Welcome to Computer Gaming Yesterday!

Computer Gaming Yesterday is a YouTube channel dedicated to honoring, remembering, and playing old-school PC games—especially those from the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.

Retro PC Gaming News

CGY rounds up the latest retro PC gaming news every week. Here's the latest episode.

Retro PC gaming documentries

The channel features in-depth documentries that dig into the development and legacy of PC gaming's most influential titles. The latest documentry takes a close look at the development of Will Wright's classic city builder franchise, SimCity, and compares its simulation to Colossoal Order's modern alterantive, Cities: Skylines.

Who is Computer Gaming Yesterday?

The channel is a pet project and persistent habit of Matthew S. Smith (that's me!). I'm a freelance journalist and occasional YouTube madman who grew up with a keyboard in one hand and a mouse in the other. My professional writing usually veers towards consumer electronics and more technical topics (like AI-powered microdisplays), but I've penned dozens of articles about game history over the past year. Here's a few highlights.

The 40-year history of Microsoft Flight Simulator.

You Died of Dysentery: 50 Years of Traveling The Oregon Trail.

Streaming Games to Your TV Actually Started in the '80s.

My first book, an unoffical history of the hit MMORPG EverQuest is coming in 2024. More info soon!