You know those parties where guests give five minute presentations on a topic of their choice? I love them! They're like a live version of the YouTube videos I watch where the host does a deep dive on the history of a random pop culture topic, like the cultural significance and legacy of Hostess Ninja Turtle Pies. ("Fresh from the sewers to you," dear lord.) Only these bite-sized talks are commercial free and given by people you know, not the disembodied voice of some guy. You get to learn about the kinds of things your friends are really passionate about, as opposed to a normal party with normal conversations about why they hate their job or agreeing that [insert any news story from 2025] is a real tragedy with profound consequences.

I went to one of these parties recently. The presentations were a nice mix of informative and absurd. Anime was well-represented. My favorite talk of the night was on which Pokémon the presenter would want to get high with. Her top choice was Chansey, based mostly on vibes.

I decided to go informative on an absurd topic, one I've referenced in this newsletter multiple times. Since you didn't get to see it, here are the slides and commentary from my presentation, adapted for this newsletter. Reader, welcome to my favorite pop culture rabbit hole...

What you see above is a very popular bit of Hollywood trivia, like the name of the sled in Citizen Kane. Everyone knows the answer to, "What is the fourth best-selling VHS tape of 1985?" Go ahead and yell it at your computer. Ready? 1... 2... 3...

I have no idea if you actually screamed "Clue," but I assume you did, because the answer is SO obvious!!! However, as all cinemaheads like yourself know, the VHS tape of Clue, the Tim Curry cult classic, wasn't released until 1986. So, what Clue was the fourth best-selling VHS tape of 1985?

Yes, real (old) ones know I'm talking about Clue: VCR Mystery Game. The board game sold nearly 500,000 copies at a retail price of $40 (or $120 in 2025 dollars), meaning Park Brothers made a killing off this "interactive" murder-mystery experience. If you want to learn more about Clue: VCR Mystery Game and the Boston actors who became momentarily famous from its success, check out this YouTube documentary. We're going more broadly with the topic...

We're talking about VCR board games! I'm obsessed with these games for a few reasons, none of which has to do with the quality of the actual gameplay. I enjoy the over-the-top acting, the overly-complex rules, and the overtly cash-grabby pop culture tie-ins. But what I really love about them is how they're trying to bridge the gap between tabletop games and interactive "video" games in an awkward, but charmingly inventive way.

Oh, I'm getting ahead of myself. You might be wondering a pretty basic question if you're young enough to not have any recurring digestive problems...

What even is a VCR board game? I'm so glad you asked. It's my favorite question in the world to answer.

Imagine a classic roll-and-move, luck-based board game. You have a board, cards, dice, tokens, maybe a spinner...

And a VHS tape! Of a guy screaming directly at you, the players! Think of the hosts like pre-recorded Dungeon Masters. They establish the game’s tone and theme, move the action along, and insert “random events” into the game to spice up the gameplay. Most of the tape is a timer counting down to the end of the game. (A timer would be an amazing component for Monopoly or Risk.)

Periodically, the host will interrupt the timer to throw a character into Red Square Prison or shower a player in Ghost Tokens. So while the host interjects at random feeling times, the tape is pre-recorded, so those events always happen at the same time. That's why the replayability of these games is questionable. Once you've played it once, you won't be surprised when the host tells you to stand-up and cluck like a chicken for a Treasure Card. He always does that at 31:48!

For a time, VCR games were pretty popular! They became an established form of home entertainment. Publishers made over 70 VCR games between 1984-1996, including games with major pop culture licenses like Wrestlemania, Robocop, and X-Files. Two popular sub-genres were mystery (Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes) and horse racing (why place real bets on real horses when you can place fake bet on fake horses that always do the same thing). The most iconic VCR game, Nightmare (aka Atmosfear) sold 2 million copies by Christmas 1993. More on Nightmare in just a bit. I wouldn't do a talk on VCR games without a dedicated Nightmare slide. I'm not a monster, unlike the players in Nightmare!

So why on earth did VCR games catch on? I did say earlier they're not great games, and I stand by that cold take. As a category, “interactive home entertainment” was between gaming giants in the mid-80s. The home console market crashed in the US in the early 80s, taking out Atari and all the other major players. Nintendo Entertainment System was being marketed in America as a high-tech boy’s toy with a neat robot, not as a family gaming console. (Though, ironically, the name for the NES in Japan was the Famicom, a portmanteau of "family computer.") 8-bit graphics on all systems at the time were still pretty blocky, as compared to a movie or TV show.

VCRs were becoming super popular. (The NES was designed to look like one.) VCR games, which offered realistic visuals because they were filmed, were largely marketed as interactive entertainment for the whole family. At least, at first. Later they would target niche audiences. These titles filled a niche in the gaming world for many years.

See? I promised you a Nightmare slide and I delivered. Remember that when you're filling out your comment card.

So, yes, Nightmare (1991) is the best in show, in my opinion. Players take on the personas of horror characters (werewolves, mummies, etc.) and move around the board collecting keys, so they can escape from The Other Side into our world. The Gatekeeper, played by Russian actor Wenanty Nosul, plays the creepy, campy gravedigger to perfection. He punishes, taunts, and rewards players throughout the game.

As I said earlier, this franchise has sold in the millions, and includes 11 games and expansions in total. There was an Australian Kickstarter last year for a 30th Anniversary Edition that made over $300,000 USD. The game blew up in Australia with a Pepsi ad campaign and a music video. In fact, VCR games got so popular in Australia, there are ones like Myth made in Australia that are difficult to find in America. (Thank you, eBay! And thank you to my Australian friend Amanda, who digitized the tape of Myth at her local library, because my VCR can't read PAL tapes!)

There are plenty of other interesting games besides Nightmare. These are the ones I recommend people watch on YouTube...

Wayne's World VCR Board Game (1992) – You are certainly worthy for this one! Wayne's World VCR Board Game features backstage passes, bodacious babes, all the catch phrases, and a mechanic where you crumble up balls of paper and throw them into the game box. Mike Myers and Dana Carvey were filmed in the same room together for the tape... NOT!

Party Mania (1993) – You’ve got to get all your chores done to go on a date with cute guys Max and Luke! It plays like a lost TGIF sitcom pilot. The game's main antagonists are Wayne and Oscar Schlumper, the Schlumper Bros. They are nerds and they are astoundingly sweaty.

Predicaments (1986) – Hosted by Joan Rivers (!), players watch scenes from a parody soap opera and shout snappy answers at the screen, like a proto-MST3K. This game has the most unique mechanics of any VCR game I've played. A must for fans of the show Soap. Remember Soap? Billy Crystal? No? Alright, I'll put together another presentation...

Star Trek: TNG – A Klingon Challenge (1993) – The Enterprise was stolen with you on-board. Beat a Klingon who is definitely not Worf to wrest back control. The ship is empty because of "maintenance issues," but really because the game's budget almost certainly wouldn’t allow for any actual cast members to appear on-screen, except the voice of Jonathan Frakes.

So, what is the legacy of VCR games? They were a temporary bridge from one era of home gaming to another. A "what if" in board game form. As VCRs faded in popularity, and video game graphics improved, these games were sold at Goodwills and front lawns for loose change. They're the subject of old YouTube video reviews, an indie horror film that's kinda boring, and a hilarious episode of Community.

Alright, and now to finally answer the question you've been wondering this entire time...

How many Oscars have VCR game hosts won? Collectively, I think they've won a total of one Oscar. I’m reasonably sure James Earl Jones is the sole winner in over a decade of VCR games. He voices Darth Vader in Star Wars: The Interactive Video Board Game. Jones received a Lifetime Achievement Oscar in 2011, but no awards for this game. That said, Mike Myers has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Canadian Walk of Fame, and that should count for something.

That was my presentation! And this is a picture of Rap Rat, which in my opinion is the worst VCR game video, although Spy Quest is also a rough watch. Rap Rat does not have bars. He should be barred... from existing. Okay, that's enough of me. Thanks for reading!

🎲 Your Turn: Have you ever done a 5-minute presentation like this? If you have, what was your topic? If not, what topic would you want to present on? Reply directly to this email, or tell the whole world by hitting the big orange button below and leaving a comment.