Book Review: Game On by Dustin Hansen

I had never heard of this author, so I checked out his author profile on Amazon. He certainly has a sense of humor.

Dustin Hansen (1970-2089) was born in Ogden, Utah, to a family of pirates, musicians, artist, and adventurers. As a young man, Dustin wandered the red rocks and lush green hills of the Utah outdoors, dreaming about those who had walked the trails before him, Native Americans, early western American settlers, and of course, the dinosaurs.

For more than two decades Dustin worked as a director in the video game industry, but has since turned his love for art, story, and gaming to the written word.

About the book: Game On provides a look at the history, design, and development of video games using a curated list of games the author considered impactful. The book covers the early days of gaming and the impact that technology has had on the industry, as well as the challenges and opportunities that game designers and developers face today. It also provides insights into the future of gaming and the potential for new technologies such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence to shape the way we play and interact with games. Overall, the book is a fascinating guide to the world of video games and offers a unique perspective on the industry for both fans and those interested in game development.

Below is the author's list of games which are also divided up by chapters:

• Pong 1972: Game, Set, Match
• Space Invaders 1978: A First Invasion
• Pac-Man 1980: Thank You, Pizza
• Zork 1980: You Are Likely To Be Eaten By A Grue
• Donkey Kong 1981: It's On Like Donkey Kong!
• E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial 1982: Don't Phone Home
• Super Mario Bros. 1985: The Plan, The People, And The Plumber
• The Legend Of Zelda 1986: It's Dangerous To Go Alone! Take This.
• John Madden Football 1988: It's In The Game
• Tetris 1989: Line 'Em All Up
• Sonic The Hedgehog 1991: So Fast, You'll Need A Barf Bag
• Street Fighter II 1991: Hadouken!
• Mortal Kombat 1992: Fatality!: Violence And The Esrb
• Super Mario Kart 1992: An All-Star Cast
• Myst 1993: Get Lost In A Book. Literally.
• Doom 1993: A Planet Full Of Guns
• Tomb Raider 1996: A New Face, A New System, A New Era
• Gran Turismo 1997: Gentlemen, Start Your Engines
• Final Fantasy VII 1997: Not As Final As You Thought
• Half-Life 1998: Welcome To Black Mesa
• Dance Dance Revolution 1999: Step In A New Direction
• Pokémon Yellow 1999: Gotta Catch 'Em All
• The Sims 2000: Plenty Of Room To Expand
• Grand Theft Auto III 2001: Hijacked!
• World Of Warcraft 2004: Wowzers!
• Halo 2 2004: One Down, Fifty Billion To Go
• Guitar Hero 2005: Bring On The Plastic!
• Wii Sports 2006: Tighten Your Shoelaces And Your Wrist Strap
• Portal 2007: The Cake Is A Lie
• Little Big Planet 2008: I'll Play Yours, You Play Mine
• Farmville 2009: E-I-E-I-Oooo
• Angry Birds 2009: Who You Callin' Angry?
• Minecraft 2009: Kick It Up Another Notch!
• Uncharted 2 2009: Armor? I Don't Need No Stinkin' Armor!
• League Of Legends 2009: Ten Million And Counting
• Skylanders 2011: Greetings, Portal Master!
• The Walking Dead 2011: Tell Me A Story?
• Overwatch 2016: On The Shoulders Of Heroes

The chapter layout made this book easily digestible. This list gets less and less obvious for me as time progresses. I think the first 15 or so are spot on when it comes to influential games. The time suck that is World of Warcraft kind of ended my gaming career. The only game I really play at the moment is Gods Unchained. I am heavily vested in @splinterlands but I have others playing for me. I wonder what the author thinks of Web3 and blockchain-based games. Reading this book made me nostalgic for times past, and it makes me want to seek out and play some of these old games. Do you agree with his list or do you think some titles are missing? I would add the 1988 game Wasteland to the list. I loved playing it when I was a kid, and it was the precursor to the Fallout Series. It's mainly a text-based game but is still playable to this day. If you are curious about the evolution of games, this is a great read. I lived through it. I remember playing pong back when I was very young.