A History of Video Games

by Jeremy Parish

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.

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook, History, Video Games, Historical, Gaming, Business

Audiobook

Published April 21, 2020

Reviews

[Carlex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I commented the same about the previous reading in Catalan. A book - an audiobook in this case - that opens up a world of knowledge that until then you knew very little about is, for me, a complete success.  Therefore, it is a work aimed at the uninitiated (unfortunately I missed the world of videogames in my youth) and it is not suitable for those who want to delve into the subject, but it is perfect for what I was looking for.

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kurze Übersicht über die Geschichte der Computerspiele. Es mangelt an Tiefe, aber ich glaube ein tiefer Einblick in die Hintergründe war auch nicht das Konzept dieses Buches.

[Trevor Dailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A History of Video Games is just that, a history. The timelines don't go into too much history, but is a good overview. Jeremy's narration is what you'd like expect from a podcasting expert. If you're a Retronauts fan, this is the audiobook to listen to.

[Christa Schönmann Abbühl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting listen. It was pretty technical, but he looked at the development of video games and gaming from many different angles and talked about all the platforms.

I have mostly played on PC and now on my phone, but know of other platforms of course, and used to go to the Suisse Toy to try out new gadgets. Ah, and I once won an XBox 360!

I have always been fascinated by the story telling potential of PC games (which is not really touched upon in the lectures), and for a while back in the 90ies even subscribed to a game magazine, and installed dozens of trial versions on my poor PC.

While being very enthusiastic about gaming, I was and am the worst at it. I finished very few of the games I started, and always with the help of a walk through. But I still remember the characters I adventured with fondly. And I keep an old PC running off the net to still be able to try one more time to get through Lands of Lore ;-)

The history aspect of the lectures was great, but also weird: is it even history if you can remember most of it??? ;-)

[Gilbert Stack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parish provides a quick, if dry, overview of the development of video games. It will interest anyone who has more than a passing interest in the subject, but I was disappointed that the lectures were not more captivating. I listen to a lot of Great Courses books and this one had a subject matter that I expected to enthrall, yet it never fully captivated my attention.

[Dawie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exactly what the cover and blurp states. If you are are a gamer or interested in the history of gaming this is for you.

[Alex Shrugged · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Great Courses audiobook which goes through the basics of video game history. It is hitting only the highlights which is fine with me. I'll probably listen to this audiobook again.

For a deeper understanding of video games mentioned in this audiobook, I suggest reading...

1. "Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation" -- a history.

2. "Ready Player One" - fictional story with many references and explanations for older video games and their history.

[Ashley (Red-Haired Ash Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4 stars - It was really good

This was an interesting look into the history of video games. I am not a video game person but I did find the history of it very fascinating, especially when some of the very first big names in gaming are still around.

I really enjoyed the chapter about preservation of video game history, especially towards the code data for games. As an archivist, I am glad to see this discussed and know that a lot of this history has already been lost and is still being lost today. I am really curious to see how companies will preserve the history of their games, especially since modern games are constantly being patched and changed but that would be a whole other book.

You can also find my reviews at Red-Haired Ash Reads.

[Gregory Eakins · Rating 3 out of 5]

My own experience with video games started in the mid 90's with the SNES era, but I also had experience with some of the older consoles (such as NES and Atari), as well as most of the newer consoles and many PC games. My knowledge of the industry and the games was pretty scattered. A History of Video Games puts all of these tidbits of knowledge and experience together into a basic timeline of developments.

Parish does not go deep into anything in particular, nor does he do a great job of explaining things for those less knowledgeable on video games. He puts the basic facts down chronologically and does little else.

For those whose lives overlapped the biggest formative period of the video game industry, this is a quick and fairly interesting listen.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good Great Courses intro to video games. Parish does an excellent job narrating, which I expected as he has been a professional podcaster for 15+ years now. He takes an overview to the major shifts and leaps forward in technology, and the companies that released landmark titles that changed what games are and how they are played. I wish the course had been longer - there is A LOT to talk about, and it is fairly well documented due to video games recency - but I can appreciate this for what it is.

Recommended for anyone wanting an overview of video games, fans of Retronauts. If you want more on the cultural impact of video games, there are other books for that.

[Cameron Whitaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another free Audible series. It was just ok. The lecture series started back in the 60s and came up to roughly 2010. He gets pretty technically with certain games, and the specific elements that they were able to bring about, that had never been done before which I enjoyed. But for the most part it was games I had never heard of or played. Maybe Im just too young for this? Also, it got repetitive in certain parts. He gave a pretty complete backstory for Doom about 4 times, and it got a little annoying at times.

[Chad Schultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting work, although extremely short. Much of it mentioned the technologies and games I grew up with, but it also went deeper into some history I was not aware of. It's interesting to see the different forces at work over the decades that shaped the modern world of video games. I enjoyed listening to this.

[Benas Aukštikalnis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found it to be a very easy book to listen to. The title summarizes the book nicely - you learn how games were invented, how they evolved, various business models, types of games, and platforms.

Not too long, not too short. I wished for more coverage of 2000-2020, but other than that, it's a very nice book!

[bimri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Games have been pivotal in the advancement of chips design for accelerated computing. Coming here to understand its history is a tip of the hat to this field, which is quite intriguing. This account it well documented to get a high-level analysis of the development. Looking forward to understanding its technologies further.

[Jaq Greenspon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very basic, kind of moment-by-moment history of video games, exactly what it's advertised as. However, there's nothing else to it. While interesting there's no exploration of anything deeper. It also gets repetitive towards the end, as topics overlap.

[Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nicely done audio of the history of videogames. Missing a lot of detail but that's to be expected as this was written as a learning tool not a complete history. Well written and clearly narrated. I really enjoyed listening to it.

[Gabe Hawkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another random Audible listen I knocked out over the past couple of months. This is pretty average. A couple interesting tidbits here and there, but it hardly feels comprehensive. Not bad for a free audiobook though, especially if you’re into video games.

[Bett Correa-Bollhoefer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it and learned a few things.

[Cristóbal Sepúlveda Cobo · Rating 2 out of 5]

5/10

[Noah Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, but surface-level

[Joe Pollhein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dry, but a great summary of the industry's progress since its inception.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent information. Unfortunately, the "professor" sounds extremely stiff and stilted.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short walk down memory lane. It is not an exhaustive history but it is a great starting point for the topic. I enjoyed it because it was short and concise.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good brief history.

[Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent and loads of cool info.

The narrator who is/was also the author was a bit dry - I would have thought he would have been more pumped up to read his own material for the lectures!?

[Brian Baughman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spent too much time on the early origins, but I don't know a thing about gaming systems so I learned about how PlayStation overtook Nintendo after a failed joint gaming system attempt.

[Maetco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good basic summary of the history of video games. Nothing flashy, no humor, no interpretations.

[Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice, short but brilliant quick listen for a history of video games. There's others out there that go into alot more detail but this is a perfect introduction for newcomers.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 out of 5 Stars

[Regina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Video games have a much greater history than I realized.