"Carly A. Kocurek provides a fascinating cultural history of arcade gaming and, in doing so, offers keen insight into our ongoing conversations around gender and gaming. This is a must read for those interested not only in game studies but in the evolution of American boyhood."-T.L. Taylor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology"An excellent study of the early history of the video game industry and how it came to define the gamer as male."-Library Journal"The great contribution of Kocurek’s Coin-Operated Americans is its attempt to historicize a relationship that often appears natural to cultural gatekeepers and other onlookers, not to mention reactionary “gamers” themselves."-Public Books"This detailed study provides a lucid, compelling narrative that will interest a very diverse audience."-CHOICE"Coin-Operated Americans is an invaluable contribution for those interested in the intersection among media, technology, and critical questions surrounding children and youth."-Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth"Kocurek invites readers to imagine the sensory environment of the early arcade, its sights and sounds, which serves as a vivid backdrop for the compelling cultural history the book chronicles."-Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth"Productive contributions to studies of masculinity, and to studies of gender and digital play more broadly."-Journal of Men, Masculinities and Spirituality "Coin-Operated Americans will make an excellent addition to undergraduate courses on gender studies, American culture, and the recent past."-Oral History Review