History and Sociology of Video Games

Video games are currently the fastest -growing form of entertainment in America. They've permanently redefined the way we use our leisure time. The following books are good background reading on the video game phenomenon , if you want to understand not only the games, but their place in the world:

ARCADE FEVER: The Fan's Guide to The Golden Age of Video Games . Sellers, John; Running Press; ISBN: 0762409371.

Game Over: Press Start to Continue . Sheff, David; GamePress; ISBN: 0966961706.

High Score! The Illustrated History of Electronic Games . DeMaria, Rusel and Johnny Lee Wilson; McGraw-Hill Osborne Media; ISBN: 0072224282.

Joystick Nation: How Videogames Ate Our Quarters, Won Our Hearts, and Rewired Our Minds . Herz, J. C.; Little, Brown & Company.

Killing Monsters: Why Children Need Fantasy, Super Heroes, and Make-Believe Violence . Jones, Gerard; Basic Books; ISBN: 0465036953.

Phoenix: The Fall & Rise of Videogames . Herman, Leonard; Rolenta Press.

Supercade: A Visual History of the Videogame Age 1971-1984 . Burnham, Van; MIT Press; ISBN: 0262024926.

Trigger Happy: Videogames and the Entertainment Revolution . Poole, Steven; Arcade Publishing; ISBN: 1559705396.

Ultimate History of Video Games, The: From Pong to Pokemon ”The Story Behind the Craze That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World . Kent, Steve L.; Prima Publishing; ISBN: 0761536434.