I grew up around pinball machines and other arcade machines when going to the arcade, I sort-of missed out on some things when it comes to the video games of the past. (I did play pong in my teens) My attention was elsewhere, like getting married and having a family. I did visit the Arcade every now and then, but I really didn't start getting into video games until my daughter was 4 years old. I had a Commodore 64, I was at a store one day and picked up Bubble Bobble out of the bargain bin because it was a two player game. That started it all for me and my family. I still remember seeing Atari games and systems, NES, and Sega Master Systems on the shelves of stores. I saved up and I bought my first system when the Sega Genesis came out. I've said all of this because, I've been reading “The Ultimate History of Video Games†by Steven L. Kent this week. I am well over half way through it right now. With the use of emulators, It has been very rewarding just loading up games as they are talked about in the book and playing them on my GP2X. Playing the games and reading about the behind the scene stuff has really brought some appreciation for some of the games and has given some real insight to video game history. I have played and discovered some good retro games by playing them for the first time. It has made the book come alive as I am living through the history and playing the games at the same time. Recommended reading and playing. Especially for those that were not there to remember. It has been a real experience. If I can get any more retro than I am, it has made me even more so. Can't wait to see how it ends. Does Mario finally get the girl? Do the aliens finally blow our galaxy away? Will Pacman get stomach problems from eating all those dots?
Interesting.I haven't got any books on the history of video gaming but I've been reading some websites.I've been learning about console clones...quite cool really. (On an unrelated note)I went to a market a while a go and some guy was selling a Commodore 64 plus a ton of games and equipment not to mention various oddities which intrigued me greatly.Unfortunately before I could start haggling my parents dragged me away
