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A Trip Down Memory Card Lane

A Trip Down Memory Card Lane

By: David Kassin and Robert Kassin
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 Would you like to learn new things about your favorite video games, and the people who create them? A Trip Down Memory Card Lane is a weekly video game history podcast that uses the current week in gaming history as a guide to tell you interesting stories about the history of video games, gaming consoles, game designers, the gaming studios they've founded, and more. Join hosts David Kassin and Robert Kassin as they take an often-chronological look at the people, companies, technologies, and developmental processes that have helped bring your favorite video games to life on each week's trip down Memory Card Lane.Copyright 2025 Science Fiction World
Episodes
  • Ep.275 – Scanning for Fun: Exploring the History of the Nintendo e-Reader

    Ep.275 – Scanning for Fun: Exploring the History of the Nintendo e-Reader
    Dec 4 2025
    In 2001, Nintendo released the e-Reader, a quirky card-scanning accessory for the Game Boy Advance that blended trading cards with tiny bursts of digital content. This week, we explore the long road that led to its creation, tracing the evolution of barcode gaming from Japan’s Barcode Battler craze to Bandai’s Datach and even arcade hits like Mushiking and Love and Berry. We follow how Pokémon cards, dot-code technology, and Japan’s card culture shaped the device, and why the e-Reader thrived briefly in Japan but stumbled in the West. Our conversation also looks at the legacy it left behind—QR codes, AR cards, Amiibo, and physical-to-digital play. Join us as we swipe, scan, and rediscover the Nintendo e-Reader on today’s trip down Memory Card Lane.

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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Ep.274 – 64-Bits of Trouble: The Rise and Fall of the Atari Jaguar

    Ep.274 – 64-Bits of Trouble: The Rise and Fall of the Atari Jaguar
    Nov 27 2025

    In 1993, Atari launched the Jaguar, a console that promised 64-bit power and a bold return to gaming glory—but the reality was far more complicated. In this episode, we explore how Atari partnered with Flare Technology, canceled its 16-bit Panther system, and aimed to leapfrog the competition with a futuristic design that was ambitious, confusing, and notoriously difficult to develop for. We trace the Jaguar’s tangled architecture, marketing push to “Do the Math,” and the hardware quirks that doomed it from the start. Our conversation also dives into the console’s standout games, failed add-ons like the Jaguar CD and VR, and its strange second life as an open platform for homebrewers. Join us as we plug in and power up the story of the Atari Jaguar on today’s trip down Memory Card Lane.

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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Ep.273 – Silent Assassin: Exploring the Origins and Legacy of Hitman: Codename 47

    Ep.273 – Silent Assassin: Exploring the Origins and Legacy of Hitman: Codename 47
    Nov 20 2025

    In 2000, \Hitman: Codename 47\ introduced players to Agent 47 and a new breed of stealth gaming built on improvisation, experimentation, and precision. In this episode, we trace how a small team of Danish demoscene veterans formed IO Interactive, built the Glacier Engine from scratch, and turned a 'simple shooter' concept into one of the most influential stealth franchises in history. We follow the evolution from Codename 47’s experimental beginnings to Silent Assassin’s refinement and Contracts’ atmospheric retelling, exploring how each installment shaped IO’s design philosophy. Our conversation also touches on IO’s roots, ragdoll physics innovation, and the World of Assassination era that followed. Join us as we slip into the shadows and revisit Hitman’s origin story on today’s trip down Memory Card Lane.

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    57 mins
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