The Epic Evolution of Video Games

November 1, 2013

Gr 4-7-Young gamers who wonder what's inside their Xboxes or how those dramatic graphics are created will come away from these satisfying volumes with plenty of facts. This set introduces information about software, game engines, famous gaming developers, and careers. The history of video games and gaming's physical and educational benefits are also covered. The photos are largely energy-boosting filler, but the texts offer specific, up-to-date references and facts. Readers who want to know even more will find the annotated resource lists helpful.

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2013
Grades 5-8 Today's tweens have grown up with games on their smartphones, but their parents will remember spending hours standing at the arcade. Short two-page chapters filled with heavily designed pictures and text boxes move the text along, yet provide the essential facts and a general time line of computer games. It's undoubtedly fun to look at the now-quaint photos of systems like the Atari 2600 and Nintendo Game Boynot to mention soon-to-be-quaint systems like the Wii. Kaplan describes the progression of animations from crude to sophisticated, stating in the final chapter, There's no way to predict what games will be like in the future. This entry in the Games and Gamers series concludes with a list of the top-selling games of 2012 and a detailed list of sources for further information.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)