A History of Video Games in 64 Objects Review

Videogames are still relatively new, even as we proceed deep into the eighth generation it’s easy to forget that the modern era of gaming only began in the 70s. The early machines like the Magnavox Odyssey owing a lot to both electronic and mechanical toys from the preceding decades. Preserving the contribution of the various pieces throughout gaming’s short history is important and this book hopes to do part of that.

A History of Video Games in 64 Objects cherry picks sixty four significant items from an archive of thousands housed at the Strong National Museum of Play, be that hardware or games, that made a significant impact to the world of gaming. The book chronicles each in some detail, aiming to give historical context and detailing the stories these objects have to tell. For example, Gottlieb’s Humpty Dumpty pinball machine and its existence in a world where pinball machines were banned in New York, seen as they were as a gateway to gambling.

The writing style is easy to read, conveying a lot of really interesting information without becoming dry textbook fodder. Focussing on the historical relevance of each object as well as the impact its creator had on the industry makes for some fascinating reading. Including anecdotes about the great Gunpei Yokoi and Nolan Bushnell help bring a human element to the creations as well.

Initially, it might seem odd that a good portion of the items covered by the book are of a mechanical or early electrical nature. But it’s interesting seeing how Nintendo’s Love Tester or TSR’s Dungeons and Dragons would have long lasting effects, on both Nintendo’s dedication to play and the complexity of videogames.

The book looks at games you’d expect, Super Mario Bros., Sonic the Hedgehog, Doom and more. But it also takes great care to talk about more obscure, influential games such as the early simulation game, Utopia for the Intellivision and Bill Budge’s iconic Pinball Construction Set from 1983. Each of the games is given enough pages to give you a solid sense of why it was included.

Saying that however, there are some oddities, once into the modern era it’s easy to see why games such as Halo: Combat Evolved, The Sims, and Pokémon are included. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 however feels an odd pick; whilst the accompanying text details the evolution of the FPS, even briefly glossing over the original Modern Warfare, suggesting that it’s sequel is credited with reinventing the genre with a degree of realism feels a little like revisionist history.

That blip aside, the rest of the choices are solid, interesting artifacts of notable renown. Including some cool things I’d not heard about before reading, like the Digi-Comp mechanical toy kit computer, prompting me into doing further research to satisfy my own curiosity.

A History of Video Games in 64 Objects makes for an interesting read, each entry is riveting in its own way, often casting things you are familiar with in a context that makes you think about them a little differently. It’s well worth a read and I hope they do more of this type of thing, I’d quite happily read about 256 historical gaming objects written in this format.