The First Quarter: A 25-Year History of Video Games

by Steven L. Kent

As a child, Philip Sherlock loved to listen to folk tales. Since then he has made a significant contribution to Caribbean folklore by recording many of them in print for the first time. Here are... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0970475500
• ISBN13: 9780970475503
• Release Date: September 2001
• Publisher: B W D Pr
• Length: 466 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.

Customer Reviews

An engaging look at a fascinating story.

Not being able to find "The First Quarter" I emailed Mr. Kent. He told me that the book he wrote being published by Prima, "The Ultimate History of Video Games," was was a rewrite of "The First Quarter" with a little added material. (So if you're loooking for this one and can't find it there you go.) This was the most interesting book I've read in a long time. Reading the stories and history from an insider's perspective was truely fascinating. If you're a gamer I highly recommend this title.

A Superb Lookback Over The First 25 Years of Videogames

As a collector of arcade machines, retro computers and consoles, as soon as this book appeared in my `Recommendations` section prior to its release I put it on order.Living in the UK, the postage on top of the price of the book may put many non Statesiders off. Don't let it stop you, just buy it!As soon as the book arrived and I'd turned to the first page, I was glued to it. The First Quarter charts the history of videogames from the days before `Computer Space`, through to `Pong`, `Space Invaders`, `Asteroids`, `Pacman` and beyond, in an informative and enjoyable way.The author, Steven Kent has done a brilliant job of tracking down many of `the legends` from the computer and arcade games over the years. The interviews and quotes from these people are generously smattered throughout the book, giving the whole thing and almost documentary style.For me, the pre mid-80's sections were of most interest, but the numerous Nintendo/Sega court cases, fall of Atari etc are also compelling.I could go on, but don't want to spoil it for you. If you've enjoyed `Game Over` and thought `Phoenix` wasn't very good, get this. It NEEDS to be in your collection.

The Ultimate Video Game History Book

Stories have been floating around the video game business for years about Steven Kent's book on the history of video gaming. Now it's out, and it's everything I had hoped for.Kent's book does more than just cover that dates and events in the history of the video game business. He brings to life the colorful characters who built it. He also let's his subjects tell their stories in their own words.I've been in this business for over a decade, and can attest to the fact that Steven really captures his subject well. I even learned things for the first time about companies where I worked for years!

Great attention to detail, behind-the-scenes secrets !!

Incredible insight into the creation of some of the biggest video games. What's fascinating about this book are the revealing details behind the creation of these games. Having been in this business for 14 years, I was amazed with the amount of information that was acquired and only wish the book could have been even longer. Highly recommended!

Can't get smarter than Kent's First Quarter

Steven Kent has been a leading authority in gaming related journalism for years and has written some of the best interviews, reviews, previews, features etc. for MSNBC, Rolling Stone and other major publications, on- and offline. He's also been involved in the business ever since it all began and is thus one of the few men to know the gaming world and its history from top to bottom... and it shows in this very comprehensive, sometimes controversial and always entertaining "holy book" of videogames. Whether you're a member of the industry, a hardcore videogame afficionado or simply care for a little round of Goldeneye 64 every now and then, The First Quarter is a perfect read for you and will make any coffee table look good. Order it while supplies last! ;-)