It’s quite difficult to piece together the early days of arcade and console gaming. Details are sketchy, records are tough to come by and actual aged assets are more likely to be crammed in a cabinet instead of preciously cared for in a museum.

So in most cases, what you gotta do is rely on word of mouth. You gotta talk to the people who were there. Welp, this thorough Polygon article does just that, grabbing folks who lived through the whirlwind success of Street Fighter II back in the early and mid ’90s.

You’ll recognize several names, discover new ones and see some amazing pieces of art along the way. Great reading, and as someone who experienced SFII’s staggering popularity through arcades, SNES ports and seeing the Van-Damme movie on opening night, this is especially compelling.