommenders · 2016–2020
• explainerHow a Laser-Shot Disk Defeats Hackers & Pirates (Coding Secrets)GameHut · 2 HN recommenders · 2018–2024
• interviewHow Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun Solved Pathfinding | War Stories | Ars TechnicaArs Technica · 2 HN recommenders · 2020–2026
• demoHow I implemented MegaTextures on real Nintendo 64 hardwareJames Lambert · 2 HN recommenders · 2023–2026
• interviewWe Play Doom With John RomeroIGN · 2 HN recommenders · 2016–2018
• explainerWhy does PUNCHING Sonic 3D trigger a Secret Level Select?Coding Secrets · 2 HN recommenders · 2021–2023
• explainerTomb Raider on the Nintendo Game Boy Advance is incredible | MVGModern Vintage Gamer · 2 HN recommenders · 2022–2022
• documentaryGOG: Preserving Gaming's Past & Future/noclip · 2 HN recommenders · 2018–2025
• documentaryThe History of Tetris World RecordsSummoning Salt · 2 HN recommenders · 2024–2026
• talkHareraiser (The Worst Game Ever) - Stuart Ashen - Norwich Gaming Festival 2017Norwich Games Festival · 2 HN recommenders · 2018–2023
• explainerRacing the Beam Explained - Atari 2600 CPU vs. CRT TelevisionRetro Game Mechanics Explained · 2 HN recommenders · 2022–2025
• documentaryThe Story of RollerCoaster Tycoon | Noclip Greatest Hits/noclip · 2 HN recommenders · 2021–2026
• explainerSuper Mario World Credits Warp ExplainedFrieze · 2 HN recommenders · 2015–2025
• explainerFinding the BEST sine function for Nintendo 64Kaze Emanuar · 2 HN recommenders · 2023–2026
• talkHandmadeCon 2016 - History of Software Texture Mapping in GamesMolly Rocket · 2 HN recommenders · 2021–2022
• demo[TAS] [Obsoleted] GBC Pokémon: Yellow Version "arbitrary code execution" by Fracta[...] in 03:14.15TASVideosChannel · 1 HN recommender · 2013–2013
• talkThe Early Days of id SoftwareGDC Festival of Gaming · 1 HN recommender · 2017–2023
• documentaryTengen: Atari Games vs. NintendoGaming Historian · 1 HN recommender · 2017–2022
• otherSid Meier's Alpha Centauri Secret Project: The Planetary Datalinksmatsku84 · 1 HN recommender · 2013–2020
• demoLongplay: The Incredible Machine (1993) [MS-DOS]Dosgamert · 1 HN recommender · 2021–2024
• documentaryThe History of 3D Graphics on the Gameboy Advance | minimmeminimme · 1 HN recommender · 2022–2023
• talkChris Crawford Dragon Speech "I Had a Dream"Chris Crawford · 1 HN recommender · 2021–2025
• explainerThe step-by-step, mechanical logic of old pinball machinesTechnology Connections · 1 HN recommender · 2024–2025
• demoDark Castle (1986) - Original Macintosh Version!Classic Mac Gaming · 1 HN recommender · 2012–2022
• documentaryThe Story of Super Mario Bros. 3Gaming Historian · 1 HN recommender · 2021–2023
• demoThe weeCee: A Tiny New MS-DOS & Windows Gaming PC!LGR · 1 HN recommender · 2022–2023
• demoQuake done Quick - Quake done QuickestQuake done Quick · 1 HN recommender · 2011–2014
• explainerDesign Club - Super Mario Bros: Level 1-1 - How Super Mario Mastered Level DesignExtra History · 1 HN recommender · 2016–2023
• explainerNew NES Tetris Technique: Faster Than Hypertapping!aGameScout · 1 HN recommender · 2021–2024
• documentaryExposing FRAUD And DECEPTION In The Retro Video Game MarketKarl Jobst · 1 HN recommender · 2021–2023
• demoSonic behind waterfall - RetroArch shader comparisonPenguinWeirdness · 1 HN recommender · 2020–2024
• demoBen Heck's Nintendo-Playstation Prototype Pt 1 Teardownelement14 presents · 1 HN recommender · 2016–2022
• explainerWhy PlayStation 1 Graphics Warped and Wobbled so much | MVGModern Vintage Gamer · 1 HN recommender · 2020–2022