where do I get a list of games through the years?

Answer 1

http://www.the-underdogs.info

Answer 2

This is hard to obtain because of many factors, including the various manufacturers (which all competed to keep you from knowing or caring about the "other guy") as well as name changes as games were ported from countries, consoles, and languages. It's also not hard to realize that many web sites today get ad dollars for talking up one game over another.

Today you'll find more on console games than computer-based or arcade games on the Internet, although a lot of data is available for both, just not a true game encyclopedia.

Two sites give a history of game consoles as well as notable games from the period. Try the links I've attached.