Books on video game history?

[billg]

So I was stuck in a Borders the other day, and I had no idea what I wanted to read to pass the time. I soon decided that it would be fun to read a book on the history of videogames. I couldn't find anything like that though, so I was wondering if anyone knew of any books out there like that.

 

[HumanSnatcher]

The First Quarter : A 25-year History of Video Games
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0970475500/ref=cm_lm_fullview_prod_1/104-9879262-9730348?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155

The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokemon--The Story Behind the Craze That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0761536434/ref=cm_lm_fullview_prod_2/104-9879262-9730348?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155

High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, Second Edition
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0072231726/sr=1-1/qid=1153764380/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-9879262-9730348?ie=UTF8&s=books

Video Game Bible, 1985-2002
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1553697316/sr=1-7/qid=1153764380/ref=sr_1_7/104-9879262-9730348?ie=UTF8&s=books

Hopefully that'll get you started

 

[Fanboy]

The best video game historian, though, is probably Leonard Herman and his book Phoenix: The Fall and Rise of Videogames. Problem is, the latest edition (3rd) is sold out, and has been for awhile. Maybe ebay?

Also, on that same site (RolentaPress.com) you'll find books by Ralph Baer (Videogames: In the Beginning) and Bill Kunkel (Confessions of the Game Doctor). If I need to tell you who those two are, you really do need to study your videogame history!

Edit: Gah! Beaten by HumanSnatcher! Oh well, my recommendations stand.

 

[billg]

Thanks!

 

[niceguyshawne]

I enjoyed The Ultimate History of Video Games when I read it a few years ago.

 

[dwhelan]

I would recommend

Dungeon and Dreamers: The Rise of Computer Game Culture from Geek to Chic
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/00...7203-1652620?_encoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155


Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/08...coding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance&n=283155

I really enjoyed both of these, but I tend to focus more on the computer game aspect of the industry.

 

[Puffa469]

I have this kickass coffetable book called 'Supercade: A Visual History of Videogame Age from 1971-1984.

Its this bigass book filled with glossy pics of nearly every early classic videogame. Theres great info in the book as well, but you'd be getting it mostly for the great pics.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0262024926/ref=cm_lm_fullview_prod_11/102-8851835-6640933?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155

 

[whitereflection]

One of my favorites is Game Over: Press Start to Continue, which details the history of Nintendo. Opening the Xbox isn't bad either, and there's also Power Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life by Chris Kohler, who has a great sense of humor, but it's obvious he prefers Japanese games to American ones.

If you like poetry, check out Blue Wizard is About to Die, which is prolly the most unusual book on video games I've ever read.

 

[Cameront9]

I'll give a second recommendation to "Game Over" It's a fascinating book. It also has some details about the Atari crash, and a very detailed section on the Tetris fiasco. Recent copies are updated to the launch of the GameCube (I think...It's been a while).

If you are at all interested in the history of Nintendo, you MUST get this book.

 

[mattstockton12]

I really liked The Ultimate History of Videogames and Game Over. I hear Power Up is good (2004, so fairly recent). Also there is another highly acclaimed title out called Smartbomb that came out in 05, dunno how much of it is history though, might be worth looking into http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/15...8102-2961636?_encoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155