If you haven’t seen Discovery Channel’s “Rise of the Video Game” series, you’ll want to catch part 5 of 5 on tonight (Wednesday) at 8pm CST. I’ve seen parts 1-3, and have part 4 waiting for me on the DVR. So far it’s covered the beginning of electronic gaming (part 1 was a treat) and the harsh gaming business. It’s also talked about the cultural significance of the games, including how some major events in history (such as the Cold War) factored into game creation–and how games can also change war itself.

If you’ve missed parts 1-4, don’t fret. I’m sure Discovery will re-run the series. Or you could fire up bittorrent, but you didn’t hear that from me.

Edit: Oops, I meant 7pm CST. Bah. If you missed it, it’ll be on again later tonight and later in the week.