Did you know that Nintendo started out as a playing card company? Did you know that Steve Jobs worked for Atari before a spiritual retreat to India? The history of video games is a strange and exciting saga that needs to be told. In Play Value, game industry heavy-hitters and hardcore gamers retell the stories that have led up to a multi-billion dollar industry.
In fact, while hard-core gamers are sure to love Play Value,
the show isn't necessarily made for them, but rather for casual gamers,
history buffs, or folks like me, who enjoy the trip down memory lane.
The production quality is high – the video itself is in 720p high
definition, and the experts, who provide commentary on the topics such
as the rise and fall of Atari or the torrid backstory behind Tetris
making its way outside the Iron Curtain, are actually a little more
believable as “experts” than, say, the B-list celebrities VH1 trots out
for Top 100 Songs of the 90s. Definitely worth a view.
I am a huge fan of ON Networks and all
their HD-produced podcasts. My love stems mostly from two of their programs: The 5 Minute Drill for my fantasy footbal addiction and Play Value for an entertaining “Best Week Ever”-style doc on the history of videogames from
the very beginnings of Nintendo.
