FACTSHEET 5
1995

One of my favorite books has evolved into an annual zine. Leonard Herman's original 300-page Phoenix book [reviewed in F5 #57] chronicled the rise and fall and rebirth of the home videogame industry. It's a fantastic book and highly recommended to anyone interested in the history of computers or videogames. This 50-page addendum chronicles all the events for the entire industry in 1994. Leonard explains how the ratings were instituted primarily so that the could sell adult-oriented games without fear of reprisal. Then he talks about the development of on-line gaming, CD-ROM players, and 32-machines. 1994 was a big year for videogames and Leonard captures all the excitement here.