Hey folks, it's hard to believe, but ephemeral has been on the air now, or whatever the podcast equivalent term is, for almost three years.

In that time, our team has continued to grow. What for me has been a dream come true.

To that end, this and next episode,

you'll be hearing from our producer, Max Williams,

who heretofore has been working with Trevor and me behind the scenes.

You might recognize him from our 2021 Christmas special, Noel,

or as the on-mic producer of ridiculous history.

Fun fact, Max is also my little brother, and frankly, our family's expert on video games.

So, without further ado, enjoy the episode.

Athemoral is a production of iHeart 3D audio.

For full exposure, listen with headphones.

Gaming, as a pastime, goes back at least to ancient Greece.

From Olympic tournaments to bouts of Aristotelian logic, for millennia, humans have

been fascinated by the interplay of chance and skill. As games advanced alongside technology,

the 20th century brought with it new spaces dedicated to gaming.

When I was a youngster, I fell in love with the arcade business

when I visited a place called The Casino in the town of Rye, New York.

I come from the Bronx, and we bicycled up there.

And I just loved the smell of the wood on the floor, the games, the noises they made.

Totally unlike what we see today

when you go in an arcade with the electronic noises, beeping and screaming and all of the

interesting electronic aspects that define today's amusement game. Back then, it was all mechanical

...