The First Quarter : A 25-year History of Video Games [Paperback]

Steven L. Kent (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0970475500 | ISBN-13: 978-0970475503 | Publication Date: September 25, 2001

The First Quarter: A 25-year History of Video Games is an insider's look at the entertainment novelty that drove the evolution of high-technology. The book was compiled from more than 500 first-hand interviews with such people as Nolan Bushnell (founder of Atari), Shigeru Miyamoto (creator of Donkey Kong), Toru Iwatani (designer of Pac-Man), etc.

Above all, this book provides an intimate look into the lives of a group of brilliant and quirky people, and the sometimes serious and sometimes wacky way they ran their business.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...the best video game history book I've ever come across...a definitive overview of how it all started." -- John Romero, Founder of Ion Storm

From the Publisher

Review from Next Generation Magazine

"Ok, we admit we're biased. Like most NEXT GEN readers, we've been waiting for years to get our hands on Kent's opus -- the entire history of the videogame industry, writ large through the words of the men and women who created it. Can such an anticipated book possibly live up to our expectations? In a word, yes.

The result of more than 500 interviews (he failed to bag only Yamauchi, Kuturagi, and Sam Tramiel) and years of research, the book delivers an authoritative yet personal view of the game industry, packed with great quotes and anecdotes. While some of the book will be well known (especially to readers of Next Gen), frequently the book exposes totally new (and fascinating) behind-the-scenes secrets. More than that though, it delivers the personal stories behind the facts, brining you the faces behind the games, and giving you a feel for what it's like to work with those people.

If Phoenix is the game industry's textbook, this is its unauthorized biography. Both books are great on their own, but they also complement each other amazingly well -- reading one makes you want to reread the other immediately.

We did have a few quibbles with The first Quarter. Frequently the text is too wordy, and several times we felt Steve was devoting too much space to minor issues that weren't worth it -- like a multi-page anecdote about Nintendo buying the Mariners --or glossing over bits we wanted to hear more on. (Sega's famous "Sega Scream" campaign gets far less ink than their nearly forgotten "Sega does what Ninten-don't" ads.) Those issues aside, though, this book is a major triumph, destined to stand with Hackers, Game Over, and Phoenix as "must reads" for anyone who cares about the game industry."
--Chris Charla

*

Selected by the DigiPen Institute of Technology, the only school offering degrees in video game creation, as a textbook for the Game150 class.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 466 pages
• Publisher: B W D Pr (September 25, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970475500
• ISBN-13: 978-0970475503
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #575,729 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Steven L. Kent has published several books dealing with video and computer games as well as a series of military science fiction novels about a Marine named Wayson Harris.

Born in California and raised in Hawaii, Kent served as a missionary for the LDS Church between the years of 1979 and 1981. During that time, he worked as a Spanish-speaking missionary serving migrant farm workers in southern Idaho.

While Kent earned a Bachelor's degree in journalism and a master's degree in communications from Brigham Young University, he claims that his most important education came from life.

Many of the lessons he learned from the Mexican field workers in Idaho have appeared in his stories. Later, from 1986 through 1988, Kent worked as a telemarketer selling TV Guide and Inc. Magazine. His years on the phone helped him develop an ear for speech patterns that has been well-reflected in dialog in his stories.

As a boy growing up in Honolulu in the 1960s, Kent developed a unique perspective. He spent hours torch fishing and skin diving.

In 1987, Kent reviewed the Stephen King novels Misery and The Eyes of the Dragon for the Seattle Times. A diehard Stephen King fan, Kent later admitted that he pitched the reviews to the Times so that he could afford to buy the books.

In 1993, upon returning to Seattle after a five-year absence, Kent pitched a review of 'virtual haunted houses' for the Halloween issue of the Seattle Times. He reviewed the games The Seventh Guest, Alone in the Dark, and Legacy. Not only did this review land Kent three free PC games, it started him on a new career path.

By the middle of 1994, when Kent found himself laid off from his job at a PR agency, he became a full-time freelance journalist. He wrote monthly pieces for the Seattle Times along with regular features and reviews for Electronic Games, CD Rom Today, ComputerLife, and NautilusCD. In later years, he would write for American Heritage, Parade, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune and many other publications. He wrote regular columns for MSNBC, Next Generation, the Japan Times, and the Los Angeles Times Syndicate.

In 2000, Kent self-published The First Quarter: A 25-year History of Video Games. That book was later purchased and re-published as The Ultimate History of Video Games by the Prima, Three River Press, and Crown divisions of Random House.

During his career as a games journalist, Kent wrote the entries on video games for Encarta and the Encyclopedia Americana. At the invitation of Senator Joseph Lieberman, Kent has spoken at the annual Report Card on Video Game Violence in Washington D.C.

In 2005, Kent announced his semi-retirement from video games so that he could concentrate on writing novels. Though he still writes a monthly column for Boy's Life, he has mostly concentrated his efforts on writing novels since that time. His first efforts in science fiction, The Clone Republic and Rogue Clone were published by Ace Book in 2006.

Despite his "retirement," Kent continues to write the occasional game article or review. His sixth novel, The Clone Empire was released in October, 2010, and a seventh novel is due in 2011.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A word from the author, October 28, 2001

By 

Steven L. Kent "gamereader" (The GREAT Northwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The First Quarter : A 25-year History of Video Games (Paperback)

I want to thank the people who were so kind in their reviews.

The First Quarter has been re-released as The Ultimate History of Video Games by Prima Publishing. This new version of the book includes an additional chapter, a time line, the oft-requested index, additional art, and above all--PROFESSIONAL EDITING.

As stated in many reviews, The First Quarter suffered from my lack of editing skills. I self-published that book. While my writing skills may be questionable, my editing abilities are indisputably bad.

Finally, I want to thank the people who bought my book and read it. I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing my enthusiasm for video games.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great attention to detail, behind-the-scenes secrets !!, November 3, 2000

By 

Ed Boon (Chicago, Illinois (USA)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The First Quarter : A 25-year History of Video Games (Paperback)

Incredible insight into the creation of some of the biggest video games. What's fascinating about this book are the revealing details behind the creation of these games. Having been in this business for 14 years, I was amazed with the amount of information that was acquired and only wish the book could have been even longer. Highly recommended!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very nicely done history of video games., January 9, 2001

By 

Ivan Shepperd (Richardson, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The First Quarter : A 25-year History of Video Games (Paperback)

This is a well researched book on the history of video games, starting from its roots. It is full, and I mean FULL, of anecdotes from the people who were there. The author does a good job of clarifying and expanding upon those stories.

I have a few quibbles: In the early '80s the author goes into great detail about Atari and even Coleco but doesn't cover Mattel's contribution enough. And later the Nintendo Game Boy is covered appropriately but the Sega Game Gear is hardly mentioned. There are also some minor formatting errors but my biggest gripe and the reason for 4 rather than 5 stars is the lack of an index. I don't think I've ever seen a nonfiction title like this one without an index. Want to find out who programmed Pac-Man? It's in the book but you won't find it easily. Still, I really enjoyed reading it.