The Ultimate History of Video Games

Kent’s oral-history-driven account of the game business from the arcade era through Atari’s collapse, Nintendo’s rescue of the console market, and the Sony–Sega–Nintendo wars of the 1990s.

Why it’s on the list: Named in the “explains an entire industry” thread, and the usual answer when someone asks for one book on games.

Where I saw it: In Kyle’s “Books To Read” Apple Note, recovered from the reply thread to @WillManidis asking “what is the single best book you can read that will explain an entire industry?” (June 2, 2025). The full recovered list lives on what is the single best book… (tweet).

Connections

• what is the single best book… (tweet) — the thread this came out of; the full recovered list lives there.
• Gaming — the industry.