A History of Video Games in 64 Objects
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Narrated by:
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Ray Chase
About this listen
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!
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All about computers and games
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Trade-Off
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In Trade-Off, Kevin Maney shows how these conflicting forces determine the success, or failure, of new products and services in the marketplace. He shows that almost every decision we make as consumers involves a trade-off between fidelity and convenience between the products we love and the products we need.
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No Trade-Offs for Reading Trade-Off
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The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs
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In The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs, best-selling author Carmine Gallo reveals the qualities that make the Apple co-founder the most innovative leader in business today. Each principle is backed with research, quotes, and first-person interviews with experts and business leaders, as well as specific ideas for applying those principles to every business, large or small.
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awful
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The Click Moment
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On the one hand we aren’t surprised by the uncertainty of everyday life, but on the other we believe that success can be analyzed and planned for. It is a revealing paradox. The implications are explosive and they obliterate every common-sense notion we have about strategy and planning. The Click Moment is about two very simple but highly provocative ideas.
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Outstanding book!
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Whiplash
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Today, not only is everything digital getting faster, cheaper, and smaller at an exponential rate, we also have the Internet. When these two revolutions - one in technology and the other in communications - joined, an explosive force was unleashed that changed the very nature of innovation. And with any change, we have seen many strategic blunders and extraordinary learning curves along the way.
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Just general advice on how to survive
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When most of us think about artificial intelligence, our minds go straight to cyborgs, robots, and sci-fi thrillers where machines take over the world. But the truth is that artificial intelligence is already among us. It exists in our smartphones, fitness trackers, and refrigerators that tell us when the milk will expire. In some ways the future people dreamed of at the World's Fair in the 1960s is already here. We're teaching our machines how to think like humans, and they're learning at an incredible rate.
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Mostly platitudes with no depth
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It used to be that to diagnose an illness, interpret legal documents, analyze foreign policy, or write a newspaper article you needed a human being with specific skills - and maybe an advanced degree or two. These days, high-level tasks are increasingly being handled by algorithms that can do precise work not only with speed but also with nuance. These "bots" started with human programming and logic, but now their reach extends beyond what their creators ever expected.
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good start, book runs out of sustenace
- By RealTruth on 02-15-13
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Wonderland
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From the New York Times best-selling author of How We Got to Now and Extra Life, a look at the world-changing innovations we made while keeping ourselves entertained. This history of popular entertainment takes a long-zoom approach, contending that the pursuit of novelty and wonder is a powerful driver of world-shaping technological change. Steven Johnson argues that, throughout history, the cutting edge of innovation lies wherever people are working the hardest to keep themselves and others amused.
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It will delight you
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Explore/Create
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An inventor, adventurer, entrepreneur, collector, and entertainer, and son of legendary scientist-astronaut Owen Garriott, Richard Garriott de Cayeux has been behind some of the most exciting undertakings of our time. A legendary pioneer of the online gaming industry - and a member of every gaming Hall of Fame - Garriott invented the multi-player online game, and coined the term "Avatar" to describe an individual's online character. In this fascinating memoir, Garriott invites listeners on the great adventure that is his life.
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The Modern Day Explorer
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Wired for War
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A military expert reveals how science fiction is fast becoming reality on the battlefield, changing not just how wars are fought, but also the politics, economics, laws, and ethics that surround war itself. Singer’s previous books foretold the rise of private military contractors and the advent of child soldiers - predictions that have proved all too accurate. Now he explores the greatest revolution in military affairs since the atom bomb: robotic warfare. We are now seeing a massive shift in military technology....
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Good book of fact sprinkled with left-wing opinion
- By Jeffrey on 04-13-13
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Of Dice and Men
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In Of Dice and Men, David Ewalt recounts the development of Dungeons & Dragons from the game’s roots on the battlefields of ancient Europe, through the hysteria that linked it to satanic rituals and teen suicides, to its apotheosis as father of the modern video-game industry. As he chronicles the surprising history of the game’s origins (a history largely unknown even to hardcore players) and examines D&D’s profound impact, Ewalt weaves laser-sharp subculture analysis with his own present-day gaming experiences.
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Interesting Topic, but Terrible Execution.
- By Diebold on 02-11-14
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The Art of Innovation
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IDEO, the widely admired, award-winning design and development firm that brought the world the Apple mouse, Polaroid's I-Zone instant camera, the Palm V, and hundreds of other cutting-edge products and services, reveals its secrets for fostering a culture and process of continuous innovation.
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This is an old book!
- By EPR review on 01-05-17
By: Tom Kelley, and others
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What listeners say about A History of Video Games in 64 Objects
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Ariel
- 07-18-24
A wonderful walk through the sometimes surprising history of video games
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the tales and accounts of these key games, items and iconic moments in video game history. The choices of the objects were well made, and the stories behind them fun dnd interesting.
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- Lee S
- 11-29-22
great read
great background in video games. I highly suggest it if you're a gamer and want to know about it.
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- Raven Fields
- 10-11-18
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.
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1 person found this helpful
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- J. Kinkley
- 01-09-23
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.
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- Frank Gabriel
- 06-22-18
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.
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- Adrian
- 06-05-24
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
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- Peri
- 06-06-24
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.
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