More than any other entertainment medium, video

games offer the chance for us to participate in a world

beyond the ordinary. Whether you are playing as a

supersonic hedgehog, an athletic archeologist, or a

moustachioed Italian plumber, video games allow their

players to inhabit spaces where the usual parameters of

existence do not apply. The medium's history is

chronicled through the individual stories of 151 of the

most iconic video games. Beginning in the early 1970s,

the book charts five decades of the pixel revolution. The

story of each game is accompanied by trivia and

quotations, and illustrated with photographs, screenshots

and artwork. This celebratory reference, and up-to-date

history, will enthral any video games aficionado.

• Chronicles the history of gaming through an analysis of

151 of the world's most-iconic and best-loved games

• Expert analysis of the story of each game, accompanied

by fascinating trivia, memorable quotes, and information

on the year of publication and where the game can be

played today

• Includes titles across all platforms, including arcade,

console, PC, online and handheld games

• Charts five decades of video game evolution, from

Computer Space to Fez

• Compulsively illustrated with over 1000 action

screenshots, game artworks and photographs

Simon Parkin is an award-winning writer and journalist. Described by the New Statesman as one of the most effortlessly masterful voices in video game writing, he has contributed to The New Yorker, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, Edge magazine and many others over the past decade, writing both criticism and journalism from the front-lines of video game culture.