The ultimate history of video games:

from Pong to Pokémon and beyond : the story behind the craze that touched our lives and changed the world

Prima, 2001 - Games - 608 pages

Inside the Games You Grew Up with but Never Forgot
With all the whiz, bang, pop, and shimmer of a glowing arcade. The Ultimate History of Video Games reveals everything you ever wanted to know and more about the unforgettable games that changed the world, the visionaries who made them, and the fanatics who played them. From the arcade to television and from the PC to the handheld device, video games have entraced kids at heart for nearly 30 years. And author and gaming historian Steven L. Kent has been there to record the craze from the very beginning.
This engrossing book tells the incredible tale of how this backroom novelty transformed into a cultural phenomenon. Through meticulous research and personal interviews with hundreds of industry luminaries, you'll read firsthand accounts of how yesterday's games like Space Invaders, Centipede, and Pac-Man helped create an arcade culture that defined a generation, and how today's empires like Sony, Nintendo, and Electronic Arts have galvanized a multibillion-dollar industry and a new generation of games. Inside, you'll discover:
·The video game that saved Nintendo from bankruptcy
·The serendipitous story of Pac-Man's design
·The misstep that helped topple Atari's $2 billion-a-year empire
·The coin shortage caused by Space Invaders
·The fascinating reasons behind the rise, fall, and rebirth of Sega
·And much more!
Entertaining, addictive, and as mesmerizing as the games it chronicles, this book is a must-have for anyone who's ever touched a joystick.

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Just about wrapping up my read of The Ultimate History of Video Games by Steven L. Kent. Kent traces the history of video games from the early versions of pinball that made the novelty circuit back in the day to the latest consoles of today.
It was extremely interesting reading about the early days of computer gaming, from open source code sharing with Spacewar, which was developed at MIT, to the creation of arcade coin-op gaming post pinball and the rise (and fall) of Atari. The book delves into the histories of the greats, from SEGA to Nintendo, Bally and Williams, and even goes into a bit about the C64, which revolutionized gaming as we know it. Unfortunately, I think the only reason why the C64 was mentioned was because the guy that founded that company eventually bought Atari. Little was mentioned about PC gaming. Infocom... ignored. Origin... almost ignored... Myst and Doom had some highlights, but not much.
That's not to say it wasn't a good read. It was. The use of quotes throughout the book were great and enlightening. I learned a ton. But Kent seems more interested in telling Nintendo's story, and the fact that he pretty much ignored PC gaming only scores this book a 7 on my scale. Ultimate it is not. A shame, too.

Review: The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokemon - The Story Behind the Craze That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World

User Review - Gagan Gupta - Goodreads

Absolutely loved the immense research that was put into writing the book. But towards the end, the author seems to skimp out on the new(er) consoles. Way too much attention was given to Nolan Bushnell and Atari, but it never got boring. Highly recommended to gamers. Read full review

All 63 reviews »

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The World Before Pong	1

Forgotten Fathers	15

Father of the Industry	27

Copyright

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Alcorn arcade games asked became began Bushnell's cartridges chip coin-op coin-operated Coleco ColecoVision color Commodore consumer created Dave decided developed Donkey Kong Dreamcast Electronic Arts engineers Entertainment executives Famicom Fighter Fischbach former Game Boy game called game company game console game designer game system Genesis going graphics hardware Hochberg Howard Lincoln Ibid Intellivision Japan Japanese Kalinske Katz Konami later launch licensing looked machines Magnavox manufacturing Mattel Midway million Minoru Arakawa Miyamoto movie Namco named Nintendo of America Nolan Bushnell Pac-Man pinball play players PlayStation Pong programmers Ralph Baer Ray Kassar released retailers Rosen Saturn screen Sega Enterprises Sega of America Sega's sell shipped sold Sony Space Invaders started Steve Super Mario Bros television thing took Tramiel Trip Hawkins United vice president video game industry video-game wanted Warner Yamauchi Zito

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References from web pages

Sad Sam's Palace - The Ultimate History of Video Games
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gamespot Forums - The Historians of Gaming United Union Board ...
Video Games - gamespot is the world's largest source for PC, playstation 2, Xbox, gamecube, PSP, DS, Wii, GBA, PS2, PS3, playstation 3, and Xbox 360 video ...
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The Ultimate History of Video Games - $17.49 : gameroom Magazine ...
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retroblast! - The Ultimate History of Video Games by Steve L. Kent
retroblast! is a site dedicated to helping you get the most from your home game room. From vintage coin-op games to modern gaming, retroblast! is your ...
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JAHTARI Magazine
previously in BOOKS:. The Ultimate History Of Video Games. Recommended stories:. The History Of Reggae Music · 8_BIT Odyssey · The Secreet Of Interactive ...
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Vidgame.net: Works Cited
Works Cited. All logo have all been aquired through scans of the systems and manuels and via the internet. Internet logos have been properly cited and ...
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About the author (2001)

Steven L. Kent, a lifelong a gamer since the debut of Pong, writes weekly columns about electronic entertainment for the Los Angeles Times syndicate, MSNBC, and the Japan Times. His articles have appeared in USA Today, Rolling Stone, Replay, Wired, Next Generation, and numerous other publications. Mr. Kent has also appeared on CNN, the CBS Morning Show, and the NBC Nightly News. He lives with his wife and two children in Bothell, Washington.

Bibliographic information

QR code for The ultimate history of video games

Title	The ultimate history of video games: from Pong to Pokémon and beyond : the story behind the craze that touched our lives and changed the world
Author	Steve L. Kent
Edition	illustrated, reprint
Publisher	Prima, 2001
ISBN	0761536434, 9780761536437
Length	608 pages
Subjects	Games › Reference Electronic games Games / Reference Games / Video & Electronic Jeux vidéo Jeux électroniques Reference / Almanacs Social Science / Popular Culture Video games Video games - History Video games/ History

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