Joystick nation : how videogames ate our quarters, won our hearts, and rewired our minds

In a scant fifteen years, video and computer games have grown into a $6-billion-a-year global industry, sucking up ever-increasing amounts of leisure time and disposable income. In arcades, living rooms, student dorms, and (admit it) offices from Ohio to Osaka, video games have become a fixture in people's lives, marking a tectonic shift in the entertainment landscape. Now, as Hollywood and Silicon Valley rush to sell us online interactive multimedia everything, J. C. Herz brings us the first popular history and critique of the video-game phenomenon. From the Cold War computer programmers who invented the first games (when they should have been working) to the studios where the networked 3-D theme parks of the future are created, Herz brings to life the secret history of Space Invaders, Pac Man, Super Mario, Myst, Doom, and other celebrated games. She explains why different kinds of games have taken hold (and what they say about the people who play them) and what we can expect from a generation that has logged millions of hours vanquishing digital demons. Written with 64-bit energy and filled with Herz's sharp-edged insights and asides, Joystick Nation is a fascinating pop culture odyssey that's must-reading for media junkies, pop historians, and anyone who pines for their old Atari. J.c. Hertz Brings Us The First Popular History And Critique Of Electronic Entertainment From Its Genesis As Primitive Blips In The Labs Of Cold War Computer Programmers To The Studios Where Networked 3-d Theme Parks Are Created. Tracing This Neon Branch Of The Computer Industry From A Small Cadre Of Inspired Nerds To An Entertainment Behemoth That Rivals Hollywood Box Office Billings, She Brings To Life The History Of Space Invaders, Pac Man, Super Mario, Myst, Doom, And. Other Celebrated Games. She Explores The Culture Of Virtual Construction Workers Who Do Code Wherever The Next Big Game Is Being Created - And The World Of Designers, Writers, And Musicians Who Make Their Living In This Boomtown Industry. At The Same Time, Herz Investigates The Games Themselves And The Role They Have Come To Play In An Increasingly Virtual World. Ch. 1. Primitive Blips -- Ch. 2. A Natural History Of Videogames -- Ch. 3. The Madonna/whore Complex Of Consumer Electronics -- Ch. 4. A La Recherche Du Arcades Perdu -- Ch. 5. The Classics -- Ch. 6. Why Doom Rules -- Ch. 7. Virtual Construction Workers -- Ch. 8. Ditties Of The Apocalypse -- Ch. 9. Cartridge Wars -- Ch. 10. Videogame Porn -- Ch. 11. Mario Uber Alles -- Ch. 12. Having A Wonderful Time ... Wish I Were Here -- Ch. 13. Superhero Sushi -- Ch. 14. Boys Versus Girls -- Ch. 15. Moral Kombat -- Ch. 16. The Military-entertainment Complex -- Ch. 17. Sim Society. J.c. Herz. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The author of Surfing the Internet presents an intriguing popular history and critique of the video-game phenomenon, discussing the development of many popular games, and assesses the long-term implications and effects of the digital world on our future. 20,000 first printing. Tour.