Game On! ─ Video Game History from Pong and Pac-man to Mario, Minecraft, and More

Find out about the fast and furious growth and evolution of video games (including how they are quickly taking over the world!) by looking at some of the most popular, innovative, and influential games ever, from Pong, the very first arcade game ever, to modern hits like Uncharted.

Learn about the creators and inspiration (Mario was named after Nintendo’s landlord after he barged into a staff meeting demanding rent), discover historical trivia and Easter eggs (The developers of Halo 2 drank over 24,000 gallons of soda while making the game), and explore the innovations that make each game special (The ghosts in Pac-Man are the first example of AI in a video game).

Whether you consider yourself a hard-core gamer or are just curious to see what everyone is talking about, Game On! is the book for you!

Game On!: Video Game History from Pong and Pac-Man to Mario, Minecraft, and More
By Dustin Hansen

Table of Contents
Prologue: A Living History: To Those that Came Before
Chapter 1: Pong! 1972: Game, Set, Match
Insert: Hot Tub, Pool Tables, and Soda Machines (Game Developer Offices)
Chapter 2: Space Invaders 1978: A First Invasion
Insert: The Amazing Input/Output Machine (Tech Talk: Why are they VIDEO games?)
Chapter 3: Pac Man 1980: Thank You Pizza
Insert: Just One Byte (Top 10 Video Game Snacks)
Chapter 4: Zork 1980: You are Likely to be Eaten by a Grue
Chapter 5: Donkey Kong 1981: It’s On Like Donkey Kong!
Insert: Can I Take It Home? : The Atari 2600
Chapter 6: E.T. The Extra Terrestrial 1982: Don’t Phone Home
Insert: And the Winner Is…. (Video Game Awards)
Spotlight: Shigeru Miyamoto
Chapter 7: Mario Bros. 1985: The Plan, The People, and the Plumber
Insert: The Right Man for Any Job (Mario Does It All)
Chapter 8: The Legend of Zelda 1986: It’s Dangerous to Go Alone! Take This.
Insert: Lefties Unite! (Hero List)
Chapter 9: John Madden Football 1988: It’s In The Game
Insert: The Madden Curse
Chapter 10: Tetris 1989: Line ‘Em All Up
Insert: Games for Brains
Spotlight: Gunpei Yokoi
Chapter 11: Sonic The Hedgehog 1991: So Fast, You’ll Need A Barf Bag
Insert: Every Hero Needs A Villain (Top Ten Video Game Villians)
Chapter 12: Street Fighter II 1991: Hadouken!
Chapter 13: Mortal Kombat 1992: FATALITY!: Violence and the ESRB
Insert: ESRB Breakdown (Video Game Ratings)
Chapter 14: Super Mario Kart 1992: An All-Star Cast
Insert: What is an IP? (Video Game Terminology)
Chapter 15: MYST 1993: Get Lost in a Book. Literally.
Insert: A New Kind of Book Report
Spotlight: John Carmack
Chapter 16: Doom 1993: A Planet Full of Guns
Insert: Art Meets Math (Tech Talk: 2D vs 3D art)
Chapter 17: Tomb Raider 1996: A New Face, A New System, A New Era
Insert: All I Need is a Hero (Top Ten Video Game Heroes)
Chapter 18: Gran Turismo 1997: Gentlemen, Start Your Engines
Insert: The Battle Royale! (Nintendo vs. Sony)
Chapter 19: Final Fantasy VII 1997: Not as Final as You Thought
Insert: I Can’t Remember Why I Came Here (Tech Talk: What is RAM?)
Chapter 20: Half Life 1998: Welcome to Black Mesa
Spotlight: Gabe Newell
Chapter 21: Dance Dance Revolution 1999: Step in a New Direction
Insert: Let’s Get Physical (Top Ten Exercise Games)
Chapter 22: Pokemon Yellow 1999: Gotta Catch ‘Em All
Spotlight: Will Wright
Chapter 23: The Sims 2000: Plenty of Room to Expand
Insert: The Killer App (Video Game Terminology)
Chapter 24: Grand Theft Auto III 2001: Hijacked!
Insert: We’re All a Bunch of Cheaters (Top Ten Cheat Codes)
Chapter 25: World of Warcraft 2004: WOWzers!
Insert: Create-A-Player
Chapter 26: Halo 2 2004: One Down, 50 Billion to Go
Insert: Prepare to Be Sorted (Types of Gamers)
Chapter 27: Guitar Hero 2005: Bring on the Plastic!
Insert: Extra, Extra! Read All About It!
Chapter 28: Wii Sports 2006: Tighten Your Shoelaces, and Your Wriststrap
Chapter 29: Portal 2007: The Cake is a Lie
Insert: Come On, Just One More Try
Chapter 30: Little Big Planet 2008: I’ll Play Yours, You Play Mine
Spotlight: Siobhan Reddy
Chapter 31: Farmville 2009: E-I-E-I-OOOO
Insert: Making it Mobile
Chapter 32: Angry Birds 2009: Who You Callin’ Angry?
Insert: All Kinds and Sizes (Video Game Terminology, Indie vs. Mainstream)
Chapter 33: Minecraft 2009: Kick It Up Another Notch!
Insert: Major Achievement Unlocked
Chapter 34: Uncharted 2 2009: Armor? I Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Armor!
Chapter 35: Skylanders 2011: Greetings, Portalmaster!
Chapter 36: League of Legends: Ten Million and Counting
Insert: Can’t You See Me Now? (Let’s Play)
Chapter 37: Walking Dead 2011: Tell Me a Story?
Chapter 38: The Witness 2016: Work at Your Own Pace
Spotlight: Jonathan Blow
Chapter 39: Overwatch 2016: On the Shoulders of Heroes
Epilogue: The Future: Tomorrow and Beyond