The Ultimate History of Video Games

by KENT, STEVEN L.

• ISBN13: 9780761536437
• ISBN10: 0761536434
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2001-10-02
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press

Summary

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 Gamesreveals 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 likeSpace Invaders, Centipede,andPac-Manhelped 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 bySpace 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.

Author Biography

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

Table of Contents

Foreword	vii
Peter Molyneux
Acknowledgments	viii
Timeline	xi
The World Before Pong	1	(14)
Forgotten Fathers	15	(12)
Father of the Industry	27	(10)
And Then There Was Pong	37	(12)
The King and Court	49	(10)
The Jackals	59	(20)
``Could You Repeat That Two More Times?''	79	(14)
Strange Bedfellows	93	(22)
The Return of Bushnell	115	(8)
The Golden Age (Part 1: 1979-1980)	123	(28)
The Golden Age (Part 2: 1981-1983)	151	(28)
The Battle for the Home	179	(20)
A Case of Two Gorillas	199	(20)
The Fall	219	(22)
The Aftermath	241	(18)
Album Covers	259	(18)
We Tried to Keep from laughing	277	(18)
The Seeds of Competition	295	(36)
The Birth of Sega	331	(14)
The New Empire	345	(22)
The Legal Game	367	(30)
The Year of Hardware	397	(24)
Run for the Money	421	(18)
The War	439	(22)
Moral Kombat	461	(20)
The ``Next'' Generation (Part 1)	481	(18)
The ``Next'' Generation (Part 2)	499	(28)
The Mainstream and All Its Perils	527	(30)
And the Cycle Continues	557	(16)
Three Horses and a Pony	573	(19)
Source Notes	592	(5)
Index	597