Once dismissed as a fleeting fad of the young and frivolous, video games have become a booming industry that promises to drive the future of new media and emerging technologies. Today, video games have become a limitless and multifaceted medium through which major corporations and Hollywood visionaries alike are reaching broader global audiences and influencing cultural trends at a rate unmatched by any other media.This book traces the growth of a global phenomenon that has become an integral part of popular culture today. All aspects of video games and gaming culture are covered inside this engaging reference work, including the leading video game innovators, the technological advances that made the games of the late 1970s and those of today possible, the corporations that won and lost billions of dollars pursing this lucrative market, arcade culture, and the demise of free-standing video consoles and the rise of home-based and handheld gaming devices. Narrative chapters explore the ongoing debates about whether video games lead to violence in children and teens (as was the case with the Columbine High School shootings) in addition to other topics, such as the evolution of the new games, and the battle between Sony's PlayStation 3, Nintendo's Wii, and Microsoft's Xbox 360.