Episode 146: A Monograph of Todd Howard

Episode 146: A Monograph of Todd Howard

Author: Video Game History Foundation December 24, 2025 Duration: 1:00:48

Phil Salvador hosts a discussion with Dr. Wendi Sierra, author of Todd Howard: World Building in Tamriel and Beyond, and Emily Higgs Kopin. Dr. Sierra’s, associate professor of games studies at Texas Christian University, book follows the career history of the Bethesda Game Studios executive producer and his influence on game design throughout the years. Emily Kopin, head of digital collections strategy at the Swarthmore College Libraries, joins us as our guest expert on the Elder Scrolls franchise to make up for Phil’s tragic lack of extended time spent in this expansive universe. Wendi and Emily take Phil through discussions of Howard’s impact on world building through micro narratives, challenges of documenting emergent gameplay, importance of scoping research, and the influence of Howard’s design philosophy on modern gaming.

*This episode has a follow-up bonus episode available to our paid tier Patreon members.

You can listen to the Video Game History Hour every other Wednesday on Patreon (one day early at the $5 tier and above), on Spotify, or on our website.


See more from Dr. Wendi Sierra:

TCU Profile: https://honors.tcu.edu/view/wendi-sierra  

Recent Publication: Gaming for the seventh generation: Indigenous Futurisms in games 


See more from Emily Higgs Kopin:

Bluesky: @ehkopin.bsky.social

Latest Published Work: American Archivist

Swarthmore Profile: swarthmore.edu 


Video Game History Foundation:

Email: podcast@gamehistory.org

Website: gamehistory.org

Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg


Ever wonder how the stories behind your favorite games actually get uncovered? Video Game History Hour pulls back the curtain on that process, hosted by Frank Cifaldi from the Video Game History Foundation. Instead of dry lectures, each episode feels like you’re overhearing a fascinating conversation between experts. Frank invites game developers, historians, and storytellers to share their discoveries and the real, often messy work of preservation. You’ll hear about the frustrating dead-ends that make researchers want to bang their heads against the wall, followed by those incredible breakthroughs when a forgotten piece of history suddenly clicks into place. This podcast is built on the genuine thrill of sharing a find, capturing the human side of digging through old code, tracking down obscure prototypes, or interviewing pivotal developers whose contributions have been overlooked. It’s a casual, engaging dive into the layers of an industry often focused only on the future, reminding us that every game has a past worth saving. Tune in for a refreshingly authentic look at the passion and persistence required to keep video game history alive, one surprising story at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Video Game History Hour
Podcast Episodes
Ep. 70: Perfect Dark: Spiritual Sequel to GoldenEye 007 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:34
Our guest this week, Yahel Velazquez from the Patreon funded YouTube channel Wrestling With Gaming, caught our eye with his recent video How Perfect Dark Surpassed Goldeneye On N64 - The Making Of The Nintendo 64 Classic…
Ep. 69: The Simpsons: Road Rage [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:44
Author and oral historian Brian VanHooker recently caught our attention with his very appropriately titled article, An Oral History of ‘The Simpsons: Road Rage’. Briefly putting aside his obsession with Ninja Turtles, Br…
Ep. 68: Fairchild Channel F [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:09
Video game historian and documentarian Kevin Bunch is here to talk about the Fairchild Channel F: the greatest game console ever made by Fairchild. Creator of the Atari Archive series of gaming documentaries about the At…
Ep. 67: NES Light Guns [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:17:30
Gaming Historian and friend of the show, Norm Caruso, joins us to expand on his recent video The Ultimate Guide to NES Light Guns | Gaming Historian about The Zapper and many other NES light guns. Learn the history of ho…
Ep. 66: The Grand Theft Auto Evolution [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:27:45
Danny O’Dwyer of Noclip is here to talk about the latest episode in their Greatest Hits series, The History of Grand Theft Auto, Lemmings & DMA Design. Now ‘the’ Grand Theft Auto expert, Danny explains the European versi…
Ep. 65: Preservation: Institutional vs. Non [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:40
Andrew Borman, Digital Games Curator at The Strong National Museum of Play, joins us to discuss the roles, benefits, limitations, and approaches of institutional versus individual video game preservation. At the end of t…
Ep. 64: Q&A and Closing Out 2021 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:30
It’s time, once again, to answer your burning questions! But first, a big thank you to all our listeners, supporters, and cheerleaders! And, thank you to all the wonderful guests who joined the show and the deluge of inf…
Ep. 63: Magazine Preservation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:23:34
Dustin Hubbard (Hubz), founder of Gaming Alexandria, and Robert Reeves (Phillyman), founder of Retromags, join hosts Frank and Kelsey in a panel discussion on preserving video game magazines, especially those published p…
Ep. 62: Super Smash Bros. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:18
PushDustIn, aka Will, takes us on a journey through the past of Super Smash Bros. (read: Brothers). Sparing us only a small break from his rather busy work as a content creator, Japanese Translator, Community Manager, PR…

«1...678910