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The gaming community's language of buttons tapping, aliens exploding and fireballs hurling didn't flicker to life overnight. Over the years, the tiny meow of gaming culture grew into a roar—an explosion fueled by Doritos and soda and lit by the soft glow of TV screens and computer monitors. In 2008, gaming even became significant enough to warrant the binding of the first Guinness Book of World Records: Gamer's Edition.
The idea of a Guinness Book of World Records first emerged in 1951, when the managing director of the Guinness Brewery, Sir Hugh Beaver went out with a shooting party. Sir Beaver got into an argument over whether the golden plover or the grouse was the fastest game bird in Europe and thus sprang the idea to create a book to provide answers to such questions.
Now in its third year, the 2010 Gamer's Edition of the Guinness Book of World Records features more than 600 video game stats, world records, trivia, interviews, new developments and profiles of key figures compiled by the renowned Guinness World Records editorial team. So you think you're a Tekken 6 master? Try beating 68 consecutive opponents in best-of three matches. Does it surprise you that the Best Selling Videogame Series of All Time remains Super Mario Bros.? Well if so, make sure you're not confusing it with the Most Popular Videogame Series of All Time, Halo. And did you know the most recognizable videogame character in the world is Pac-Man? Of course, none of these stats would exist if not for the innovations of some key people who made videogames what they are today.
With that in mind, it's time for a two-part trivia question. Who is the father of videogames and what was the very first video game to appear on TV screens? The answer may not be as obvious as you think. It's no surprise if you're thinking the answer involves two paddles sliding up and down, bopping a little white ball back and forth. After all, Pong was most people's first videogame and its creator, Nolan Bushnell (and founder of Atari) is considered by many to be "the father of electronic gaming". But if you answered this way, you'd be wrong. Bushnell wasn't the first to come up with the concept of videogames. So who is it? Shigeru Miyamoto? Will Wright? Actually the title goes to engineer Ralph Baer, who patented the technology that made creating videogames possible in 1968, four years before Pong was even introduced to the world.
Hundreds of interesting facts like these can be found in the book's many categories: The Highest Grossing Video Arcade of All Time, Longest Time Spent Playing an MMORPG. In addition to more factoids than can fit in your brain, the book features spreads of some of the best selling games of 2009, such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Assassin's Creed 2, Halo 3 ODST, New Super Mario Bros., The Beatles: Rock Band and Madden NFL 10. The 2010 edition also has a new layout that departs from that of the previous two books, increasing its readability by organizing game titles into genres and sub-genres.
If there's any lingering doubt that gaming has come into its own, the fact that it now has its own own version of the Guinness Book removes it. Whether you're thinking of setting a record of your own or just enjoy reading gaming trivia, this is one book that every serious gamer will enjoy.
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