A History of Video Games in 64 Objects

World Video Game Hall of Fame

• Publisher: Dey Street Books
• Year: 2018
• eBook ISBN:
  9780062838704
• Print ISBN:
  9780062838698
• Subtopic: Computer Science General

The evolution of video games, from Pong to first-person shooters, told through the stories of 64 objects essential to the field's creation and development.
Drawing on the World Video Game Hall of Fame's unmatched collection of video game artifacts, this fascinating history offers an expansive look at the development of one of the most popular and influential activities of the modern world: video gaming.
Sixty-four unique objects tell the story of the video game from inception to today. Pithy, in-depth essays and photographs examine each object's significance to video game play—what it has contributed to the history of gaming—as well as the greater culture.
A History of Video Games in 64 Objects explains how the video game has transformed over time. Inside, you'll find a wide range of intriguing topics, including:

• The first edition of Dungeons & Dragons—the ancestor of computer role-playing games
• The Oregon Trail and the development of educational gaming
• The Atari 2600 and the beginning of the console revolution
• A World of Warcraft server blade and massively multiplayer online games
• Minecraft—the backlash against the studio system
• The rise of women in gaming represented by pioneering American video game designers Carol Shaw and Roberta Williams' game development materials
• The prototype Skylanders Portal of Power that spawned the Toys-to-Life video game phenomenon and shook up the marketplace
• And so much more!

A visual panorama of unforgettable anecdotes and factoids,  A History of Video Games in 64 Objects is a treasure trove for gamers and pop culture fans. Let the gaming begin!

Table of contents

• Cover
• End Papers
• Title Page
• Contents
• A Note from the World Video Game Hall of Fame
• Humpty Dumpty (1947)
• Tennis for Two (1958)
• John Burgeson’s Baseball Game (1960)
• Digi-Comp Computer (1963)
• Sumerian Game (1964)
• Ralph Baer’s Brown Box (1967)
• Nintendo Love Tester (1969)
• Computer Space (1971)
• The Oregon Trail (1971)
• “Spacewar: Fanatic Life and Symbolic Death Among the Computer Bums” in Rolling Stone (1972)
• Magnavox Odyssey (1972)
• Magnavox Mini Theater (1972)
• Pong (1972)
• 101 BASIC Computer Games (1973)
• Dungeons & Dragons (1974)
• Home Pong (1975)
• Breakout (1976)
• Fairchild Channel F (1976)
• Death Race (1976)
• Atari Video Computer System (1977)
• Mattel Football (1977)
• Zork (1977)
• Simon (1978)
• Space Invaders (1978)
• Adventureland (1978)
• Speak & Spell (1978)
• Asteroids (1979)
• Ralph Baer’s Light Anti-tank Weapon (1979)
• Pac-Man (1980)
• Missile Command (1980)
• Donkey Kong (1981)
• Utopia (1981)
• River Raid (1982)
• E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
• One-on-One: Dr. J vs. Larry Bird (1983)
• Pinball Construction Set (1983)
• King’s Quest (1984)
• Tetris (1984)
• Nintendo Entertainment System (1985)
• Super Mario Bros. (1985)
• The Legend of Zelda (1986)
• NES Hands Free Controller (1989)
• Prince of Persia (1989)
• John Madden Football (1990)
• Street Fighter II (1991)
• Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
• Mortal Kombat (1992)
• Doom (1993)
• Myst (1993)
• Nintendo Virtual Boy (1995)
• Pokémon (1996)
• The Sims (2000)
• Sony PlayStation 2 (2000)
• Grand Theft Auto III (2001)
• Halo: Combat Evolved (2001)
• Densha de Go! Controller (2002)
• World of Warcraft (2004)
• Wii Remote (2006)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)
• Minecraft (2011)
• Skylanders (2011)
• Nancy Drew: Tomb of the Lost Queen (2012)
• Pokémon Go (2016)
• That Dragon, Cancer (2016)
• Acknowledgments
• Notes
• Sources
• Index
• Copyright
• About the Publisher