What's the best Encylopedia book on the History of V. Games?

[Anthony1]

You know how when you are walking around in a Costco or Sam's Club, and they have that aisle with all the books? They have these big books on horses, and castles in Ireland and stuff like that. Tons of pictures and really nice paper.


Are there any books like that on the History of Video Games? I mean a really big book, with tons of pictures and really nice paper. Like the kind that you would see on Dogs, or Tractors in Nebraska.


I know that there are some history of video game books, that are much more of a regular non-fiction book, but I'm more looking for one that has really purdy pictures!!!!!!!! he he he.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

If all you want is purdy pitchers, and you don't mind a focus on arcade games, try Van Burnham's Supercade or John Sellers' Arcade Fever. I actually found I liked the second of these much better. Also - you can't go wrong with High Score by Rusel DeMaria or Johnny I. Wilson, easily the most informative of the "coffee table"-style books.

If you want some real meat, and not so much in the way of the aforementioned purdy pitchers, do give Leonard Herman's Phoenix or Steve Kent's Ultimate History Of Video Games a go. They're both worth it.

For a good tome on the sociology of gaming, can't go wrong with J.C. Herz' Joystick Nation.

Oh, and don't forget the DP Guide. I hear they've got purdy pitchers in there too.

[christianscott27]

supercade, man that book needed a good editor.

billy galaxy's "collecting classic video games" if you match his printing and picture quality with the DP guides wisdom you would have the ultimate book, by itself its not much.

i give my cover-to-cover seal of approval to steve kent's "the ultimate history of video games" it covers the topic well with some good close ups on the major players. kent manages to take a disjointed history and turn into a compelling story, which counts if you're looking for a good read as well as a reference book.

[digitalpress]

I did not like "Joystick Nation" at all. Reading through it I felt like I was strangely disassociated with an industry I had felt pretty close to all along. It was like watching it through some strange set of eyes or from a parallel dimension. Like the San Fernando Valley.

I'm very partial to Leonard Herman's "Phoenix". It's the most thorough account of gaming history from the start to the present. It can be a little dry, but I've always found history to read that way when done properly.

Steven Kent's "Ultimate History..." is a great book, too. Lots of behind-the-scenes stuff. It strays from the truth from time to time but when you're getting your history first-hand from the people who created it you will sometimes see THEIR view of how it happened.

I wouldn't consider the DP Collector's Guide a history book, but you'd be surprised how much you'd learn by actually reading it instead of just using it as a reference. It's still the industry's best kept secret, IMHO. 8-)

[rolenta]

Phoenix doesn't have pretty pictures but it does have over 150 black & white photos!

A sample chapter can be found here:
http://www.rolentapress.com/1985.pdf