The Electrifying, Action-Packed, Unusual History of Video Games

The Electrifying, Action-Packed, Unusual History of Video Games (Unusual Histories Series)

Thomas James Maltman

$31.32, Hardcover

Capstone, 2010

978-1429647922

January 13^th, 2012

Genre: Nonfiction

Age: 9+

Description: A short history of the emergence of video games.

Opinion: Chapter 1 discusses the beginning of consoles and the first video games, arcade fever, the Magnavox Odyssey (the first at-home system), and famous arcade games (such as Space Invaders and Pac-Man). Chapter 2 focuses on how home consoles got their start with Atari. It also discusses the evolution of computer graphics which made video games better and better and the creation of “Easter Eggs”. Chapter 3 talks about the war in popularity among different brands in the mid-1980s and how Nintendo NES filled the void and brought games back from the brink of extinction. It talks about the importance of the Gameboy—the first handheld console. Chapter 4 touches on the controversy of video games and violence. Chapter 5 discusses the current state of competition among the Wii, PS3, and Xbox. Chapter 6 looks at the future and discusses Internet gaming. The back of the book has a glossary with pronunciations and definitions along with a further reading list and a link to Facthound.com for more Internet sites. It also includes an index. Interesting Fact: The creator of Atari went on to create the Chuck E. Cheese franchise!