A History of Video Games
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A History of Video Games
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Narrated by:
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Jeremy Parish
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Written by:
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Jeremy Parish
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The Great Courses
About this listen
Since their arrival in the mid-20th century, video games have become a sprawling, multi-billion dollar business. On an annual basis, the industry is even more profitable than Hollywood. Today’s video games feature stunning, lifelike visuals and complex storylines - but they didn’t start out that way.
The origin of video games can be traced back to World War II. In the 10 lectures of A History of Video Games, listeners will follow the development of the digital game from its roots in the war room to its proliferation in the 21st-century living room. Taught by journalist, podcast host, and video game historian Jeremy Parish, this lively course will track the tremendous leaps made in computing technology that allowed games to become increasingly sophisticated and the popular trends that pushed the boundaries of technology forward.
The story of video games is not just about technology. It’s also about popular culture, economics, and globalization. Throughout these lectures, students will learn about the extremely profitable gaming industry, as well as the creative minds and ambitious projects that helped build it - and even encounter a few spectacular failures. Be prepared to:
- Witness the precipitous rise and fall of Atari
- Experience the birth of blockbuster gaming systems like NES and Sega Genesis
- Learn about the evolution of the console, PC, and portable gaming
- Explore the creation of iconic game series, such as Mario Bros., Pac-Man, and Pokémon
From the simple pleasures of Pong to the complex online world of Fortnite, video games have come a long way over the course of seven decades, with no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Listeners will surely reminisce about their own experience with gaming as they learn more about this exciting industry, phenomenon, and pastime.
©2020 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2020 Audible Originals, LLC.What listeners say about A History of Video Games
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Steven G.
- 2022-04-16
a fun yet fast flyover
this book successfully covers the basic history of video games wetting your appetite for more.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Marko Dj
- 2021-03-22
Great, but condensed, look back
I really enjoyed this lecture series on the history of video gaming. The author/narrator does his best to cover most topics but barely glosses over certain genres and platforms, either because of inexperience in those areas or time constraints. Hardcore gaming historians may not find much new here. But for those wanting to learn more, this is an easy recommendation.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Pierre Gauthier
- 2020-12-04
Worthwhile but not Earth-Shattering!
This offering in the Great Courses series consists of 10 audio lectures presenting the development of video games since their inception in the 1960’s. The material is well organized, with the first episodes following a chronological approach and the final ones dealing with specific themes.
Clearly, the author is passionate and knowledgeable. His approach however pertains essentially to technical and business aspects. Artistic matters are not covered in any depth, save to say that games went from 2D to 3D over time. Social elements are not developed (Why do video games appeal largely to a male audience? Do they impact their users’ academic or personal lives? Do they encourage or sublimate violence? etc.). Also, the point of view is essentially that of the US, and, though there are references to Japan and Europe, the international spread of video games is not discussed.
Overall, this series may be considered only a fair introduction to the topic.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Jon Ross
- 2021-08-21
A nice overview of video game history
I picked this up because I saw it was part of Audible Plus (now available in Canada).
I have already read a bunch of other games of video game history, each focusing on a single company or artist over the industry as a whole. As a result we would hit a subject that was a full chapter or two in one of these other books and be finished in three or four minutes. If I didn’t know the rest of the story or the other side of the story in a few cases I think I would have been disappointed. As it was the mentions were largely to place the overall in context.
For free, it’s good. For an overview, more than fine. For a detailed exploration of video game history with new and surprising facts, no. But I dare say most listeners aren’t going to be looking for that here.
I don’t regret listening to it, but I might dig up my history of Sony for the chapter on Sonic the hedgehog.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- S.S.
- 2022-03-28
Wrong format
This title would work better as a video essay on YouTube. It’s hard to get into the subject matter when video games are such a visual medium, and this is purely audio.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Chris Smythe
- 2021-11-07
Shallow and confused
While the title is ambiguous and the subject matter is potentially interesting, this wasn’t a good presentation of it. It’s more of an extremely brief overview of video game history than anything in depth.
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