A History of Video Games

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.

©2020 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2020 Audible Originals, LLC.

Brings up great memories

Fun trip into video game history. Learned new things about the business side of the industry.

Retronauts Gaiden

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.

informative and nostalgic

educational and yet nostalgic in that it was not only a walk down memory lane for my childhood growing up in video games but also filled in mini gaps that I didn't know in the history of the art as well as taught me many interesting trivial facts of the world behind the scenes.

Excellent course

There is more to video games than meets the eye, buckle up and enjoy.

Decent, if brief and shallow, history of video games

This was a decent overview of much of video game history. As a result of its relatively short length, it is necessarily shallow and limited in its coverage. That dudes mean that there are a number of topics that get skipped entirely or barely mentioned in passing.

That said, the content is not bad. If you come in looking for a light, easy listen about video game history, that's pretty much what you'll get.

The narration left me with mixed feelings. His overall pronunciation and speaking are just fine. There is some background music at times which felt a little jarring and annoying. However, my biggest complaint is the strange pauses he frequently does between sentences. It gives the feel of something that was recorded sentence by sentence and then pieced together. As a result, it loses the natural flow you expect from somebody speaking or lecturing. All too often, the positives are just a little longer between sentences than they should be, and once you notice it, it's really annoying.