Video Games FAQ

Here is a fact-filled history of video games, from their earliest days as blocky abstractions to the present-day photorealistic worlds that they have become.

Exploring the games, systems, technologies, companies, and inventors who built a novelty into a worldwide industry, Video Games FAQ: Everything Left to Know About Games and Gaming Culture presents a captivating look at one of the major cultural forces of our time.

In lively prose intended for a general audience, the book examines the many ways video games have entered our lives, impacted the culture, and grown through innovations and technological advances. More than just a history, it is also packed with fun and interesting video-game trivia. Learn such facts as the origins of handheld games, the first first-person shooting games, which game characters were named after a landlord and an attorney, how third-party development came about, and what were the best- and worst-selling systems of all time.

Rich in detail regarding the origins of games and systems and their sequels, the console wars, the home computer revolution, and companies and their strategies, Video Games FAQ is a fascinating and compact history of video games and everything connected with them, and concludes with a look at the future of games and gaming.

About the Author

Mark J. P. Wolf (City TK, WI) received his PhD from the Cinema School at the University of Southern California, is the chair of the communication department at Concordia University Wisconsin, and is the author or editor of 16 books on such topics as video games, imaginary worlds, and media technology.