The Ultimate History of Video Games is a 2001 non-fiction book by Steven L. Kent. Published initially by Prima Publishing and then by Three Rivers Press,[1] it is an updated version of the self-published The First Quarter: A 25-Year History of Video Games.[1][2][3][4]
The book is based on over 500 interviews, including multiple discussions with key industry leaders.[5] Three potential sources declined.[5] The author initially planned to publish the book in 1995 and then 1996. However, he ultimately self-published it in 2000.[4] 5,000 copies of the first edition were quickly sold exclusively through Amazon, and then Prima Publishing bought the rights.[3][6]
Kent initially opposed referring to the new edition as "ultimate".[6] An index was added.[3][7] He bemoaned that the Three Rivers Press edition was released before the launches of the GameCube and Xbox.[4] In 2018, and again in 2019, he mentioned that he was working on a second volume,[6][8] which was eventually published in August 2021 and titled “The Ultimate History Of Video Games, Vol. 2” .[9][10]
Ken Gagne of Gamebits, reviewing The First Quarter: A 25-Year History of Video Games, said it suffered from frequent typos and disliked that Kent largely withheld his own opinion.[3]LudoScience called it "an absolute must-read for anyone interested in the history of video games".[2]
Nintendo Life said that the 2001 rerelease as The Ultimate History of Video Games was Kent's "seminal work".[11]Publishers Weekly noted Kent's "infectious enthusiasm" and called the book "a loving tribute" to the videogame industry.[12] Tim Rotertson at MyMac.com called Kent a "gifted writer" and gave the book a 5/5 rating, but suggested that it should have been multiple volumes for more depth.[13]
Video games
