Table of Contents

1Searching for Bobby Fischer 1

2 Shall We Play a (War) Game? 17

3 The Priesthood at Play 29

4 One, Two, Three, Four I Declare a Space War 43

5 The Stars Are Right 61

6 Pinball Wizards 75

7 Rising Sun 101

8 A Nutty Idea 121

9 1TL200: A Video Game Odyssey 137

10 Ping-Pong Diplomacy 155

11 The Day of the Jackal 167

12

These Violent Delights 183

13 Homeward Bound 205

14 Back to BASICs 225

15 These Are the Voyages 241

16 Micro Machines 251

17 Solid State of Mind 269

18 Breaking Out in Japan 279

19 Chasing the Silver Ball 297

20 Putting the F in Fun 313

21 Hey Stella 327

22 Meet Me at the Faire 343

23 Micronauts 361

24 Critical Role 371

25 Adventure Time 383

26 Power in the Palm of Your Hand 395

27 The King is Dead, Long Live the King! 409

28 Japanese Invaders 421

29 Deep Impact 439

30 Home Invasion 455

31 Intelligent Television 467

32 Active Television 477

33 Guardians of the Galaxy 489

34 Pac-Man Fever 505

35 Blue Skies 517

Epilogue: A Date Which Will Live in Infamy 535

About the Author

Alexander Smith is a reference librarian with a background in history, research, and law who has been delving into the history of the video game industry for over ten years. He has played a crucial role in the preservation of certain documents and artifacts in early video game history and has conducted over 100 oral history interviews with key executives in the evolution of the industry. Currently, he co-hosts a bi-monthly podcast dedicated to the history of the industry (also called "They Create Worlds") and serves as a researcher and consultant for the Video Game Pioneers Archive oral history project of the Smithsonian Institution.