100,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿

Overnight NZ-wide delivery on in-stock orders 🚀

Bit by Bit

How Video Games Transformed Our World
3.29 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 238 ratings, 51 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Bit by Bit by Andrew Ervin takes readers on an enlightening journey through the history and cultural impact of video games. It explores how video games have shaped and been shaped by society, delving into their technological evolution and the artistry involved in their creation. The book offers a nuanced perspective on gaming's role in the modern world, combining insight into both the industry's history and its future potential.
Read More
Format: Hardback
$8700

International Supplier

This title is in-stock with overseas suppliers. While it is not available locally, we fly books in weekly from the US and UK to our Auckland warehouse for immediate dispatch.

AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 2-3 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

If you're fascinated by the intersection of video games and culture, you might enjoy this book. It explores how games have evolved from simple entertainment to rich cultural artefacts, influencing the way we perceive reality. It could appeal to you if you're interested in the storytelling and artistry behind gaming and how it shapes and reflects societal values.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

An acclaimed novelist and critic argues that video games are the most vital art form of our time

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Video games have seemingly taken over our lives. Whereas gamers once constituted a small and largely male subculture, today 67 percent of American households play video games. The average gamer is now thirty-four years old and spends eight hours each week playing—and there is a 40 percent chance this person is a woman.

In Bit by Bit, Andrew Ervin sets out to understand the explosive popularity of video games. He travels to government laboratories, junk shops, and arcades. He interviews scientists and game designers, both old and young. In charting the material and technological history of video games, from the 1950s to the present, he suggests that their appeal starts and ends with the sense of creativity they instil in gamers. As Ervin argues, games can be art because they are beautiful, moving, and even political.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Bit by Bit has been praised for its engaging and thoughtful exploration of video game history, blending philosophical insights and literary references. The book is celebrated for including women's contributions and Ervin's personal journey through electronic entertainment. Reviewers commend its user-friendly guide to video game evolution, combining cultural musings with first-hand accounts from developers. The narrative is described as literary, with philosophical depth and humour, supporting the view that video games can indeed be considered art.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780465039708

Publisher: Basic Books

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 25 May 2017

Country: United States

Imprint: Basic Books

Illustration: 5 B/W illustrations

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 26.0mm

Width: 143.0mm

Height: 221.0mm

Weight: 416g

Pages: 304

About the Author

Andrew Ervin is the author of Extraordinary Renditions and Burning Down George Orwell's House. He has written essays and reviews for the New York Times Book Review, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, and others. He teaches part time at Temple University and lives with his wife in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

More from Computing & Technology

View all
  • Digital Minimalism
    Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport presents a revolutionary strategy for optimising your interaction with digital technology in a way that fosters productivity, focus, happiness, and creativity. Most of us recognise that our reliance on texting, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter is not due to sheer lack of intelligence or depth, but because these platforms truly offer significant value in the form...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    Empire of AI
    An eye-opening account of the tech arms race shaping our planet, from an award-winning journalist and AI insider to the world of Sam Altman and OpenAI. When longtime AI expert and journalist Karen Hao first began covering OpenAI in 2019, she thought they were the good guys. Founded as a nonprofit with safety enshrined as its core mission, it was...
    Paperback
    $2899
    Elsewhere:
    $3700
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Careless People
    Shocking and darkly funny, Careless People gives you a front-row seat to the decisions that are shaping our world and the people who make them. Welcome to Facebook. Sarah Wynn-Williams, a young diplomat from New Zealand, pitched for her dream job. She saw Facebook's potential and knew it could change the world for the better. But, when she got there...
    Paperback
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Open to Work
    ‘Open To Work helps you stop fearing the future and start shaping it with purpose.’ Jay Shetty‘An instantly useful guide to futureproofing your career.’ Adam Grant‘Open to Work lays out a smart and clear path to the future of work’ Brené Brown In a world where AI is transforming work at a rapid pace, Open to Work is your essential...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies
    The founder of the field of AI risk explains why superintelligent AI is a global suicide bomb and we must halt development immediately. AI is the greatest threat to our existence that we have ever faced. The technology may be complex but the facts are simple. We are currently on a path to build superintelligent AI. When we do, it...
    Paperback
    $3200
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Amazing Generation
    A children's version of the global bestseller The Anxious Generation How can we live a happy and exciting life without a smartphone? The Anxious Generation started a world-changing conversation about the effects of smartphones and social media on young people. Now bestselling authors Jonathan Haidt and Catherine Price have teamed up to talk directly to those young people about how...
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Infinity Machine
    A revelatory portrait of the visionary behind Google DeepMind, the race to control the future - and what it means to win. Even in a tech world crowded with visionary leaders, Demis Hassabis is recognised as a special case. Born to working-class, immigrant parents in North London, a chess prodigy by five and wizard coder in his teens, he turned...
    Paperback
    $3499
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Co-Intelligence
    From Wharton professor and author of the One Useful Thing Substack, comes an urgent and definitive playbook for working, learning and living in the new age of AI. For fans of Kevin Kelly, Ray Kurzweil, Cal Newport, and Martin Ford. A New York Times Bestseller Co-Intelligence is the very best book I know about the ins, outs, and ethics of...
    Paperback
    $3400
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Bullet Journal Method
    The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll is an indispensable guide to gaining control over your chaotic life using the power of a simple pen and notebook. Whether you're a seasoned planner or a beginner, this book lays out a revolutionary system that provides structure, clarity, and purpose to your everyday activities. It's not just a method of organising your...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Careless People
    Shocking and darkly funny, Careless People gives you a front-row seat to the decisions that are shaping our world and the people who make them. Welcome to Facebook. Sarah Wynn-Williams, a young diplomat from New Zealand, pitched for her dream job. She saw Facebook's potential and knew it could change the world for the better. But, when she got there...
    Paperback
    $3200
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (4)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Little Book of Data
    Data is not about number crunching. It’s about ideas. And when used properly (read: ethically), it is the problem solver of our time. Yet many savvy people seem to be in data denial: they don’t think they need to understand data, or it’s too complicated, or worse, using it is somehow unethical. As data and AI (just an accelerated way...
    Paperback
    $3400
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Don’t Burn Anyone at the Stake Today
    An electrifying, thought-provoking exploration of how the digital era is reshaping our world, by bestselling, Women's Prize-winning writer Naomi Alderman. What's the most useful thing you could know about your own life? In this era-defining book, developed from her groundbreaking Radio 4 essay series, Naomi Alderman turns her boundless curiosity and incisive thinking to a question that affects us all—how...
    Hardback
    $3500
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.