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The Ultimate History of Video Games
The Ultimate History of Video Games, Volume 2: Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, and the Billion-Dollar Battle to Shape Modern Gaming
A gripping behind-the-scenes history of video games in the twenty-first century
If there is one thing that defines the video game industry, it is survival of the fittest. It's a business where no one can confidently say what people will be buying and playing even a year from now. And as gaming has grown to a $160 billion market, the cost of that uncertainty has never been higher.
Steven L. Kent has been playing video games since Pong and writing about the industry since the Nintendo Entertainment System. In his last book, he used his encyclopedic knowledge and unparalleled access to game designers and executives to tell the story of the industry's first thirty years. Now he chronicles gaming's second century, as Nintendo, Sega, Sony, and Microsoft wage a life-or-death battle to capture the global market.
The home console boom of the 90s turned hobby companies like Nintendo and Sega into Hollywood-studio-sized business titans. But by the end of the decade, the machines that had made their fortunes were aging or obsolete. In boardrooms on both sides of the Pacific, engineers and executives began, with enormous budgets and total secrecy, to plan the next evolution of home consoles. The PlayStation 2, Nintendo Gamecube, and Sega Dreamcast all made radically different bets on what gamers would want. And then, to the shock of world, Bill Gates announced the development of one console, the Xbox, to beat them all--even if Microsoft had to burn a few billion dollars to do it.
With unparalleled reporting and gripping storytelling, The Ultimate History of Video Games, Volume 2 explores the origins of modern consoles and of the franchises--from Grand Theft Auto and Halo to Call of Duty and Guitar Hero--that would define gaming in the twenty-first century.
If there is one thing that defines the video game industry, it is survival of the fittest. It's a business where no one can confidently say what people will be buying and playing even a year from now. And as gaming has grown to a $160 billion market, the cost of that uncertainty has never been higher.
Steven L. Kent has been playing video games since Pong and writing about the industry since the Nintendo Entertainment System. In his last book, he used his encyclopedic knowledge and unparalleled access to game designers and executives to tell the story of the industry's first thirty years. Now he chronicles gaming's second century, as Nintendo, Sega, Sony, and Microsoft wage a life-or-death battle to capture the global market.
The home console boom of the 90s turned hobby companies like Nintendo and Sega into Hollywood-studio-sized business titans. But by the end of the decade, the machines that had made their fortunes were aging or obsolete. In boardrooms on both sides of the Pacific, engineers and executives began, with enormous budgets and total secrecy, to plan the next evolution of home consoles. The PlayStation 2, Nintendo Gamecube, and Sega Dreamcast all made radically different bets on what gamers would want. And then, to the shock of world, Bill Gates announced the development of one console, the Xbox, to beat them all--even if Microsoft had to burn a few billion dollars to do it.
With unparalleled reporting and gripping storytelling, The Ultimate History of Video Games, Volume 2 explores the origins of modern consoles and of the franchises--from Grand Theft Auto and Halo to Call of Duty and Guitar Hero--that would define gaming in the twenty-first century.
20 pages, Audible Audio
First published August 24, 2021
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About the author
Steven L. Kent
36 books242 followersSteven L. Kent is the author of the Rogue Clone series of Military Science Fiction novels as well as The Ultimate History of Video Games.
Born in California and raised in Hawaii, Kent served as a missionary for the LDS Church between the years of 1979 and 1981. During that time, he worked as a Spanish-speaking missionary serving migrant farm workers in southern Idaho.
While Kent has a Bachelor’s degree in journalism and a Master’s degree in communications from Brigham Young University, he claims that his most important education came from life.
He learned important lessons from working with farm laborers in Idaho. Later, from 1986 through 1988, Kent worked as a telemarketer selling TV Guide and Inc. Magazine. His years on the phone helped him develop an ear for dialog.
In 1987, Kent reviewed the Stephen King novels Misery and The Eyes of the Dragon for the Seattle Times. A diehard Stephen King fan, Kent later admitted that he pitched the reviews to the Times so that he could afford to buy the books.
In 1993, upon returning to Seattle after a five-year absence, Kent pitched a review of “virtual haunted houses” for the Halloween issue of the Seattle Times. He reviewed the games The Seventh Guest, Alone in the Dark, and Legacy. Not only did this review land Kent three free PC games, it started him on a new career path.
By the middle of 1994, when Kent found himself laid off from his job at a PR agency, he became a full-time freelance journalist. He wrote monthly pieces for the Seattle Times along with regular features and reviews for Electronic Games, CDRom Today, ComputerLife, and NautilusCD. In later years, he would write for American Heritage, Parade, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune and many other publications. He wrote regular columns for MSNBC, Next Generation, the Japan Times, and the Los Angeles Times Syndicate.
In 2000, Kent self-published The First Quarter: A 25-year History of Video Games. That book was later purchased and re-published as The Ultimate History of Video Games by the Prima, Three River Press, and Crown divisions of Random House.
During his career as a games journalist, Kent wrote the entries on video games for Encarta and the Encyclopedia Americana. At the invitation of Senator Joseph Lieberman, Kent has spoken at the annual Report Card on Video Game Violence in Washington D.C.
Born in California and raised in Hawaii, Kent served as a missionary for the LDS Church between the years of 1979 and 1981. During that time, he worked as a Spanish-speaking missionary serving migrant farm workers in southern Idaho.
While Kent has a Bachelor’s degree in journalism and a Master’s degree in communications from Brigham Young University, he claims that his most important education came from life.
He learned important lessons from working with farm laborers in Idaho. Later, from 1986 through 1988, Kent worked as a telemarketer selling TV Guide and Inc. Magazine. His years on the phone helped him develop an ear for dialog.
In 1987, Kent reviewed the Stephen King novels Misery and The Eyes of the Dragon for the Seattle Times. A diehard Stephen King fan, Kent later admitted that he pitched the reviews to the Times so that he could afford to buy the books.
In 1993, upon returning to Seattle after a five-year absence, Kent pitched a review of “virtual haunted houses” for the Halloween issue of the Seattle Times. He reviewed the games The Seventh Guest, Alone in the Dark, and Legacy. Not only did this review land Kent three free PC games, it started him on a new career path.
By the middle of 1994, when Kent found himself laid off from his job at a PR agency, he became a full-time freelance journalist. He wrote monthly pieces for the Seattle Times along with regular features and reviews for Electronic Games, CDRom Today, ComputerLife, and NautilusCD. In later years, he would write for American Heritage, Parade, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune and many other publications. He wrote regular columns for MSNBC, Next Generation, the Japan Times, and the Los Angeles Times Syndicate.
In 2000, Kent self-published The First Quarter: A 25-year History of Video Games. That book was later purchased and re-published as The Ultimate History of Video Games by the Prima, Three River Press, and Crown divisions of Random House.
During his career as a games journalist, Kent wrote the entries on video games for Encarta and the Encyclopedia Americana. At the invitation of Senator Joseph Lieberman, Kent has spoken at the annual Report Card on Video Game Violence in Washington D.C.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
June 12, 2025
I was so hoping this book would be as informative and lively as the first book, but it definitely falls short.
While published in 2021, it only covers history up until around 2010-2012 ish. Then is followed by a chapter on videogames as art and movies, which does mention new games like Marvel's Spiderman. It is incredibly confusing given the publication date as a true disservice to fail to cover anything about the Gamergate harassment campaign. The text also seemed to meander quite a bit, not as out of order as the last book but also making callbacks that felt overly long.
Additionally, there was a clear imbalance of detail in the levels of stories being told by the three powerhouses of this era. Microsoft Xbox gets multiple incredibly detailed chapters with every iteration of consoles, with lots of asides and small stories peppered in. But Playstation and Nintendo are given no where near the same treatment (I wish they were).
It can, as let to me, be see that Kent bears great distain for Nintendo given the language used to discuss its achievements. It seems the "gamer" perception of Nintendo making not real games, toys not games, is something he also holds true. This view is toxic and tied to the marketing shift in the 90s by Sega and PlayStation he wrote about where they implied that games for children were toys and not cool, playing on boys fear of ostracism. So what? Games for children can be amazing and beautiful. So what if the DS looked like a toy? It was entertaining as it should be for an industry that falls within "amusement" as a category.
Overall, this book ended up being a pale comparison to it forebear, but I fear given the lack of newer comprehensive histories on games, this might be the best we got at the moment.
While published in 2021, it only covers history up until around 2010-2012 ish. Then is followed by a chapter on videogames as art and movies, which does mention new games like Marvel's Spiderman. It is incredibly confusing given the publication date as a true disservice to fail to cover anything about the Gamergate harassment campaign. The text also seemed to meander quite a bit, not as out of order as the last book but also making callbacks that felt overly long.
Additionally, there was a clear imbalance of detail in the levels of stories being told by the three powerhouses of this era. Microsoft Xbox gets multiple incredibly detailed chapters with every iteration of consoles, with lots of asides and small stories peppered in. But Playstation and Nintendo are given no where near the same treatment (I wish they were).
It can, as let to me, be see that Kent bears great distain for Nintendo given the language used to discuss its achievements. It seems the "gamer" perception of Nintendo making not real games, toys not games, is something he also holds true. This view is toxic and tied to the marketing shift in the 90s by Sega and PlayStation he wrote about where they implied that games for children were toys and not cool, playing on boys fear of ostracism. So what? Games for children can be amazing and beautiful. So what if the DS looked like a toy? It was entertaining as it should be for an industry that falls within "amusement" as a category.
Overall, this book ended up being a pale comparison to it forebear, but I fear given the lack of newer comprehensive histories on games, this might be the best we got at the moment.
May 20, 2022
It wasn’t bad. Not nearly as in depth nor as long as you’d think an “ultimate history” would be with a lot of major moments left out about negative aspects of the gaming industry and portions of its fan base. There were some interesting moments concerning some major events of the last 20 years, but I was left disappointed and wanting more by the end.
June 13, 2023
Like many video game sequels, this didn't live up to the hype of the first iteration. The Ultimate History of Video Games, Volume 2 was good; not great. I was expecting a rich history of video games from 2000 to the present that explained the behind-the-scenes of gaming. Kent's book delivers some of that, but everything after the Xbox 360, PS3, and Nintendo Wii is inexplicably missing. Instead, Kent changes disjointedly changes topics and discusses the cultural impact of gaming. Don't get me wrong, I think it's important to recognize. But I would have preferred it alongside the history instead of tacked on at the end.
This is my main complaint: Kent frequently broke away from his chronological gaming history to discuss tangentially-related items. Sometimes it was well done, but often it was not. He frequently snapped his ongoing narrative to remind the reader of some plot line from the first volume. These digressions were annoying for a reader who had already read Volume One. They may not be as irritating for someone picking up Volume Two as their first entry.
The history of video games was well done but lacked any history newer than PS3/Xbox 360. For a book published in 2021, I expected more information regarding PS4/Xbox One and PS5/Xbox Series X. The Nintendo Wii U and Switch consoles were not even mentioned once. I appreciated the deep dives on PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo up to 2012, though. The chapters covering the rise of Xbox and the development of PlayStation 3 were absolutely riveting. Same with the section on Nintendo Wii. I had not realized just how popular the Wii was. It went from being a contender for 2nd/3rd place in the race to the clear, uncatchable frontrunner. What a fantastic example of thinking outside the box (literally).
If you're interested in console gaming, Volume Two is worth picking up despite its flaws. It could have been a great book, but it is still a good book.
This is my main complaint: Kent frequently broke away from his chronological gaming history to discuss tangentially-related items. Sometimes it was well done, but often it was not. He frequently snapped his ongoing narrative to remind the reader of some plot line from the first volume. These digressions were annoying for a reader who had already read Volume One. They may not be as irritating for someone picking up Volume Two as their first entry.
The history of video games was well done but lacked any history newer than PS3/Xbox 360. For a book published in 2021, I expected more information regarding PS4/Xbox One and PS5/Xbox Series X. The Nintendo Wii U and Switch consoles were not even mentioned once. I appreciated the deep dives on PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo up to 2012, though. The chapters covering the rise of Xbox and the development of PlayStation 3 were absolutely riveting. Same with the section on Nintendo Wii. I had not realized just how popular the Wii was. It went from being a contender for 2nd/3rd place in the race to the clear, uncatchable frontrunner. What a fantastic example of thinking outside the box (literally).
If you're interested in console gaming, Volume Two is worth picking up despite its flaws. It could have been a great book, but it is still a good book.
October 29, 2022
It picks up from the place where it left off earlier and details the generation from 6 and 7. Although, it focusses more on the console aspect of the video games and not much on the game developers point of view (except for the 2nd last chapter). However, this is a much more complete narrative than the previous edition and most of it I've lived over my childhood. I'd definitely suggest this to all non gamers.
February 13, 2023
3.5 stars.
Much like it's predecessor it largely ignores PC games in favor of console gaming. It has a single mention of Valve and Steam, despite how integral that has become to modern PC gaming. Blizzard gets more coverage than it did in the first book, but it's mostly in the context of the rise of Activision.
It is still a solid book on the last few generations of console games. However it's far from "ultimate".
Much like it's predecessor it largely ignores PC games in favor of console gaming. It has a single mention of Valve and Steam, despite how integral that has become to modern PC gaming. Blizzard gets more coverage than it did in the first book, but it's mostly in the context of the rise of Activision.
It is still a solid book on the last few generations of console games. However it's far from "ultimate".
September 15, 2023
Finally, a history book I can use to get my students reading! Video games and sneakers are the way to Gen A's heart.
This was really comprehensive and interesting, even for the non-diehard. I'd love to see more from this author, including going back to look at volume 1, which is much more my era!
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
This was really comprehensive and interesting, even for the non-diehard. I'd love to see more from this author, including going back to look at volume 1, which is much more my era!
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
May 12, 2023
I read the first volume, The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokemon - The Story Behind the Craze That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World over a decade ago. That book covered the golden age of video games for me: the years of Atari, NES, SNES, N64, and PlayStation. As the author says, that volume "barely knows anything about PlayStation 2." This new volume provides an update to that "ultimate history", from PlayStation 2 and Xbox and Game Cube through PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and Wii. There are mentions of later console generation (PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Switch) but this volume comes to a pretty hard stop with the success of the Wii.
So, while volume two covers much less time and fewer consoles, it feels like it has less to say and offer. Maybe it's because I lived through these console generations and was reading about them in real time that this part of the history doesn't grab me as much. In fact, the part I found most intriguing was the section on PlayStation 3, since by that point I had dropped Nintendo and converted to Xbox. So I never experienced the PS3 or knew why it failed (at least relative to its generational cohort).
Because the chapters are broken down by company and console, there's a lot of confusion over timing. Events that took place at the same point in time get spread across chapters, leaving the reader to link the sequence of events. It would be a bit like a history book being divided into chapters covering just each religion rather than progressing through time and showing how those religions interacted and influenced each other.
That isn't to say there's none of that. Each company was keenly aware of and reacting to the other companies. But even that felt more like a business book than a history book. And it's not a huge insight to realize being first to market with your console leads to a huge lead in that generation. It's also not a huge insight that Nintendo long ago stopped carrying about competing for the most powerful console and focused on its uniqueness.
The last two chapters feel almost tacked on. One is about the concurrent histories of Electronic Arts and Activision. I kept waiting for some other shoe to drop, or to at least reach the nadir of Bobby Kotick's journey. But, alas, it feels like these two companies were picked simply because they were the biggest and most hated. Meanwhile, the final chapter dwells on the relationship between movies and video games. This is a downer of a chapter to end on. The history of licensed games is not good, nor is the history of movies based on video games (although I will fight you that Mortal Kombat is actually a good movie, partially because it just ripped off Enter the Dragon but so did the game). And to cap off the entire book, it ends with a history of Uwe Boll's infamous run of video game movies. Why the author decided this was the way to end this volume is beyond me.
While the book covers only two console generations, it spends so much time about the consoles and companies that there's barely any time for the actual video games. And then the examples chosen to highlight aren't always the highlights one would expect. There is a relatively deep dive into Grand Theft Auto, but that's about all I can remember. Oh, unless you count the pages devoted the Spider-Man game on PS3, which was a big game at the time but I don't think gets brought up in many discussions of classic games (although, like I said, I wasn't on PS3). There's some discussion of Halo, but more about how it was used to sell Xbox consoles. Gears of War is mentioned only for the same purpose. I feel like this volume is more a history of video game consoles than video games.
Maybe the first volume had similar issues and my rose tinted glasses has made me gloss over them. But even then, I personally knew much less about the development of those video game consoles, so it would be more interesting to me. So, I imagine a person who did not live through these consoles and games would find this volume more interesting. I personally look forward to volume 3, which should cover the generation I skipped entirely (PS4, Xbox One, and Wii U).
So, while volume two covers much less time and fewer consoles, it feels like it has less to say and offer. Maybe it's because I lived through these console generations and was reading about them in real time that this part of the history doesn't grab me as much. In fact, the part I found most intriguing was the section on PlayStation 3, since by that point I had dropped Nintendo and converted to Xbox. So I never experienced the PS3 or knew why it failed (at least relative to its generational cohort).
Because the chapters are broken down by company and console, there's a lot of confusion over timing. Events that took place at the same point in time get spread across chapters, leaving the reader to link the sequence of events. It would be a bit like a history book being divided into chapters covering just each religion rather than progressing through time and showing how those religions interacted and influenced each other.
That isn't to say there's none of that. Each company was keenly aware of and reacting to the other companies. But even that felt more like a business book than a history book. And it's not a huge insight to realize being first to market with your console leads to a huge lead in that generation. It's also not a huge insight that Nintendo long ago stopped carrying about competing for the most powerful console and focused on its uniqueness.
The last two chapters feel almost tacked on. One is about the concurrent histories of Electronic Arts and Activision. I kept waiting for some other shoe to drop, or to at least reach the nadir of Bobby Kotick's journey. But, alas, it feels like these two companies were picked simply because they were the biggest and most hated. Meanwhile, the final chapter dwells on the relationship between movies and video games. This is a downer of a chapter to end on. The history of licensed games is not good, nor is the history of movies based on video games (although I will fight you that Mortal Kombat is actually a good movie, partially because it just ripped off Enter the Dragon but so did the game). And to cap off the entire book, it ends with a history of Uwe Boll's infamous run of video game movies. Why the author decided this was the way to end this volume is beyond me.
While the book covers only two console generations, it spends so much time about the consoles and companies that there's barely any time for the actual video games. And then the examples chosen to highlight aren't always the highlights one would expect. There is a relatively deep dive into Grand Theft Auto, but that's about all I can remember. Oh, unless you count the pages devoted the Spider-Man game on PS3, which was a big game at the time but I don't think gets brought up in many discussions of classic games (although, like I said, I wasn't on PS3). There's some discussion of Halo, but more about how it was used to sell Xbox consoles. Gears of War is mentioned only for the same purpose. I feel like this volume is more a history of video game consoles than video games.
Maybe the first volume had similar issues and my rose tinted glasses has made me gloss over them. But even then, I personally knew much less about the development of those video game consoles, so it would be more interesting to me. So, I imagine a person who did not live through these consoles and games would find this volume more interesting. I personally look forward to volume 3, which should cover the generation I skipped entirely (PS4, Xbox One, and Wii U).
November 10, 2024
A great overview of the PS2 era upto PS3/Xbox 360 era. Feels a it odd it ending there though and doesn't go up to the start of PS4 with all its drama.
Like others said it weirdly switches about two thirds through to cultural impacts of games in these eras which leaves it feeling really disjointed and ends on abit of a low note on the topic of games Vs art. Not really a history piece by that point and really seems like padding.
Like others said it weirdly switches about two thirds through to cultural impacts of games in these eras which leaves it feeling really disjointed and ends on abit of a low note on the topic of games Vs art. Not really a history piece by that point and really seems like padding.
July 14, 2021
Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
The Ultimate History of Video Games Vol. 2 is the companion to the first volume of Steven L. Kent's exhaustive retrospective look at electronic gaming. Due out 24th Aug 2021 from Penguin Random House on their Crown imprint, it's 592 (!) pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately; it makes it so easy to find information with the search function.
I have been playing computer games (literally) since Pong was big. I spent hundreds of hours playing Zork and Rogue and to tell the truth, I haven't slowed down much in my middle age. I eventually (via MUDs MUCKs and MOOs) settled on MMORPGs and have spent the last 20 years mostly in NWN, Everquest, and, today, in World of Warcraft. This entire book was such a blast to read and flip through. It's -exhaustively- researched and annotated. It's full of minutiae and trivia (in a good way). There were stories and anecdotes by the truckload.
The author's style of writing is easy to read and not at all dry or boring. He renders the information in an accessible way without being preachy or overly academic. The chapter notes will provide eager readers a wealth of sources for further reading and research. Interactive footnotes provide context and background without interrupting the narrative flow.
Five stars. This is a master-work and worthy of a place in the gamer's home library (along with the first volume). It would be a superlative selection for school or public library acquisition as well.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
The Ultimate History of Video Games Vol. 2 is the companion to the first volume of Steven L. Kent's exhaustive retrospective look at electronic gaming. Due out 24th Aug 2021 from Penguin Random House on their Crown imprint, it's 592 (!) pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately; it makes it so easy to find information with the search function.
I have been playing computer games (literally) since Pong was big. I spent hundreds of hours playing Zork and Rogue and to tell the truth, I haven't slowed down much in my middle age. I eventually (via MUDs MUCKs and MOOs) settled on MMORPGs and have spent the last 20 years mostly in NWN, Everquest, and, today, in World of Warcraft. This entire book was such a blast to read and flip through. It's -exhaustively- researched and annotated. It's full of minutiae and trivia (in a good way). There were stories and anecdotes by the truckload.
The author's style of writing is easy to read and not at all dry or boring. He renders the information in an accessible way without being preachy or overly academic. The chapter notes will provide eager readers a wealth of sources for further reading and research. Interactive footnotes provide context and background without interrupting the narrative flow.
Five stars. This is a master-work and worthy of a place in the gamer's home library (along with the first volume). It would be a superlative selection for school or public library acquisition as well.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
September 8, 2022
I found the first volume in the series much more enjoyable. Volume 1 ended with the advent often generation game consoles and covered history up to that point. Volume 2 revisited much of the history covered in the earlier book, maybe in more depth or maybe with new details, but that type of content would be better served in an expanded second edition than in a volume 2.
Volume 2 did not cover a significant time span compared to volume 1. It started, mostly, with 5th generation consoles and ended with 7th generation consoles. Based on the publication date, I would have expected coverage of 8th generation consoles, definitely coverage of handhelds released between the 7th and 8th generation consoles and possibly some preview or early coverage of 9th generation consoles.
Beyond the material covered, in this volume time lines of history were significantly challenging to follow with many jumps back and forth in time, even during the same story, requiring me to pay close attention to any date quoted, as I could not trust that information was being presented semi-chronologically. There last two chapters also departed from chronological coverage to cover two adjacent topics, which broke the overall feel of the book for me.
Volume 2 did not cover a significant time span compared to volume 1. It started, mostly, with 5th generation consoles and ended with 7th generation consoles. Based on the publication date, I would have expected coverage of 8th generation consoles, definitely coverage of handhelds released between the 7th and 8th generation consoles and possibly some preview or early coverage of 9th generation consoles.
Beyond the material covered, in this volume time lines of history were significantly challenging to follow with many jumps back and forth in time, even during the same story, requiring me to pay close attention to any date quoted, as I could not trust that information was being presented semi-chronologically. There last two chapters also departed from chronological coverage to cover two adjacent topics, which broke the overall feel of the book for me.
January 29, 2024
Overall I was a big fan. Great tidbits of fascinating perspectives on the industry from a time when I was too young to care about business. Picks up nicely from volume 1 and does a great job covering the console giants: Sega, Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, etc... with occasional sprinkles of smaller studios. The biggest complaint I had is that it's called the "Ultimate" History of video games, and though there could be more volumes to cover more aspects on the industry as a whole, this volume misses the massive impact of PC gaming. It barely scratches that industry at all, and doesn't reflect too much on its impact on the console industry. I don't even think it mentioned the words "Steam" or "Valve". And it feels like this should have been the volume to attempt to make that connection because of the timeline it follows. I would have preferred they cover a smaller chunk of history and go more in depth into PC then to cover this large span of time and not mention it. Could be misleading to people who don't realize that connection. But overall it was still very good.
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February 26, 2025Guardate la copertina. Voi vedete dei videogame? Io no, vedo delle console: e infatti questo non è un libro sulla storia dei videogame, ma un libro sulla storia dell'industria delle console da videogame. Capitolo su capitolo, vengono descritte le strategie dei manager di Sony, Microsoft e Nintendo, i problemi, i colpi di scena, le presentazioni all'E3, i successi e i fallimenti. Non fraitendetemi, il tutto è reso in modo incredibilmente appassionante: se c'è una cosa che l'autore sa fare è trasformare in epica quelle che quasi sempre sono solo questioni di soldi, e la lettura è proprio piacevole.
Ai giochi è dedicato giusto un capitolo verso la fine, anche questo focalizzato sull'industria (in generale, sulla degenerazione malvagia di EA e Activision), anche più corto del capitolo finale dedicato al rapporto tra film e videogame (in entrambi i versi: giochi tratti da film e film tratti da giochi). Il fatto che si parli molto di più dell'urendo film di Final Fantasy rispetto a qualunque iterazione del gioco Final Fantasy la dice lunga.
Ai giochi è dedicato giusto un capitolo verso la fine, anche questo focalizzato sull'industria (in generale, sulla degenerazione malvagia di EA e Activision), anche più corto del capitolo finale dedicato al rapporto tra film e videogame (in entrambi i versi: giochi tratti da film e film tratti da giochi). Il fatto che si parli molto di più dell'urendo film di Final Fantasy rispetto a qualunque iterazione del gioco Final Fantasy la dice lunga.
July 31, 2025
I found Vol 2. to be quite an interesting read. I took my time reading this book, using this as a filler book when I took a break from my other books. There are definitely areas where it could have gone a little deeper especially toward the end about video games and movies. The part about "The Spirit Within" could be a book in itself...which I think there is a book about that, no?
This is a great read, and there are other books out there that would complement this book like "Replay: The History of Video Games", "Console Wars", and probably "Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture" which I plan on reading eventually. Nothing is the "Ultimate" in its field, but the author did make clear why it was changed to "The Ultimate" because the initial name was highly ambiguous. What was that name? Well, take a read and you can find out.
This is a great read, and there are other books out there that would complement this book like "Replay: The History of Video Games", "Console Wars", and probably "Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture" which I plan on reading eventually. Nothing is the "Ultimate" in its field, but the author did make clear why it was changed to "The Ultimate" because the initial name was highly ambiguous. What was that name? Well, take a read and you can find out.
August 31, 2023
This book, like its volume 1 is infuriating with its omissions. I suggest the editors amend the title to "The Ultimate History of Console Video Game Business and Marketing as told by the executives, Volume 2 (with recaps of volume 1)". There is almost nothing here about games and absolutely nothing about technology beyond what you'd find in a marketing press release.
Book presents a view purely from the perspective of company owners / CEOs, their marketing departments and sometime games journos. It relies almost exclusively on industry quotes and interviews and contains no research. No narrative is questioned by the author, even the ones that contradict each other and I'm guessing it's to keep the doors open for volume 3.
Book presents a view purely from the perspective of company owners / CEOs, their marketing departments and sometime games journos. It relies almost exclusively on industry quotes and interviews and contains no research. No narrative is questioned by the author, even the ones that contradict each other and I'm guessing it's to keep the doors open for volume 3.
February 15, 2025
There's a lot to like in this book. It picks up where the first volume left off and covers the demise of SEGA, and the heated completion between the PS3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii. For some reason nothing further though. Barely a mention of Xbox One, Nintendo Switch or PS4.
In place we have an odd chapter about rhe state of the Arcade industry, including a cliffs notes of the first part of the first volume, one chapter solely dedicated to EA and Activision, and one final chapter about movies and video games. Good topics for sure but they felt a little out of place.
Still a good read but not as solid as volume 1.
In place we have an odd chapter about rhe state of the Arcade industry, including a cliffs notes of the first part of the first volume, one chapter solely dedicated to EA and Activision, and one final chapter about movies and video games. Good topics for sure but they felt a little out of place.
Still a good read but not as solid as volume 1.
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January 28, 2024A solid continuation of Kent's earlier research. Very much focused on the history of videogames as an industry (rather than a creative field), centered around the big console players (Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft in volume 2). Lots of great interviews and first-person accounts, but mostly from corporate figures. At times I did wish the book was more holistic in its approach and coverage, but still a very solid and interesting read for those interested in the history of the industry (and thorough on what it covers). Ended a bit abruptly.
I would read a third volume.
I would read a third volume.
October 3, 2023
Not as concise as Part I, and it very annoyingly doubles back unneccesarily over a lot of information covered in Part I, but still loads of amazing stories and facts. It does its main job of covering the last 20 years since Part I quite well, and I consider these two books to be books that should only be enjoyed as a set. You will come out of it an expert on the history of video gaming. Highly recommended.
April 18, 2022
A great continuation of Volume 1! I desperately hope Steven L Kent does a volume 3 in a few years to cover the shifting video game industry. Company mergers, buyouts, mobile game ascendancy, and who know how much else by the time a third volume would come out. Please consider another volume, Steven!!!
July 30, 2025
This was a really good read about the history of the video game industry. This book takes off where the last (supposedly since I haven't read it yet) left off and continues the story about video games. It is a really good read if you are interested in the battle between the video game giants of Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo. I really enjoyed the read and have the first book ready to go!
November 1, 2021
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway and gave it to my nephew for his 13th birthday. He is a huge fan of both video games and history, and he devoured the book in less than a week. He said he gives it 5 stars and plans to read it again soon.
June 19, 2023
Very interesting, but much more focussed on the business part of gaming than I wanted.
Ends around the Xbox360/PS3/Wii area and then has a few short chapters about video games being made into movies, focussing mostly on Uwe Boll.
Ends around the Xbox360/PS3/Wii area and then has a few short chapters about video games being made into movies, focussing mostly on Uwe Boll.
September 30, 2023
It was okay. Definitely not as essential as the first volume. The approach here is much more scattershot and too often it feels like there are tangents that are not really what one is looking for in such a book, like the painful chapter on "are games art"?.
October 31, 2021
I gave this book to my son since he is into games. He said very informative.
December 14, 2021
Packed with tons of fun facts. Would make a great gift for people into collecting games, etc
March 1, 2022
Mostly excellent albeit a bit scattered at times, this gets a bonus for being one of the few straight history books discussing video games after the PlayStation 1 era.
April 12, 2023
Could be better organized as it does meander a bit. However, the information and the asides from industry professionals and industry greats are pretty in-depth and a lot of fun to read.
April 25, 2023
Not as detailed as vol 1 and recycled a lot of information from vol 1. But it's still super interesting learning about this stuff, and it has a chapter on video game movies so that was fun.
November 10, 2023
Another excellent review of the video game industry by Mr Kent. Not quite as interesting as the first book and in parts introducing too much sales detail. But still a must-read.
January 23, 2024
I listened to it on Audible. The fact that the narrator couldn't pronounce Kratos along with a few other game names just felt wrong. It was fun learning about the history though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 20, 2024
Aaand round 2 is equally as good! Also, high recommend for any video game nerd
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