arcade games) may be fading... However, unlike hula hoops, the present generation of computer games represents a transitional phenomenon on the way to a permanent alteration of our world. Computers are the most compelling toy ever invented ... Ever more elaborate and challenging games will be played on computers in the future. Why not? It's a way of making friends with the machine." In a section called "Microprocessors, or how I flunked biostatistics at Harvard", Crichton lashes out at a medical school teacher who had given him a 'D' fifteen years earlier. Reception Jerry Pournelle named Electronic Life as his "book of the month" in BYTE in June 1985, writing that "Dr. Crichton has managed to pack a great deal of useful information, philosophy, and common sense into 250+ pages. Recommended for almost everyone; even experienced hackers will find parts interesting and can then keep the book around to lend to beginners". See also Video game crash of 1983 References 1983 non-fiction books Computer books Books by Michael Crichton Alfred A. Knopf books