Taito’s history is one of change and adaptation. Michael Kogan was a Jewish-Russian refugee who worked in a Japanese factory during World War II. After the war, he relocated to Shanghai, China to join his father, Taitung, in making natural hair wigs, floor coverings, and hog bristles. When the Communists overtook China, he liquidated the company and and electromechanical games, and, eventually, video games.
Taito claims to have produced the first racing video game with Speed Race, although Atari argues it was first with Gran Trak 10. Of course, Taito is most famous for creating the game Space Invaders. Regardless, Taito released numerous entertainment devices including pinball machines.
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Michael Thomasson is one of the most widely respected videogame historians in the field today. He currently teaches college level videogame history, design, and graphics courses. For television, Michael conducted research for MTV's videogame related program Video MODS. In print, he authored Downright Bizarre Games, and has contributed to nearly a dozen gaming texts. Michael’s historical columns have been distributed in newspapers and magazines worldwide. He has written business plans for several vendors and managed a dozen game-related retail stores spanning three decades. Michael consults for multiple video game and computer museums and has worked on nearly a hundred game titles on Atari, Coleco, Sega and other console platforms. In 2014, The Guinness Book of World Records declared that Thomasson had “The Largest Videogame Collection” in the world. His businesses sponsor gaming tradeshows and expos across the US and Canada. Visit www.GoodDealGames.com.
