Surely You Can't Be Serious Podcast

Defender! revolutionized arcade gaming in 1981 with its sideways-scrolling chaos and button-overload controls. In our series finale, we rank all five legendary 1981 games and reveal how we'd spend our last five quarters: Donkey Kong, Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, Frogger, or Defender? The ultimate showdown of the greatest arcade year ever!

College students took on a video game empire—and won. Then they did the impossible: they improved the greatest game ever made. Hear how Ms. Pac-Man became the queen of 1981 arcades, outsmarted the ghost AI, and still looks amazing over 40 years later. The untold story of the rebellion that created gaming's most beloved female icon.

One young woman's courage changed video game history forever. Discover the secret origin of Frogger, explore every way to die (there are many!), hear the iconic music's story, and learn about a record-breaking high score that still amazes. This 1981 arcade legend has more surprises than you think. Why did the frog cross the road? Find out!

Galaga took everything Space Invaders started, added Galaxian's colors and sounds, and created a 1981 masterpiece. Discover behind-the-scenes secrets of this arcade legend, insider development stories, and why the Challenging Stage became iconic. Don't miss the pro tip: never shoot your own captured ship! The ultimate deep dive into one of 1981's greatest arcade games.

Donkey Kong almost starred Popeye, Olive Oyl, and Bluto. Learn the shocking origin story behind Nintendo's 1981 breakthrough hit: the near-fatal lawsuit, how Mario and Donkey Kong got their names, and why their lawyer became immortalized in gaming history. This is the untold story of the arcade classic that launched a gaming empire and defined 1981 as the golden year of video games.