A History of Video Games in 64 Objects

By: World Video Game Hall of Fame

Narrated by: Ray Chase

Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

Inspired by the groundbreaking A History of the World in 100 Objects, this book draws on the unique collections of The Strong museum in Rochester, New York, to chronicle the evolution of video games, from Pong to first-person shooters, told through the stories of dozens of 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 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 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!

©2018 The Strong (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

great read

great background in video games. I highly suggest it if you're a gamer and want to know about it.

Loved every minute!

A fascinating look at some of the most influential objects that shaped the landscape of the videogame industry then and now. I've read/listened to a few "history of videogames" type books before and I still felt like I learned a lot. Ray does a great job narrating (he's easily become my favorite narrator), and my only complaint is that I wish it were longer.

Inspiring a visit to the Strong Museum

This is a brave and largely successful effort to identify the most influential games that shaped video game history. Although many will contest some of the selections of the games that reflect the history of the medium, this list is largely accurate with only two or three big omissions (Spacewar!, Colossal Cave Adventure and Centipede among them). Some of the explanations of the book’s objects in their attempts to instill the importance of a game are too hyperbolic (many uses of ‘of all time’) or use debunked game history stories such as the shortage of yen coins following Space Invaders launch in Japan. There are some memorable stories about donors relationship with the Strong Museum such as anecdote about the Her interactive Nancy Drew series. Any minor criticisms of these 64 objects and the book’s writing is small in comparison to the the desire to visit the Strong Museum one gets after reading.

Great Book

First I have to say I love The Strong National Museum Of Play. When I heard of this book I knew I had to get it. I enjoyed the book it was an enjoyable listen. I found the object concept to be an interesting way to combine the items you can see at the museum and the history of video games. While at rhe museum you can see the item & get a brief history of that item, this gives the deep dive in to the objects & how the way it relates to other video game items & history.
All said I was upset by a couple minor thing. The Pronunciation of Ralph Baer's name. And Sega was Service Games not System Games before it was Sega. It my seem like nit-picking but little things like that make me question other fact I did know that if the book is correct or not.
Recommend this book to any video game history fan.

not much hete

if you know anything about video games, this is most likely not going to teach you anything new. doesn't delve deep into any of its topics and it's just kind of a general overview of everything it's mentions. very lackluster but love the narrator

This Book Should Have Been So Much Better

Let me start by commenting on the narration. The narration would be excellent in all respects if not for the fact that the narrator reads far too quickly. One would think he was given a time limit to finish the book. He also mangles names, like Baer. Who thinks Ralph Baer's name is pronounced "Burr"? No one at the Strong knows how to pronounce the name of the father of video gaming?

The story, or history, is quite poor. While it is understandable that not every video game could be included, it is inexcusable to omit so many hugely popular and important games. Especially when you consider some of the "video games" that they did include, such as Humpty Dumpty, John Burgeson's Baseball Game, Digi-Comp Computer, Sumerian Game, and Nintendo Love Tester. I'm surprised they didn't include the Magic 8 Ball.

Incredibly, one of the games they did not include in the list of games is a game that is widely accepted as the very first real video game, Spacewar!. Why would they do that? Is this some kind of grudge? Adding insult to injury they included some of the games I mentioned above that weren't even video games. Spacewar! was the basis for the first commercially sold video game in history, Computer Space. Spacewar! IS mentioned in a 1972 article from Rolling Stone that is included in the list of video games for some reason, but this is not how you treat the game that inspired Nolan Bushnell to wait years for the technology to recreate a Spacewar! game and begin the era of video gaming.

Finally, the information for each game is just a snippet. Ironically, at the beginning of the book they tell you about the years of research that went into this book. Really? Apparently, the "years of research" amounted to very little information and ridiculous omissions. It seems like the real priority of this book was a quick cash grab.