Game Changers: The Video Game Revolution

’A fitting tribute to gaming’s Hall of Fame.’ - Esquire

As seen in Vanity Fair, Axios Gaming, Esquire, and Polygon

An A to Z of video games - 300 entries showcasing the most influential and celebrated games, consoles, publishers, and more

A visual history of all things video games, this book will provide the reader with an overview of the gaming industry, from the very first game created around the mid-twentieth century, right through to the present day. Particular focus is given to advances within the industry during this time, such as new technologies, innovative gameplay, never-before-seen graphics, and design.

An introduction by Simon Parkin provides an overview of gaming history, and exploring how iconic games have pushed the boundaries of the medium and 300 entries, hand picked by a panel of industry experts, showcase the most influential and celebrated games, consoles, publishers, and more. Each entry is accompanied by text informing the reader about the game and its history, its place in wider popular culture, and including useful information and facts, with exciting and sometimes unexpected pairings provided by the A to Z organisation.

A glossary of key words and select biographies of influential creators and developers provides more context and a system of icons and infographics allows readers to see the connections between the book’s 300 entries. Wider gaming culture, and how it has grown from a niche hobby to a worldwide phenomenon, influencing popular culture, is also explored, making this the widest ranging survey of games and gaming available today.

Phaidon Editors

Simon Parkin is an award-winning British author and journalist and an authority on video games. He is a contributing writer for the New Yorker, a regular contributor to the Guardian, and is a critic for the Observer newspaper. His work has been featured in ’The Best American Nonrequired Reading’. He is the author of several books, including An Illustrated History of 151 Video Games (2019).

India Block is Deputy editor of Disegno, the international quarterly design journal, and a writer with a focus on architecture and design.